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Monday 1st April, 2024
BECOMIMG THE HEAD 1
Text: “And the Lord shall make you the head, and not the tail; and thou shall be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath….” Deuteronomy 28:13
“…The head…Above only….” This is what God has ordained for us. Nothing less. This is an open and equally available opportunity for everyone. This is a divine possibility that is not nationality or gender determined. If you will accept this truth and embrace the responsibilities of it you can experience it. Whatever God has promised we can expect and experience it.
Someone may be saying “Is it really possible for everyone to become the head?” The answer is it’s possible for as many who will choose to become one and fully accept the responsibilities. The question of everyone becoming the head does not really have a general answer. It’s up to each one of us to include ourselves or exclude ourselves. What we believe sets the pace for divine possibilities in our lives;
1. If you believe it’s possible so it will be.
2. If you believe it’s not possible so also it becomes.
Can everyone become the head? The answer will be individually given. The right question actually should be “Will you choose to become the head in agreement with God.” This is not something that is determined by man. But what God has promised to do in our lives. He knows what is “head” for every one of us.
The possibility of becoming the head is an individual decision and choice. We don’t answer it together. Once you begin to think in terms of all of us the mind may find it difficult to grasp the concept of everyone becoming the head. The lesson will continue tomorrow. It’s up to you to make your choice.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus, I agree completely with God to be the head and not the tail. I choose to be above only. Divine counsels are coming to pass in my life.
LEARN MORE: Isaiah 46:10
Saturday 30th March, 2024
FOLLOWING GOD
Text: “By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out...obeyed; and he went out.” Hebrew 11:6
Today we’ll take our time to learn carefully from the life of Abraham. He was said to be the father of faith; but we must realise that faith for Abraham was more than just asking God for a child and getting it after several years. There were so many sides and phases to the demonstration of faith in the life of this man. If we don’t understand the different sides we may never walk in the fullness of the blessings of Abraham. It will only remain as a song for us and not a practical experience.
His life was not a mere talk of the lips; he literally followed God in everything. He agreed to leave his entire extended family behind just to follow God. He had to abandon all he was familiar with for years. For several years he held on to one promise that God made to him without letting go of it; even when it seems his faith was under threat he still came back to what he had always believed. Even after he had a son he was ready to follow God to the point of sacrificing his own and only legitimate son.
Following God is far more than going to church. It’s far more than singing in choir. It’s more of a life that is abandoned to God. A life that is ready to do anything and everything for God. The challenge with us is that we are more interested in getting things from God than in really following him. Following God will place some level of “inconvenience” on us. This is where our commitment fails. We want to get everything from God while we still keep our wrong relationships. We want to get the best from God with wrong motives. In most cases it’s not really God we want but what he has to give. Let’s close today by saying that we cannot follow God in our own ways but by his own terms. God is not playing games with us; learn his ways and follow it. It’s for our good.
CONFESSION:
I’m following hard after God. My entire life is abandoned to him. He knows what is best for me.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 42:1-2, Romans 4:17-21
Friday 29th March, 2024
GOD’S MANDATE
Text: “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.”2 Timothy 4:2
There is a divine mandate on our lives. We are all included and none excluded. A mandate simply means an assignment that someone is required to carry out. We have been called and equipped to carry out this assignment.
This mandate is principally the mandate of changing lives and transforming destinies. This is the ultimate goal of the gospel. We are all partners with God in reaching out to the lost and dying world. Each one of us is God’s contact points to our neighbours, relatives, friends, class mates etc. Everyone that God brings our way must have an encounter with God by virtue of meeting us. It’s not a coincidence that you have people he has placed in your life. Wherever you find yourself is your mission field where heaven has deployed you. You are the special envoy in that environment.
God’s word is the primary tool that heaven has to change lives. Therefore we must be bold enough to share God’s word with people around us. If you are ashamed to share God’s word then you are ashamed of God himself. God and his word are one; he does everything with his word. He saves by his word, He heals by his word and He transforms lives by his word.I strongly believe that we should have the eagerness to share God’s word with everyone that is close to us. I have seen so much change and transformation in the life of many that I have come to a personal resolve that whatever it will take I will share God’s word with you every day. I want to ask you to join me daily to share this word with someone. Every contact on your social media (Facebook, Whatsapp etc) must be given the privilege of reading this undiluted and timeless word of God. This is God’s mandate on our lives. The greatest human need is spiritual and it takes the word of God to solve it.
PRAYER:
Lord I receive grace to be a vessel of carrying your word to the whole world.
LEARN MORE: John 1:1-3, Rom 1:16, 2 Cor 3:18
Thursday 28th March, 2024
CHANGED THINKING 2
Text: “...Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just...Think on these things.” Philippians 4:8
We began yesterday looking at various ways that God’s word wants us to think. If your thinking is contrary to God’s word its effect on your life will be minimal. The word of God is God’s thought in print. The more we take in God’s word the more our thinking changes in line with God. The scripture clearly tells us to allow the same mind (thoughts) that was in Jesus to also be in us (Phil 2:5). How do I know that my thinking is right? We’ll take our time today to examine this. From our anchor scripture we can see the answers:
1. The thinking must be true – True here means that it must be consistent with the eternal revealed word of God. Anything contrary to God’s word is a lie. It does not matter how many people believes a thing and hold on to it. In God’s kingdom majority does not carry the vote. Its only God’s word that carries the vote.
2. The thinking must be honest – It must be free from every deceptive suggestion. Whatever you do let it carry a sense of honesty. Whatever you do dishonestly has no future.
3. The thinking must be just – The word just simply means right. Whatever is not right is not right. The whole world doing it does not make it right. The ability to know what is right depends so much on our understanding of God’s word and the influence of the Holy Spirit on our lives.
4. The thinking must be pure – A life of purity begins from a pure thought. The heart of man is naturally wicked; it always has the tendency to gravitate toward things that are immoral and impure. This means that whatever represents impurity around us must be carefully avoided.
Please take your time to study the rest. These are the reflections of the thought pattern of someone with changed thinking.
PRAYER:
Lord I receive your help to continually line up my thoughts with your word.
LEARN MORE: 2 Cor 10:5-6
Wednesday 27th March, 2024
CHANGED THINKING 1
Text: “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I THOUGHT as a child: but when I became a man I put away childish things.” 1 Corinthians 13:11
Recently I came across a book titled “Change your thinking; Change your life” by Brian Tracy. I was drawn to the book and started reading almost immediately. The thoughts of a man determine everything about the man. If the thinking is wrong everything about the man will be wrong. It does not matter how much prayer you pray if your thinking is wrong your life can never be right. The first place where a man will experience change in life is in their thinking.
There is a major difference in a child and an adult. The major difference is not just in the size of their bodies but in their way of thinking. There are people who are adults but are still childish because their way of thinking makes them so. As the thinking of a child changes so his attitude to life changes.
One purpose of God’s word is to give us a new and different way of thinking; compared to what is prevalent in our environment. Whatever determines your way of thinking determines your way of life. Based on God’s word I will give you a couple of thinking you should adopt in your life:
1. What men think and say about me is not as important as what God thinks and says about me.
2. The challenges around my life are never the end of the road. In the midst of it God has a way out.
3. My success in life is not man determined. It’s determined by God’s foundational purpose for my life.
4. My life is not my own; it’s given to me as a trust. I will be required to give account before God one day.
5. Whatever I have is not primarily for me; it’s for the glory of God.
6. My giving is not doing God a favour or just helping someone. It’s a divine means of preparing a future for me.
7. My sin is never bigger than the blood of Jesus. I don’t have to stay guilty all my life.
Join me tomorrow to continue.
PRAYER:
Lord I declare that my thoughts are changing in line with your word.
LEARN MORE: Proverbs 23:7
Tuesday 26th March, 2024
GROWING IN PURITY
Text: “Take away the dross from the silver and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer”. Proverbs 25:4
The value of precious stones like gold increases with the degree of purity. The purer it becomes the more valuable it becomes. The material goes through a refining process that ensures that the impurities are removed to increase its value. This is also true of a believer. The worth and usefulness of a metal depends so much on its purity. This is why the metal has to go through the process of purification to make it valuable and useable. This is a natural process that applies to our lives as believers.
God is on the lookout for men and women that he can use and make a showpiece on the earth. God can use anything but then the degree to which he will use us depends on the level of our purity. Whatever defiles you disqualifies you for higher levels of usefulness.When the “dross” in our lives is taking away we become extremely useful in the hands of God.
God goes an extra mile to pour his grace into our lives as we make ourselves available for him.God actually works through men to do whatever he wants to do on the earth. You don’t need a title to be used of God; all you need is a pure heart and a right spirit.
Dross could mean a wrong mindset, a sinful habit or even things that are legitimate that has become a hindrance to God’s access into our lives. It could be a human relationship that has taken the place of God in our lives. The “dross” is removed in our lives as we subject our hearts to the word of God. The Spirit of God takes hold of the word to purify our hearts. We are purified by the word of God because the word itself has been tested and purified seven times in fire. As we grow in purity so also we begin to grow in wisdom and power.
PRAYER:
Lord purify my hearts, purify my entire being and work in me by your Spirit to be a vessel unto honour.
LEARN MORE: 2 Timothy 2:19-21, John 17:17
Monday 25th March, 2024
GROWING IN USEFULNESS
Text: “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltines, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.” (NIV) Matthew 5:13
The word “saltiness” or “savour” in the original text simply means “usefulness”. We can read the verse this way “...But if the salt loses its usefulness...”
The usefulness of a man is in the fulfilment of God’s purpose for our lives. The usefulness of a man is not so much in how much of material goods he can gather; the usefulness of a man is in how much God can touch other lives through them. Salt really has no other business than to improve the taste of whatever food we add it to. When salt can no longer achieve that purpose its of no use again. We don’t keep salt in the kitchen for decoration. Its presence in the kitchen is well defined. It’s so important that each one of us have a well-defined purpose wherever we are located.
Salt only becomes useful when it’s added to the food material. We also become useful as we practically engage ourselves in reaching out to people around us. We must rise up to every opportunity to be a blessing to people God has placed on our path on a daily basis. We grow in usefulness as we grow in been a blessing. Look for opportunities around you to add something to someone. Don’t wait to have so much to do so. Salt is not necessarily needed in large quantities. Just a little of it will make a difference. The little you can do can make a huge difference to someone out there. As we take advantage of such little opportunities greater doors will begin to open. By the grace of God my usefulness in writing and imparting lives is growing just as I explained to you a couple of days ago. It started with just a little opportunity to reach out to few people. The more useful you become the more relevant your life becomes. I pray for you that your usefulness will increase daily.
PRAYER:
I declare in the name of Jesus that I’m growing in usefulness on a daily basis. My life is impactful.
LEARN MORE: Matthews 5:13-16
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Sunday 24th March, 2024
GROWING IN PURPOSE
Text: “But the path of the just is as the shinning light, that shines more and more...” Proverbs 4:18
The greatest discovery in all of human existence is the discovery of God’s assigned purpose for an individual. Birth would have been useless without an assigned purpose. God made each one of us for a purpose. We are not biological accidents; we all came pre-packaged with divine virtues to fulfil divine purpose. Life will be reduced to a game of chance without the discovery of God’s purpose for our lives. The first step therefore in walking in God’s purpose for our lives is to discover what the purpose is all about. This comes as a result of an intimate walk with the Spirit of God and as we begin to ask God questions in prayer. This will happen for different individuals in different ways depending on the quality of our individual walk with God.
God’s purpose for our lives is actually unfolded stage by stage and phase by phase. It does not all appear at once. This is where the growing in purpose comes in. In most cases the initial discovery of purpose may not look significant; it may look like something that does not have any future. When purpose is revealed or unveiled initially it’s like a seed. When we engage it in the soil it grows and begins to produce a harvest. Joseph grew as an administrator in the house of Potiphar to an administrator of prisoners until he became an administrator in the palace.
Believe in the ability of God in you, believe in your God given talents and believe in the gift of God in you. Start trading with what you have and watch it grow to maturity. If you look closely at everyone who had become great in God’s purpose you will notice that there was a time in their lives that it was insignificant; but they stayed at it until it became great in their hands. Start working, start engaging and start investing. In a couple of years from now you will be a surprise to yourself. Keep shinning! It’s your time!
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus, I declare that I’m growing in God’s purpose for my life. Purpose is at work in me.
LEARN MORE: 2 Corinthians 3:18
Saturday 23rd March, 2024
GROWING IN SERVICE
Text: “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord; forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 15:58
Salvation is a free gift without paying any price on our part. It was completed, sealed and delivered to us wholesale. The main fact that salvation is free does not mean that after we are saved we should sit down and do nothing. There is a response required on our part as a way of appreciation for all that God had wrought through Christ in our lives.
The word “abound” in our opening scripture means to keep increasing in something. God expectation is that we do the work of the Lord. This simply means active involvement in kingdom service. This should be something that is done in an increasing measure.
Growing in service simply means growing in usefulness. Each one of us as believers is designed for the “master’s use” (2 Tim 2:19). If a man is not useful to God he’s really of no use in life because the only thing that holds real value is what is done for God.
We grow in usefulness as we look for more opportunities to be a blessing to people around us. Human need is inexhaustible. There will always be a need around us that needs someone to rise up to the occasion. I was doing quite well serving a local Church several years back. At a point I felt there was a need to find something for our church members to read on a daily basis. I started writing and printing on A4 papers to cover for a whole week. After a while I began to print in a book form. As we grow in grace just as we said a couple of days ago we’ll realise that we’ll also grow in usefulness. Growing in service means we are covering more grounds; touching more lives. Let this be your conviction “there is nothing done in vain.” God is watching every seed of service in the kingdom. This is the greatest investment our lives.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I’m increasing in usefulness. My life is making so much difference in the kingdom.
LEARN MORE: Psalms 22:30, Romans 12:11
Friday 22nd March, 2024
GROWING IN STRENGTH
Text: “They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God.” Psalm 84:7
The phrase “...Strength to strength...” is an expression of growth. We are not just talking of physical strength but rather spiritual strength. Spiritual strength is a function of our inner man. Men are controlled by the state of their spirit and not just what goes on in the environment. The happening in the environment takes control of a man when the spirit man is in a weak state.
Please read this scripture with me “The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity, but a wounded spirit who can bear?” (Prov 18:14). NIV says “A man’s spirit sustains him in sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear.” The extent to which this will happen in our lives will depend on the level of spiritual strength in our spirit.
The more we grow in strength spiritually the more we can handle external challenges that come our way. According to the details available in scripture King Saul was a very tall man. He was shoulder high than every other person. Obviously he had some levels of physical strength. According to scriptural details too he was fully armed with a sword and a shield to fight in a battle. Despite all these he could not face Goliath. David was completely far away from what King Saul had. The difference between both of them was simply spiritual strength. King Saul was big physically but small spiritually.
David was small physically but big spiritually.
From our anchor scripture “Zion” is not just a building but a place of spiritual engagement. The more we engage ourselves productively spiritually the more we grow in spiritual strength. This has to become a major prayer point for us. Ephesians 3:16 says “That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man.” We are strengthened by the spirit.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I am strengthened by God’s Spirit in my spirit. I’m going from strength to strength.
LEARN MORE: Ephesians 3:16, 2 Cor 4:16
GROWING IN LOVE
Text: “And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you.” 1 Thessalonians 3:12
The greatest expression of God at work in a man is the rate at which the love of God is expressed through such a man. Christianity is actually the expression of the divine nature through a mortal man. This is an experience that should keep growing and expanding in the life of a believer.
The phrase “Increase and abound” in our anchor scripture simply talks about “growth.” Every divine virtue at work in a believer has the capacity to grow. The more this virtue grows in us the more the beauty of our lives is expressed all around us.
As we grow in love the more our lives becomes a force of attraction. We can literally begin to draw others to God by the fragrance of our lives. Let me give you a couple of signs that you are growing in love:
1 There will be a passion in you to reach out to people around you to be a positive influence on their lives.
2 There will always be a desire in you to add value to other people.
3 There will be the ability to let go easily and freely over every offence. You have a heart of compassion for the plight of people around you. If you are so preoccupied by what you are going through and hardly notice others it’s a sign of selfishness.
4 You have come to place value on people and to see God in them in everything. This will be revealed in how you talk to them and how you respond to them.
The opposite of love is actually selfishness. It will be difficult to influence anyone positively this way.
*PRAYER:*
Lord I declare that your kind of love is finding expression in my life. My life has become an oasis of love.
LEARN MORE: 1 Corinthians 13:1-8
Tuesday 19th March, 2024
LAW OF SEEDTIME AND HARVEST
Text: “While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” Genesis 8:22
Life is governed by principles and laws. This is the way God made the universe to run. We either cooperate with it or they work against us. These are universal realities that are applicable anywhere in the world. There is no part of the world that is excluded from them. Black or white, old or young, male or female. We are bound by these laws and principles.
All over scripture it is shown clearly that what we sow is what we reap. Abraham gave God his only son in a figure and he became the father of all nations. He became blessed beyond his contemporary. The widow of Zarephath gave the prophet her last meal and she had a miracle of harvest all through the famine. God gave his only begotten son to save the world to himself. For everything you desire in life there is a corresponding seed we need to sow to have the required harvest we want. If you sow nothing you will reap nothing.
When a farmer cultivates a land prayer only becomes relevant when he has sown the seeds. It’s useless praying when he did not sow any seed. He will end up having weeds. The unfortunate thing is that many of us pray so much but sow nothing. The widow of Zarephath had so little, she was so poor but still needed to sow towards a desired miracle in her life.
The quality of a seed will determine the quality of harvest. The quality of the seeds we sow in life will determine the quality of life we live. Our lives can never get better than the seeds we sowed in the past and the ones we are presently sowing. The seed of a farmer is the guarantee and entry into the future. When the seeds are consumed a future harvest is denied. My prayer for you today is that the eyes of your understanding will be open to this truth.
PRAYER:
Lord help me by your Spirit not to waste my seeds in life. Help me to recognise them and to engage them.
LEARN MORE: Galatians 6:7-9
Sunday 17th March, 2024
JOINED TO THE LIVING
Text: “For to him that is JOINED to all the living there is hope. For a living dog is better than a dead lion” Ecclesiastes. 9:4
I’m sure you are reading this because you still have the breath of God in you. If that is true, it means that God is not through with you yet. There is still so much in store for you. What you don’t know yet is far more than what you already know. Where you have not been is still far more than where you have been.
What you have done in life is still a drop in the ocean of what you can do in life. There is no circumstance of life that is final for you. God is still in the business of making a way where there seems to be no way. Whatever He had done before He can do again. Refuse to give up on God, refuse to give up on yourself. Refuse to give up on life.
The story of your life will change positively as you hold on to God. Who would have thought that something good will still happen to Joseph? Anyone who had seen him in the prisoner’s cloth would have thought that will always be the story of his life. David said “I would have fainted if not that I believe that I will see the goodness of God in the land of the living.” (Ps.27:13).
The statement in our anchor scripture today was made by a man that lost everything he had in life. He also became terribly sick. From the natural perspective his life had ended. But Job understood God. He knew that as far as God is concerned there was still hope. He was still joined unto the living. Joined to the living is more than just be alive, it also implies been joined to the living God. This is a union that puts a mortal man in partnership with the invisible God.
PROPHECY:
The supernatural hand of God will come upon you to reverse all the hopeless situations around your life. You will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. You will become everything you were born to become.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 23:5-6
Saturday 16th March, 2024
ANOTHER CHANCE
Text: “But the father said to his servants, bring forth the best robe, and put on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet.” Luke 15:22
He had all the opportunity in the world but wasted it. Wasted his father’s trust, wasted his inheritance, and wasted his time. Justice would have said it’s over with him. The father forgave him and took him back. This is the summary of the story of the prodigal son.
As far as God is concerned there is always another chance for us. The time we wasted, the opportunities we lost can never be a hindrance to what God wants to do in our lives today. The prodigal son was restored back to his dignity, restored back to his place and restored back to his destiny. The blood of Jesus is powerful enough to completely erase the past and give us a new beginning.
It can never be over with you as far as God is concerned. The lost relationship, the lost job or business in not the end of the road. What the devil meant for evil can become a comeback for you as you learn to return back to God. He’ll give you beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. A new day is ahead of you. Make up your mind not to waste another chance.
Every new day, new month and New Year that God gives is another chance to re-write the story of our lives. The history will only remain powerful and intimidating if we refuse to write another story today. Today is another chance of your life to make the most of your life. Don’t waste it.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I break the hold of the past on my life. I disconnect from every mistake of the past. In Christ my honour is restored. I step into what belongs to me today. New opportunities are opening for me today in every area of my life.
LEARN MORE: Isaiah 43:18-19
Friday 15th March, 2024
DOING RIGHTEOUSNESS
Text: “Little Children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.” 1 John 3:7
The life of a believer is a life of righteousness. This is the life that God has called us into. This is one major reason why Jesus went to the cross.
There are two major sides to the life of righteousness. Its more or less two sides of a coin: We have the positional righteousness and the practical righteousness. The positional righteousness has nothing to do with what we do; it has all to do with what Jesus did on the cross and then credited to our account. Jesus became sin for us and then made us the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Cor 5:21). There is nothing we could have done to achieve this on our own. It was purely the work of grace. This is what positional righteousness is all about. This is basically the nature of God imparted into our recreated human spirit. The positional righteousness empowers us for the practical righteousness.
Now let’s talk about practical righteousness. This is what our lesson is all about today. A mango tree has the nature of a mango. But this is not enough; there must be a proof that this is actually a mango tree. The only way this can be proved is when the nature that we cannot see with our eyes produces the mango fruit that everyone can see. The fruit is the proof of the nature. This is also true of our life of righteousness. We have the nature of righteousness which must be proved with the fruit of righteousness. The fruit of righteousness is what we call practical righteousness. Doing righteousness is putting into practical display the life of God in our recreated spirit. When you relate with people around you they cannot see the nature of righteousness that you claim to have; they want to see the fruit of it. Been righteous is not enough; do it.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus my life is bearing the fruit of righteousness. I am living right and doing right.
LEARN MORE: Isaiah 61:3, Philippians 1:11
Wednesday 13th March, 2024
CHURCH CONSCIOUS 1
Text: “I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.” Psalm 122:1
Our anchor scripture today is an expression of David’s attitude towards the church. He had so much excitement about going into the house of the Lord. The church has a major and significant role to play in our lives. Each one of us must be conscious of this.
Please understand that the Church is not a physical building. Church is the body of Christ which has Christ himself as the head and the believers as the members of that body. Despising Church is despising Christ the head. We cannot claim we love the head when we despise the body.
We may have all manner of excuses not to go regularly; we may see irregularities that are keeping us away but then understand that the Church is not a “flawless” place but a perfect place where the perfect God works on imperfect people to bring out the perfection hidden in them. Please read this all over again. If you despise the Church you are more or less saying that you are perfect and the Church has no part to play in your life. It’s actually an expression of pride; you are seeing yourself as better than every other person that goes to Church.
The Church is God’s contact point on the earth where the lives of men are moulded and built up for their ultimate destiny. If you go to a right Church where the Spirit of God is in control and the word of God is taught you will grow and encounter destiny. The choice of a Church should never be taken for granted. So many people have believed wrong things all their lives due to a Church they have attended. The proximity of a Church to your house should never be a reason to be there. That your parents attended a particular Church should not be the reason to stay there all your life, except it’s a place where you are truly built up spiritually. To be continued....
PRAYER:
Lord cause our Churches to be a place of encounter with your power that changes lives.
LEARN MORE: Ephesians 1:22-23, Hebrews 10:25
Tuesday 12th March, 2024
CONSCIOUS OF DESTINY
Text: “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.” Jerermiah 1:5
The destination of our lives was determined before it began. We are not an afterthought of God’s imagination. It was not when we arrived here that God started thinking of what to do with our lives. We did not come here on experiment. God had a definite plan and destination for our lives. We are not biological mistakes of unprepared parents. The destination was determined before the journey began. Your life was pre-planned, prearranged and predetermined by the all wise and all-knowing God.
This should give you a lot of confidence about life and about yourself. It should also stir up in you lots of thanksgiving and adoration to God. The scripture clearly tells us that we were on his mind even before the foundation of the world. From our anchor scripture today we can also see clearly that God knew us even before our parents met.
One major implications of all this is to become conscious of the reality of God’s destination for our lives. This will also imply that we coordinate our lives in such a way that it will be in the direction of God’s destiny for our lives. Decisions determine direction and direction determine destination. Every decision we make in life will either take us towards God’s destination for our lives or take us away from it. If we are conscious of destiny then we’ll make sure that we don’t just go anywhere nor do whatever everyone is doing. A common and general decision will take our lives in a common and general destination. So many lives are confused and haphazard. We cannot afford to go in that direction. We must seek God with the whole of our hearts until we are sure of exactly His direction for our lives. I will see you in your destiny.
PRAYER:
Lord by your Spirit take me in the direction of your ultimate destination for my life.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 63:1-3, Isaiah 46:10, Romans 8:14
Monday 11th March, 2024
CONSCIOUS OF PURPOSE
Text: “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.” Jeremiah 1:5
Somebody may be saying why so much talk about purpose? It’s because there is really nothing else worth talking about if purpose is not known. Men that discovered God’s purpose for their lives have gone to change the face of societies and the course of humanity.
Each one of us came loaded and packaged with divine purpose. We were made by God for a definite place and purpose. Life really has no meaning and significance without the fulfilment of God’s purpose for our lives. At the end of our lives the most important thing will not be how many cars we used or how many shoes you wore. The most important thing will be how much of God’s purpose became a reality in your life.
The discovery, pursuit and fulfilment of God’s purpose for our lives should be the highest priorities of our lives. Being purpose conscious means that we are aware that God has a purpose for our lives and we are doing everything possible to discover it and fulfil it. So many people are not aware at all. Some are aware but the pursuit of worldly pleasure and gains has completely overshadowed the discovery and fulfilment of God’s purpose for our lives. Don’t be that way.
Discovering and fulfilling God’s purpose for our lives will single us out of the sea of humanity. This is the only way the best in our lives can come out. Just as a fish cannot do well on dry ground, so also we cannot function well outside God’s purpose for our lives. The genius of a fish emerges when it’s placed inside the water. The best thing that we’ll ever happen in your life will be in the centre of God’s purpose for our lives.
CONFESSION:
There is a divine purpose for my life. Packaged in my spirit are divine virtues to become all I was born to be.
LEARN MORE: 1 Corinthian 2: 9-12, Galatians 1:15
Saturday 9th March, 2024
CONSCIOUS OF LIFE
Text: “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy; I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more in abundantly.” John 10:10
These words in our anchor scripture were spoken directly by Jesus himself. This is one of the many scriptures that explain clearly the purpose of Christ coming into our lives. He has come so that we may have life in abundance. This is not something that will happen when we get to heaven. We have life in abundance already. Since he has come we have life already. This life is the very life of God. It’s a life that is indestructible. Another scripture that looks familiar to the one in our opening verse today says “He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the son of God hath not life.” 1 John 5:12. It’s clear that we have life.
This must become our consciousness. The life of God is at work in us. We are filled with his life. Every fibre of our being, every cell in our body, every drop of blood in us is filled with the life of God. We must know this and declare it over our lives again and again. Recently I heard the testimony of a lady who was terribly sick and at the point of death; then she heard the voice of the Spirit say to her that she will not die. The voice of the Spirit said to her that she had declared life so much that it was impossible to die. The voice of the Spirit said to her that for her to die she will have to start declaring death over herself for another period of time. This woman had become so conscious of the life of God in her. It was a common practice to her long before she had the health issue to declare life over herself. We must not forget that death and life is in the power of the tongue.
We must become conscious of the life of God in us and begin to declare it over every area of our lives. That is what you have. The life of God is at work in you.
A SONG:
I have the life of God in me (2 times). I have the Spirit of the Son of God. I have the life of God in me.
LEARN MORE: 1 John 5:11-13
Friday 8th March, 2023
CHRIST CONSCIOUS
Text: “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Colossians 1:27
I’m sure that “Inspiration” has been a blessing to you. Please don’t keep this to yourself. Share it with people that God has placed in your life. Let’s fill the earth with the knowledge of the glory of God as waters cover the sea.
Let me ask you a question today; why do you think you will end up as a success in life? Why do you think life will turn around for your good? Why do you think you will have victory in that challenge you are going through? There will be several answers by several people to these questions. Someone may say because I had a good education. Some may say because I came from the right family. Some may say because there is a new government in the country.
For us as believers these answers will be very wrong. These will be wrong foundations to build our hope and confidence on. Christ in us is the hope of glory. The word “hope” here connotes assurance. So we can also say Christ in us is the assurance of glory. Christ in us is the assurance that we’ll end up as a success in life. Christ in us is the assurance that every situation will turn around for our good. We must have a very deep consciousness of the life and ability of Christ in us. His presence in our lives made us conquerors in life. Let this become your confidence and assurance in life. When your back is against the wall reassure yourself of His presence in your life. Christ in you is greater than any challenge life may throw at you. The satanic forces of this world cannot stand the greater one that dwells within you. Say it everywhere you go that Christ in you is the hope of glory.
PRAYER:
Christ in me is the assurance of a great tomorrow. Christ in me is the confidence of a life without limits. The greater one dwells in me.
LEARN MORE: 1 John 4:4
Thursday 7th March, 2024
COMMITTMENT OF PURPOSE
Text: “...So will I go in unto the King, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.” Esther 4:16
We stated clearly in one of our previous lessons that God’s commitment and involvement in our lives is what makes the journey of life great. This is our greatest source of confidence in life. Once you are sure that God is committed to you there will be confidence to face whatever comes our way in life.
It’s great for God to be committed to us but another thing entirely for us to be committed to what we have discovered as God’s purpose for our lives. This is actually where the rubber meets the road. Nothing shapes your life more than the commitments you choose to make. Your commitments can develop you or they can destroy you, but either way, they will define you. Tell me what you are committed to, and I’ll tell you what you will be in twenty years. We become what we are committed to.
It is at this point of commitment that most people miss God’s purpose for their lives. Many are afraid to commit to anything and just drift through life. No matter how great God’s purpose is for our lives it’s our personal commitment that turns it into a reality.
People who turn out great in life are people who made a long-term commitment to the same course in life. Growing up as a young Christian I heard God say to me one day “...You must be committed to my course, abandoned to my will and surrendered to my word.”
If you are sure and convinced of God’s purpose for your life, make a dogged and full-time commitment to it. It may take you months or even years to see the reality of what you are working at but don’t give up. Esther was ready to go all the way to fulfil purpose; she was ready to die for what she wanted. This was a strong commitment that can never know defeat. I hope you will also make such commitments.
DECISION:
I will make all the commitments required for me to fulfil God’s purpose for my life. I will not hold anything back.
LEARN MORE: Daniel 1:8; 3:15-18
Wednesday 6th March, 2024
PURPOSE OF NEW BIRTH
Text: “For whom he did foreknow, he also predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” Romans 8:29
The new birth experience is not just an escape route to heaven. This verse above clearly shows us that the ultimate purpose of the new birth is so that we may be conformed to the image of his son. If our Christian experience does not achieve this then something major will be missing in God’s ultimate purpose for our lives. Jesus came as the first born among many brethren. This simply implies that Jesus was set forth as the example and the prototype for our lives.
The ultimate purpose of the Christian life is not just to solve problems for you. If all your problems are solved and your lifestyle is not a testimony to people around you then God will be highly disappointed. In the words of Rick Warren “God’s ultimate goal for your life on earth is not comfort, but character development.”
Jesus was sent to restore the full image of God that man lost in Eden. What does the full “image and likeness” of God look like? It looks like Jesus. Jesus is the exact likeness of God, the visible image of the invisible God and the exact representation of his being. Just as Jesus is the exact image of the invisible God so also we also should be the exact image of the invisible Christ.
Rick Warren in his book ‘Purpose driven life’ said “Becoming like Christ is a long, slow process of growth. Spiritual maturity is neither instant nor automatic; it is a gradual, progressive development that will take the rest of your life. You are a work in progress.”
Christ likeness is the result of making Christlike choices and depending on his Spirit to help you fulfil those choices. The Spirit of God uses the word of God to make us like the son of God. When you build Christlike character your life will become a testimony and the purpose of God will find unhindered expression through your life.
PRAYER:
Lord work in me by your Spirit to be like Jesus.
LEARN MORE: Ephesians 4:11-15, Colossians 1:15
Tuesday 5th March, 2024
PURPOSE OF CREATION 2
Text: “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...” Colossians 1:16
By the help of the Holy Spirit we’ll continue today looking at what we started yesterday. I’m too sure that these words will make an eternal difference in your life. Please don’t just read this once. Turn it over and over again in your heart.
Two things stand out very clear in this scripture today. An understanding of them will go a long way to help us walk in God’s purpose for our lives.
The first is that all things were created by God. That may sound very common and simple. But it has far reaching implications in our lives. We did not create ourselves; we did not even have enough sense to decide our birth. None of us was consulted before we were born. It was purely a divine decision. If you understand that God was your creator you will allow him to have all the say in your life. This will also help you to realise that it’s only God that knows what is good for you. David said “For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.” Psalm 103:14. He also stated clearly “...It is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.” Psalm 100:3
Secondly, we are made for him. We were not made for ourselves. The job you have was not given to you to only buy the best cloths; your job was primarily given to satisfy God. If you see life this way it will be easy to let go and release what you have for divine purpose. The little boy with few breads and fish released it for divine purpose and it multiplied. What you keep to yourself cannot multiply. Except a wheat of grain is released to the ground it abides alone. If your life is not released for divine purpose you will end up shallow and uncelebrated.
PRAYER:
Lord I declare that you are my creator and Lord. I give you all the right you need in my life. I release my entire life to you.
LEARN MORE: John 6:5-13; 12:24-26
Monday 4th March, 2024
PURPOSE OF CREATION 1
Text: “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” Revelation 4:11
The entire universe was created with a purpose in God’s mind. When purpose is not known abuse is inevitable. The only thing that will prevent abuse is when the product is used for the ultimate purpose for which it was designed. A lot of lives have been destroyed and grossly abused. Destinies have been corrupted because individuals deployed themselves in ventures that were completely contrary to God’s purpose for their lives. The only way we can make the most of our lives is to be fully sold out to God’s purpose.
The purpose of creation was to give God pleasure. God made us for himself and not for ourselves. It will therefore be an abuse of creation when we live to only satisfy ourselves. If you live only to satisfy yourself you will give God pain and discomfort.
Shortly after the creation of man he began to live for himself. God’s instruction was no longer relevant to him and God regretted that he made man. God did not just fold his arms in helplessness. He began the process of trying to wipe off the entire creation that he made except for Noah and his family that gave God pleasure.
Giving God pleasure means the following:
1. Pleasing him in everything that we do.
2. Serving him with everything we are and everything we have.
3. Making him Lord of everything in our lives. Giving him all the room, he needs in our lives.
PRAYER:
Lord I will give you pleasure in everything I do. My life will satisfy you in every way. I give you all the room you need in my life. I will not abuse my creation.
LEARN MORE: Genesis 6:6-22, Colossians 1:16-17
Sunday 3rd March, 2024
DISCOVERING PURPOSE THROUGH PASSION
Text: “And he said, who made thee a prince and a judge over us? Intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, surely this thing is known.” Exodus 2:14
Moses grew up in the house of Pharaoh, but along the line he discovered that he was a Jew. He began to feel that he had a responsibility towards the Jews to set them free. He went out to defend a Jew; in that process he killed an Egyptian. This became a problem for him. As Moses was doing this he never knew that his passion to defend and set free the Jews was connected to God’s ultimate purpose for his life.
He began on a wrong foot but God had to bring orderliness into his life in other for him to come into the fullness of divine purpose. He had to relocate to the wilderness for the fear of been arrested for murder. In that process he had an encounter with God after so many years. God had to send him back to the same Egypt to defend and set the Jews free. But now he was not going in his own strength and ability, but in divine strength and instructions. Fully equipped by God.
There is a direct link between our passion in life and God’s purpose for our lives. Not everyone will have vision or hear a voice from heaven, but we can take note of our passion in life. In the words of Bishop T.D Jakes “If you can’t figure out your purpose, figure out your passion. For your passion will lead you right into your purpose.” I read the story of a woman who was a Bank executive, but she had passion for organizing events. She began research on events management to get acquainted with it. She also went to God in prayer to seek for direction. At the fullness of time, she began her own company. She followed her passion which led her to purpose. What do you have passion for? What problems draw your attention? What will you like to do even if you are not paid for it? That could be a pointer to God’s purpose for your life.
ACTIVITY:
Ask yourself questions; what do you do effortlessly, what do you enjoy doing. What gives you excitement?
LEARN MORE: 1 Corinthians 9:16
Saturday 2nd March, 2024
PURPOSE CREATES CONFIDENCE
Text: “I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron.” Isiah 45:2
There is a nagging question in the heart of every human being which is basically:
1. Am I doing what God wants me to do with my life?
2. Am I where God wants me to be?
The tenacity to pursue life is highly reduced when these questions cannot be answered in the affirmative. We must be sure that we are doing what God wants us to do in life and we are where God wants us to be in life.
There is really no point doing what God has not assigned us to do in life. It’s a waste of life spending our precious life where God has not assigned us. No matter how long a man lives it’s still short to do things that are different from God’s purpose for our lives. Life becomes fulfilling and rewarding when it’s spent doing the right thing at the right place.
People who become highly successful early in life are people who discovered on time the purpose of God for their lives and began to put everything into it. It will be a tragedy of existence to spend thirty or forty years of your life on a job or career that has no connection with God’s purpose for your life. By virtue of training if you find yourself in a particular field of endeavour you must also begin to seek the face of God to discover your place in destiny.
Men and women of purpose are highly confident. They have a heart-rooted assurance that they are in the centre of God’s program for their lives. This also gives us an assurance that God is hundred percent committed to what we are doing.
God’s commitment and involvement in our lives is what makes the journey of life great. This is our greatest source of confidence in life. Once you are sure that God is committed to you there will be confidence to face whatever comes our way in life.
PRAYER:
Lord go before me, lead me and point me in the direction of your purpose and plans. Separate me from whatever separates me from purpose.
LEARN MORE: Isaiah 14:24; 46:10
Wednesday 28th February, 2024
YIELDING TO PURPOSE
Text: “O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? Saith the Lord, Behold. As the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in my hand .” Jeremiah 18:6
The relationship of a believer with God is clearly revealed in the relationship between the clay and the potter. The relationship is such that the Potter can do without the clay but the clay cannot do without the potter. One thing stands out in this graphic relationship; The clay does not have the intelligence to design or make itself. This is an absolute responsibility of the Potter. The clay does not even know what is good it. The Potter has the master design for the clay.
The potter knows exactly what to do to bring out the best from the clay.The greatest and most important role of the clay in this relationship is to yield to whatever the Potter wants. Yielding is an act of completely allowing the Potter to do whatever he wants. The beauty about this is that the Potter has the best interest of the clay at heart. The genius of the Potter is actually revealed by the beauty that comes out of the clay.
God’s thoughts and plans concerning us are good to give us a future and a hope. Whatever God wants is the best for our lives. The best we can do is to yield and surrender ourselves to the master Potter.
Every time we resist God in our lives we are resisting destiny. It doesn’t matter how smart we think we are it cannot compare to what God wants to do in our lives. We must appreciate that God is absolutely committed to the fulfilment of his purpose for our lives. Anything outside his purpose and counsels for our lives is a decision to handle life by ourselves with little or no divine involvement.
I want to encourage you to yield to God’s plan and purpose for your life. It’s absolutely in your best interest. Nothing in this world will be as good as that.
PRAYER:
Lord I yield myself completely to your will and your plans. I declare that nothing else will be more important in my life than your purpose for my life.
LEARN MORE: Jerermiah 29:11
Tuesday 27th February, 2024
PURPOSE UNDER THREAT
Text: “And his brethren said to him, shalt thou indeed reign over us? Or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dream, and for his words.” Genesis 37:8
The purpose of God for your life will come under attacks. Joseph had a revelation of God’s purpose for his life at a very tender age. He was so confident and excited about it that he announced it to his brothers. Instead of supporting him they began to plot against him. I was just thinking that since his brothers did not agree with the content of his dream, they should have just leave him alone to figure out his life by himself. But rather they did everything possible to hinder the fulfilment of God’s purpose for his life.
The irony about life is that the same people who are supposed to be excited about what God wants to do in your life may be the same people working against the fulfilment of God’s purpose.
David had a defining moment in his life to step into God’s ultimate purpose for him. He wanted to make an attempt to confront Goliath. It was his own very elder brother that wanted to stand against his decision. The people who are close to you may not see reasons why you can do what God is asking you to do. They have known you so much that they have developed a permanent opinion about you. King Saul literally took an army to destroy David.
The highly placed men in the time of Daniel were the ones that plotted against the fulfilment of God’s counsels for his life. They knew that there was no way that Daniel could have become all he was supposed to be without a close walk with God. They came all out to stop him. The opinions and the plots of men should never be a hindrance to the fulfilment of God’s purpose for our lives. David said “...though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.” Ps 27:3
DECLARATION:
The opinions of men will not stop me. The plots of men will work in my favour.
LEARN MORE: 1 Samuel 17:26-29, Daniel 6:3-16
Sunday 25th February, 2024
DISCOVERING PURPOSE 2
Text: “But seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33
We have stated clearly that divine purpose is discovered in divine presence. We operate in God’s presence as we develop a consuming awareness of his involvement in our lives. Divine presence is not a place we go to but a place where we live every day of our lives. We are operating our lives out of divine presence when we lose the consciousness of God’s involvement in our lives.
One other major step in discovering God’s purpose for our lives is to get busy in serving the needs of the Kingdom of God. God’s purpose for our lives is directly linked to the expansion and growth of his Kingdom on the earth. We cannot discover God’s purpose for our lives in a state of passive Christian service. The purpose of God for our lives must ultimately serve God’s eternal purpose for humanity. The essence of discovering God’s purpose for our lives is not to serve our ego and selfish ends. We must therefore locate a point where our lives are poured out in active service to the great God. We serve God indirectly as we serve people he has placed in our path in life.
David came to a discovery of God’s purpose for his life as he served the interest of his father. It was in this process that God located him to serve ultimately as a King over Israel. The other brothers who were busy displaying their strength and expertise at home were ignored. God’s eyes are running to and fro the earth to find people who he will bring into destiny. If you are interested in discovering God’s purpose for your life find a Church or an organisation where you can pour your life out in active service. Find a human need you are passionate about and begin to meet those needs in your own little way.
PRAYER:
Lord I receive fresh grace to be absolutely sold out to kingdom service.
LEARN MORE: Luke 22:24-27
Friday 23rd February, 2024
SECURITY OF PURPOSE
Text: “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.” Genesis 50:20
God’s word to us today is to help you to appreciate the relevance of discovering God’s purpose for your life and seeing it fulfilled. The purpose of God for our lives was not determined by our parents, the government or our friends. This is why the discovery of it and the fulfilment of it does not depend on any of them. Thank God for wonderful people that God has placed in our lives but not of them is a determining factor in the fulfilment of God’s purpose for our lives.
Joseph had a revelation of God’s purpose for his life at a very tender age. He was hated and withdrawn from the love of his father. His brothers too were of no use to him. If the purpose of God for his life were determined and dependent on this people he would have ended up as a failure. God has so much secured his purpose for our lives that they are determined and dependent solely on Him alone.
God had to explain to Jeremiah that He knew him even before he was formed in the womb. The purpose of God was determined and concluded before his parents met. This must have been the understanding of David when he said that “...Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will take me up.” The only person that can leave and God’s purpose for our lives will be affected is God. But thank God he has promised never to leave nor forsake us. He neither sleeps nor slumbers. The loss of a relationship or the loss of a loved one should not mark the end of God’s purpose for our lives. It’s an unnecessary expectation to hang the fulfilment of God’s purpose for our lives on a mortal man. We’ll be disappointed by that.
God’s purpose for your life is secured and sure in God.
PRAYER:
Thank you Lord for making me so different from others. Thank you for the unique purpose and place you have for me in life.
LEARN MORE: Ps 121
INSPIRATION
(Giving direction to your day)
Wednesday 21st February, 2024
BORN FOR PURPOSE
Text: “…Jesus said. “I was born for that purpose. And I came to bring truth to the world. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.” John 18:37(NLT)
The life of Jesus Christ was completely a life of purpose. Everywhere he went was purpose driven. Every conversation he had was targeted at a single purpose. On several occasions the people wanted to make out of him things that were different from his purpose, he resisted it completely. Everything that is done outside purpose is a distraction. A purpose driven life is a powerful life; it’s a life that will break barriers and become significant in life.
Purpose is God’s original plan and design for our lives. Purpose is the reason for our existence. Purpose is the reason why we were born.
There are billions of men on the face of the earth and God has designed it in such a way that each person is designed with a unique purpose. None of us came accidentally. God actually planned our coming. If we fail to function in our God assigned purpose we’ll get lost in the sea of humanity.
Jesus described himself as the vine while we are the branches. Whatever runs in the vine also runs in the branches. The branch is an extension of the vine. It therefore means that a definite purpose runs in our lives even if we don’t know it yet.
Christ in us forbids a purposeless life. Our union with Christ is an exit from mediocrity and insignificance. We have all it takes to fulfil purpose. Please understand as we close for today that life is not just measured by duration but by donation. At the end of our lives what will matter most is the extent to which God’s purpose for our lives were fulfilled. One of your goals for this year should be how to discover God’s purpose for your life and to function in it.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I function daily in the centre of God’s purpose for my life.
LEARN MORE: Jer 1:5
Tuesday 20th February, 2024
WALKING IN PURPOSE
Text: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5
Beginning today we are going on a journey of purpose together . It will be intense and rewarding. I strongly believe that one of the most important discoveries in any man’s life is the discovery of God’s purpose for his life.
This material is in your hand because I also discovered God’s purpose for my life. That is the only thing that will single you out in the “sea” of humanity. There is so much competition in the world; the only place where you can never have competition is in the centre of God’s purpose for you.
It so interesting to know that it was not our parents that decided our birth-God did. We were already on His mind even before our parents met. We were in His plans even before our physical conception in the womb.
He had a plan and a purpose for our lives. We were born at the right time, at the right place, by the right people for a unique purpose. Nothing is accidental about you. The greatest use of our lives is to live fulfilling God’s purpose for our lives. Whatever does not help you to fulfil God’s purpose is not good for you. Discovering God’s purpose gives focus and direction to our lives, so that we don’t waste a whole lifetime chasing shadows. Just as a Fish function easily and excellently in water so also, we can only function and become the best in life in our God assigned purpose.
Everything you do, the places you go, the friends you keep must help you to fulfil God’s purpose for your life. Whatever takes you out of God’s purpose for your life is taking you out of destiny.
We discover God’s purpose for our lives in the place of active kingdom service and as we get sold out to the Holy Spirit.
CONFESSION:
I’m here on purpose. There is a divine mandate on my life. I was born for something extraordinary.
LEARN MORE: 1 Corinthians 2:9-16
Friday 16th February, 2024
POWER FOR DESTINY
Text: “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God even to them that believe on his name” John.1:12
Built in every human being is the desire to become great in life. This is God’s dream for us. He wants us to live an exceptional life. A life that transcends the limitations of this world. A life that gives glory and honor to His name.
This is a life that fulfils God’s purpose in every way. Having desire for such a life is not enough, there must also be the power from within to accomplish it.
This is exactly what happened to us when we received Christ. We were given “…power to become…” As believers along with the desire to become great within us is also the power to become whatever God has in mind for us.
This power does not just work by itself; it works as we acknowledge it and take advantage of it. We must become so conscious of this unlimited power of God at work in our lives. It also refers to the ability of God within to function in an extraordinary way. On your job, in your academics, in ministry we should be exceptional. Men should see our lives and glorify God.
Don’t ever see yourself as a victim to life. The power of God is resident in you to rise above whatever could have worked against you. There is nothing you cannot handle because the power of God in you can handle anything and everything. See yourself as a highly privileged person. You have an edge in life because the power of God is at work in your life. See yourself as someone capable. The family background we came out of or the grades we had in school should never limit how far we can go in life. The power for our destiny is at work within us.
THANKSGIVING:
Thank you Lord for your power at work in me. Thank you because your ability is finding expression in everything I do.
LEARN MORE: Ephesians 3:20
Thursday 15th February, 2024
WALKING ON WATER 2
Text: “And when the disciples saw him (Jesus) walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.” Matthew 14:26
This story is awesome. I had to read it over and over again. I saw that it was not only Peter that saw Jesus walking on the sea. They all saw the same thing but had different response to it. Peter was the only one that went beyond the initial response of fear.
The first lesson here today is that Peter recognised a divine moment. He knew it was an opportunity to step into what he has never seen happen before. The others were still there doing an analysis of how it happened. They must have been looking for a scientific proof to what they saw. Peter did not need all that. He just took advantage of this divine moment. Great destinies are released in such divine moments in life. In our lifetime we’ll come across such divine moments. The ability to recognise them and not trivialise them will make a major difference in our lives.
A divine moment to start a personal business. A divine moment to meet that special one. A divine moment to discover purpose. A divine moment to connect to a great mentor. What we make of such moments will make a major difference in our lives. Recognising such moments will require a high spiritual sensitivity. This is why we must maintain the fervency of the Spirit.
The last lesson we’ll draw from here today is that life is an individual race. We cannot afford to wait on a consensus decision of our parents, friends and well wishers to take a step in life. Peter did not really find out from others if it was possible or not to walk on water. He just stepped out in faith. If he had waited for everyone to agree with him he would have lost that divine moment. Seek the counsel of wise people but ultimately obey the prompting of the Holy Spirit in your heart
.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I receive greater sensitivity of the Spirit to recognise divine moments in life.
LEARN MORE: Romans 8:14
Wednesday 14th February, 2024
WALKING ON WATER 1
Text: “And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come, And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.” Matthew 14:29
By the help of the Holy Spirit we’ll learn a couple of spiritual lessons today. This account of Peter walking on the water is a practical demonstration of the privilege God has given us to do the impossible and walk in signs and wonders. Peter literarily walked on water. This was neither a parable nor an illustration. It was a real life experience. It was neither a magical experience, everybody saw it. It was divine.
The first lesson we’ll draw from this is that the desire to walk on water by Peter was prompted by the fact that he saw Jesus doing the same. Faith is stirred up in our hearts when we behold the possibilities of God. Peter knew that this was possible. If Jesus could do it anyone else who desire the same could do it. The extent to which we go in life will be determined by our definition of possibilities. The inner drive to pursue a venture will not be there once we don’t believe it’s possible. We must see beyond the limitations of life into the possibilities of God.
What we believe plays a vital role in our lives. Even though Peter did not walk on water for so long. But at that moment of time he knew it was possible. What you don’t believe will be difficult to experience. Peter took a step of faith on what he believed. I want you to note closely that Peter did not just step out on his own; he stepped out in response to the word spoken by Jesus. If you are going to do the impossible and walk on water be on the lookout for divine instructions. Peter actually was stepping on the word “COME” spoken by Jesus. To be continued.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I declare that I am walking on water and doing the impossible.
LEARN MORE: Luke 1:37, 45
Tuesday 13th February, 2024
STEP INTO DESTINY
Text: “For he (Abraham) looked for a city which hath foundation, whose builder and maker is God.” Hebrews 11:10
Thank God for what you have done so far in life. Thank God for where you are right now. But I want to ask you this sincere question today; is this all there is to life? Don’t you think there is something far bigger than what you have seen and done so far in life? It’s a dangerous state to be if you fold your hands at this stage of your life to think that you have arrived. So many of us have not even started at all.
If you take a bucket of water from the ocean you have really taken nothing. There is still so much that God has in store for our lives. Bigger than the ocean. There is no limit to what you can do and what you can become. Can you see beyond where you are? Your circumstances and your environment should not define how far you can go and how much you can accomplish.
Abraham had stayed in his homeland for about seventy-five years until God came on the scene to disrupt his convenience. Abraham did not argue with God, he knew there was more in God. The scriptures said he was looking for a city that had foundation. Whose builder and maker is God.
God sent me to you today to give you a push in your spirit to rise and step into a destiny far bigger than you have ever imagined possible.
Today Abraham is referred to as the father of faith. There should be a “restlessness” in your spirit to become bigger, better and brighter than where you are right now. Don’t resign to “fate”; God has not placed any limit on your life. Break forth in your spirit and see it manifest outwardly. Whatever has never been done before can start with you today. Packaged in your life is the ability of God to break barriers. Please step into destiny.
PRAYER:
By the forces of the Spirit I step into destiny today. I break out of every mental and spiritual limitation. I refuse to be hindered in Jesus name.
LEARN MORE: Philippians 3:12-17
Monday 12th February, 2024
WHAT TO DO!
Text: “And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth... and will teach you what ye shall do.” Exodus 4:15
Today again we’ll look at another thing God promised to teach Moses as he was going to face the most powerful King of that time. This was a very delicate assignment. The King was ready to kill the entire Jew. It was a mission that Moses could not afford to make a mistake. Moses could not afford to engage in a trial and error approach. Everything he was going to do must be precise, accurate and result generating. This was not a hide and seeks game.
Life is too serious to play hide and seek with it. Every time we are faced with a challenge in any area of life the next question will always be “what do I do next”. Knowing exactly what to do will save us time, energy and precious resources. Jesus was faced with the challenge of feeding the multitudes with the little available meal from the little boy. He tried to find out from the disciples the possibility of getting food for the crowd. Each of the disciples lectured Jesus on how it was impossible to feed the multitude. There was no money to buy food and even the food was not available at that point in time. It was stated clearly that Jesus himself knew exactly what to do. He did what he knew to do and there was a miracle of supplies.
Moses went before Pharaoh doing what God taught him to do. All the plagues and miracles we saw in Egypt were a direct product of Moses doing what God asked him to do. In whatever area of life you are located you must depend on God to teach you exactly what to do. If you are faced with a challenge in your life you must allow God to teach you what to do to secure your breakthrough. Don’t just ask God to do things for you; equally ask him what you should do in that situation. This is a matured and responsible approach to life. Don’t just do what seems right. Rely on God to teach you what to do per time.
CONFESSION:
In every situation of life I know what to do. The Spirit of God is my teacher. I am never confused.
LEARN MORE: 2 Kings 6:15, John 6:5-6
Sunday 11th February, 2024
WHAT TO SAY!
Text: “Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.” Exodus 4:12
Moses had a divine mandate to go in unto Pharaoh to declare the release of God’s people. He had so much fear and doubt about his ability to accomplish the task. God had to give him so much assurance of his divine involvement. God had to assure him to teach him what to say.
Knowing what to say is a major requirement in life. Conversation is involved in every human venture. As a minister of the gospel right words must be spoken when standing before the congregation. If you go for a job interview the right words must be spoken. When a customer comes into your shop the right words must be spoken to get a sale. A lawyer standing before a judge must speak words divinely orchestrated to secure release for his client. Defending a project before a supervisor will require knowing the right thing to say.
It’s interesting to note that God told Moses He will be with his mouth and teach him what to say. This is actually one major manifestation of divine presence in our lives. Whenever you are required to speak about something you must trust God to teach you what to say per time. It will make a difference between success and failure. It will be a major problem for you if you don’t know what to say. Different life venture will require knowing what to say in that period. If you go for a job interview for example the people listening to you wants to hear certain things from you. It may just be five minutes of responding to their questions, but that will determine getting the job or losing it.
I want to ask you to allow yourself to be divinely taught on what to say. This becomes possible as we yield ourselves to God in total surrender and refusing to depend on our expertise. The Spirit of God is our teacher; we must stay connected to him in intimate fellowship.
CONFESSION:
The Spirit of God is my teacher. He teaches me what to say in every situation I find myself. Right words are coming forth out of my mouth.
LEARN MORE: Proverbs 3:5-6, Luke 21:15
Saturday 10th February, 2024
SELF – INFLICTED WOUNDS 7
Text: “Then Said Saul to his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith...But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon it .” 1 Samuel 31:4
This scripture above is the conclusion of the life of King Saul. He committed suicide and killed himself. Saul’s condition deteriorated from one stage to another. The initial disobedience he did not correct degenerated until he died of it.
Along the line he became so jealous of David that he started organising how to kill David. He completely forgot he was supposed to be pursuing God for his own destiny. He had a misplaced focus. His focus became distorted. A broken focus is a broken destiny. Even if Saul had succeeded in killing David that would not have solved his problem; God already rejected him. David was not the one responsible for that. If we lose focus of God’s plans and purpose for our lives there will be a major shift away from where God is taking us to in life. The same energy Saul used in organising the army and running after David would have been used to run after his destiny.
Along the line too King Saul began to look for wrong alternatives to solve his problems. It was so obvious God was no longer the focus of his life. He lost focus of his purpose and his God. Nothing is more destructive than losing sight of God. He had lost his fellowship with God and was no longer connected to divine instructions and direction for his life. He went after a familiar spirit and not the living God. If you look for direction from alternative sources other than God you will end up hurting yourself. These were the grievous mistakes that King Saul made that eventually led to his death. He moved from one error to another until he met his death. Please watch your own life closely.
PRAYER:
Lord I receive grace to keep my focus solely on you. I receive grace not to seek alternatives to God.
LEARN MORE: 1 Samuel 26:1-2, 1 Samuel 28:5-25
Friday 9th February, 2024
SELF – INFLICTED WOUNDS 6
Text: “Then he said, I have sinned: yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me....” 1 Samuel 15:30
Saul could not repent because of ego. Saul was losing his place on the throne. Instead of repenting he wanted the prophet to pretend and act as if all was well with him. His image was more important than the reality. He was asking the prophet to cover up for his loss. He was not trying to rectify his relationship with God but to cover up for his image. We must realise that God’s presence is far more important than the position we occupy. Saul was trying to protect his position at the expense of God’s presence.
He was asking the prophet to pretend before the elders that everything was right. He was interested in a form of godliness but denying the power thereof. Pretending to be what you are not will not add any value to your life. We don’t get God’s approval by pretence we get it by humbling ourselves and allowing God to lift us up. Saul lost the throne and was trying to pretend that he still had it. Many don’t have a personal prayer life but appear to be prayer warriors in the public. It was this kind of pretence that killed Saul. It was a self-inflicted sword.
One major expression of ego is that we are more concerned with our charisma than our character. Charisma is an outward display that is obvious to everybody. Character is an inner disposition of the real person. This is the real person that most people don’t see. This was what King Saul was trying to achieve. King Saul eventually went to war as a King. He went after God had removed him from the throne. He went with the title but not the anointing. Don’t just carry a title carry divine presence. Don’t do things because you have done them before, do them because you are sure the grace of God is available for you in the present to do it.
PRAYER:
Lord I bring my character under the authority of your word today.
LEARN MORE: Romans 8:29
Thursday 8th February, 2024
SELF – INFLICTED WOUNDS 5
Text: “And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.” 1 Samuel 15:20
One major difference between King Saul and David was repentance. The big thing about Saul was that he will not repent. He never felt he did anything wrong. He was claiming that he was right. But David knew how to go on the floor and repent before God. Saul would have gone before God and say I am sorry. Repentance is a gift from God. Repentance is an opportunity God has given us to change. It’s difficult for a man to repent when he’s filled with pride.
David will repent at anything. He knew how to reach out for God’s mercy. For every wrong thing that David did he never made any excuse for them. There is no excuse that is good enough for doing what is wrong. Listen to the words of David “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving-kindness; according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgression. For I acknowledge my transgression; and my sin is ever before me.” Psalm 51:1, 3.
Saul was killed by a hardened heart. A broken and contrite heart preserves a man’s destiny. When we are open to correction and we are open to repentance then God can take hold of us and turn our mess into his mercy. That we made a mistake is not the end of the world. We must be ready to make the necessary changes and move on with our lives.
Many marriages and great relationships have been destroyed because the parties involved were not humble enough to seek for each other’s forgiveness. It’s a terrible state to be when your conscience becomes hard. As we close today I want to ask you to humble yourself and repent so that you will not lose your kingdom like King Saul did.
PRAYER:
Lord purge my heart of every form of pride. I receive mercy to recover all that I have lost to pride.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 51:1-17
Tuesday 6th February, 2024
SELF – INFLICTED WOUNDS 3
Text: “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.” 1 Sam 15:23
The third self-inflicted wound Saul inflicted on himself was rebellion. The essence of looking at this stuff is for us to look closely at our own lives and avoid the mistakes that King Saul made.
Rebellion is compared to witchcraft because it’s a conscious, open, intentional and deliberate opposition to what God said. It’s not a mistake but a deliberate step to do things that are contrary to what the word of God says.
I want you to notice that it was not as if Saul went to see a witch at this moment. It was simply because he stood in opposition to God’s word. God places so much value on his word. Rejecting the word of God in any form is equated to rebellion and by extension an act of witchcraft. There are people who have made up their minds on certain issues of life even when they know what exactly the word of God said on that issue. This is an outright violation of the revealed counsels of God. This was also what King Saul did.
Rebellion can also be expressed in how we respond to constituted authorities. There are people that God has placed over us in life; either in the home, in the Church or in the work place. It’s important for us to realize that these authorities are placed there by God. Despising such authorities is out rightly despising God. If you despise your Pastor for example you have despised the God that sent him. Despising your parents carries a grievous consequence. Such an act comes with a curse. Despising God’s word and constituted authorities is a rebellious act; flee from it.
CONFESSION:
The Spirit of God is at work in my heart. I am not a rebellious person. I have a submissive spirit to the word of God and constituted authorities.
LEARN MORE: Romans 13:1-8
Monday 5th February, 2024
SELF – INFLICTED WOUNDS 2
Text: “And Samuel said, when thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tibes of Israel, and the Lord anointed thee King over Israel.” 1 Samuel 15:17
This is a message to you and I want to ask you to take it very seriously. Don’t just focus on what the enemy is doing. Pay close attention to what you are doing to yourself. If all your eyes are on what people are doing to you you’ll never take responsibility for your life. It’s not what people are doing that is killing you but what you are doing to yourself. You will never die because of the sword of the enemy it’s your own sword you should watch. King Saul was powerful but ended up coming suicide by his own sword.
The second self-inflicted wound of Saul was arrogance. After King Saul was confronted by Samuel, he began to explain how he had done the right thing. It was so clear that he had disobeyed God but was still claiming he was right. All he would have done was to admit that he was wrong. He was claiming he was right while he was wrong.
Samuel explained to him that the reason God made him a King in the first place was because he was little in his own eyes. It was not because he was so important. He got to the throne because of humility. But now he had become so powerful that he forgot where he came from. Now he was having so much sense of importance that he forgot where he came from. One major lesson we must learn about life is that the same attitude of dependence on God that took us up is the same attitude that will keep us up. The irony about life is that we can be so humble to get what we need that after getting it we soon forget how we got there. Arrogance is when we become so attached to what God gave us more than to the God that gave us. Arrogance will kill you; be humble
PRAYER:
I humble myself under the mighty hand of God today. I empty my heart of every form of arrogance.
LEARN MORE: 1 Samuel 15:16-17
Monday 5th February, 2024
SELF – INFLICTED WOUNDS 2
Text: “And Samuel said, when thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tibes of Israel, and the Lord anointed thee King over Israel.” 1 Samuel 15:17
This is a message to you and I want to ask you to take it very seriously. Don’t just focus on what the enemy is doing. Pay close attention to what you are doing to yourself. If all your eyes are on what people are doing to you you’ll never take responsibility for your life. It’s not what people are doing that is killing you but what you are doing to yourself. You will never die because of the sword of the enemy it’s your own sword you should watch. King Saul was powerful but ended up coming suicide by his own sword.
The second self-inflicted wound of Saul was arrogance. After King Saul was confronted by Samuel, he began to explain how he had done the right thing. It was so clear that he had disobeyed God but was still claiming he was right. All he would have done was to admit that he was wrong. He was claiming he was right while he was wrong.
Samuel explained to him that the reason God made him a King in the first place was because he was little in his own eyes. It was not because he was so important. He got to the throne because of humility. But now he had become so powerful that he forgot where he came from. Now he was having so much sense of importance that he forgot where he came from. One major lesson we must learn about life is that the same attitude of dependence on God that took us up is the same attitude that will keep us up. The irony about life is that we can be so humble to get what we need that after getting it we soon forget how we got there. Arrogance is when we become so attached to what God gave us more than to the God that gave us. Arrogance will kill you; be humble
PRAYER:
I humble myself under the mighty hand of God today. I empty my heart of every form of arrogance.
LEARN MORE: 1 Samuel 15:16-17
Sunday 4th February, 2024
SELF – INFLICTED WOUNDS 1
Text: “Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the Lord, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the Lord?” 1 Samuel 15:19
I’m too sure that the word of God in this Inspiration devotional will transform your life and leave an indelible mark on your life.
In the next seven days I will share with you one of the most profound lessons I learned today. It’s a lesson about a man called King Saul. Saul was killed by his own sword. It was a self – inflicted wound that killed him. It was not the sword of the enemy that killed him, but his own sword. What people do to us is not really as important as what we do to ourselves. As long as we are on God’s side there is little that the sword of the enemy can do on us. What people say about you does not matter; it’s what you say about yourself that matters. The enemies were after Saul but at the end of the day it was what he did to himself that killed him.
King Saul was such an anointed man to rule over Israel. He was so powerful that every enemy was scared by his sword until he began to misbehave. He was so successful that his success got into his head. He became presumptuous that he took God for granted until he was publicly disgraced. The sword of the enemy is not as important as self-inflicted swords. We cannot do things our own way and still expect to get the best of God.
The first self-inflicted wound of Saul was disobedience. The instructions God gave him were very clear. He knew exactly what God wanted him to do, but did the exact opposite of what God wanted. We must realize that every act of disobedience will hurt us deeper than we can ever imagine. Every act of disobedience also has a ripple effect on people who are connected to you. The sons of Saul also died along with him in the battle. Disobedience is costly. It will cost you more than you gain with disobedience.
PRAYER:
Lord I yield my life to you in obedience today.
LEARN MORE: 1 Samuel 15:3,19-22
Saturday 3rd February, 2024
LEARNING ADDS VALUE TO PRAYER
Text: “…Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your soul.” Matthew 11:29
Prayer is powerful. Prayer is a spiritual force that produces amazing results on the earth. Prayer has birthed miracles and change the course of history. The place of prayer can never be underestimated. It will be a serious error to downplay the place of prayer (Luke 18:1). It’s however important that we note that the depth of your learning will have a major impact on the potency of your prayer.
However, the need for learning before prayer is very clear all over scripture {Luke 11:1-13, Matthew 11:28-29). The disciples deliberately came to Jesus to teach them to pray. They understood that learning was needed. Learning is like the foundation on which our prayer stands. Prayer is wonderful but many are praying and not really making progress because they are not really growing mentally.
1. Learning enhances your revelation of God. The depth of your prayer will depend so much on your personal revelation of God (Daniel 11:32). Real prayer usually comes from the furnace of our individual revelation of God.
2. Learning helps you to deal with spiritual ignorance. Where there is ignorance there will be shallowness of prayer.
3. Learning gives God the raw materials by which he can communicate with us in our time of prayer. God speaks to us most times from the abundance of what is already stored in our spirit. John 14:26, 16:14
4. Learning enhances your level of maturity which will also determine how much will be released into our lives. God does not give us only what we pray for but what we are matured to handle.
DECLARATION:
My depth of knowledge is growing deeper on a daily basis. I function from the point of knowledge.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 11:3, Galatians 4:1
Friday 2nd February, 2024
ARE YOU LEARNING OR DYING 2?
Text: “Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser; teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.” Proverbs 9:9
Our lesson from yesterday continues today. In many cases it’s not life that keeps us at the same level but the quality and the depth of our learning. If you want to go higher you must first of all go deeper. This is a principle that runs through life. The higher you want the building to go the deeper the foundation has to be. You cannot just be praying and expect to build a ten-story building on a bungalow foundation. Many of us are praying so hard but very shallow in learning.
You must admit that “Those who think they know something do not know as they ought to know.” 1 Corinthians 8:2 NIV. 1 Corinthians 13:9 says “For our knowledge is imperfect…” Weymouth. You don’t know all yet. You must be open to learn. Everything we know so far is imperfect compared to what we still need to know
Learning is a lifetime adventure that keeps us open and available to all that God has in store. The oppositive of learning is rigidity. You will be rigid to possibilities. You will be so tied to all you have done before and where you have been all your life. Walking in the purpose of God for your life will require flexibility.
True learners don’t wait for knowledge to come to them they go in search for it in books and every available means. Somehow everyone learns passively but the journey of purpose will require that we are actively engaged in the pursuit of learning. If you are not learning you are dying gradually and losing relevance. This is not necessarily physical death. Mental death, death of influence – what you don’t know you can’t pass on and death of personal effectiveness
PRAYER:
In the of Jesus I open my heart to continual learning. My heart is open to receive more of God.
LEARN MORE: Ephesians 1:17-19
Thursday 1st February, 2024
ARE YOU LEARNING OR DYING 1?
Text: “Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser; teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.” Proverbs 9:9
What exactly do we mean by learning or dying? Why is learning so important? These are questions we trust God to answer in this article today. Learning to improve your person and your level of performance should be your daily pursuit.
You can never be greater than who you are as a person. Your level of performance in life will depend on your depth of learning. The God factor is constant and settled. The variable is always the human factor. Until you improve on your person your life can’t improve that much. God doesn’t need to grow or improve. His word doesn’t need editing or anything additional to improve on it.
Most people associate learning with writing school exams only. But life gives us unwritten examinations daily. You will never rise beyond the level of your personal learning. Learning is a major component of our preparations for greatness. At every moment in life one form of learning is taking place in our lives. This could be positive or negative. This could be productive or destructive.
We are all at different levels of learning and if we’ll rise beyond this current level, we must learn beyond this level that we are now. If you are not a learner you will be limited in so many ways in life. In life you are either going uphill or downhill. It takes constant learning and improvement to go uphill or else your life will just go downhill. You have to be deliberate in your pursuit of learning. The learning that takes you uphill in life doesn’t come accidentally.
CONFESSION:
I’m a learner. My heart is continually open to learn. I’m increasing in value and productivity.
LEARN MORE: Matthew 11:29, Timothy 2:15
Wednesday 31st January, 2024
HEARING GOD
Text: “To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: ...And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice” John 10:3-4
Let’s close this month by looking at the subject of hearing God again. Hearing God speak to you on various issues of your life is one of the greatest privileges of been a Christian. We must understand that Christianity is not a mere religion of rules and regulations but essentially a relationship between a father and his Children. The beauty and privileges of Christianity will be far from us if we cannot hear God on various aspects of our lives.
We must understand that every one of us as believers have the right to hear God. We also have the ability to hear God. However this ability must be developed and exercised.
The question is how do we hear God? Maybe I should ask you how you came to recognise the voice of your parents or your spouse. Am sure the answer will be because you have spent so much time with them that after a while you can pick their voice even in the dark. So also the more we spend time with God privately the more we’ll begin to pick his voice.
Hearing God also becomes clearer as we spend time reading and knowing his word. The voice of God reaches us through the pages of scripture. The more we submit to the written word the more we can hear the voice of God on issues that are not directly written in scriptures.
Hearing God will also be enhanced as we develop a quiet spirit in our day to day life and we learn to practice the presence of God anywhere we are.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus my inner ears are developed to hear the voice of God. My ears are deaf to the voice of the stranger.
LEARN MORE: Isaiah 50:4-5, John 10:27
INSPIRATION
(Giving direction to your day)
Monday 29th January, 2024
END MINDED
Text: “Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, my counsel will stand and I will do all my pleasure.“ Isaiah 46:10
It’s possible that we look at different areas of our lives and see consequences of wrong decisions we took in the past. We can also know individuals that were wrecked as a result of wrong steps they had taken. I personally know families that were thrown into trouble as a result of a wrong decision by the father of the house. Every step we take in life has serious consequences in our lives. This is why we must understand the rudiment of God’s leading in our lives.
Most of the time our decisions are based on an immediate need or pressure on us. Humanly speaking our knowledge is limited. Our knowledge is confined to the immediate and obvious. But we must understand that God looks at issues not just based on now but on the end. God sees the end from the beginning. Something might be rosy today but the end may not be. A man that is so nice today may turn to a monster tomorrow. God is looking at ten, twenty, thirty years from now.
Please read this carefully “Not all that glitters is gold and not all that is gold glitters”. It will be a mistake taking decisions solely based on how things look like outwardly. Every time you have a decision to make pause and ask yourself; what will the end be?
Lot was given a privilege to choose a portion of land ahead of Abraham his uncle, his choice was based on what he could see naturally. He ended up in Sodom and Gomorrah. That was a step into destruction. Abraham’s portion was not too good outwardly but ended as the best place. May your eyes not deceive you. Don’t resist God’s leading; it’s for your good. May your eyes be open not just to see the beginning but what the end looks like.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus you will not take the wrong steps in life. The Spirit of God will have his way in your life.
LEARN MORE: Genesis 13:5-13, Proverbs 14:12
Sunday 28th January, 2024
RIGHT TO HEAR GOD
Text: “And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.” John 10:4
Many lives are driven by the negative thoughts of “I cannot do it,” “It’s not my type,” “I am not worthy.” For so many of us hearing God is just an abstract statement. I also realised recently that many of us will prefer that someone else should hear God on our behalf and tells us; rather than developing ourselves to the point that we can hear God by ourselves.
As believers we function by faith and not by our feelings. Functioning by faith simply means agreeing with God that whatever he says is true irrespective of how we feel. Jesus said “My sheep hear my voice.” There is absolutely no reason why any of us should say I cannot hear God. That will amount to agreeing with our feelings and not with God. We must actually begin to agree with God by saying exactly what he has said. As we agree with God that way our hearts will begin to open and our expectations will begin to rise. You will begin to tell yourself it’s possible. It will no longer be in the realm of impossibilities for you. When you hear someone talking about hearing God it will not be strange to you because you have also endorsed it in your spirit. We are his sheep so we have the right.
We have the right to hear God because the Spirit of God has come to take residence in our recreated human spirit. We have been quickened by the Spirit. We are made alive unto God. We are henceforth open and ready to receive all that God will be sending to us through his Spirit who lives in us. The capacity to hear God increases as we begin to develop our human spirit. This increases our sensitivity to divine signals. The recreated human spirit is developed as we spend quality time meditating in the word of God and we consistently spend time praying in the Holy Ghost.
CONFESSION:
My heart is open to the voice of the Spirit. I can hear God as he speaks and guides me on a daily basis.
LEARN MORE: Isaiah 50:4
Sunday 28th January, 2024
RIGHT TO HEAR GOD
Text: “And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.” John 10:4
Many lives are driven by the negative thoughts of “I cannot do it,” “It’s not my type,” “I am not worthy.” For so many of us hearing God is just an abstract statement. I also realised recently that many of us will prefer that someone else should hear God on our behalf and tells us; rather than developing ourselves to the point that we can hear God by ourselves.
As believers we function by faith and not by our feelings. Functioning by faith simply means agreeing with God that whatever he says is true irrespective of how we feel. Jesus said “My sheep hear my voice.” There is absolutely no reason why any of us should say I cannot hear God. That will amount to agreeing with our feelings and not with God. We must actually begin to agree with God by saying exactly what he has said. As we agree with God that way our hearts will begin to open and our expectations will begin to rise. You will begin to tell yourself it’s possible. It will no longer be in the realm of impossibilities for you. When you hear someone talking about hearing God it will not be strange to you because you have also endorsed it in your spirit. We are his sheep so we have the right.
We have the right to hear God because the Spirit of God has come to take residence in our recreated human spirit. We have been quickened by the Spirit. We are made alive unto God. We are henceforth open and ready to receive all that God will be sending to us through his Spirit who lives in us. The capacity to hear God increases as we begin to develop our human spirit. This increases our sensitivity to divine signals. The recreated human spirit is developed as we spend quality time meditating in the word of God and we consistently spend time praying in the Holy Ghost.
CONFESSION:
My heart is open to the voice of the Spirit. I can hear God as he speaks and guides me on a daily basis.
LEARN MORE: Isaiah 50:4
Saturday 27th January, 2024
RECEIVNG THE UNKNOWN
Text: “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities; for we know not what we should pray for as we ought:but the Spirit himself maketh intercession for us ….And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God”. Romans 8:26-27
Success in life depends so much on accuracy, precision, knowing exactly what to do and knowing where to go. But you will agree with me that with all the school we have gone to there are still so much we don’t know. There is so much failure in life because most people live their lives in the realm of trial and error.
We must also understand that there is nothing hidden in the realm of the Spirit. Everything about your life is as clear as the noon day in the realm of the Spirit (Ps 139:12). The things that are hidden are open to God.
As a believer God does not want us to operate our lives in the realm of the unknown. This is why he has provided for us a means of connecting directly with him in the Spirit. Every time we pray in an unknown language we are actually dealing with things in the realm of the Spirit that our natural minds are not aware of. We can even download ideas, concepts, creativity that has never been seen before as we pray consistently in the Spirit. We can also access God’s direction for our lives this way. You’ll just find yourself knowing things that other people don’t know. It’s possible to even begin to see vision of things to come.
As you connect with the unknown your life becomes extraordinary and outstanding. This will enable us to connect with what eyes has not seen before nor ears heard before.
CONFESSION:
I function in the realm of the Spirit. Nothing is hidden in my life. I know exactly what to do in every issue of life.
LEARN MORE: 1 Corinthians 2:9-12
Friday 26th January, 2024
RECEIVING DIVINE SIGNALS
Text: “The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly.” Proverbs 20:27
Wherever you are right now reading this material there are hundreds of radio stations also present in the same place; you may not see them physically but their wavelengths are right there where you are. If you need to receive any of their signals all you need to do is to get a transmitter radio and you will be hearing them live and direct. For you to listen to a particular station you have to tune the radio to its particular frequency. If you are not hearing a particular station its simply because you are not tuned to its frequency even though they are transmitting. This is also true of receiving divine signals from God. God is always trying to reach us but most of the time we are never tuned to his frequency.
Getting tuned to divine signals takes place in our recreated human Spirit. The Spirit of God leaves in vital union with our recreated human spirit. This is where the work of divine direction goes on. The extent to which we are able to connect to divine signals will depend on the extent to which our human spirits are trained and developed. The spirit of man is referred to as the “candle” of the Lord. Illumination takes place in our spirit. The Spirit of God “lights” our “candle” inside to give us a check, a nudge, a restraint, a witness or even a voice right within us. The more our spirit is developed the more we can become sensitive to this.
The spirit is developed as we spend quality time meditation on the word of God. The word of God builds us from the inside. The spirit man is also built as we consistently pray in the spirit. These are things no one can do for you. Each one of us must do this to connect with divine signals.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I declare that my ears are open to hear clearly what the Spirit of God is saying per time.
LEARN MORE: Acts 20:32, Jude 20
Thursday 25th January, 2024
THE RIGHT PLACE 2
Text: “And the Lord appeared unto him. And said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of.” Genesis 26:2
If you look closely at the story of Abraham you will notice that Abraham and Lot had their fortune in the land of Egypt (Gen 13:1-2). It was after this experience that Isaac was born. It’s so natural for a son to want to go to a place where the father made it. This was the exact scenario that Isaac found himself. He wanted to move down to Egypt to escape from the famine in the land of the Philistines. Genesis 26:1-2 says “And there was famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech King of the Philistine unto Gerar. And the Lord appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of.” The question on my mind was, why was Abraham allowed to go there and his son was not allowed? The answer is simply God has the right place for each one of us.
The right place for Abraham was not the right place for Isaac. If you look at it closely where God asked Isaac to stay was a place that nothing will grow naturally because there was no rain. But because he was in the right place that God placed him he became extremely prosperous and successful. It was all because he had God’s manifest presence. If he had moved to Egypt he would have been operating under the omnipresence nature of God which wouldn’t have made any difference for him. The other Philistines envied him because they only had the omnipresence of God and not his manifest presence. It’s dangerous to operate in a place that God has not placed us.
God’s guidance makes a lot of difference in life. We must be humble enough to allow God to show us the right place. He will show up for us there. Where he leads us is where his grace keeps us.
PRAYER:
Lord help me to follow the right path in everything I do in life. Paths that will lead to my blessings.
LEARN MORE: Genesis 26:11-14
Wednesday 24th January, 2024
THE RIGHT PLACE 1
Text: “And the Lord appeared unto him. And said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of.” Genesis 26:2
There is a big difference between the omnipresence nature of God and the manifest presence of God. Knowing the difference will make a major difference in our lives. God’s omnipresence simply means that God is everywhere. Wherever you go God is there. But this is not enough to function in life. What we actually need to function in life is the manifest presence of God in our lives. The manifest presence talks about the tangible and practical manifestation of divine presence. This is exactly what Moses was referring to when he prayed and insisted that God’s presence must go with them.
There were two references to divine presence in the book of Psalms. The first one is in the One hundred and thirty-ninth Psalm “Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence...If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there. If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.” Vs 7-8. This is what we refer to as the omnipresence of God. The second reference to divine presence is in the twenty third Psalms, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”Vs 4. This is obviously what is called the manifest presence of God. The manifest presence of God gives us an assurance that God is with us and will act on our behalf.
The point of our lesson today is for us is to understand that God’s manifest presence is only guaranteed when we function at the right place where God has placed us in life. God is everywhere but God does not manifest everywhere. God manifested for Isaac because he was in the right place.
PRAYER:
Lord I ask that my steps are ordered in life to function and dwell only in the right place of your right hand.
LEARN MORE: Exodus 33: 14-16
Tuesday 23rd January, 2024
SENTENCED TO PROSPER
Text: “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season, his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” Psalm 1:3
I want to assume that your life as an individual is characterized by this beautiful Psalm. It talks about:
1. A man that does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly.
2. He does not stand in the way of sinners.
3. He does not sit in the seat of the scornful.
4. His delight is in the law of the Lord.
5. He meditates on God’s word day and night.
If these are the description of your life it’s concluded that “...Whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” This is what we refer to as being sentenced to prosper. It has been decided and concluded from heaven that you must prosper. The forces of the Spirit are working tirelessly to ensure that everything you embark on that is consistent with God’s counsels for your life prospers. This clearly suggests to us that no matter what is contrary to that verdict must bow to the authority of God’s word in our lives.
This truth must register in your spirit man. You have no business on earth other than to prosper. Every other thing contrary to it is illegal in your life. There must be a holy determination in you to experience all that God has said concerning you.
To prosper means to have a profitable, favorable and testimony-filled outcome of whatever we set out to do. If you have a business, it must be profitable to whatever degree you desire it. If you are a student your academics must be testimony-filled. Your ministry, marriage and the rest must have favorable outcome. This is the divine sentence on your life.
CONFESSION:
I am sentenced to prosper. It’s a divine decree on me.
LEARN MORE: Ps 1:1-3
Monday 22nd January, 2024
THE SHOWING GOD
Text: “Now the Lord has said unto Abraham, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that i will shew thee. “Genesis 12:1
Abraham is a typical example of someone in scriptures who enjoyed divine guidance in his life. If you look at his life closely you will notice why it was possible for him to enjoy that privilege from God. He was a man that was open to God’s leading. Divine plans were more important to him than personal plans. As soon as God was ready to change his location he was also ready to follow without any objection. We can only enjoy divine guidance to the extent to which we are ready to follow.
God wanted to bring Abraham to a new and a higher experience of life. God was ready to bring him to the fulfilment of a covenant. God spoke to him to leave where he was to a place that he will show him. The writer to the Hebrew explained to us that Abraham did not even know where he was going (Heb 11:8). I strongly believe that God is willing to do the same in our lives today. He wants to show us the next phase of our lives. He wants to show us where our blessings are waiting. He wants to show us the future. We don’t have to depend on anyone to access that. When it comes to the issues of our lives each one should have a first-hand knowledge of what God wants to do in our lives. He can show us about the details of the relationship we are getting into. He can show us details of the business proposals that we have. He can show us the best strategies to anything we are doing. I want to encourage you to believe God for this.
We can initiate this divine showing as we call upon God in prayer. It’s a divine promise and we have the right to ask for it. “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and SHEW thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” Jeremiah 33:3.
PRAYER:
Lord according to your word show me the path of life. Show me great and mighty things.
LEARN MORE: Ps 16:11, John 16:13-15
Sunday 21st January, 2024
CHOOSING RIGHT
Text: “...Take your choice of any section of the land you want, and we will separate...” Genesis 13:9 (NLT)
Making choices is a very crucial aspect of our lives. We are all product of choices we have made in the past. The future will also look exactly like the choices we are making today. We don’t even need a prophet to predict the future for us. The choices we are making today is all already predicting the future for us. As smart as we think we are it takes God in our lives to make the right choices. Right choices right future; wrong choices wrong future.
Abraham also came to this important cross road in his life on several occasions. At a point he made a wrong choice which produced wrong results that still exists today. He was given the choice of having a child through the house girl in his house. That choice became a major challenge to his lineage even as we are talking. The consequences of a wrong choice will linger more than we can imagine.
Thank God he made other several right choices that made so much difference in his life. His herdsmen were in conflict with that of his cousin; Lot. There was a need to make a choice of a land. He had every right to make the first and the best choice. He was patient enough to follow God to choose for him. He must have realised that what seems right to the human sense may not make up a divine sense. His cousin was deceived by the physical appearance.
Don’t ever be deceived by what your optical eyes are seeing. Allow your inner eyes to open to see the true nature of things. The land that looked like the garden of the Lord eventually became Sodom that was destroyed. Thank God that Abraham was patient enough to allow for God’s intervention.
CONFESSION:
My inner eyes are enlightened to see clearly and to see farther. I am never deceived by what my optical eyes is seeing.
LEARN MORE: Ephesians 1:17-19
Saturday 20th January, 2024
ACKNOWLEDGE GOD’S WISDOM
Text: “If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, them must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct.” Ecclesiastes 10:10
The wisdom of God produces in man a sense of direction. Knowing exactly what to do. Knowing what to say and knowing where to go. The wisdom of God cannot be at work in you and you’ll be confused at the same time. The wisdom of God is at work potentially in the life of every believer. For it to become a functional force in our lives we must be conscious of it and acknowledge it in our lives.
We must understand very clearly that Christ in us is the wisdom of God personified. In Christ are hid the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Christ is made unto us wisdom. Christ was the embodiment of the wisdom of God. This was why in every situation Jesus was never confused. He always knew what to do. The same dimension of wisdom is also at work in our lives as believers. Deposited in our recreated human spirit is the wisdom of God. This is a fundamental truth we must acknowledge in other to walk in God’s direction for our lives.
The word of God also plays a vital role in working in divine wisdom for direction in our lives. The word of God is the wisdom of God in print. We must also recognise and acknowledge the word of God as the wisdom of God made available for us. Each time we read and hear the word of God we must appreciate that we are interacting with the wisdom of God. The value we place on God’s word determines the virtues that flow to us from it.
To acknowledge means to know something, to admit it and to declare it so. This must become real to you. Let it become your way of thinking and seeing yourself. The wisdom of God is at work in you and the wisdom of God is available to you through the word of God. Developing this confidence is fundamental to walking in God’s direction. Divine direction is not based on our prowess but on divine wisdom. Please acknowledge God’s wisdom.
THANKSGIVING:
Thank you Lord for your wisdom that is at work in me and available for me.
LEARN MORE: 1 Corinthians 1:30
Friday 19th January, 2024
ACKNOWLEDGE GOD’S DIRECTION
Text: “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:6
One common phrase that people use is “I am confused” you must have said it before or hear someone saying it. This is a phrase you have to learn never to say again. It’s a confession of inability and weakness. You may feel that you are confused but you must not say so. We are not supposed to agree with our feelings but with God’s eternal word. The foundation for a believer is the word of God and not our feelings. We walk by faith and not by sight.
Please understand that the word of your mouth gives direction to your life. The word of your mouth is an expression of your confidence and faith in God or lack of it. is an acknowledgment of your feelings and not an acknowledgment of the ability of God and the possibility that exist in God.
A confusing situation should not make you a confused person. Don’t use the situation to describe your person. Even if you are faced with a confusing situation don’t agree with the confusion, agree with God. Acknowledge what his word says in that situation. “There is no situation that you are faced with but such as is common to man, in that situation God is faithful who will not allow you to be confused, but will give you direction in the same situation” 1 Corinthians 10:13 (Paraphrase)
It’s better to say “I am never confused”. There is a way out in this situation. Once you start saying that you are giving voice to God’s word and it will be confirmed for you. God said as we speak in his ears so will he do. As you speak that way your spirit man also takes instructions from you. The search begins in your spirit man as you begin to speak right.
CONFESSION:
There is direction in my spirit. I know exactly what to do in every situation of life. I am never confused. My spirit is man is enlightened to see clearly
LEARN MORE: Numbers 14:28, Ephesians 1:17-18
Thursday 18th January, 2024
KNOWING GOD’S DIRECTION
Text: “To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.” John 10:3
I strongly believe that one of the most important subjects in God’s word is the subject of God’s direction for our lives. If not for space i would have given you all the verses of scriptures that are related to God’s direction for our lives. Even though this is so important in our lives, it also an area in which we all have challenges. In the remaining part of this month the Spirit of God will be taking us through an exploration of scriptures that relate to this area of our lives.
Knowing God’s direction from our lives as believers begins from an understanding that each one of us as believers have the right and the capacity to hear God and connect to what God is saying per time concerning our lives. Once you don’t understand this it will be a struggle connecting to God’s direction for our lives. We must also realise that every of God’s dealings for our lives is a walk of faith. We must agree with God’s word on this issue.
From our anchor scriptures today Jesus clearly said “...The sheep hear his voice...for they know not the voice of strangers...” can we receive that word by faith. According to Jesus it should not be a struggle to hear God’s voice and direction for our lives. The word of God must become personal to us. Next time you are faced with an issue that requires direction acknowledge this truth of God’s word. When it comes to receiving from God it begins from agreeing with his word. Don’t try to figure out how it will happen. Just stand on God’s word. This is a major aspect of your life you must take very serious this new year.
CONFESSION:
By faith I declare my heart is open and receptive to what God is saying per time. My inners ears are closed to the voice of strangers.
LEARN MORE: Ephesians 1:16-19
Wednesday 17th January, 2024
SUCCESS IS INSIDE YOU
Text: “He hath made everything beautiful in his time; also he hath set the world in their heart...” Ecclesiastes 3:11
Success is not the native of a particular city or country. It’s not an American or an European. There is no city or country that does not have its own list of failures. Success is fundamentally a product of who we are and not where we are. Success is not a function of the type of business you are doing but the kind of person that you are. If you look at success from the external perspective the search for it will never end. It’s not a function of government polices but a function of what is packaged in each one of us. Don’t look for success in a place or vocation; look for it in yourself. Success is located inside you. God has packaged in you potentials and resources that you require to make a success of your life.
This perspective to success will help you not to blame anyone for the state of your life and to be fully responsible for the happenings in your life. By the help of the Holy Spirit we can discover all the things God has made available for our success in life. Joseph was maltreated for so many years of his life. He was a servant and then ended in the prison without committing an offence. If his life and success were dependent on his family and environment he would have ended up as a failure. He came out of the prison principally because he discovered the gift of God in him. It was this same gift that took him to the throne. If he had been waiting for his family to help him out he would have died in the prison. Take responsibility for your life. Don’t wait for anyone. Locate the things God has packaged in you. Several people will come along the way in life to contribute to our lives, but ultimately what will make you a success is within you. The issues of life comes from your heart.
PRAYER:
Thank you Lord for the divine resources you have placed inside me. Thank you for equipping me for success in life.
LEARN MORE: Proverbs 4:23
Tuesday 16th January, 2024
YOU NEED PATIENCE
Text: “For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.” Hebrews 10:36
Patience is a major requirement of life that is needed to enter into the fullness of God’s program for our lives. If you read our anchor scripture carefully you will notice that its stated that we need patience. Just as you need air to survive so also you need patience to navigate the various phases and stages of life.
The concept of time intervals in nature tells us that it takes time for certain things to happen. No matter how much you wish and pray for it to happen the stipulated time must follow its due course. The scriptures says “...Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.” (James 5:7). A farmer will have to keep going to the farm for several months and in some cases years before the desired harvest can be ready. He has to keep going there to weed and do other necessary practice. If the farmer stops doing that the harvest can be lost. The gestation period for a baby to be ready to be born is nine months. It will be unrealistic for a pregnant woman to start praying that it should be five or six months. Each of these two scenarios will require patience or else the process will be aborted.
We must know the difference between what requires speed and what requires patience. Confusing the two can be frustrating. A newly married woman may need speed to get pregnant, but will need patience for the baby to mature and be born. Patience allows for maturity and the fullness of what God wants to do in our lives. Patience is not a passive posture, but rather an attitude that keeps doing the right thing until we see God’s counsels come to pass in our lives. It’s an attitude that never gives up.
CONFESSION:
Patience it’s at work in my spirit. I know the difference between what requires speed and what requires patience.
LEARN MORE: James 1:2-4
Sunday 14th January, 2024
THE TEACHING GOD 1
Text: “Blessed be the Lord my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight.” Psalm 144:1
Today and tomorrow, we’ll look closely at the life of David and see closely one major reason why his life was such an outstanding success. He had so many challenges in his life and even times when he completely disappointed God. In the midst of it all his life stood out in victory.
I speak over your life today that you will stand out in victory.I noticed one vital lesson about God from David’s account today. God is not a magician that will just give birth to you today and in one week time you are already an adult with everything intact in your life. Life majorly is a process. There are certain aspects of life that will require that we go through the process until we arrive in the place of victory. David had absolute victory over King Saul and other battles that he faced. His victory did not just come miraculously; God literally taught him how to war and his fingers to fight.
God knows exactly the right approach and the right strategy to whatever we are doing and pursuing. This is one major reason why David never lost a battle. He gave God the room to teach him the rudiments of life. God wants to teach us how to run our business and make a huge profit out of it. Listen to what God said “...I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit...” (Isa 48:17). So much loss will be avoided in life if we allow God to teach us through life. We have so much marital disasters today because so many people believe they are grown up enough to handle relationships by themselves. What we know is just a drop in the ocean of what God knows.
God primarily teaches us through his word. The word of God is our lesson notes for a supernatural life. A man cannot embrace God’s word and fail in life.
CONFESSION:
I am a success in life. God’s word is teaching me to make profit with my life. My life is profitable.
LEARN MORE: Isaiah 54:13
Saturday 13th January, 2024
RELATING WITH PROPHECIES 2
Text: “And blessed is she that believed; for their shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.” Luke 1:45
I strongly believe that there are specific prophetic words over our lives as individuals. This could become the foundation on which our entire life is built.
Growing up as a teenager God spoke some words into my life that became the baseline for my life. Even today they are ever fresh as much as the day the words were spoken. The best way to locate prophetic words over our lives is to relate closely with God’s word and allow the word of God to become a personal revelation to us. The word of God is referred to as “the sure word of prophecies.” You don’t have to look for a long-bearded prophet to speak over you. As we relate closely and intimately with God’s word we are simply relating with the sure word of prophecy.
The word of God is the most authentic prophecy over our lives; every other prophecy that comes from any other source; human or angelic must agree with the “sure word of prophecy. The word of prophecy appeared unto Mary. There was nothing medically to support the possibilities of seeing it come to pass. Naturally anyone will question and doubt that word of prophecy. It did not sound logical or possible. As impossible as it sounded the scriptures says “Blessed is she that believed; for there shall be a performance of those things that were told her from the Lord.” Once God has spoken it’s no longer up to God but up to our faith. God speaks according to his capacity and not according to our limitations. All he’s asking us to do is to submit to his word of prophecy as the final authority in our lives. Mary said “...Be it unto me according to thy word...”Luke 1:38. Can we make this declaration too over our lives in 2024?
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I declare that my life in 2024 will be a fulfilment of prophecies. God’s word will be a practical testimony for me this year.
Friday 12th January, 2024
RELATING WITH PROPHECIES 1
Text: “So I prophesised as I was commanded; and as I prophesised, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.” Ezekiel 37:7
At the beginning of a year like this there are specific prophetic words spoken over individuals and congregations. This is one of the basic things that make the year new and not just a change in the date. It’s important for us as individuals to locate such prophetic words and position ourselves to relate with them all through the year. It’s important for us to emphasise again that God works and operates in our lives purely by his word. God is surely committed to whatever he has said concerning us. On God’s part it’s a concluded deal. But the fulfilment of these prophecies will depend on the extent to which we relate with it.
Ezekiel said “I prophesied as I was commanded...”, in other words I took what God had said and began to work with it. What God had said became the basis of addressing the hopeless situation that he saw. Did you notice what Ezekiel said “I prophesied as I was commanded...” He began to speak exactly what God said. Prophesying is not speaking hysterically outside us; it’s simply picking whatever God had said and declaring it over our lives and situations.
From this account of Ezekiel, we can also learn that relating with prophecies will entail completely agreeing with God. If you don’t agree with God, you may not even declare what he has said. Ezekiel had to see the issue on ground in the same way God was seeing it. Dry bones were everywhere but God was seeing an exceeding great army. I want to ask you to agree with God in your life this year. If you agree with the situations around you it will remain the way it was but if you agree with God you have given God the room to operate and work on your behalf. Dry bones are coming alive around you this year. An exceeding great army is emerging out of hopeless situations around your life.
PRAYER:
Lord I agree with every word that has been spoken over my life. I also submit myself to the authority of your word over my life.
LEARN MORE: Jeremiah 11-12
Thursday 11th January, 2024
EGYPT MINDED
Text: “Is not the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.” Exodus 14:12
The Israelites were in Egypt for over four hundred and thirty years. It was a great deliverance for them to have come out of the grip of Pharaoh. It was not an easy task. Pharaoh did everything possible to stop them from going. It took the miraculous hand of God to bring them out. As soon as they got their freedom and were in the wilderness they began to complain and murmur. They actually said it was better to have been left in Egypt just because they encountered some challenges.
I want you to read this very carefully. This people had been free physically speaking from Egypt, but they were not free mentally. Their bodies were out of Egypt but their minds were still there. God was trying to move them forward but they were moving backwards in their minds. They had stayed so long in Egypt that it had conditioned their minds. This is also the same challenge that believers face. We have been so accustomed to the world and its ways of doing things that it keeps controlling our lives even now that we have been saved from sin.
This is exactly what Apostle Paul was talking about when he said we should not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds. We are in the world but not of the world. Our way of thinking and reasoning must be completely different from that of this world. This is the only way our lives will be different from that of this world. Next month we’ll take our time to look closely at the subject of renewing the mind. Stay glued to your “Inspiration”. Thank you for reading with me this month. I love you.
CONFESSION:
I don’t belong to this world anymore. My spirit, soul and body are delivered from the pattern of the world.
LEARN MORE: Romans 12:1-2
Wednesday 10th January, 2024
THINKING HIGHER
Text: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9
The way God thinks is higher than our level of thinking. This is why God’s level of result is far above what is available in this realm of life. However, God’s ultimate purpose of giving us his word is to bring us to the same level of thinking that he has. This is the only way we can function at his level and obtain results like he does. We can never operate at a level higher than our level of thinking.
The only way we can rise beyond our present level of life is when we begin to operate at a higher level of thinking. The way we think is the way we are. Shallow level of thinking will produce a shallow level of living. A higher level of thinking will produce a higher level of living. The unfortunate thing is that for so many of us our level of thinking and reasoning is shallow when it comes to spiritual things and life in general.
Going to a higher level of thinking will not just happen on its own. The only thing that grows on its own are weeds; things of great value and worth are deliberately cultivated. It will require a conscious and a deliberate effort on our part. You cannot think higher than what you are exposed to. We must therefore begin to expose our minds to the truths of God’s word in a greater dimension. If you are married for example the way you handle your marriage will be a direct reflection of your level of thinking. To do it better you will have to start reading your Bible and explore materials that give you a higher way of thinking. This applies to every area of life we seek to operate at a higher level. In your area of calling expose yourself to materials of people who have great results.
CONFESSION:
I think like God. My thoughts are lined up with his way of thinking.
LEARN MORE: Philippians 2:5-10
Tuesday 9th January, 2024
RECOGNISE OPPORTUNITIES
Text: “And they said unto him, we have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretation belong to God? Tell me them, I pray you.” Genesis 40:8
Most of the time life unfolds for us in the form of small opportunities that comes our way on a daily basis. If you are the type that has your eyes on very big miracles in life you will miss out on your best moments in life. Even as we expect the big miracles, we must take note of the opportunities that God brings our way on a daily basis. One lesson I have learned about life is that when a little door open for you today don’t take it for granted. It may look like just a little opening; but behind it may be several larger doors. Every little door that opens today will lead to bigger doors tomorrow. One customer that you treat right in your shop may invite several other customers that will link you up to several other customers.
We need to have the eyes of our hearts flooded with light so that we can take advantage of such opportunities in life. About 13 years ago I saw an opportunity to write and share the articles with my Church members. It was such a blessing to so many of them. Thank God I took that opportunity. Now that little opportunity is growing daily. Here we are in 2024 and several thousands of people have been blessed by this. As you are reading this several other thousands of people are also reading it on their phones or in the book form.
Don’t wait for the conditions to be completely right. Take advantage of the opportunities you have today. Joseph had the privilege of interpreting dreams for the servants he met in the prison. He took advantage of that little opportunity and over two years later that opportunity opened a greater door of the throne to him. The opportunities of today may look very small but don’t despise it.
PRAYER:
Lord I declare that my eyes are clearly open to the opportunities around my life today. I receive grace to take advantage of the opportunities of today.
Monday 8th January, 2024
THE ROD SECURITY
Text: “And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shall do signs.” Ex 4:17
God wanted to set his people free from the land of bondage which they had been for hundreds of years. Moses was selected to be the one that will confront the most powerful king on the earth then. Moses was going to stand as heaven’s ambassador in this assignment. He was supposed to speak on God’s behalf and ensure that God’s will was established on the earth. In human strength it was an impossible case. Moses gave God all the reasons why this was impossible. The only tangible thing that God gave to Moses was the rod. The rod symbolises his presence and authority. If we read the account closely we’ll notice that every miracle, signs and wonders that were done were carried out through the rod.
After God had given the rod to Moses it was no longer God’s responsibility of what happens in Egypt. It was purely the responsibility of Moses to engage the rod just as he has been instructed. For us today as believers it’s the word of God that represents the rod. What we do with God’s word is what determines the outcome of our lives. Engaging the “rod” was a non-negotiable responsibility for Moses. This was his security.
Engaging the word of God in the face of opposition and contrary circumstances is so crucial to our triumph. We don’t need a physical rod today but rather the word of God boldly declared from a lip of faith. Every time you declare God’s word it’s the same as Moses was raising the rod in front of the red sea. If we are going to engage the word of God as a rod in the face of life-threatening situations, we must know the word of God and be connected to the Spirit of God for us to know the right word in season. This is our security in the battles of life. When everything else is gone only the word will stand.
DECLARATION:
In the name of Jesus I declare that no weapon formed against me will prosper. I declare that the lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 16:6, Psalm 107:20
Sunday 7th January, 2024
SEASONS OF LIFE 3
Text: “And he said unto him, My grace is sufficient for thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will i rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2 Corinth 12:9
As we move from one phase/season of life to another, we must embrace certain fundamental truths that will enable us to handle the various challenges that comes our way in life. The truths of God’s word are our shield and buckler. If you are not armed with the truths of God’s word then you will be exposed and vulnerable to the various challenges.
Truth 1: The grace of God will be sufficient for you – We may come across situations that look bigger, stronger and heavier that what we can handle. In such moments we can depend on the grace of God to sustain us. Don’t ever lose sight of the grace of God. If you try to face the challenges by yourself they will weigh you down. Always connect and depend on the grace of God. We can have as much as the grace of God that we require for whatever challenge life presents to us. The grace of God can never be exhausted.
Truth 2: The greater one that dwells in us is greater than any challenge life may present to us – The ability of God is at work in you to handle whatever comes your way. You are never alone by yourself. The capacity of Christ is at work in you.
Truth 3: The faithfulness of God is ever sure - No matter what you face let your conclusion be that God is faithful. This was how Sarah was able to rise above her challenge.
Truth 4: No matter what you face don’t ever give up on God and don’t give up on yourself. This phase will soon pass away. Weeping may endure for the night but joy will come in the morning.
PRAYER:
Lord I declare that you are faithful in every situation of life. I declare that your ability is at work in me.
LEARN MORE: 1 John 4:4, Hebrew 11:11
Saturday 6th January, 2024
SEASONS OF LIFE 2
Text: “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1
When a child refuse to leave the phase of being in the womb the child will eventually die. Because that phase will no longer be safe. The womb will no longer be able to support the growth of the child. Once the Child is born the Child can now grow and go to school and learn.
However, we must understand that an introduction into a new and higher phase of life is also an introduction into a higher level of challenges. This is exactly how life plays out. For example, moving from a single person to a married person will place a greater challenge on the individual. It’s usually a thing of joy to get married but we must also be ready to handle the demands that come along with it.
The wisdom of all these is that we can get ourselves fully prepared for the next phase in our current phase of life. Don’t be in a hurry to rush out of a phase into another phase you are not prepared for. This present phase of life gives us all the opportunity to prepare and get ready for the next phase. Joseph found himself in the house of Potiphar and from there he moved to the prison. Each of these unpalatable places were the phases that prepared him for his ultimate role in the palace. If he had messed up in those two places, he would not have been able to function in the palace. If you are still single this is the best phase to prepare for the phase of getting married and raising a family. If you are in school don’t waste this phase, it will determine the remaining phase of your life. The beauty of the stay of a Child in the womb is that in an ideal situation by the time the nine months is over the Child is fully prepared to face the challenges in the next phase. Tomorrow we’ll look at how to face the challenges in the new phase of life.
PRAYER:
Lord I receive grace to make the best use of this present season of my life and to be fully prepared to for the next phase of God’s program for me.
LEARN MORE: Ephesians 5:15-17
Friday 5th January, 2024
(Many times we pray not just about what is happening but about what may happen in the future!)
1. In the name of Jesus we decree that the convictng and converting power of the Holy Ghost is drawing multitudes of souls into salvation through social media platforms. John 16:8
2. Lord I declare today that whatever men in authority or who are above me had planned for evil are turned around for my good in 2024. Romans 8:28
3. In the name of Jesus I decree that every evil imaginations or manipulation has failed over my life. By the Spirit I scales those walls in 2024. Psalm 18:19
We pray between midnight and 4am every night as long as it depends on you.
Thursday 4th January, 2024
YOU ARE IN A RACE
Text: “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” Hebrews 12:1
The scripture above clearly explains to us that there is a race set before us as believers. Every race has a starting point, several points along the line and also the end point of the race. in so many races it’s not everyone that began that gets to the end of the race. Paul said “I have fought the good fight; I have finished the race...” 2 Tim 4:7 NIV. The beauty of a race is to start it and finish it.
Salvation is actually the starting point of the race of a believer. Salvation is not an end in itself, but a means to an end. Been saved is great but it’s not supposed to end there. The purpose of salvation is not just to get us into heaven, but to make us relevant and useful to God’s kingdom while we are here. Salvation should usher us to the point where we walk in God’s plans and purpose for our lives. After we are saved what is next?
1. Discover and embrace God’s holy calling on your life – 2 Timothy 1: 9 says “Who hath saved us, and called with a holy calling...” Every one of us have a high calling on our lives. This is not just a calling to be a pastor. It’s a calling to locate our individual specific place in the body Christ. Just as the human body have different parts and different roles to play, so also it is in the body of Christ in which each one of us is included. No matter how small every part of the body contributes to the overall growth of the body. The beauty and quality of your Christian journey will depend on the extent that we play our part.
2. Whatever God has done in our lives as a result of salvation should not end at us. God wants to do the same through our lives in the lives of others. We’ll look more closely at this tomorrow.
CONFESSION:
I’m walking in God’s high calling over my life. My life is counting for now and for eternity. I will finish my race.
LEARN MORE: 1 Corinthian 12:4-22, Philippians 3:12-14
Wednesday 3rd January, 2024
I WILL DO A NEW THING
Text: “Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth….” Isaiah 43:19
Every declaration of scripture is a declaration of divine possibilities. Whatever God’s word says is possible and available. If God has promised us, we can expect it and we can experience it. Our opening verse today is a declaration of divine possibility and provision over our lives. If God is promising us this there must be something important about this.
In the program of God for our lives there is always something new, better and bigger than what we have seen and experienced. The new may not always look like new. There is a human tendency to hold on to what we are familiar with. The familiar can become an obstacle to the new.
Ironically, contrary to what I said earlier, the new may not always look better or bigger. If you look at life from human parameters you may likely miss the new that God is bringing forth in your life. The new may look like additional responsibilities or higher levels of accountability. The new will place greater demands on your life. I strongly believe that someone needs to receive this wisdom today. In this new year the new will break forth in your life.
The new will also require that we divorce ourself from the past. The mistakes of the past, the disappointments and the challenges of the past may want to keep pulling you back.
CONFESSION:
My journey this year will be upward and forward. My path will shine brighter and brighter this year. The miracles in my life this year will last a lifetime. I’m divinely positioned and helped this year.
LEARN MORE: Proverbs 4:18
Tuesday 2nd January, 2024
NEW MERCIES
Text: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV
The opening verse for today is really mind blowing for me. You need to read it over and over again to see what its saying.
The steadfast love of the Lord NEVER cease
His mercies NEVER come to an end
They are NEW EVERY MORNING (Day, week, month, year)
Great is your faithfulness
The beginning of every season comes with new mercies. It doesn’t matter the amount of mercy we have enjoyed in the past or even wasted, a new cycle of mercy begins daily, weekly and yearly. The mercy of God can never be wasted.
Why is new mercy necessary?
1. So that we can experience something new, different and greater than all we have experienced in the past. Every new season is supposed to be an improvement on the previous.
2. It’s the mercy of God that makes all the difference in our pursuit in life. Life is not necessarily a function of skill and efforts alone but a product of the mercy of God that is made available for us. Skills and efforts exercised in the mercy of God are usually explosive.
3. The mercy of God will position you in places and positions that are beyond your age. The mercy of God located people like Joseph and David. They were positioned by God himself.NEW YEAR
PRAYER:
In 2024 we declare progress. We declare possibilities. We declare help in everything we do.
LEARN MORE: Romans 9:16, Psalm 121:1-2
Monday 1st January, 2024
A NEW SEASON
Text: “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” Ecclesiastes 3:1
If you have experienced extreme dry season before you will understand how inconvenient it could be. Everywhere is usually dry with so much dust. The heat at this period of the year can also become unbearable. As soon as this season is over the raining season will begin and there will be a total and unmistakable reversals. Every season comes with something new and different from the previous season.
Every new year is not just a change in the calendar but an introduction into a new season where God has programmed certain things to happen in our lives. Every new season will come with its own unique challenges but also the unique grace required to handle the challenges as they come.
The scriptures clearly tell us that sufficient for every day/month or year are the evils in it. But at the same time the grace of God is also sufficient to handle whatever level of challenges we face in the new season.
1. The new season or the New year will come with unique possibilities and opportunities waiting for us to recognize and embrace.
2. The new season will come with its own unique challenges but at the same time the corresponding grace required to handle these challenges will be available.
3. A new season will require that we have a renewed expectations of the possibilities of the new season. The challenges of the past usually will want to lower your expectations in the new season. Where there are no expectations, life becomes empty. When expectations are gone it’s as good as being dead. Expectations must be renewed and retained.
In 2024 you will step into new possibilities and opportunities that eyes have not seen before.
NEW YEAR PRAYER: In the name of Jesus, I step into the possibilities and opportunities of this new year.
LEARN MORE: Matthew 6:34, 2 Corinthians 12:9
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Sunday 31st December, 2023
GOD’S PROJECT 2
Text: “For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.”1 Corinthians 3:9
From our lesson yesterday we stated clearly that God is working on the earth. His project is a never ending and ever expanding one. The second line of thought from our anchor scripture is that each one of us are God’s building. Another way of putting this is that we are God’s project. God’s attention is actually directed towards us individually and collectively.
God is so eager to see his project succeed. There is none of us that will start a project and not desire to see it completed. “If you that are evil starts a project and complete it; how much more shall your heavenly father ensure that each one of us succeeds in life...?” (Luke 11:13 Paraphrase).
We are God’s project; the ultimate goal of this is to make sure we end up as a sign and a wonder on the earth. God wants everyone to see us and see the exact image and essence of Christ in our lives. Everything about us should fully represent Christ. This is a work that the Holy Spirit has come to do inside us.
There are several words in the Bible that suggests the kind of work that God does in our lives. The more we allow this work to take place the more we become what we are ordained for from the foundation of the earth.
1. Shinning more and more – This is a clear work that God wants to do in our lives even as we step into 2024. Proverbs 4:18
2. Glory to glory – the glory of God is an ever-increasing glory. As God is allowed to work in our lives this will always be the end product. 2 Corinthians 3:18
3. Increase more and more – this is another dimension of what God does in our lives. Psalm 115:14
As we step into 2024 these will be the dimensions of God’s operations in our lives. See you in 2024.
*PRAYER:*
Lord I yield myself completely to you. Have your way in me and through me. Your work will be obvious in my life.
LEARN MORE Jeremiah 18:1-6, Philippians 2:13
Saturday 30th December, 2023
GOD’S PROJECT 1
Text: “For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.”1 Corinthians 3:9
There are two basic thoughts I want to share with you today from our opening verse. These thoughts are so fundamental to who we are as believers. I strongly believe that the Spirit of God will open your eyes beyond the written pages.
Let’s read our opening verse from another version of the Bible. It says “For we are workers with God: you are God’s planting, God’s building.” (BBE)
I want you to note that we are not “workers for God...” we are “workers with God…” It’s such an awesome privilege. God is working on the earth and he has included us in the project. Every believer is better positioned to find out what God is doing that he wants to engage us. In every building project we have different set of people doing different things; the carpenter, the plumber, the bricklayer etc. As individuals we must be very clear about the aspect of the project that God wants us to be involved. For me it’s teaching all men in all wisdom and creating for them a sense of direction as they discover and fulfill God’s purpose on the earth. Working with God implies that we must take instructions from him. I cannot just wake up and do whatever I want the way I want it. The results of the work are only guaranteed when we follow God closely in the project.
John 5:17 says “But Jesus answered them, my father worketh hitherto and I work.” God is still working; Jesus came to do the redemptive part of that work towards humanity. Jesus came to demonstrate in practical terms what God looks like and his will for humanity. Now it’s our time to get involved in God’s project as the Holy Spirit who is the Project Director will assign to us today on the earth.
God’s number one project on the earth today is saving souls and transforming lives. We are all called into that. Take your place; you are equipped already by the Spirit to do exactly what God would have done.
PRAYER:
Father work in me and through me to execute your projects on the earth to bring glory to your name.
LEARN MORE: Ephesians 2:10, Philippians 2:13
Friday 29th December, 2023
GRATITUDE
Text: “Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat...Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” Habakkuk 3:17-18
Life is a process. Nothing actually appears in life in a finished state. God usually starts us out in a raw state. Knowing how God operates and how life functions will give us a lot of rest in life.Gratitude is a major requirement in taking our “raw state” to a finished product. Gratitude is acknowledging God in the midst of contrary situation. Gratitude is celebrating God where you are on the way to where you are going. Gratitude is the attitude of appreciating God for the present while we look forward to the future.
The direct opposite to gratitude is murmuring and complaining. It’s an attitude that never sees what God is doing. It’s an attitude that is always seeing lack and insufficiency. Complaining and murmuring is actually an expression of pride and impatience. Complaining and murmuring are subtle ways of saying:
1 God you are too slow for my liking.
2 God, it seems the situation is beyond you.
3 God I can handle things on my ownIt’s so important that we all develop a heart of gratitude. Gratitude is first of all a disposition of the heart. Gratitude comes from a heart that is humble. Gratitude is a function of a heart that is surrendered to God. Let’s look at few truths that will help us to have a heart of gratitude always:
1 God is committed to our lives even when we don’t ‘feel’ him or see him. Hebrews 13:8
2 Life is in seasons and there is no season that lasts forever. Proverbs 30:5
3 As long as we are alive and joined to the living God there is hope for us. Ecc 9:4-6
4 God has the final say over our lives and his counsel will stand over our lives. Isa 46:10
PRAYER:
Father thank you Lord for 2023. Thank you for the blessings ahead of us in 2024.
LEARN MORE: 1 Corinthians 10:9-11
Thursday 28th December, 2023
THE PAST AND THE FUTURE
Text:” Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold I will do a new thing...” Isaiah 43:18-19
The life of a man can be divided into the past, the present and the future. The past is gone. There is nothing we can do to bring the past back. It’s really of no use crying over the past. The present is all that God has given us to prepare for the future. The present will soon become the past; that’s why we must make the best use of the present while it lasts.
The best moments of our lives are not in the past but in the future. This is why we must never allow the past to cast a shadow on the future. The word of God hardly speaks of the past; but it speaks into our future. The only thing it says about the past is to forget it.
The only thing we can reach out for in the past are lessons that we learned and will be useful in our present state and in the future. We can also reach out for testimonies in the past to remind us of what God will do again in our lives. If a man has a negative past all he has to do is repent of it, learn from it and forget it.
Isaiah 54:4 Says “...For thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth...
”Phil 3:13 Says “...This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.”
The future (2024) is bigger and more promising than the past (2023). We are supposed to be reaching forth unto the future. “...Reaching forth...” means working towards the future, making plans for the future. If you keep living in the past it may be repeated again. Put that past behind and reach out for all that God has in store for you. God also promised to go ahead of us into the future to make the crooked place straight. God does not stay in the past; he goes ahead of us into the future. The ultimate of his plans for us are in the future. Leave the past alone and walk into the future. God will not do new things in the past but in the future.
CONFESSION:
The future is far bigger than the past. I am reaching forth to all that God has in store for me.
LEARN MORE: Isaiah 43:19; 45:2
Wednesday 27th December, 2023
CONSCIOUS OF TIME
Text: “Redeeming the time because the days are evil.” Ephesians 5:16
Another journey of 365 days will soon start again. Several years ago, on seventeenth January 2006 I heard the Spirit of God said to me “Young man, you cannot afford to waste the gift of God in you; you’ll stand before God at the end of your life and give a detailed account of what you did with my deposits in you”. I also heard that “Every second that passes brings you closer to your grave; the only thing that deserves your time and energy is God’s purpose for your life.
You don’t have to be a slave to time, but there is a time limit to your life. Be conscious of.”
On a daily basis there are diverse people and things calling for our attention. Some may even be legitimate but at the end of the day what really deserves our attention are things that are within the jurisdiction of God’s plans and purpose for our lives.
Redeeming the time in our anchor scripture simply means taking track of our time to ensure they are used wisely and purposefully. Highly successful and influential people around the world are men and women who make the most of the twenty-four hours of a day equally available to everyone.Time is something that God gives to everyone in equal amount. We have the same number of hours to make the most of our lives. A man is either a success or a failure depending on what they do with their time. The richest and the poorest in any community have the same number of hours. What makes the difference is what each invests into their time. Time is an equal currency for everyone;
how each person spends their own is what differentiates between one person and another.
We must consciously identify every source of distraction and close every available door to them. The bulk of our day should be invested in becoming all that God wants us to become. Whatever does not contribute to God’s plans and purpose for your life is definitely taking you away from it. Be conscious of what you do with your time. We don’t have all the time to satisfy everyone and everything calling for your attention; we only have enough for our destiny.
*PRAYER:*
Lord I receive the wisdom and the discipline required to make the most of my time. I separate myself today from everything and everyone not contributing to my destiny.
LEARN MORE: Ephesians 5:15-17
Tuesday 26th December, 2023
GOD’S DESIGN
Text: “Then I went to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.” Jeremiah 18:3
There is a very close intimate relationship between a potter and the clay. The clay depends absolutely on the potter for everything. The making of the clay is actually in the hand of the potter. The clay has no intelligence of its own to decide how it looks like and what it should be used for. This is purely the prerogative right of the potter. The potter knows what is good for the clay. The clay must therefore submit to the clay to make out of it what is the best. The potter decides the design of all his work; whatever design he makes is the best for the clay. Every design is made in such a way to fulfil a particular assignment.
This is also applicable to our lives as believers. There is a divine design to our lives. We did not just appear here accidentally. We were divinely packaged and put together by the creator. Whatever he made us is the best we are supposed to be. A man is never his best until he discovers God’s design for his life. The design of a fish is to swim in water so the animal does not find it difficult to do so. There will be a lot of struggle for the fish to function in another environment outside water because it was never designed for another environment. In many cases there are struggles in life because many people venture into areas they are never designed for.
The Holy Spirit has a unique job to reveal to us God’s original design for our lives. This is so important so that we may not waste our time and energy in what we are not designed for. Once you find God’s design for your life you will also find joy and excitement in your soul. If you are working somewhere and there is no passion for what you are doing it’s an indication that you are working at something you are not designed for. It will be difficult for a man or woman to excel in what they don’t have passion for. God’s design for your life is the best; go for it
!
PRAYER:
Lord my heart and mouth will constantly flow in your direction in prayer. My heart will keep longing.
LEARN MORE: Jeremiah 29:11, 1 Corinthians 2:9-12
Monday 25th December 2023,
*MERRY CHRISTMAS!*
*GROWING OLD OR GROWING UP
*Text: “But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.” Ephesians 4:15*
There is a big difference between growing old and growing up. Growing old is a biological process that occurs as each day passes. Growing up is a function of internal development, it has to do with developing our thought life, attitude and internal control. Growing up has to do with self-discovery, discovering your innate potentials and putting to work your God given abilities. Growing up also has to do with taking responsibility for your actions and the outcome of your life.
Everybody grows old but not everyone grows up. There are so many able-bodied adults that are still “childish” in so many ways. A grown-up body is not the same as a grown-up mind. Once a man is eating physical food daily the physical growth will continue and at the same time the man is growing old.
The direction of our growing up is into Christ in all things. I want you to note the emphasis of “...In all things...” The yardstick of a grown up believer is therefore the measure of what we see in Christ. A grown up believer therefore exhibits the mind and the character of Christ in all things.
Growing up has a lot to do with internal control. There are people who are only controlled by external forces. Such an individual is not grown up. Internal control helps a man to choose what is right and stay with it by all means. Someone with an internal control is never controlled by human opinion and conclusion. They choose what is right and they stay with it.
One vital aspect of growing up is discovery of who God has made us and we are confident about it. We don’t live to impress people any more but to please God. Pleasing God becomes the highest goal of our lives. What people say doesn’t affect you again because you already know what God says about you. A grown up believer is confident about God and about himself.
*CONFESSION:*
I am not just growing old; I am growing up. My entire life is patterned after Christ.
Saturday 23rd December, 2023
POWER AND FAITH
Text: And Jesus immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him...Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole...” Mark 5:30,34
Two major factors were involved in the healing of the woman with the issue of blood. The virtue of Jesus and the faith of the woman. It was a collaboration of this two that got the job done. The virtue of Jesus is also referred to as the power of God. Every time we desire to see a miracle in our lives the two must be in operation.
The power of God is constant and ever ready to work. God does not need a special preparation to release his power in any situation. The power of God can handle anything and everything that comes against us. The power of God is as settled as his word is settled. God will not be more powerful tomorrow than he is today. Whatever we expect him to do tomorrow can as well happen today. It makes no difference with God.
However, it’s important for us to note that the power of God will produce only to the extent to which the faith of a man will allow it. The level of our faith will determine how much of the power of God that we see. The power of God will always require the faith of a man to draw it. In most cases it’s never the power of God that is absent to handle an issue but the faith of a man to draw it out. In matt 13:58 the scriptures say “Jesus did not do many powerful things in Nazareth because the people did not believe in him.” (EasyEnglish). His power was not less here compared to other times that he did miracles. But the faith of a man to draw it was absent.
How important and precious our faith is. It connects us to the possibility of God. All of God is available if we’ll reach out in faith. Let your faith blossom.
CONFESSION:
My faith is alive and working. Divine virtues are flowing continually in my direction and producing results in my life.
LEARN MORE: Hebrews 11:6
Friday 22nd December, 2023
PRIVILEGE OF FAITH
Text: “...Had suffered many things of many physicians and had spent all that she had and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse.“ Mark 5:26
We are looking again at the story of the woman with the issue of blood. She had been in this condition for twelve solid years. It’s obvious she had depended so much on the physicians to solve the problem for her. No medication had solved her problem. It’s dangerous to place your faith where there is no answer.
At this point in her life she must have realised that it was time to take responsibility for the outcome of her life. Her decision to reach out to Jesus was not a public opinion; it was a personal decision. If she had consulted the people no one would have given her to touch Jesus. There is no barrier to someone that has faith. Her faith broke a human barrier. Her faith gave her the privilege not to allow the words of the physicians to prevail over her. The medical conclusion after twelve solid years would have said she’ll remain in that state forever. Her faith gave her privilege to decide her faith.
If you place your life in the hand of a mortal man to decide they may never give you a chance to make anything out of your life. Your faith takes your life out of their hand and places it in the hand of God. This is an awesome privilege. Jesus on several occasions recognised the faith of individuals to determine the outcome of their lives. The blind Bartimaeus heard of Jesus and his faith came alive; everyone around him asked him to keep quiet. At the end of the day his faith prevailed for him. Men gave him no chance; but Jesus made a way for his healing. His faith connected him to the possibility of God. If your faith will come alive nothing and no one can stop you from reaching out to the best available for you in God. If your faith truly comes alive no one can limit you.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I reach forth unto all that God has ordained for me. I refuse to settle for anything less.
LEARN MORE: Philippians 3:13-14
Thursday 21st December, 2023
DEVELOPED FAITH
Text: “He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith...” Romans 4:20
Life is progressive. The progression of life also comes with greater demands. As life places greater demands on our lives so also we must ensure that the quality of our faith in God grows. It’s possible you were able to handle a challenge very well yesterday and you are unable to handle another at a later day; it simply means that a higher level of faith was required for the current challenge.
Developing our faith is not a destination but a journey. This will continue as long as we are alive and we want to keep making progress with life. Life will always deliver to a man in proportion to the level of faith they have developed.
Faith in God is developed principally through the word of God. Therefore, the amount of the word of God at work in us will determine the level of faith we have. Faith is not a mystical thing; it’s simply having confidence in the ability and the integrity of God’s word. Everything about God is revealed to us via his word. The word of God has to become everything to us. It has to become the most important thing in your life. As we relate closely with the word of God, God begins to reveal himself to us personally. Let’s look at some of the traces of a developed faith:
1 You’ll begin to believe God for things that others find difficult to comprehend. Your dominant thoughts and words will completely agree with God’s word.
2 You will find it difficult to say whatever is contrary to God’s word.
3 You are not easily moved by circumstances. Your heart is fixed trusting in God.
4 You will not be afraid to be different and to hold on to what you believe irrespective of what others believe.
These are traits of a developed faith. They can also be at different levels of operation in our lives.
CONFESSION
my faith is growing and producing results.
LEARN MORE: Romans 4:18-20
Wednesday 20th December, 2023
FAILED FAITH
Text: “...Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not...” Luke 22:31-32
The faith of a man is a major weapon against the onslaught of the devil. What matter most in the day of challenge is the faith we have built prior to that challenge. Simon Peter was under a satanic attack but thank God his faith was preserved.
There are several lessons we can learn from this account. There was a time in the life of Peter that his faith was so high that he walked on water. We also saw how after a while that same faith began to fail. Having faith in a particular season of life does not mean the faith will always be there. We must ensure that we keep growing our faith and protecting it.
We also learn from the account of Peter that it’s possible for faith to fail. To ‘fail’ means to become ineffective and unproductive. Faith that is not developed and constantly improved upon will eventually fail. This is the reason why so many lives remain at the same level of spiritual productivity for long.
When a child is born and starts growing he may not require eating much. Simply because the child is not involved in too much activity. What a child of one (1) year old will eat will not be enough for ten (10) years old. This is also true of our faith. The faith we require at different levels of life are not the same. If you are doing a business of $10,000 the faith you require may not be as high as doing a business of $1,000,000. Faith fails when you want to use the faith of $10,000 business for a $1,000,000 business. Faith has to grow in proportion to the challenge we are to handle or else it will crumble. As we close for today I was to challenge you to be urgent and determined not to allow your faith to fail. Don’t just try to muster faith in emergency; most times it does not work that way. Build your faith ahead.
CONFESSION:
My faith is strong and working. By my faith i obtain good report in every area of my life.
LEARN MORE: Hebrews 11:1-6
Tuesday 19th December, 2023
THE DIRECTION OF YOUR WORDS
Text: “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” 1 John 5:4
The direction of your words is the direction of your life. Wherever you want to go and whatever you want to see begins from your heart and expressed in your mouth. Each one of us is constantly prophesying the outcome of our lives by the things we constantly say. It could be very obvious that we have a challenge in a particular area of life; this is a time for us to begin to establish our victory by the words of our mouth. If your heart is truly filled with faith it will find expression your mouth. A dried mouth is a reflection of a dried heart.
The giants in the land of Canaan were not imaginary. They were real. The twelve spies saw the same thing. Ten of them began to speak words of defeat. Just listen to them “...We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.” Numbers 13:31.
This people by their own mouths declared their defeat. It was not the enemy that defeated them but their words. Caleb on the other hand spoke the language of victory, “....let us go at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.” Verse 30.
As Christians, we are victorious in Christ Jesus, and we maintain our victory by speaking faith-filled words. We speak the language of victors. We speak righteousness, success and excellence only. The Apostle Paul calls our language “the wisdom of God”; “Howbeit we speak wisdom...But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery.”
When someone says things are bad; declare God is good. When others are talking down talk yourself up. Job 22:29 says “When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is a lifting up.” This is the language of victory. Let the Spirit of God circumcise your lips to only speak words of victory and success. Speak in line with your expectations.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I declare my victory. I’m not a victim but a victor over every life circumstances.
LEARN MORE: 1 Corinthians 2:6-8
Monday18th December, 2023
DON’T BE AFRAID
Text: “Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.” Psalm 91:5
I noticed very clearly that the word of God did not hide from us the realities of the challenges that we face daily. But very importantly God’s word gives us the right approach on what to do and how to face such challenges. There are terrors by night and destruction that wastes at noonday. The presence of the challenges is never an excuse to be defeated if we’ll follow the word of God.
I also realised that God’s word will not ask us to do what is beyond us. It will be out of place to expect a man to be pregnant; he’s not equipped to do so. A married woman is expected to get pregnant because she has been equipped biologically to do so. “Thou shalt not be afraid...” If God said it then it’s possible not to be afraid. All that is required is to accept God’s word by faith.
Fear brings torment. It keeps a man under a self-imposed prison. Fear kept the army of Israel away from fighting Goliath for over a month. Fear literally opens doors for satanic influences. It’s therefore important for us to make a quality decision not to allow fear to get the best of us. Fear is a negative force just as faith is a positive force. Each of them attracts unseen forces into our lives.
Whatever you are afraid of must be dealt with on time or else it may become a reality. Job revealed to us that the things he was greatly afraid of eventually became his experience. Fear is giving the enemy a voice in our lives. Fear is actually confidence in what can possibly go wrong.
The good news is that we can deal with fear with the shield and buckler of the truths of God’s word. God’s word tells us that God has not given us the spirit of fear but that of power and a sound mind. Believe that word and declare it so in your life.
CONFESSION:
I have overcome every fear. It has no hold on my life.
LEARN MORE: Job 3:25, 2 Timothy 1:7
Friday 15th December, 2023
DIVINE INSTRUMENT
Text: “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass as it is this day to save much alive.” Genesis 50:20
Let’s look at our opening scripture from another version. “You wanted to hurt me. But God wanted what you did for his good plan. God is saving many lives because I am here.” (EasyEnglish). I’m sure you are getting the picture the scripture is painting for us.
The things that happened to Joseph were caused by men but used by God for his own purpose. He was sold as a servant. He was lied against and thrown into the prison. These were very unpalatable experiences but it became the instrument that God used to bring him into destiny. He went to the prison to meet men that eventually introduced him to the palace. He was forgotten in the prison for two (2) years which made it easier to locate him when the king needed someone to interpret his dream. Every negative experience that Joseph had become a divine instrument.
Each one of us must have this attitude of faith to every challenge that life brings our way. How we respond to challenges matters in the outcome of such challenges. All things are designed to work together for our good. It does not matter what we go through they can become a divine instrument through which God’s counsels come to pass in our lives. God can turn any situation around for our good.
The stumbling blocks of life can turn around to become the stepping stones for us. What men design to hurt us can aid us. Make up your mind today to respond to life positively. See every challenge as a divine opportunity to bring forth his glory in our lives. If anyone is working against you God will be busy turning it around for your good. This is a divine assurance.
CONFESSION:
Everything is turning around for my good. God is on my side and working everything in my favor.
LEARN MORE: Romans 8:28, 31
Thursday 14th December, 2023
GRACE IN VAIN
Text:”But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain...” 1 Corinthians 15:10
We have received so much of grace and more will still be made available to us. Every grace that God has ever released into our lives is designed to produce tangible results in our lives. Grace is never given for nothing. They are meant to be utilised, engaged, invested and multiplied. We receive grace in vain when nothing good came out of that which we have received. We have a graphical illustration of this from the story of a group of men. A man travelled to a far country and gave three of his men talents to engage with. He gave them five (5), two (2) and one (1). At the man’s return he expected that these men would have invested and multiplied what they were given. The man that was given one (1) received his own in vain. He did nothing with it.
For those that invested and utilised what they were given were commended and promoted. The man that received one (1) talent was called a slothful man and punished for it. Every grace that God has given us is for our promotion. God’s grace is for our uplifting. But we must be careful not to receive the grace of God in vain.
Grace is received in vain in the following ways:
1. When we think what we have is too little – Small beginnings are the starting point of a great future. We must never despise such.
2. When we trivialise the grace God has given us – In most cases God does not give us anything in a finished state but as a raw material. The ability to turn raw materials into finished products is what matters.
3. When we admire what God gave others more than what God gave us – You will be held responsible for what you are given and not what someone else is given. If we place value on what God has given us it will produce as much result as what he gave someone else.
PRAYER:
Lord I declare that nothing else will be more appealing to me other than your design for my life.
LEARN MORE: Matthew 25:14-30, John 1:16
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Wednesday 13th December, 2023
TRANSFERED GRACE
Text: “Even as it is meet for me to think of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.” Philippians 1:7
The flow of grace into our lives comes in different ways and in different dimension. It’s very important that we understand this. The grace for salvation flowed directly into our lives at the moment we received Christ as our Lord and saviour. Grace is also multiplied on our lives as we grow in the knowledge of God. There is also a flow of grace into our lives as we come into the throne of grace in prayer. Many people are familiar with these dimensions of the flow of grace into our lives.
One other dimension of the flow of grace into our lives is the flow from individuals that possess a unique grace of God in their lives which we’ll also require for our journey in life. Apostle Paul said “...ye all are partakers of my grace.” That means it’s possible to experience the grace that is at work in the life of another person. This is what we refer to as transferred grace.
The grace of God at work in the life of Abraham flowed to Lot his cousin. The grace of God on Moses flowed to Joshua. The grace of God on Elijah flowed to Elisha. This transfer of grace is still happening today. It’s a spiritual flow from a higher vessel to a lower one. We all need this dimension of transfer of grace into our lives to function at the peak that God has designed for us in life.
The first step into this is to recognise individuals that carry such grace that we desire and begin to relate with them in whatever avenue that is available to us. The grace you value and respect will flow into your life. This will require a lot of humility on our part. This is applicable in every area of life. The caution here is to be careful of the kind of person we connect with because someone with a wrong spirit will also transfer it to us. I call you blessed
!
PRAYER:
Lord I receive the discerning of the Spirit today to connect to genuine source of grace in life.
LEARN MORE: Genesis 12:4; 13:5, Deuteronomy 34:9
Tuesday 12th December, 2023
DROSS IN THE SILVER
Text: “Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer.” Proverbs 25:4
The silver is a lustrous, white, metallic element that can be use to make several products like coins, cutlery eating utensils etc. The silver or any other metal are best used in their pure state. Any impurity reduces their value and what they can be used for. Dross means a waste or impure matter. It’s a residue that forms on the surface of a metal. Another description of the word dross is a worthless or trivial matter.
The presence of dross in the silver is of no value. It has no benefit and no positive contribution to the silver. The first major assignment of a manufacturer is to make sure that the dross is completely eliminated from the metal before its put to use.
Another version of our opening verse says “Purge the dross from the silver, and material for a vessel comes forth for the silversmith.” (NET).
These are all illustrations that have to do with our lives. When we get ourselves entangled with worthless and trivia matters it reduces the rate that we can be used of God. Dross is whatever is not consistent with a godly living that God intends for us. we must submit ourselves to the purging process of the Holy Ghost to purge our hearts of every dross that is hindering our effectiveness.
The dross in our lives could be ungodly associations. It could be over exposure to the media. It could be a habit that is killing us gradually. We must be sincere enough to recognize what the dross in our lives could be. Once the dross is taken away there will be fresh life in us to become all we are created to be. As long as the dross is present the shinning will be covered; the glory will be impaired. The dross – whatever that could be in our lives is not adding anything to us but rather taking away from us. Sexual impurity is dross that has hindered so many lives from rising in God. The world call it pleasure but it’s a major hindrance to a great future.
CONFESSION:
Lord by your Spirit purge my spirit, soul and body from every form of dross around my life.
LEARN MORE: Proverb 26:23, Isaiah 1:22-26, 2 Timothy 2:20-22
Monday 11th December, 2023
KNEE WORK
Text: “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house... he kneeled upon his knees three times a day and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.” Daniel 6:10
Recently the Spirit of God said to me “You impart people more on your knees than on your feet.” He also said “The knee work is more important than the feet work.” I’m sharing with you today from the impact of that word on me. It reignited my passion for prayer.
There was a heavy conspiracy against Daniel. All the men of authority of that land went to the King to make a decree that was targeted at Daniel. Daniel did not start any argument with them. He could have hired a lawyer to plead his case. That would have been what I call the “feet work.” Instead of doing that he went back to his house to commence the “knee work.” He understood perfectly that victory begins on our knees and not on our feet.
“Knee work” here simply means the act of handling issues in prayer. “Knee work’ does not suggest mere kneeling down to pray. We can assume any posture that is convenient for us as long as our heart is involved and connected to God as we pray.
This was not something new to Daniel; he had always handled issues on his knees in prayer. He knew that the best place to settle issues was in prayer. Before he was thrown in the Lion’s den he had secured his victory. The mouths of the Lions were shut in prayer.
Before you enter the boardroom settle issues in the throne room. It’s of no use making arguments we have not settled before God. It’s better to secure the job in prayer before you appear for the interview. If we knee before God we can stand up to men. The more we go on our knees the more we can stand before men. Daniel became highly influential in the land. He was not only delivered he became an authority and a reference in the land. “Knee work” is a consistent and vibrant prayer life that secures results on the earth.
PRAYER:
Father thank you for the privilege of prayer. Thank you for the assurance of answers in prayer.
LEARN MORE: Daniel 6:6-28, Luke 18:1
Sunday 10th December, 2023
DOOR OF LIPS
Text: “Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.” Psalm 141:3
The door of my lips is an expression that means the ability to control what we say, how we say it and when we say it. This was a major prayer point for King David because he understood the place and relevance of words. Words are very important in the overall outcome of a man’s life.
Proverbs 25:11 says “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.” Another version says “Like golden apples set in silver is a word spoken at the right time (ISV).” When words are spoken at the right time it will meet the needs of the hour and proffer solutions needed at that time. When words are spoken wrongly it complicates issues. Marriages have collapsed and very viable relationships destroyed as a result of words spoken wrongly at moments of desperation and provocation. We need a lot of control over of lips in handling conflicts in life.
Having control over our words is a major sign of victory and maturity in our lives. Not every thought that comes into your mind is supposed to be expressed with your mouth. Some people even have the pride of been loose with their words.
A word spoken in two (2) minutes can create a life time of conflict. Words are potent; a word spoken today can last a life time. Words have the ability to produce life or death. Words can build or tear apart. These are reasons why we need the door of our lips to be kept. It’s clearly revealed to us in scriptures that when a man has control over his words he also has control over every other area of his life. A man or woman with loose words is a man or woman with a loose life. Such a life will be constantly under trouble.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I declare that my heart and my mouth are under the control and influence of the Holy Spirit. I declare that from henceforth my words are seasoned with salt and full of wisdom.
LEARN MORE: Proverbs 8:6; 10:19; 13:3, James 3:1-12
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Friday 8th December, 2023
PURIFIED PASSION
Text: “Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the Excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.” Philippians 3:8
Apostle Paul who was once called Saul initially had so much value for the Jewish religion. He had so much to his credit. He was born from the best family in Judaism. He had the best education of his day. He went about with so much passion to deal with Christians. That was an uncontrollable passion for him. In the midst of this he had an encounter with God. This encounter was not just a theoretical encounter; it was clearly visible in the changes that took place in his life.
Paul said “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.” (Philippians 3:7). His sense of judgment changed as soon as he had an encounter with Christ. His value system also changed. Our passion in life is a function of what is dear and valuable to us. When your sense of value is wrong then your passion in life will also be wrong. His passion was purified by an encounter with Jesus. The scripture clearly tells us not to be conformed to this world but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. (Romans 12:2)
The places I use to go I go there no more.
The things I use to do I do them no more
There is a great change in my life since I met Christ.
These are the language of a purified passion. We’ll simply lose taste for certain things and places. If you still find it easy to do the ungodly things you did as an unbeliever, then you need to present your heart afresh to God to be purified.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I declare that my heart is purged from every dead works. My heart is purified by the blood of Jesus.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 51:10, Titus 2:14
Thursday 7th December, 2023
PASSION FOR GOD
Text: “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is.” Psalms 63:1
David was a man that was after the heart of God. He was such a victorious man. He was someone that was mightily used of God. He had victory on every side. Our opening verse today revealed to us one major attribute that made all the difference in his life. He had an unparalleled passion for God. He made some grievous mistakes in his life but the passion he had for God was so much to pull him out of his mess. Early will I seek thee means the first priority of my life will be God. God was first on his list of attention for every day. For David everything else could wait until God had taken his place early. David was not a person that will put God on hold while he attends to every other thing.
There will be a serious in-balance in our lives if our passion for other things out weighs our passion for God. This will breed very serious competition in our lives that will be detrimental to our spiritual well being. Nothing of this world has eternal value that should occupy our attention more than God. Whatever is not of eternal value is eternally useless. It will be a tragedy to spend a whole life time pursuing after things that hinders our walk with God. At the end of the day we’ll find ourselves empty and unfulfilled.
We can never have too much of God. The more of him we have the better we become. The fish can never have too much of water. Once the fish gets out of water it’s out of life. When you become passionate for God the deceits of this world will lose value in your heart. Your passion for God will drown your appetite for sin and all mundane things. Your passion for God will also stir up his purpose and plans for your life. If you have passion for God you cannot miss your way in life.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I’m filled with the knowledge of God in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 42:1-2, Matthew 6:33
Tuesday 5th December, 2023
DIVINE DESIGN
Text: “See I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding...to devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass.” Exodus 31:2-3
When an architect is about to sketch the design of a house the first thing he has to bear in mind is the purpose of the building. The design is determined by the purpose. The design of a warehouse for storing goods will be completely different from that of a residential house. The design of a donkey is completely different from that of a cat. The donkey has a build that helps it to carry heavy loads. The cat on the other hand is a household pet. Their purpose was what determined their design.
When a manufacturer decides to have a product he has to design the product in such a way that it will serve the purpose for which it was created. “When God creates men and women, He designs them to fulfil their function and gives them certain qualities and characteristics that enable them to perform His intended purpose” (Myles Munroe). Each one of us is designed for our purpose in life. We are perfect for our purpose.
One of the most frustrating ventures in life is trying to do things that you were never designed to do. It’s an unrealistic expectation to expect a product to do things that it was never designed for. Everything about you was tailor-made for your unique purpose in life. If you change your personality then you will no longer be relevant for what you were designed to do. A distorted design will produce a malfunctioning product. This may be a reason why many of us may never become all we are created to be. If all you do is copy other people you will end up missing yourself.
I want to encourage you to recognise your design and celebrate who you are. If you don’t look like others it’s because you were never meant to be them. Your design is good enough for your destiny.
CONFESSION:
The Spirit of God is at work in me. I am filled with talents and abilities to fulfil God’s purpose for my life.
LEARN MORE: Exodus 35:30
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Monday 4th December, 2023
HUMILITY CONTENT
Text: “...God sets himself against the proud and haughty, but gives grace (continually) to the lowly (those who are humble enough to receive it).”James 4:6 Amp
The life of a man is an expression of his inner (Heart) content. We cannot really live consistently in a way that is not in line with our inner content. What you are full of is what will flow out of you. Pride is an outflow of a man or woman that is full of self. Pride is actually a self destructive device within a man. The rich full was so full of his accomplishment – he was full of self. There was no single expression of humility in him because he was empty of it. Pride destroyed him.
Humility is expressed from a heart that is full of it. It’s first of all a heart content before it becomes a life expression. If you are not full of it you cannot express it. A life full of humility is a life that is full of God. You cannot be full of self and full of God at the same time. The two cannot miss. Humility content is expressed in several ways; let’s look at them.
1. Recognition that everything we are and everything we have is a privilege given by God and not a right that we earn. Life is a privilege and not a right.
2. Knowing that we are not “achievers” but rather recipients of the grace of God that has been so lavished on us.
3. Acknowledging God in everything as the source and the sustainers of everything. This is shown in a desperate need of God and an insatiable desire for more of him. Humble people are quickly driven to their knees in prayer.
When this content is found in a man such a man is positioned to have an unending flow of grace. Be humble. Pride is too expensive for you to bear.
PRAYER:
Lord I humble myself before you. I acknowledge you in everything I do as my source and my stay.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 25:9, 1 Peter 5:6
Sunday 3rd December, 2023
GOD’S VISION OF YOU
Text: “And the angel of the Lord appered unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.” Judges 6:12
I want us today to look closely at God’s vision of you. What does God think about you? What is God seeing in your life? An understanding of this will give us a lot of confidence and assurance about ourselves and about life. If you don’t know God’s vision of you so many other wrong images of you will emerge which may be adverse to all that God has programmed for you.
God appeared to the man Gideon. There was a declaration of God’s vision of him. God saw him as a mighty man of valour. Unfortunately Gideon only knew what he looked like from the perspective of his family background. In all cases if you look at yourself naturally and from the estimate of men there will be nothing significant or admirable about your life. But we must rise beyond that; we must begin to see and embrace God’s visions concerning our lives.
God’s vision for your life is not based on your colour or nationality. It’s not based on the circumstances of your birth. It has nothing to do with the prevailing circumstances around you. God’s vision of you is fundamentally based on who we are in Christ. “If any man be in Christ...” changes everything about a man. If a man is in Christ his life is completely taken over by who Christ is and what can be accomplished in Christ.
God sees in us what men don’t see; so we must never be limited to men’s evaluation and estimate of our value. God’s vision of you is of someone who is a victor over every life situation. In God’s vision of us there is no defeat. We are absolutely in control of the circumstances of life. Christ rules and reigns through us. We are the seed of Abraham and there is a blessing already at work over our lives. Curses no longer have a hold on our lives. The power of sin is broken on our lives. These and many more are God’s vision of you.
PRAYER:
I receive and accept God’s vision of me. I refuse whatever is contrary to God’s vision of me.
LEARN MORE: Judges 6:11-14
Saturday 2nd December, 2023
SPIRITUAL CONSUMPTION
Text: “My son attend to my words, incline your ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.” Proverbs 4:20-21
There is a popular saying that we are what we eat. Food consumption has a lot to do with physical strength and appearance. The healthier we eat the healthier we become. When you see a child that is not properly fed it will show on their skin and even in the growth. This is why mothers are encouraged to adequately breastfeed their babies.
This is also true of us spiritually. What we constantly hear and read has a major impact on our overall state spiritually. We feed our recreated spirit by the content of what we constantly hear and read. The content of our spirit depends on our daily spiritual consumption. If you are feeding right it will manifest in the overall state of your life.
Let’s look at different scenarios that may exist in our spiritual consumption.
1. Feeding absolutely on wrong spiritual materials. This is the most dangerous form of spiritual consumption. Wrong books, wrong films, wrong music etc are not healthy for our spiritual growth. As a believer there are books and videos that should never be found in your library or on your phone. We cannot feed our minds on junk and expect to be a treasure.
2. Feeding inadequately – some are feeding right but the quantity is still not enough to produce the required level of growth. If your feeding spiritually is limited to Sunday morning in Church alone its inadequate to sustain you.
3. Feeding on a balanced spiritual meal and in adequate amount is key to our growth spiritually. When this happens we’ll begin to grow up into Christ in all things. Our spirit man will become robust enough to handle whatever life brings our way.
CONFESSION:
My heart is constantly longing after God’s word. My heart is open to all that God has in store for me.
LEARN MORE: Acts 20:32, 1 Peter 2:1-2
Friday 1st December, 2023
RIGHT THINKING
Text: “...Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely...think on these things.” Philippians 4:8
The thoughts of a man direct the steps of a man. The thought of a man is like the compass of his life. Where your mind goes your life will automatically follow. When your thinking is wrong your life will automatically be wrong. Romans 12:2 in EasyEnglish version says “Do not let yourselves be like the people who belong to this world. But instead, let God change how you think. Then you will become new people. You will be able to understand what God wants you to do. You will understand what is good. You will understand what makes God happy. And you will understand how to live completely as God wants you to live.”
Just imagine a list of the benefits of allowing God to change our thinking. List them out by yourself from the verse above. A change in a man’s life begins from a change in his thinking. Right thinking is a thinking that is in line with God’s eternal counsels for our lives. If a thought is not in line with scriptures then it’s wrong. The word of God is the standard of measurement of what is wrong or what is right. We must be careful not to just accept something because it’s popular and widely accepted.
When thoughts of failure comes deal with it. Don’t allow any wrong thoughts to stay on your for too long. The longer it stays the more it develops inside us. The mind is an incubation ground of the soul; this is why we must be careful of what we allow to stay in our minds. Consciously expose your mind to right books, messages etc that will produce the right thinking in your life. Take out your time to listen to people at a higher level of spiritual authority with proven testimonies. They will help you to come higher in your thoughts.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I pull down every wrong thought and imagination. The mind of Christ is working in me.
LEARN MORE: 2 Corinthians 10:4-5
Thursday 30th November, 2023
HE’S WORKING
Text: “Behold, he that keepeth Isreal shall neither slumber nor sleep.” Psalm 121:4
Sleep is a time where work stops and all activities are suspended. When someone is tired sleep is actually a way of regaining strength back. Our anchor scripture tells us that God is watching over us and does not sleep not slumber; that simply means that God is always at work on our behalf. In most cases our feelings will tell us that God is not working. If he’s working why there is no job for me; why I am not married. Such questions can go on and on. It’s all because we seek to figure out God with our physical senses. We’ll never find God this way. We must switch over to the realm of faith and see God purely from the perspective of his word.
Even when we don’t feel or see him; we must know and be convinced that he’s working on our behalf. His word declares it so and we agree with it. God is at work behind the scenes of our lives. He’s an ever present God. He’s closer to us than the closets of our friends and loved ones. He’s a friend that is closer than a brother.
Walking with God is purely a walk of faith. Faith is absolute confidence in the integrity of his word. Holding on to it irrespective of what we see or experience around us. Faith is not just a mental assent but a deep conviction and bold declaration of all that we know God has said concerning us. There are two (2) dimensions of God working in our lives.
1. He’s working in us. This is the most important of it all. God works in us by His Spirit to cause us to know and do what is right.
2. God is working on our situations and turning things around in our favour.
As we yield ourselves to his word we’ll see the full manifestations of all that God is doing in our lives.
CONFESSION:
God is working in me and working on me. He’s turning situations around in my favour.
LEARN MORE: Philippians 2:13
Wednesday 29th November, 2023
HE DID NOT FORGET
Text: “He hath given meat unto them that fear him; he will ever be mindful of his covenant.” Psalm 111:5
Another version of the Bible says “...He always remembers his covenant (NET). Whatever God has said to us is forever settled. He has never at any time edited what he said to mean something else neither will God ever forget whatever he has said. The greatest challenge in our walk with God is the ability to hold to his word until we see the full manifestation of all he has said.
In most cases we are the ones that abandon what God had said to us. Time does not change his word over our lives. The prevailing circumstance around us does not change his word. Abraham and Sarah had grown beyond the age of conception. Every natural parameter indicated that there was no more hope. That did not in any way change what God has said. The Scripture says “Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations; ACCORDING TO THAT WHICH WAS SPOKEN. So shall thy seed be.” Rom 4:18. Abraham refused to be weak in faith. He was strong in faith holding on to what God had said. He knew clearly that the delay does not mean God had forgotten.
The ability to hold on to what God has said is crucial in the face of the conflicts of life. The changing circumstance does not imply that God has forgotten what he said. It’s our duty to engage what God has said to handle circumstances that life presents to us. We must realise that whatever God has said will only come to pass if we believe it and begin to work with it. Personally I have seen challenges that made it look as if God had forgotten what he said. In the midst of it I looked up to God’s word in a new way until I saw what God said came to pass. Isa 41:10 in Amplified version says “Fear not [there is nothing to fear], for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties...” Hold on to his word.
PRAYER:
God has not forgotten his word over my life. I will hold on to it until it becomes a reality in my life.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 34:4, Romans 4:17-21
Tuesday 28th November, 2023
HE KNOWS WHAT TO DO
Text: “Behold I will do an new thing; Now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness. And rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43:19
I have come to let you know today that God is not at a loss as to what to do concerning your life. God has always proved that he cannot be stranded. I want us to look at some instances where God knew what to do. This should give us a lot of confidence and assurance in life. It does not matter how difficult situations become around us God knows what to do. He’s still in the business of making a way in the wilderness and causing rivers to flow in the desert.
Just as we discussed yesterday Naomi thought all hope was gone. She saw no reason why her daughters-in-law should follow her back to Bethlehem. According to her word “Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say, I have hope, If I should have a husband also tonight....” Ruth 1:12. She returned back to her people and God organised Ruth to meet Boaz who took care of them.
The red sea was ahead of the Jews and behind them were the powerful army of Egypt. The Jews began to cry in hopelessness. As far as they were concerned this was the end of the road for them. In the midst of this confusion God knew exactly what to do. Moses cried unto God and God gave him specific instructions on what to do.
There was a desperate need to feed the multitude that followed Jesus. Philip responded to Jesus by saying there isn’t enough to attend to the multitude. But the Scripture says “...For he (Jesus) himself knew what he would do.” John 6:2-7. At the end of the day there was a miraculous supply that left them with twelve baskets extra. This was a proof that what Jesus did was not a coincidence. Let’s trust him; he knows what to do concerning that issue of your life.
DECLARATION:
Lord I will trust you always in everything; knowing. I trust your wisdom over my life.
LEARN MORE: Proverbs 3:5-6
Monday 27th November, 2023
MINDFUL OF YOU
Text: “The Lord hath been mindful of us: he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron.” Psalm 115:12
Today again we are looking at how God relates with us. He’s mindful of us. Let’s read this from two other versions of the Bible. “The Lord takes notice of us...” (NET). Another one says “The Lord remembers us...” (NHEB). Mindful of us simply means that we are always on his mind. He’s thinking about us. His thought towards us is to give us a future and a hope. God’s attention is always directed towards us.
He’s thinking of making something great out of our lives. He’s thinking of taking us from where we are today to where we belong in life and destiny. We are many but at the same time God thinks about us individually. He does not have to suspend thinking about one person to concentrate on another person. Simultaneously he’s thinking about us. The challenge and the hindrance to all that God wants to do is that our minds are never stayed on God. If our minds are on him then we’ll begin to see an alignment in his thoughts and our thoughts.
At a tender age Joseph had a dream of becoming something great. All hell broke loose on his life. In the midst of it all God was mindful of him. God was busy working out his plans and purpose; in the midst of it all God was mindful of him. Naomi and Ruth lost everything in the land of Moab. Naomi was forced to return back with Ruth empty handed (Ruth 1:21). In the midst of it all God was mindful of them. It was a hopeless case for them, but God turned it around for their good. Ruth went to the field to look for grains for their food and in the process she met a man who was a kinsman who favoured her so much and eventually married her. She was so favoured that she came in the lineage of Jesus. God is mindful of you; your pain will not go unnoticed. He cares for you!
PRAYER:
Thank you Lord for thinking about me. Thank you for your thoughts are ever towards me.
LEARN MORE Ruth 2, Isaiah 26:3
Saturday 25th November, 2023
EQUIPPED BY GOD
Text: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10
When God creates a thing he equips that thing to function in a particular way. God created the fish and equipped it with fins and gill to function in water. The trees were equipped to be anchored in the soil and draw nutrients with roots in the soil. God’s creation always comes with whatever is required to function.
This is also true of the new creation. We are created in Christ Jesus unto good works. This simply means we are equipped by God to function in a particular way. God has ordained that we should walk in them. “...Walk in them...” means it should be a way of life. It should be something we are busy doing and occupied with.
Good works is simply the manifestation of all that God is and wants to do through our lives. A fish does not struggle to swim in water; it doesn’t have to go to a special school to do that. It’s equipped for it. Doing good works should not be a struggle for us. It should be an effortless flow of all that is good in us and through us.
Titus 2:15 says “Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works.” Good works is an integral part of the life of a believer; because he’s equipped for it. He’s zealous about it; there is an eagerness to do something significant and beneficial. This is the peculiarity of believers – our lives are a constant flow of all that God is. For me part of walking in good works is writing and imparting lives with God’s word. It’s an all consuming passion. I want to encourage you today to yield yourself afresh to God in a greater way so that all he has packaged in you may find expression – walking in good works.
CONFESSION:
My life is an expression of all that God is. I’m equipped to walk in the plans and purpose of God for me.
LEARN MORE: 2 Peter 1:3-4
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Friday 24th November, 2023
VALUABLE TO GOD
Text: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
The value of a product is demonstrated in what was paid or offered to obtain it. We were sold in sin under the yoke of the devil. The blood of goats and animals were not good enough to redeem our souls. Neither was silver or gold enough to redeem a soul. The scripture tells us “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins.” Heb 10:4. So God had to engage the precious blood that was without spot or wrinkle. It was the blood of his only begotten son – Jesus that could satisfy that requirement. This was a demonstration of the value that God has placed upon us. “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” 1 Peter 1:16-19
The value of a believer is not in the cloths we wear or in the size of our bank accounts. The real eternal value of a believer is in the value of the blood of Jesus. If you don’t see yourself this way one thing or another will make you look down on yourself. Human acceptance is good but it does not determine our value. Ironically in life the value you place on yourself is the value that others will place on you. The best place to derive your value is in Christ.
I have come to tell you today that you are valuable to God. So much virtue should come forth out of your life to bless humanity. The time of hiding is over in your life; it’s time to come forth and become all that God wants you to become. Don’t allow all that God has invested in your life to end up in vain.
CONFESSION:
I am valuable. There is so much value in me. I’m not defined by my status in life. I’m defined by the precious blood that was shed on me.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 139:13-18
Thursday 23rd November, 2023
THINGS WE SHOULD KNOW 6
Text: “And we know that the son of God is come and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.” 1 John 5:20
The reality of our salvation is something that has been decided, completed and delivered to us. There is absolutely no doubt to whether we are saved or not. If you are not sure of the reality of your salvation it will weaken the strength of your faith. It will also reduce your ability to confront issues in the name of the Lord.
We are so sure that Christ has come and given us an understanding. We have an understanding; we are not groping about in uncertainty trying to figure out how to be saved or qualify for salvation. The blood of Jesus is our qualification. He paid the price and credited into our account the benefits.
We also know him that is true. We are not following an unknown God – we have the certainty of the true God. We are also in him that is true. Our lives are completely immersed in him that is true. This is a union that makes us indestructible; the forces of hell cannot comprehend us. There is absolutely no reason why you should have inferiority complex. We have a life that is purely defined by our position in Christ – We are in him that is true. This is our location; this is our address and identity. We live in him.
The implication of this is that my life must stand out and be counted for God; influencing others for God.
Another implication of this is that we don’t have any other alternative to this true God. At a point in the life of Christ he asked the disciples “Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life.” Other gods may have the words of philosophy or words of moral instruction. Only Christ has the words of eternal life.
CONFESSION:
I have an understanding from God. I am saved by the blood of Jesus. My salvation is eternal in him that is true and eternal.
LEARN MORE: Jeremiah 17:5-8, John 6:66-68
Wednesday 22nd November, 2023
THINGS WE SHOULD KNOW 4
Text: “And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.” 1 John 5:19
The book of first John chapter five is so loaded with catalogue of what we should know as believers. It’s a compendium of what the life of a believer should look like. We are simply drawing our confidence and assurance from this scripture.
Just imagine if your father is the president of your nation or if your father owns the largest company in your country. There will be so much confidence and assurance in your life. The thought of never having a job or being poor will never come to you. Imagine if you were a prince or a princess in Buckingham palace in London. Everything about your financial life is set. There won’t be any need to even pray of having a house to live or not. It’s automatically provided for by the royal family. I know we can all relate and agree with all we have said so far. But how much more should we have confidence and assurance about life by our connection to God.“...
We know that we are of God...” talks about having confidence that we belong to God and he belongs to us. We may not be of the president of our nation; we may not be of the Queen of England. But we are of God. Which one is greater? We belong to him that owns the whole universe. We belong to him that has the answers to every question of life. We belong to the God of all possibilities. We belong to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. We belong to the God that made a way in the sea. We belong to the God that brought down the wall of Jericho. We belong to the God of all flesh.
With this confidence and assurance, we can face whatever comes our way. We can rise up to any situation; the greater one lives in us. He has made his home in us. We are his living tabernacle. This God is on your side. He made himself available to us in Christ. We can take advantage of his fullness; no wonder Apostle Paul said all things belongs to us because we belong to God.
CONFESSION:
I belong to God. All that he has belongs to me. I am not disadvantaged in any way.
LEARN MORE: 1 Corinthians 3:21-22
Tuesday 21nd November, 2023
THINGS WE SHOULD KNOW 4
Text: “We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.” 1 John 5:18
Thank God for how far we have gone in our lessons this month. I’m sure by now the Spirit of God is ministering to your heart. Wherever you are all over the world reading this there is an irreversible transformation taking place in your life by God’s eternal word.
What we know determines what we believe and what we believe determines the course of our lives. If what you know is wrong so also will the direction of your life be and vice versa. As believers there are certain things that we must know and be very clear to us otherwise our lives will just remain at the same level with unbelievers.
Sin is no longer an option for us as believers. We have been delivered from it. It should no longer be a struggle for us to live above sin. This is the message been conveyed to us today. If you don’t know this there won’t be an inner resolve to live above sin. If you don’t know it there will be a permissive attitude to sin in our lives. There is absolutely no excuse for sin anymore in our lives.
To be born of God simply means that we originated from God. He gave birth to us. We are his offspring. This was majorly for the purpose of imparting his life and nature into us. We are carriers of his life and nature. We have the nature of God and not the nature of sin. It’s natural for a mango tree to produce mangoes; that’s the nature that it has. It will be abnormal for it to produce something else.
If you know this sin will not have dominion over you; it will lose its grip on your life. Conduct your life with that understanding and attitude.
DECLARATION:
I have the life and the nature of God in me. The power of sin is broken on my life. I am a victor over sin.
LEARN MORE: Romans 6:1-14
Monday 20th November, 2023
THINGS WE SHOULD KNOW 3
Text: “And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” 1 John 5:15
Today we are dealing with the assurance and confidence that we should have in the place of prayer. There is really no point praying to a God that does not answer. Prayer is not something we should do just for religious purpose; but with a deep conviction that we are praying to a God that answers.
It’s very clear all over scripture that God answers prayers. God himself invited us to pray with the assurance that he will answer. So, much more that our willingness to pray God is more willing to answer. Once a man begins to doubt God’s willingness or ability to answer prayers their confidence will be very low. We are required to come BOLDLY to the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace to help in times of need. (Heb 4:16). The boldness in prayer comes from the assurance that God hears and answers.
“...We know that he hear us... we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” Don’t just pray religiously; pray with a heaven backed assurance.
Jabez was in a desperate life situation. He called upon God and he answered. Elijah called upon God and by his prayer there was no rain for years; he prayed again and there was rain. The scripture tells us that “...he prayed earnestly that it might not rain...” The word earnest here means wholeheartedly with all sense of assurance. He was too sure that God will answer. He prayed again for it to rain and God answered again. Even when it seems the answered did not come immediately he kept at it with the assurance that there will be an answer. It was not as if he was special in any way. He was subject to the same passions as we are. What made the difference in his prayer was the deep heart-rooted assurance that God answers.
PRAYER:
Father thank you for the assurance to prayer that you have given us. Thank you for answers to prayer today.
LEARN MORE: 1 Chronicles 4:9, James 5:17-18
Sunday 19th November, 2023
THINGS WE SHOULD KNOW 2
Text: “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.”1 John 3:14
Death in scripture is not just the termination of life. It’s something far bigger than termination of life. God told Adam he was going to die after eating the forbidden fruit. We all know that he did not die immediately physically. The death here was a separation from God. Separation from all that is God’s purpose and intent for man. Death in our context today also represents the manifestations of the work of sin in a man’s life.
One thing is very clear to us as believers. It’s something we must know very well. We have passed from death to life. That’s the revelation in our opening verse today. Life here does not just mean being alive. It means the manifestations of God in humanity. Life means the outworking of the life of God in man.
We have passed from death to life. The manifestations of sin and the works of the devil has no more hold on our lives. This is a reality of the new creation that must be very clear to us. We are no longer victims to the circumstances of life. Now we have come into the manifestations of the life of God in humanity. All of God is made available to us by virtue of the new birth.
From this perspective we can face life from the stand point of “life” and not “death.” Let this become an overwhelming thought for you as you go about your life today. You have passed from death to life. It’s a done deal already; you are not praying or trying to make the switch. It’s done already in Christ. With this understanding it means that whatever you are involved in must also experience the very touch of the life of God. The life of God is over your family, over your business, over your academics.... continue the list!
FINAL WORD:
Your life is completely out of the domain of death. In Christ this eternal switch was made.
LEARN MORE: 1 John 5:11-13, 20
Friday 17th November, 2023
DIVINE RECORD
Text: “And this is the record that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his son.” 1 John 5:11
There are different types of records that exist in this world. It could be a medical record, an academic record and for some it could be a criminal record. A record is actually a compilation of series of events about a person that took place in the past. No one takes a record of an event that never took place. Whatever is recorded is something that has taken place already. A record is mostly a history of the past which also has a way of predicting the future. A negative medical report for instance could have a way of predicting the future. Whatever the records of the past may be we must understand that there is a divine record over our lives. This is the most important of all records. Unfortunately, many of us are ignorant of the divine record over our lives.
The academic record may place a man at a particular class of degree which may want to hinder how far we go and what we can do in life; much more than that there is the divine record that says God has a plan for our lives right from the foundation of the world. The academic record does not in any way cancel the divine record over our lives from the foundation of the world.
The divine record in our opening scripture clearly states that God has given us eternal life. Eternal life simply means the very life of God. “...God has given us...” Please note that it’s not something that will happen in the future. We have eternal life right now. The life of God is at work in us. If you look at the divine record you will see that there is no failure in your record. There is no sickness in your record. There is no stagnation in your record. Every negative record of the past has been erased by the blood of Jesus. The divine record concerning you now says that you are a new creation. God’s word is God’s record. Go read it!!!
DECLARATION OF FAITH:
I declare that God’s record over my life is true and final. I disagree with every contrary record.
LEARN MORE: Romans 4:17-21
Thursday 16th November, 2023
YOU ARE NOT A JUNK
Text: “And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him...” 1 Samuel 16:11
I have a mandate to inspire you to be all you were created to be. Nothing outside the best is good for you.
God looked at Adam and saw a world. He looked at barren Abraham and saw nations. In Jacob, a deceiver, He saw a prince. In Moses the murderer, God saw a deliverer. God was looking at a stammering man and he saw the greatest leader in history.
When the world dumps and rejects you, and you land on the garbage heap of the world, God walks along and picks you up. He looks within you and sees a person of great worth.
Don’t ever let anybody throw you away. You are not junk. When God looks at you, He sees things that everybody ignores. You are worth so much that Jesus went to Calvary to salvage and reclaim you. The Spirit of God connected to your spirit is the only true judge of your worth. Don’t accept the opinions of others because they do not see what God sees.
Samuel was sent to the house of Jesse to pick a King for Israel; all the sons of Jesse at home were paraded until God rejected all. David was far away from home. His father never thought he could be qualified to become a King. Outwardly nothing looked like a King on him. But the potentials to become one were already within him. God was seeing in him what others did not see. David was the youngest; all they thought he was good for was to keep sheep. How you feel or what others say about you is not important. You are who God says you are; He sees in you more than you can possibly imagine.
CONFESSION:
There are great potentials in me. God sees the best in me. He sees in me a King. He sees in me greatness.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 139:14
Wednesday 15th November, 2023
YOU ARE NEEDED
Text: “Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharoah, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt” Exodus 3:10
There was a desperate need for the Jews in the land of Egypt; Moses was located to go for their rescue. Nobody could step out to confront Goliath until David showed up. Naomi needed a caretaker and Ruth was an answer to that need. Moses, David, Ruth were on a special assignment to the people of God. The Jews would have been destroyed except for Esther. So Esther was their answer, their solution, their reward.
You see, everything God created is a reward to somebody. Think about this. It is very important that you grasp your significance and value.
Your entire life is absolutely needed by someone. Your patience is a reward for somebody who others would not tolerate. Your words will motivate someone incapable of seeing what you are seeing. Somebody desperately needs you today.
God planned you, and nobody else can be like you. Nobody else can do what you do. You are unlike anyone else on earth. Grasp this. God is not a photocopier. He is a creator. You alone are absolutely perfect and genetically accurate for solving a problem on earth today.
Someone needs exactly what you have been given by God. Someone is hungry and thirst for your presence. Someone will perish unless you enter his life. Someone is literally dying, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually, waiting for you to come to his rescue. Someone has been praying at night that God would send you his way. Go about your business today with this mindset that God has sent you on an assignment to your world. Think about meeting the needs of others, not only your own. YOU ARE NEEDED.
CONFESSION:
I have been sent to my world. My life is an answer to the cry of many. I have what is needed.
LEARN MORE: John 17:18
Tuesday 14th November, 2023
ANOTHER CHANCE
Text: “For though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are brought to calamity.” Proverbs 24:16 (NIV)
The scripture above does not in any way state that a righteous man must fall. It does not in any way gives an excuse for falling. If we understand scripture we’ll realise that if we can embrace the provisions of God’s word and take responsibility for our lives we’ll never fall.2 Peter 1:10 says “Wherefore the rather ,brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do this things, ye shall never fall”.
However, if we find ourselves in that state in which we have fallen we can rise up again. As long as we come with a repentant heart the blood of Jesus will wipe away our sins. There is always another chance to make right that which is wrong in our lives.
One of the strategies of the devil is to put condemnation on you in order to keep you in that state. Please dust yourself up and go on with God. Like the Prodigal son we can always return to our father.
Perhaps you failed in a venture this year that is never the end of the road for you. As we step into a new year we can trust God for new opportunities and new open doors. In God we have new beginnings to rewrite the story of our lives. Whatever happened in the past has become part of history. We can write a new story today. The history becomes powerful when we refuse to write another story today.
You are never a failure. Christ in you negates that identity. You are a success from head to toe. Every cell of your body and every fibre of your being carry the identity of success. Rise up and win, rise up and be all you were born to be.
POWER POINT:
The history becomes powerful when we refuse to write another story today. You are never a failure. Christ in you negates that identity.
LEARN MORE: Romans 8:1, 1 John 1:9
Monday 13th November, 2023
GREAT PEACE
Text: “Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.” Psalm 119:165
One of the signs of the end time is that the heart of men will fail them for fear. We live in uncertain times. The margin for job securities has dropped. The government does not really provide much hope for its people. In the midst of this there are tendencies for the heart of men to fail for fear.
Fear is a common denominator in every man’s life. We must learn to deal ruthlessly with fear in our lives. It’s a strategy of the devil to kill, steal and destroy God’s program in our lives. Fear is faith in the reverse. Fear is confidence in the ability of the enemy to do what he says he will do.
In the midst of changing circumstances of life the word of God which is referred to as “thy law” in our anchor scripture must become our anchor and confidence. The word of God produces in us peace that this world cannot give. This is what will keep us stable in the midst of the storms.
Jesus was right in the midst of a storm, but the peace of God that pass human understanding kept him. It was easy for him to rebuke the storm; he decreed peace over the storm because he had peace in his heart. If you don’t have peace inside you there can never be peace outside. It takes a heart of peace to produce a life of peace. If the heart is troubled the life is in danger.
The state of your heart is so important in handling the conflicts of life. Life is essentially controlled from within. No matter what happen refuse to give up on the inside. Allow the peace of God to guard your heart. Anxiety and fear will not change anything.
CONFESSION:
My heart is guarded by the peace of God. In the midst of the storms my heart is at rest. I have control over every issue of concern.
LEARN MORE: Philippians 4:6-7, Col 3:15
Sunday 12th November, 2023
MADE AGAIN
Text: “And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.” Jeremiah 18:4
One beautiful thing about God is that he does not give up on any of us. No matter how “marred” our lives are he can make us again into the beautiful “vessel” we are meant to be.
There is no mistake in our lives that is beyond the repair of the “potter” of our lives. He made us in the first place and so he can put us together again. God is the potter and we are the clay. He can make us over and over again until we become the best we were created to be.
One fundamental thing we must learn to do is to completely submit to whatever the “potter” wants to do with our lives. If the clay resists the work of the potter then the potter has no choice than to let go of the clay. We are free moral agents and the Spirit of God will not force anything on us. We must be willing and submissive to the operations of the Spirit in our lives.
When it comes to God’s dealings with us, it’s not as we want but “as seemed good to the potter”. We must give God the right to make that decision on our behalf. He knows exactly what is best for us.
If we can give our mess to God, he’ll make a message out of it. If we give him our test he’ll turn it into a testimony. He will turn our trash into treasure. Nothing is beyond repair in your life. No mountain is too high. No hopeless situation in your life. God knows what to do, just give him all the room to make you again. You’ll be glad you did. It’s an absolute waste of time if the clay begins to struggle with the potter. I pray for you that the best in you will come out in Jesus name.
PRAYER:
Lord by your Spirit work in me your good pleasure. Help me to be all you want me to be. Change me and shape me to exactly what you want me to be.
LEARN MORE: Philippians 2:13
Saturday 11th November, 2023
BUILT BY GOD
Text: “Except the Lord builds the house, they labour in vain that build: Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.” Psalm 127:1
The New living translation of this scripture says “Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is useless. Unless the Lord protects the city, guarding it with sentries will do no good”.
It’s okay to work hard and put in all the efforts required in what we are doing but don’t ever forget that its God’s input that makes the difference.
One of the wisest things to do in life is find out what God wants to build and then position ourselves to build along with Him. For example find out what kind of business God wants you to be involved in before dabbling into business. Once you know that you can be sure that it will be built by God and it will have the spiritual strength to withstand the wind of the economy and fierce competition in the market place.
Be sure that God is involved in the relationship you are in because it could be an uphill task getting into a marriage that God is not involved. You may end up building in vain. Get God involved in every area of your life. Human strength alone will not take you far. Human strength is good but has its limits. Building by yourself will cost you more than you can afford.
When God builds the forces of hell cannot stop us. When God builds his wisdom will be available for us. When God builds it will last. Just as we said earlier one of the wisest things to do in life is find out what God wants to build and then position ourselves to build along with Him. This is the best way to make it great in life.
PRAYER:
Lord take your place in my life, I give every aspect of my life to you. Help me by your Spirit to discern what you are building so that I may come along.
LEARN MORE: 1 Samuel 2:9, Psalms 44:3
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Friday 10th November, 2023
DIVINITY IN MAN
Text: “And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” 2 Corinthians 6:16
One major and significant difference between the old and the new covenant is that in the new covenant God does not just come visiting man on and off. He has decided to take resident in the quarters of our spirit.
Notice what God said “…I will dwell in them, and walk in them…”.He had done this in order to accomplish a couple of things.
1. So that He can carry on His operations on the earth through us. Wherever we are found, at work, at school or shop God is literally there, He wants to work through us to reach out to others.
2. When Christ was here physically he was the image of the invisible God. Everything about God was expressed through him. So also each one of us today should be the image of the invisible Christ, because he dwells within us.
3. We have all the help we’ll eer need in life resident in our spirit. The ability of God resides in our spirit. The strength of God dwells within us. We can only fail if we choose to or refuse to acknowledge all these.
4. The circumstances of life no longer define you but rather the presence of God in you.
We can face life with these understanding. God has done all he needed to do to make you a success in life. Your life should not be determined by what goes on in the environment. It should be determined from within. With this you will not be a victim to your environment but a victor over it.
CONFESSION:
I carry God within me. I’m God’s expression on the earth. He functions through me.
LEARN MORE: Colossians 1:15, Hebrews 1:3
Thursday 9th November, 2023
RISING UP AGAIN
Text: “For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief”. Proverbs 24:16
This is a prophetic word for us today. You are rising up in every area of life. Falling in life is not an indication that you are a failure; it simply means that you are human. Falling is not the same as final, it simply means “try again.” As long as we are still alive falling is never an end of the road.
David fell into terrible sin of adultery and murder but it was not the end of the road for him. God gave him another chance. He went to God with a broken heart of repentance and he rose again. As terrible and costly the mistake of Samson was God gave him the last chance to rise up again. The removal of his eyes and the humiliation on his life was not actually the end of his story. The victory of Samson at death was more than he had alive. Ps 51:1-13, Judges 16:26-30.
Job lost everything he had in one day. He became terribly sick, but that was not the end of his life. He rose again from the sick bed. His later end was greater than his beginning.
Rising up again begins from within us. You may be down today, but don’t see yourself down. You are above only and not beneath. Things may not be working right today but God is working right within you. You will have to do away with the thought that it’s over. The number of times we have fallen is not a threat to the power of God. There is no sin or mistake that is higher than the blood of Jesus.I see you rising up again. Rise up in your spirit; rise up in your soul. Don’t be confined to the wheel chair of life. Take up your bed and walk in the name of Jesus. Don’t allow the devil to take advantage of you by keeping you in a guilt mood all your life. You are forgiven. The blood of Jesus cleansed you.
PROPHECY:
God is raising you up from the dunghill of life and making you to seat with the princes.
LEARN MORE: Job 14:7-9
Wednesday 8th November, 2023
BREAK THE LIMITS
Text: “And the Lord said to Abram…lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward…,For all the land which thou seest,to thee will I give it...”Genesis 13:14-15
One of my experiences about life recently is that most people that know us and are familiar with us put us in a box in their minds. They seem to know us in a particular way and don’t really expect us to go beyond that level. If you announce to them a promotion or a sudden breakthrough, they might even be wondering how it happened and why it is you.
Whatever we have done so far in life is so small compared to what we can do. All you have done so far is just like a drop in the ocean of eternity. Most of us have not even started yet. Thank God for what you have done but you can do more.
Don’t allow anyone to put you in a box. No one has the right to tell you what you cannot do or where you cannot go. Maybe you should tell the person; who said so? Provided that what you want to do is legitimate and within God’s purpose for your life. You can start your own business. You can do whatever the Spirit of God prompts you to do.
Breaking the limits begins in your mind. How far do you see yourself going in life? There was little that Abram could have seen with the natural eyes. The sight was more of an inner one. The boundary of your vision is the extent of your life.
David refused to accept Saul’s limitation on his life. He confronted Goliath and the rest is history (1 Sam 17:33). There are really no limitations on your life except you place it there by yourself and the ones you allow people and circumstances to place on you. Don’t accept the status-quo; you can get better, bigger and brighter.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus every limitation on your life is broken. Nothing will hinder your progress in life.
LEARN MORE: Genesis 11:6, John 14:12
Tuesday 7th November, 2023
BIG ON THE INSIDE
Text: “And David said to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail because of him: thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” 1 Samuel 17:32
The extent to which we can go in life, how much we can accomplish does not depend on the size of our head, the level of our education or the colour of our skin. It depends majorly on the content of our recreated human spirit.
How big you are on the inside is what will determine how far you can go and what you can accomplish.
David was young, fragile and skinny compared to Goliath. Naturally he was the last person that would have been considered to fight in the battle. In contrast Saul had all the qualification, he had the attributes of a warrior, and he was the commander in chief of the army of Israel. With all these he still could not face Goliath because he was big outwardly but small inwardly. He was full of fear and timidity. These are attributes of been small within.
David was so big on the inside; he could not imagine how Goliath became a threat to Israel. He was so sure to bring down the head of Goliath.
David had an unshakeable consciousness of the ability of God within himself. He knew that God could not fight a battle and lose. We must be extremely conscious of the reality of God’s ability within us. Christ in you makes you bigger than the whole world put together. The more conscious you become of this the bigger you become on the inside. You can face anything, go anywhere and become whatever God has in stock for you.
Smith Wigglesworth said “I am a thousand times bigger on the inside than I am on the outside”. Don’t wait to have a feeling of being big on the inside, let it be your understanding of what God made you because the greater one dwells in you. This will give you extraordinary confidence as you face life.
CONFESSION:
I’m bigger than any challenge of life. The greater one dwells within me. Nothing is beyond my reach in life.
LEARN MORE: 1 John 4:4, Romans 8:31
Monday 6th November, 2023
FEEDING YOURSELF
Text: “As new born babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.”1 Peter 2:2
One of the signs that a child is growing is when the child begins to feed himself or herself. It’s good to be fed by the mother but this cannot continue forever. A time will come that the mother’s feeding will no longer be enough. If a child at ten years old still depends on the mother to put food in his mouth then there is something seriously wrong.
This analogy is applicable to our Christian life. Each one of us will have to learn how to feed for ourselves. Thank God for what we hear in Church but it will be grossly inadequate for our growth into maturity. A time comes that the mother will no longer be available as much as when the child was very small. Each one of us must carry our Bibles personally and begin to read. If you leave the job of your Christian growth to your Pastor alone you may never grow up spiritually. The pastor is supposed to build a foundation for you that you then begin to build on it by yourself.
If a child will depend on the mother for feeding forever then the child will have to wait for the mother to come back from work every day. Obviously that child will starve. If you have to wait to see your pastor or get to church then you will have to starve most of the time. Reach out to God’s word yourself. Reach out to good Christian materials by yourself. Look for every means to enrich yourself of the knowledge of God. With that you can grow faster and at the rate that God wants you to grow. When we grow up spiritually God can commit greater responsibilities to us and we can also handle the issues of life by ourselves without having to depend on someone else all the time. If you depend on someone to do all your feeding for you then you may have to remain a baby Christian all your life.
PRAYER:
Lord I receive grace to take full responsibility for my spiritual growth. I will no longer remain a spiritual babe.
LEARN MORE: Hebrews 5:12-14
Sunday 5th November, 2023
DON’T HIDE YOUR TALENTS
Text: “And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability...” Matthew 25:15
One thing is very clear in life; we don’t have the same talents and even when it seems our talents are similar, we are not expected to deplore them in the same way. What we read in our anchor scripture is a practical display of the human life. This man gave his servants different number of talents. Each person was given not necessarily based on what they wanted but based on their several abilities. The man knew what each of them could handle. The amplified Bible said “...to each in proportion to his own personal ability.” It’s obvious that if the man that was given one had been given five he would have wasted it too. The question was then not the few he was given but his attitude towards it.
It’s important that each one of us recognise what God has given us. It will not look exactly like what someone else has but it will be enough to make a success of our lives on earth.
At the return of the master he asked them to give account for what they were given. The man that was given one was not asked to give account for five. Each person took responsibility for what they were given. We must all recognize that we’ll be held responsible for what God has given us and not what he gave someone else. The success of each of these men will be commensurate with what they were given. They will not be penalised for what they were not given but what they were given.
Whatever God has given you is because he knew you have the ability to handle it. You must also see yourself that way. There is really no place for excuse like the man that was given one talent. Don’t hide what you have; engage it, invest it and watch it multiply. What you have may look small today but it has the capacity to grow if you don’t hide it.
PRAYER:
Lord help me by your Spirit to recognize the talents you have deposited in me. My life is profitable.
LEARN MORE: Matthew 25:14-30
Saturday 4th November, 2023
TRAPS OF DESTINY 2
Text: “And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.” Numbers 13:33
Today we are looking at second trap of destiny. There is so much that God has in store for our lives. He wants to do great and mighty things with our lives. This will however require that we walk closely with God in total agreement and submission.
Negative self-esteem is another destiny trap. Its effects are as deadly as living in sin. Negative self-esteem can also be referred to as poor self-image.
Life will treat each one of us based on our self-perception of ourselves. What you think about yourself and what you say about yourself is a self-declared prophecy. It’s a matter of time it will come to pass. The ten spies that were sent to spy the Promised Land saw themselves as grasshopper. They felt that they were inadequate in facing the giants.
They have destroyed their chances of getting into the Promised Land ahead of getting into it. The other two spies saw possibilities in themselves. They saw themselves as capable and equipped to face the giants.
When you see yourself as small, inadequate, unqualified and useless you have denied God the chances of working with you and working through you. God had to help Gideon to avoid this deadly trap. He was looking at himself based on the poverty in his family and his placement in that poor family. God had to tell him that in spite of all that he was a mighty man of valor. Negative self-image is thinking low of us. It’s a major trap that hinders how far we can go in life. Inferiority complex kills.
At the end of it all it was not the giants that killed the ten spies in the wilderness but rather a poor self-image. Please agree with God in your life. His ability and capacity dwells in your spirit.
PRAYER:
Lord I agree with you in everything. I can do what you ask me to do, I can go where you ask me to go.
LEARN MORE: Judges 6:11-16, Philippians 4:13
Friday 3rd November, 2023
TRAPS OF DESTINY 1
Text: “He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks.” Proverbs 8:22
A trap is a device that is used either in the house or in the bush to catch animals. Most of the time when you have a rat in the house a trap could be used to catch it without so much stress. The usual thing to do is to place bait on the trap to attract the animal. The bait is usually something that the animal love and enjoy. The bait is never an expression of love by the hunter, but rather a means of killing the animal.
There are traps on our way in life which we must avoid by all means. Destiny traps are traps that the devil has set on our paths. They are usually the things that the flesh enjoys. The devil is not offering us anything out of love, but out of the desire to kill, steal and destroy God’s ultimate plans for our lives.
From our anchor scriptures it’s clearly seen that the cravings of sin are destiny traps. Like a horse going to the slaughter so is a man dragged into sin. He may think he’s enjoying life and having a good time but destiny is been destroyed gradually and permanently.
Samson was dressed in power right from the womb. The Spirit of God was so much available for him to do exploits and do that which God had called him to do until he began to get carried away by strange women. They must have been professing love to each other but it was actually for the purpose of discovering his secret and to get rid of the grace of God on the life of Samson. Sin is a reproach; it undresses a man for destiny, and it strips a man of glory and honour. It siphons the grace of God from our lives.
Sin must be avoided like a plague. So many lives have been destroyed on the altar of immorality and covetousness. So many lives had been destroyed in the pursuit of green pastures abroad by crooked means. Don’t be lost in the sea of humanity, choose to live right and it shall be well with you.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I declare that my soul is escaped from the snare of the fowlers.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 124:6-8
Thursday 2nd November, 2023
IMAGINATION TRAP
Text: “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5
The human mind is one of the greatest tools that God has given us to use. One basic function of the mind is imagination. Imagination is the ability to form images in our minds. With this we can preview the past or pre-play the future. Imagination can be a blessing or a trap depending on how we use it.
The imagination is fed and set into motion by pictures that we expose ourselves to or audible information from our environment. Whenever we see something the image of what we have seen is immediately transferred to our minds. The mind now begins to process it. The longer the image is allowed to stay on our minds the more it creates a reality in our minds which will eventually become a reality in an outward experience.
The imagination becomes a trap when negative and wrong information is allowed to germinate, grow and develop in our minds. Someone had a dream of an accident and them begins to think about it and then talk about it. The thinking and the talking about it is fertilising it in the mind. If we don’t deal with it on time it will become a stronghold that will manifest outwardly. So many people are in bondage to imaginations of the mind that was left unchecked.
A lecturer comes to class and declare that no student will pass a course. The next thing is that most students will start thinking and talking about it until it becomes a reality in their lives. When we have such experiences, we are supposed to deal with it and cast it down. Don’t allow it to stay or else you’ll be trapped and enslaved by it. Let the blood of Jesus cleanse your imagination. Avoid wrong movies and music.
CONFESSION:
My mind is set on what is pure, godly, peaceful and beneficial. My mind is stayed on God.
LEARN MORE: Isaiah 26:3, Philipians 4:8
Wednesday 1st November, 2023
LIFE DISTRACTIONS
Text: “But Jesus told him, “Anyone who lets himself be distracted from the work I plan for him is not fit for the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:62 LVB
The word “distracted” in our anchor scripture is translated as “looking back” in most other versions. This is a world of distractions. One thing or another is trying to get our attention and shift our focus away from God’s ultimate plans for our lives.
The only way we can make the most of God’s plans for our lives is to maintain a red-hot focus on the plans and purpose of God for our lives. Once you start looking back the ability to move forward is seriously affected.
Let’s look at some common distractions that life may present to us so that we can guard against them.
1. The drive to be like someone else and do what someone else is doing – It’s good to learn from others and be inspired by them, but that does not suggest that we should do things exactly like someone else is doing it. We must be very confident in who God made us and has called us to do in life.
2. The opinions of Men – For as many people that know you will have different opinion on what you should do and how you should run your life. Life will be very confusing for you if you have to live by everyone’s opinion. The most important thing is to know exactly what God wants you to do with your life and stay with it.
3. The temporary delays and setbacks that we experience in the pursuits of divine purpose. Joseph had temporary delays in the journey into destiny. For about thirteen years it was as if nothing good was happening around his life. But looking closely at his life today we see clearly that every of that challenge moved him closer to his destiny.
4. The allurement of alternatives that looks better and faster than what we should focus on. The alternative of Ishmael almost aborted God’s plan for Abraham. Keep your eyes on what God said to you.
DECLARATION:
My eyes are set on God’s plans for my life. I will maintain my focus.
LEARN MORE: Proverbs 4:25-27, Matthew 6:22-2
Tuesday 31st october, 2023
WAIT FOR DIVINE INSTRUCTIONS 2
Text: “I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will but the will of the father...” John 5:30
The statement in our anchor scripture was made by Jesus himself. Let’s look at a paraphrase of that scripture from another version. “But I do nothing without consulting the father, I judge as I am told. And my judgment is absolutely just...” (LVB). “...As I am told...” here means as I am instructed. Jesus was more or less saying “Everything I did were done by divine instructions.” This was basically the reasons why he was right on all issues. The steps he took most times were not logical humanly speaking but then they were divinely logical. There was a need for wine at the wedding in Canaan of Galilee. He asked them to draw ordinary water, which was the divine instruction he received from the father at that moment. It sounded ridiculous but that was what brought out the miracle.
It’s important for us to know that divine instructions will not sound logical humanly speaking. This is why it will not be reasonable to try to figure out what God is asking us to do with our human minds. Compliance with divine instructions is a proof of our confidence in the ability of God that can never fail. God told Moses so many instructions that had no connections with the challenge on ground. The Egyptians were fast approaching and behind was the red sea. It will take a company like Julius Berger and any other big construction company to provide a bridge across the sea and this will take years. How in the world will a dry stick part a red sea? This is the power of divine instructions; if it’s God that asked you to do a thing you can be sure that his power is released to back it up. Once God has given an instruction and we comply with it; everything on earth and in heaven will begin to work towards its accomplishment. Peter launched back into the river and every fish in that river that day found their way into the net.
Divine instructions begin from God’s word. The word of God is the foundation for every instruction that we receive. Embrace his word as divine instructions.
CONFESSION:
My ears are open; my heart is ready for divine instructions.
LEARN MORE: Proverbs 4:13, 2 Timothy 3:16
Monday 30th October, 2023
WAIT FOR DIVINE INSTRUCTIONS 1
Text: “And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.” Luke 5:5
Simon who was eventually called Peter had been a fisherman all his life. He was not a novice in this business. He and his colleagues had done everything professionally possible to do what they have always done. At this point his human expertise did not make any difference. The question is “What do you do when you have exhausted all your options to get a result on an issue.” The story of Peter is quite instructive for us.
Jesus came on the scene and Peter narrated how they have toiled all through the night. The word “toil” suggests working at something without getting results. Jesus asked him to launch back into the river. It was not as if they were going to engage a different style of fishing. It was not as if they were going to engage a different set of boats and nets. It was the same river, the same nets and the same boats. But the difference now was that they were not going back based on their professional expertise. This was not because they were going to fish based on their number of years of experience. They were going back based on a divine instruction. Peter said “...Nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.”
There are enough challenges in the world that we cannot afford to just carry on with the business of life based on human expertise. The steps we take and the things we do must be based on definite divine instructions. Isaac sowed in the land of famine and reaped a hundred-fold in the same year because it was based on a divine instruction. The divine instruction was “...Go not down unto Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of: Sojourn in this land, and I will bless thee...” Gen 26:2-3. Don’t ever be in a haste to do something. Listen to God first.
CONFESSION:
My ears are open to receive divine instructions per time. I will not be hasty in my spirit.
LEARN MORE: Genesis 26:2-3, 12-14
Sunday 29th October, 2023
LIFE LESSONS FROM THE EAGLE 4
Text: “Doth the eagle mount up at thy command, and make her nest on high? She dwelleth and abideth on the rock, upon the crag of the rock, and the strong place.” Job 39:27-28
The eagles like to make their nests in high and rocky places, where nobody can find them. They are adequately secured from every harm. Their nests are not usually made in trees like those of many other birds, neither are they shaped in the same way.
The security of our lives is never in bullet proof cars or high-walled houses. No physical walls can stop the terrors by night and the arrows that fly by day. The only place where we are secured is in the secret place of the most high. We must be conscious of this. The secret place is our place in Christ. We must stay confident and assured of our security in this place. In Christ we are eternally secured.
A life founded upon the rock of ages can confidently withstand the rain, the wind and the storm when they come. It’s so important that we remain on the rock. David declared “The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.” (Ps 18:2). This must also become our confidence too. David had so many battles in his life but he had victory in them all. These victories are traceable to where his life was located; on the rock of ages. A common hymn says “Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee...”
The eagle lives an extremely long life. It lives as long as seventy years. Partly because it’s well protected on the rocks. If the Lord does not keep watch over the city the watch men stay awake in vain. It’s a waste of time building high walled houses if divine presence is far away from there. Christ is our rock and our lives are eternally secured in him. Like the eagle have the confidence that you are secured on the rock of ages.
DECLARATION:
My life is safely secured on the rock of ages. I am founded on the rock that abides forever.
LEARN MORE: Psalms 125:1-2; 127:1-2
Saturday 28th October, 2023
LIFE LESSONS FROM THE EAGLE 3
Text: “Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagles.” Psalms 103:5
The eagles have a renewal program. Eagles find a place of renewal. They don’t just go on like that until they drop dead one day. This is such a unique privilege that the eagles have. As they grow old, they go through a painful process of renewal. The eagle knocks its old beak on a rock to remove it. Once a new one grows it plucks its old feathers from its chests and wings and lives for another 30 years. It’s said that the eagles sheds its feathers every spring, and new ones come out; then it looks like a young bird. Once this is done the eagles can use its beak to get food better and faster. The feathers also become more powerful and effective.
Finding a place of spiritual renewal should be a constant part of our lives too as believers. If this is not done our spiritual feathers become weak and our effectiveness reduces. As we daily face challenges and we keep pouring ourselves out we may soon run out of “fuel”, this is why we must “refuel” to be able to keep running effectively.
Our minds must be constantly renewed as we read books that will sharpen our perspective about various aspects of life. If your mind is not renewed you will just find yourself thinking like the world and getting conformed to its standards. There are worldly pollutions all around us. Our minds are daily bombarded with wrong information and ideas that exalts themselves against the knowledge of Christ. This is why mind renewal is essential. So that we can cat down every wrong imagination and bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.
When this happens our youth spiritually speaking is renewed; then our lives become more effective and impactful. Don’t get too carried away with daily chores and activities; they sap your spiritual energy. Like the eagles be renewed.
PRAYER:
My spiritual strength is renewed today. I shed off every old and worn-out feather. I receive new strength.
LEARN MORE: Job 29:19-20, Isaiah 40:28-31
Friday 27th October, 2023
LIFE LESSONS FROM THE EAGLE 2
Text: “Doth the eagle mount up at thy command, and make her nest on high... From thence she seeketh the prey, and her eyes behold afar off.” Job 39:27, 29
The eagle has the most powerful sight among the birds. It can see from afar off. Eagles have a strong vision. This quality singles them out among the birds. It often sees some small animal on the ground and flies down to catch it.
Having a strong vision is a major requirement of making a success of our lives. The vision of a man determines how far he can go and what he can accomplish in life. We are not just talking about the physical sight; we are talking of an inward vision. If all you can see in your life is your immediate environment then your life will be limited by what you are seeing. But for you to grow beyond where you are you must see beyond where you are. The greatest tragedy in life is not physical blindness but internal blindness. The eyes that are looking are much but the eyes that see are few. It’s a major prayer that we should pray in life that the eyes of our understanding may be open to see. Seeing clearly into the plans and purpose of God for our lives.
One major aspect of vision is seeing possibilities where others see problems. Seeing a way out where others see a barrier. If all you can see is what everybody is seeing then your life will be limited to what everybody is doing and becoming. The uniqueness of your vision is what differentiates you in the sea of humanity.
God had to teach us the power of seeing afar off from the life of Abraham. God brought him out to look northward, southward, eastward and westward. God told him as far as his eyes could see shall be given to him. How far can you see? How much do you see yourself accomplishing in life. Like an eagle allow the Spirit of God to open your eyes to see afar off.
CONFESSION:
My eye of understanding is enlightened. I can see clearly and afar off into God’s plans for me.
LEARN MORE: Genesis 13:14-17, Ephesians 1:16-19
Thursday 26th October, 2023
LIFE LESSONS FROM THE EAGLE 1
Text: “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles....” Isaiah 40:31
About twenty-eight years ago I came across a message on tape titled “The Eagle believer” By Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo, it made so much impact on my life at that tender age of trying to develop myself as a believer. In the next couple of days, I will share insights with you from the life of the Eagle. I want to encourage you to learn how to spend quality time with God on a daily basis. In the face of busy schedule, we must fight for our time with God. Time spent with God is a time when our inner strength is renewed to face the various challenges. The time you spend reading a material like this one is never wasted. It’s actually a time you gain momentum for your day. Waiting on the Lord includes spending quality time in the word of God, taking time to pray, taking time to minister to the Lord in worship all by you.
There are so many struggles in life mostly because the inner strength to go over the mountains is missing. The eagle is a bird that rides on the wind. The eagle does not flap its wings; it simply waits for the storm and then glides on the storm. The storm actually carries the eagle up rather than bring it down. The eagle does not struggle it waits for the storm. The storms of life are not meant to bring you down; they are meant to carry you up to God’s plan and purpose. The inner strength to ride on the storm of life is what we receive as we wait on the Lord on a daily basis.
If you are going to embark on a major project or a significant journey don’t just do it casually. Before you set out spend time waiting on God. God will give you ideas, strategies and instructions that will take you far above the storms on your way. You are mounting up as eagles.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I mount up with the wings of the Spirit above every storm of life.
LEARN MORE: Psalms 18:29, 32-34; 144:1
Wednesday 25th October, 2023
NOTHING CAN STOP YOU 3
Text: “Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall; The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him. But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God...” Genesis 49:22-24
This is a very long passage today. But I needed to write it all for you to see clearly the testimony of the man Joseph. His life and experience is a major source of inspiration for me.
He was literally hated. The archers grieved him, shot at him and hated him. It was not a hidden hatred, it was an open one. None of this could stop the fulfilment of God’s counsels for his life. Everything that was done to stop him was the very things that God used to take him to the throne. If you read our anchor scripture carefully you will notice that Joseph was said to be a “fruitful bough by a well”, there was a grace working on his life that his brothers could not see. The hands of the mighty God were not seen physically but were working behind the scene to bring him into destiny.
Each one of us must also be very conscious of the grace of God at work in our lives. The fullness of the grace of God was credited on your life at Calvary. This grace is at work in our spirit. It does not matter what anyone did or is doing against us we must end up on the “throne”, the more they work against us the more God takes us higher.
We must also be conscious and confident of the invisible hand of God on our lives. We are not ordinary men and women. We are born of God. He is our father and we are his children. If the whole world is against you and God is on your side there is nothing to fear. They may do everything possible to stop you but the invisible hand of God will take you up.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I declare that nothing will stop me in life. The hand of God is mighty on my life.
LEARN MORE: John 1:16, Romans 8:31
Tuesday 24th October, 2023
NOTHING CAN STOP YOU 2
Text: “And I am sure that the King of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand. And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders... and after that he will let you go.” Exodus 3:19-20
Pharaoh was ready to do everything possible to stop the Jews from having their freedom. He had the power and all the machinery to stop their journey into the promise land. As far as Pharaoh was concerned there was no mortal man that would have taken the Jews from his grip. It’s not a secret that there are principalities and powers of darkness of this world that are trying to stop the fulfilment of God’s counsels for your life. There is no need for a prophet for you to know that. The Devil has a major mandate to stop you.
There was no way Moses would have faced Pharaoh in his own strength. God had to specially equip him in his battle against Pharaoh. The only assurance that the devil will not stop us is when we are fully armed with the armour of the Spirit to face every onslaught of the enemy. Ephesians 6:11, 13 says “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all stand.”
The rod of Moses looked so insignificant but it was mighty enough to bring Pharaoh to his knees. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to pull down every stronghold.
We must be armed with the truth of God’s word. The truth of God’s word becomes our shield and buckler. Our hearts must be delicately protected by the breastplate of righteousness. This simply implies that we must be confident about our right standing with God. Putting on the armour is the only way to stop the devil before he stops us. Read the entire account of the armours.
PRAYER:
Lord I receive grace to make the best use of this present phase of my life
LEARN MORE: 2 Corinthians 10:3-4, Ephesians 6:10-18
Monday 23rd October, 2023
NOTHING CAN STOP YOU 1
Text: “But none of these things move me, neither count my life dear unto myself, so that I may finish my course....” Act 20:24
Let’s state from the onset of this series that many things in life will try to stop the fulfilment of God’s counsels for our lives. For some it will be lack of finance. For some it will be poor self-esteem. For some it will be hatred of men. For some it will be health issues. For Joseph it was the hatred of his brothers. For Naomi it was the death of her husband and her two sons. For Abraham and Sarah it was delayed conception. This will happen to all of us in different ways and shape. By saying nothing will stop you does not mean there won’t be attempts to stop you. Every day something or someone is trying to work against your progress in life. However it must become your revelation and understanding as a believer that nothing can stop you. In this series we’ll study the life of individuals who ordinarily speaking would have been stopped from becoming all they were meant to become.
Paul had one of the most powerful encounters with God. His conversion was so dramatic. He had revelations of Jesus that were far beyond what his contemporaries had and even the Apostles that were before him. In spite of this he had issues with the Jews. There were several attempts to kill him and stop what God wanted to do through him. In Acts 20:23 he said “...In every city bonds and afflictions are waiting for me.” The oppositions on his life were fierce. At the end of it all none of these stopped Paul from accomplishing his purpose. He finished his course and completed his race.
From our anchor scripture Paul had a resolve “But none of these things move me...” It was a decision on his part not to be moved by the circumstances around his life. If you are easily moved you will never go far. “Move” means to be discouraged and affected by what is happening around you.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I refuse to be moved. I refuse to be discouraged by the circumstances of life.
LEARN MORE: Romans 8:35-39, 2 Timothy 4:7-8
Monday 23rd October, 2023
NOTHING CAN STOP YOU 1
Text: “But none of these things move me, neither count my life dear unto myself, so that I may finish my course....” Act 20:24
Let’s state from the onset of this series that many things in life will try to stop the fulfilment of God’s counsels for our lives. For some it will be lack of finance. For some it will be poor self-esteem. For some it will be hatred of men. For some it will be health issues. For Joseph it was the hatred of his brothers. For Naomi it was the death of her husband and her two sons. For Abraham and Sarah it was delayed conception. This will happen to all of us in different ways and shape. By saying nothing will stop you does not mean there won’t be attempts to stop you. Every day something or someone is trying to work against your progress in life. However it must become your revelation and understanding as a believer that nothing can stop you. In this series we’ll study the life of individuals who ordinarily speaking would have been stopped from becoming all they were meant to become.
Paul had one of the most powerful encounters with God. His conversion was so dramatic. He had revelations of Jesus that were far beyond what his contemporaries had and even the Apostles that were before him. In spite of this he had issues with the Jews. There were several attempts to kill him and stop what God wanted to do through him. In Acts 20:23 he said “...In every city bonds and afflictions are waiting for me.” The oppositions on his life were fierce. At the end of it all none of these stopped Paul from accomplishing his purpose. He finished his course and completed his race.
From our anchor scripture Paul had a resolve “But none of these things move me...” It was a decision on his part not to be moved by the circumstances around his life. If you are easily moved you will never go far. “Move” means to be discouraged and affected by what is happening around you.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I refuse to be moved. I refuse to be discouraged by the circumstances of life.
LEARN MORE: Romans 8:35-39, 2 Timothy 4:7-8
Friday 20th October, 2022
PRISON DOORS ARE OPEN
Text: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted….and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.” Isaiah 61:1
The prison mentioned here could be a physical prison but majorly it’s a figurative statement. Its a word that describes a state of life. This scripture prophetically declares the primary mission of the messiah on earth. Jesus himself confirmed this mission in Luke chapter four verse eighteen. He came among others to open the prison to them that are bound.
The “prison” is a place of incarceration. It’s a place where you are restricted and confined. It’s a state of life where you realise you can’t do what you are ordained to do. So many are bound by their past and seems never to get away from it. Some are bound by diverse kind of abuse in their past. Unfulfilled expectations have kept many bound in hopelessness. Many had given up on life.
The good news is that included in the package of the gospel is the opening of the prison to them that are bound. The sacrifice of Christ on the cross included the opening of the prison doors. There is absolutely nothing that has the right to hold us down any more. Once a man receives Christ, he receives instant liberty from all that must have held him down. Primarily we have been set free from the prison house of sin. The hold of sin has been broken over our lives. We are new creations today; old things are passed away in our lives and all things have become new.
Today God expects us to take a stand of faith in the reality of all what Christ has done for us. We must refuse every form of bondage today. The prison doors are open. You are free!
PRAYER
Lord I declare that I am free. The prison doors are open. Nothing in the past, present or future can hold me down anymore.
LEARN MORE: Galatians 5:1
Tuesday 17th October, 2023
PREPARED IN PRISON
Text: “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good….” Genesis 50:20
The man who wins the boxing championship did not necessarily begin in the ring. He must have begun somewhere that nobody knew him. He must have begun hidden from the eyes of men. He must have begun in a place that attracted no remuneration. The manifestations in the ring were prepared in the dark and in hidden places. This is exactly how life is designed to play out for people that will end up great in life.God will use dark and hidden places to prepare people for where he had prepared for them in life. For Joseph it was the house of Potiphar and the prison that God used to prepare him for the palace.
His administrative ability found greater expression in the prison. He was there for over two (2) years and there he was able to know how to manage certain resources committed to his hands. It was the same thing he did in the house of Potiphar. I’m sure you can still recollect that he was so loved by his father. He was the son of his old age. He had so many elder ones and no one would have exposed him to responsibilities required for the throne. The “prison” experience was a preparation experience for him.
Secondly, he was cheerful enough to recognise the sad countenance of the Baker and the Butler. He eventually helped in the interpretation of their dreams. This actually prepared him for the future. At the time he was interpreting for the servants he never knew that the same dimension of opportunity is what will bring him out of prison and establish the purpose of God that he saw at the age of seventeen. By the time the opportunity came he was prepared for it.
Nothing in life is a waste. Every experience you go through will prepare you for something greater than where you are. Stay open and connected to God; there is purpose in your pain.
PRAYER:
Thank you, Lord, for every experience life has ever brought my way. Thank you for the “throne” ahead.
LEARN MORE: James 1:2-4
Monday 16th October, 2023
FORGOTTEN IN PRISON
Text: “Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph; but forgat him.” Genesis 40:23
Joseph successfully helped the butler to interpret his dream. The dream literally came to pass. The butler was fully restored back to his position. He was now in a position to reciprocate back to Joseph. But somehow, he forgot. Joseph was again left in prison for about two (2) years. It seems the prison term had no end.
God had to supernaturally orchestrate how he will come out. Many had been forgotten by relatives, friends and colleagues. Many family members have forgotten their loved ones in prison. They seem not to care anymore. It was the same experience for Joseph. His family did not even know he was in prison. The person he helped also forgot him.
It’s important for us to note that there is a God who does not forget us. He promised never to leave us nor forsake us. He promised to be with us till the end of the age. Men may forget but God does not. Don’t ever use what men did as definition for who God is in your life.
All over scripture we have the promise and the assurance of a God who never forgets us. Isaiah 49:15 God declared “Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you! (NLT). With this depth of divine assurance David declared “Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close. Psalm 27:10 (NLT).” We have a divine assurance that we are always on God’s mind. We are engraved on the palms of his hands. In the fulness of time a book of remembrance will be opened concerning us. God is behind the scene of a life that holds on to him. His counsels will come to pass in your life at the due time. It was as if Joseph was forgotten but the God who never forgets opened the book of remembrance concerning him. He found himself in the palace where no one never thought he will reach.
CONFESSION:
I declare that I am never forgotten. I’m always on God’s mind.
LEARN MORE: Hebrew 13:5-6
Sunday 15th October, 2023
THE PRISON PRAISE
Text: “And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.” Acts 16:25
Life is majorly a product of attitude and perspective. The internal disposition of a man is far better and more important than his eternal circumstances. Victory in life will largely be determined by what goes on within a man than what life throws at him from the outside.
The most natural and likely response to a negative experience is to become sad, depressed and full of murmuring. As natural as this could be it has never helped anyone to overcome the challenges of life. Anxiety, murmuring, depression are all satanic devices to keep us down and cut us off from every divine possibility in our lives. Jesus categorically asked “Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature.” (Matthew 6:27). He was simply saying “No amount of anxiety can resolve any issue.”
Paul and Silas were locked up in prison. It was a maximum kind of prison. They were in the inner prison and their feet fast in stock; in the midst of this negative experience they began to pray and to sing praises. It was the most unusual thing for a man to do. As they were doing this the supernatural hand of God went into operation. It wasn’t something they did quietly; everyone in prison heard them.
Whenever we are faced with the challenges of life, we are either focusing on God or on the situation. Praise is an attitude and an expression that keeps our eyes focused on God. Praise keeps your eyes on God and the eyes of God on you. Murmuring and complaining provokes God’s anger. Murmuring and complaining simply means:
1. God you are too slow. It seems you don’t even know what you are doing.
2. God, I don’t think you can handle this issue.
DECLARATION:
Lord I declare that you are God in this situation.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 34:1-2, Acts 16:22-27
Saturday 14th October, 2023
THE PRISON EXPERIENCE 2
Text: “But the Lord was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.” Genesis 39:21
The experience of Joseph is a practical demonstration for us of what God can do in the midst of a hopeless situation. Like we said yesterday there was no one to help him but God helped him. I want us to take note of something quite instructive in his life today. This will be a major step we must take to experience the same dimension of victory that Joseph experienced.
He was physically imprisoned but was not mentally imprisoned. Mental imprisonment is far stronger than physical one. This is why so many times prisoners are released and after a while you may find some coming back to prison again. There are people who have never been to a physical prison before but are mentally imprisoned.
Joseph was in prison but the prison was not inside him. His external condition did not become an internal disposition. He did not allow worry, anxiety and depression to overtake him. We must consciously realise that the blood of Jesus has set us free. A man may be physically incarcerated but heavenly released. We must function from that heaven’s release on our lives. If we allow ourselves to be mentally incarcerated it will be difficult to move on to all that God has ordained for our lives and destiny.
The past is past. There is no future in the past and so we must let go of it and allow God to have his way in our lives today. The disappointments of the past cannot compare with the possibilities of tomorrow. Living in the past is like exhuming a dead body and expecting it to dance with us. Lay the past to rest and move on to God’s possibilities today. The best of your life is ahead of you and not behind you. This is your day of possibilities.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus, I decree that the prison experiences on my life are broken. I’m set free today.
LEARN MORE: Isaiah 61:1-3, John 8:32
Friday 13th October, 2023
THE PRISON EXPERIENCE 1
Text: “And Joseph’s master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were bound; and he was there in the prison.” Genesis 39:20
In this study I want you to understand that the experiences of life are not secluded to one person. There are people who have gone through the same experiences and came out better, bigger and brighter. The Bible is the greatest manual for living; it does not in any way hide from us people who had negative experiences. More importantly we see clearly how God helped them through it.
Joseph was a prisoner. He was locked in prison for several years for an offence he did not commit. There was nobody to plead his case. He was far away from home. His father thought he had died. He was forgotten by men but the eyes of God were watching over him. It doesn’t matter where life has placed us the eyes of God is right there with us. In the darkest night and moments of our lives God is right there with us.
Right from the prison God began to strategize his release and his enthronement. He was not even aware but God was at work behind the scene. God had to use people that were not related to him to help him out. I want you to realize that God is never at a loss on what to do concerning the issues of our lives. When we are at loss on what to do, we can trust the all-knowing God to make a way where there seems to be no way. The present situation and circumstances of our lives are never the end of the road for us.
Rivers can still flow in your desert!
A highway can be created again in the sea for you!
The mouth of Lions can still be shut for you!
Don’t give up yet. Help is on the way!
DECLARE:
God is at work in my life. The experiences of life does not determine the end of the road for me.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 121:1-2, 1 Corinthians 10:13
Thursday 12th October, 2023
DISCOVERING VISION THROUGH OTHERS
Text: "And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's. Who shall give you that which is your own?" Luke 16:12
One of the greatest privilege life gives us is the privilege of sowing seeds toward the desired harvest. The future is greatly determined by the seeds of today. The seed is a future harvest. You can never get out of life what you have not sown into it. We are all at different stages of God's vision for our lives. Some are searching for it. Some have discovered it but are trying to figure out how it will ever come to pass. Some are already fulfilling it but are still far from the ultimate. What stage are you? While we are trying to figure out God's vision for our lives there are people who are already established in the centre of God's vision for their lives. These individuals are no longer searching; they have found their place and it’s obvious. These established visions become a spring board for other visions to rise.
The vision of Moses gave birth to the vision of Joshua
The vision of Elijah gave birth to the vision of Elisha.
The vision of Christ gave birth to the vision of the Apostles.
This is a scriptural pattern. I pray you to understand this clearly. When you find someone or something that looks like what you will love to do with your life find a way to serve that vision or work for that vision. When you locate an established vision that is changing lives one way or another find a way to sow into that vision. It could even be your present place of work. When you work in an establishment you admire so much don't just work to earn a salary work to reap a future. What you earn will finish but what you reap can remain with you forever. What you LEARN in an establishment is more than what you EARN. Find an established vision and begin to serve it and begin to sow into it to reap a harvest of your own vision. Find a vision you admire and begin to pray and promote that vision.
PRAYER:
Lord grant me the clarity of your vision for my life.
LEARN MORE: Galatians 6:6-9
Wednesday 11th October, 2023
WHY VISION IS IMPORTANT
Text: “Where there is NO VISION, the people perish…” Proverbs 29:18
Vision helps you to believe in the dark what God told you in the light. What you saw in the light is what keeps you going in the dark seasons of life. Vision is not so much about light around you but the light inside you. When it seems there is darkness of challenges all around you the light of God’s vision inside you keeps your life moving.
When you have a vision from God it helps you to rise beyond the limitations of people. This was why the brothers of Joseph were angry with him. He had received a vision from God that was bigger than their expectations of him. If you don’t have a personal vision for your life you will be limited by the opinions of authority figures over your life. It’s natural for people to have a limited expectation of you based on their limited knowledge of you. David had a clear vision of defeating the uncircumcised Philistine. This was why the opinions of his brother and King Saul could not discourage him.
A clear vision of your God-ordained place is the beginning of your personal transformation. The vision becomes an inward drive that doesn’t wait for anyone. When you truly have a vision from God it will not just be you driving the vision but the vision driving you. Such a vision will place a demand on you that you will enjoy and celebrate while somebody else will see it as a burden.
This was also why Joseph could not be stopped even though his brothers and the entire family were not there. I believe if you are still pointing accusing fingers at anyone concerning the state of your life then you don’t have a vision for your life yet.
CONFESSION:
The eyes of my understanding are open. I can see clearly beyond the physical. I’m not blind concerning my future. I see into my tomorrow.
LEARN MORE: Ephesians 1:17-18
Tuesday 10th October, 2023
SEEING THE FUTURE NOW 2
Text: “...Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward.” Genesis 13:14
There is a point in this story of Abraham that I want us to see today. God said to Abraham “…And look from the place where thou art…” If your life will rise beyond your present realities you must see beyond where you are. If you are limited to what is happening around you your life will be confined to it. A glimpse into the future is what vision is all about. Vision is the ability to have a clear picture of what has not physically manifested. Vision is an inward journey that eventually culminates in an outward journey. It will be difficult for your legs to carry you to where your heart has not taken you to. Vision is a journey of the heart to where your legs will eventually carry you.
When I was in Port Harcourt Nigeria I went out on an assignment one day with a hired taxi. I left the car on the Church premises. Then my son called me to say he was driving the car. He was 14 years old then. I couldn’t believe my ears. The security men within the church’s premises spoke with me on phone to leave him alone and that he was driving well. He had never driven before and I had never taught him how to drive. What I realized was that he was already having the VISION to drive. His vision to drive was bigger than my fears. He already had an inward picture of driving. The inward journey of driving was already settled within him.
When there is a birth of vision within you it will become a driving force within you that does not see the obstacles but the possibility of a future that is greater than the present. When we wholeheartedly interact with the word of God there will be visions ignited in our spirit. Habakkuk 2: 2 says “…Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.” No matter how insignificant the vision may seem at the moment document it and begin to take steps.
CONFESSION
I see possibilities in my future. I see the goodness of God in my life. I see God at work ahead of me.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 16:8, Isaiah 50:7
Monday 9th October, 2023
SEEING THE FUTURE NOW 1
Text: “Where there is NO VISION, the people perish…” Proverbs 18:29
One of the greatest need of humanity is knowing what the future looks like and what it holds for us. When we don’t have a clear sense of what the future holds we tend to step into hopelessness and a sense of depression. When we don’t see the future the realities of the present tends to overwhelm us. Knowing what the future holds or looks like invigorates us and inspires us daily to move on with hope and faith in the face of contrary situations.
Every great life in scriptures and even our contemporary days began with a sudden or gradual unfolding of a future that was different and bigger than where they were. God specifically said to Abraham in a state of childlessness “And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward, for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever…”Genesis 13:14-18. This wasn’t just a physical look. There is a limit to how far the physical eyes can see.
Sight and vision are not really the same. Sight is the ability to see with the physical eyes while vision is the ability to see with the inner eyes. Vision is more of what the inner eyes see than the present realities of what the outer eyes can see. Most of the time when we are fearful, depressed and discouraged it’s a function of what the physical eyes is seeing. The ability to see from within is what vision is all about. I trust God that you will come to visions concerning your life. It will be strong and clear.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I’m coming to visions and revelations concerning my life. I have clarity concerning my life and my future.
LEARN MORE: Ephesians 1:16-19
Sunday 8th October, 2023
VICTIM MENTALITY
Text: “But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.” Numbers 13:31
The statement above was the statement made by a group of men that were sent by Moses to spy the promise land. The scriptures declared what they said as an evil report. This was because it was completely contrary to God’s revealed counsels for their lives. If you look backward to the life of the Israelites you will notice that God had fought even greater battles for them in the past. It was the same God that fought Pharaoh for them that was asking them to move into the promise land. They should have known that the same God that handled Pharaoh can also handle the giants they saw. Later on in the future we saw how God handled Goliath for the Israelites. These men had a great promise, they had a great God but unfortunately they had also a victim’s mentality.
It does not matter how much God has promised you and made available to you a victim mentality will stop the fulfilment of it. A victim mentality is a mindset that sees problems more than promises. A victim mentality sees trouble more than triumph. A victim minded man sees the devil more than they see God. What you see more is what is magnified and prominent in your life.
At the end of the day this group of men that said we are not able to go up were all killed in the wilderness. All was made available to them but their wrong mindset and evil confession killed them. It was not the enemies that killed them but their wrong perception of themselves. We must make sure that external challenges around our lives must not become an internal disposition. An external condition must never be allowed to become an inward reality. Whatever is wrong on the outside must be allowed to remain outside. We must see the ability of God resident in our recreated human spirits.
CONFESSION:
The challenges of life are not beyond me. The external conditions are foreign to the state of my spirit.
LEARN MORE: Numbers 14:28, Proverbs 23:7
Saturday 7th October, 2023
KNOWING YOURSELF 6
Text: “And if children, then heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may also glorified together.” Romans 8:17
By the help of the Holy Spirit I will try to round up this subject today and tomorrow. There is still so much to say but I trust God that the few we have said so far will keep expanding in your heart.
The scripture above tells us that we are joint heirs with Christ. The New Living Translation says “...For everything God gives to his Son, Christ, is ours, too...” Whatever belongs to Christ also belongs to us. Whatever Christ is is what we are too. We share the same value and identity with Christ. He is the head of the Church while we are the body. Whatever description we give to the head also applies to the body too. We share equally and same with Christ. He’s not having something 80% while we have 20%. He’s not having 60% while we have 40%. We are joint heirs. Whatever Christ have we also have 100% of it. We have his life 100%; we have his nature 100%. We have his mind 100%. We have his Spirit 100%. We have his righteousness 100%. We have his wisdom 100%. Jesus said he that has seen him has seen the father. We can also say that he that has seen us has seen Christ. If you will begin to see yourself this way it will produce in you a God inspired confidence to face life.
The scriptures also reveal to us that we are complete in Christ. Complete means “With all parts included; with nothing missing; full.” I want to ask you to accept what God says about you. There is nothing wrong with you in Christ. The missing links were filled up in Christ. Christ is your completion. If you look at your life from the natural perspective and human statistics this may look far from been true. But don’t forget that we live by faith and not by sensory perception. If you live your life by how you feel or what people say you will never be stable or strong as a Christian.
CONFESSION:
In Christ nothing is missing in my life. Christ is my completion. His life in me completes me.
LEARN MORE: Colossians 2:10, 2 Corinthians 5:7
Friday 6th October, 2023
KNOWING YOURSELF 5
Text: “For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Rom 5:7-8
The new creation man is the beloved of the Lord. God has lavishly bestowed his love on us. This love was demonstrated in the greatest sacrifice that anyone could have offered on behalf of another. The uniqueness of God’s love for us is that he did not even wait for us to be perfect; he loved us in our worst state as sinners. He also demonstrated his love for us by bringing us to the very class of himself – we are called sons of God. He did not call us slaves. He brought us to his very level so that we can function and operate at that same level of victory and dominion. 1 John 3:1 says “Behold, what manner of love the father bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God...” The love of God has been shed lavishly in our hearts.
Please read this carefully; if we don’t understand God’s love for us then we can never be satisfied by human love. The deepest need of man can only be satisfied by the love of God. We must understand that we are not trying to do everything right to earn God’s love. He loved us even in our sinful state. The believer is the beloved of the Lord. You are not a love starved person searching for love; you are rather a reservoir of love. God loves you so much. So many people have been deceived and abused in their search for love. Look at yourself in the mirror and declare to yourself God loves you.
If you think nobody loves you it will condition you to live like a victim rather than a victor. It may even push you to enter into wrong relationships that will further harm you. Accept God’s love for you. God is not looking for your mistakes – He loves you extremely.
PRAYER:
Thank you Lord for bestowing so much love on me. I accept your love over me as perfect and complete.
LEARN MORE: Romans 5:5, 1 John 4:9-11
Thursday 5th October, 2023
KNOWING YOURSELF 4
Text: “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” Rom 6:4
One major striking revelation of the new creation man is that “...All things has become new”. I just realised today that this scripture never grows old. Even if you became a believer fifty years ago it’s as applicable as the person who answered the altar call today. This newness is a state of our human spirit. We never grow old out of it. One major danger in the life of a Christian is to become stale in our perception of who we are in Christ. There is newness in your spirit that is real every day, every hour, every minute and every second.
When God looks at you he does not see anything in you that have connection with the “old”, whatever that could be in our individual lives. One of the strongholds in the life of many is the stronghold of the past. There are people held down by a sexual abuse, physical abuse or verbal abuse in the past. This has literally held so many hostages all their lives. In Christ “...All things have become new”, why do you have to keep running your life looking at the rear mirror. Little or no progress will be made running our lives with the eyes on the rear mirror. The image of the negative past is a prison house for the future. In Christ the prison house is broken. God has declared all things new.
It’s one thing for God to see us one way but another thing entirely for us to see ourselves in the same way. The life of a believer gets stronger, productive and stable as we acknowledge everything that is good in us. “That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.”Philemon 6. We don’t grow by acknowledging things that are wrong in us. In Christ we acknowledge what is good to grow.
PRAYER:
The prison houses of the past are broken over my life. I am free. All things have become new for me.
LEARN MORE: Colossians 3:10, Galatians 6:1
Tuesday 3rd October, 2023
KNOWING YOURSELF 2
Text: “Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.” Ps 49:20
In the next couple of days we’ll take our time to look at specific things that God says we are and made available to us as believers. From our anchor scriptures “...Understandeth not...” simply means “does not know.” If you don’t know what God says about you then you will believe what people say. You will also call yourself what circumstances say. This will be detrimental to your journey in life.
Today we are going to start from the most basic scripture that applies to every believer. 2 Cor 5:17 says “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.” The first question you must answer correctly is “Are you in Christ?” Once this has been settled every statement in that scripture is applicable to you. I want you to note that the scriptures did not say “...He’s going to be a new creature once he does everything right...” read it again. It says “...he is a new creation”. This is a present hour reality. So I can confidently say “I am a new creation”. This is completely settled in Christ. That does not necessarily mean that we know it all or do everything right. But as far as redemption is concerned we are new creations. We have a life that is completely different from what we had before we came into Christ. The old man that committed sin does not exist again. It has been nailed together with Christ on the cross. The life we have is not a refurbished life; but a new one. It never existed before. It has no record of sin or any wrong doing. This new creation life is traceable to Christ. This life has no connection with our family background or where we were born. It’s not traceable to a particular church, its traceable to Christ. This life is purely the life of Christ in a mortal man. You are a new creation. Shout it everywhere. Tell everyone you meet.
CONFESSION:
I am a new creation. My life is connected to Christ. His life has become my life. His capacity has become mine.
LEARN MORE: Psalms 82:5-8, Ephesian 4:24
Monday 2nd October 2023
KNOWING YOURSELF 1
Text: “They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course. I have said, Ye are gods...” Ps 82:5-6
I strongly believe that one advantage of knowing God is that it helps us to know ourselves. If you don’t know God personally and you don’t know yourself life will confuse you. It was easy for David to face Goliath because he knew this challenge was not bigger than God and obviously it was not bigger than him. His age and size were enough to discourage him. He also was not armed like the giant was. David knew God and he knew himself. He was small but God was big in him. David understood clearly that what defines his ability and what he could do was not necessarily his own size but the size of God.
Nothing in life should define you outside God. If you allow that to happen you will always find yourself inadequate, unqualified and unworthy. What defines your life, what you can do and how far you can go are the ability and the capacity of God in you. Don’t see yourself anymore based on your background, your level of education, your limited chain of connection, your country of residence. See yourself purely from the perspective of scriptures. See yourself based on the finished work of Christ on the cross. Knowing who you are in Christ is a major path to the fulfilment of God’s destiny for your life. The circumstances of life will paint a wrong picture of you except you have deep convictions about who God made you.
Read the following closing statements carefully and clearly:
1. You are not what people say; you are what God says.
2. God sees in you what men cannot see.
PRAYER:
Thank you Lord for what you have deposited in me. Thank you for what you have made me.
LEARN MORE: Judges 6:11-14
Sunday 1st October, 2023
KNOWING GOD
Text: “And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits” Daniel 11:32
Thank God for his faithfulness that has brought us this far in 2023. Just like yesterday this year began. I strongly believe that the grace of God that brought you this far will perfect all that concerns you as the year gradually rounds off.
The most intangible asset in the life of a believer is a personal and an intimate knowledge of God. We don’t know God as a group, we know God individually and personally. There is a limit to which the knowledge of God that someone else have can carry you. If you have someone in your life that has an intimate and personal knowledge of God it will be an advantage for you if you also follow their example to develop your own personal intimacy with God. Depending on someone else intimacy with God is not enough to handle life. As we face the issues of life it’s our personal knowledge of God that keeps us stable and confident. In the dark hours of Job he was able to stand because he knew God for himself. Listen to what he said “For I know that my redeemer liveth…” (Job 19:25). There was no way he could have depended on his friends and wife to go through that challenge.
King Saul, Eliab and the rest of the armies of Israel had zero level of the knowledge of God. If they had they would have faced Goliath by themselves. David had to depend on his personal intimacy with God. He knew God as a deliverer. That personal knowledge of God made him bold enough to face Goliath. Knowing God is far more than just going to church on Sunday. This is a knowing that brings you to the point that you are fully persuaded of his ability and his willingness on your behalf. Knowing God will require a personal pursuit of God beyond the ordinary.
PRAYER:
Lord open my heart to know you more. Open my eyes to see you more and open my ears to hear you more.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 42:1-2
Saturday 30th September, 2023
THE PROCESS OF PROGRESS
Text: “But the path of the just is as the shinning light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.” Prov 4:18
I want to highlight to you today as we close this edition a couple of steps and principles that will ensure your continues progress in life. We must appreciate that life is spiritual and to every progress we make in life there are spiritual principles that undergird them.
The first truth you must embrace is that you are designed for an unending life of progress. A life that is void of progress is a burden. In actual sense life is not stagnant; we are either going forward or going backward. If you are not making progress in life then you can as well be sure that you are moving backward. So we must accept and conclude within ourselves that it’s God’s will for us to make progress in life. We must also endorse the truth that it’s possible to make progress in life. God’s word defines possibilities for us. Isaac made progress in spite of the famine that was in his days. This is what defines possibilities for us.
Secondly, we must develop a clear vision for a life of unending progress. What you don’t have vision for will not be a reality. Without a vision we’ll settle for whatever life throws at us. A vision for progress will create an inner force or drive within you not to settle down yet; there are more mountains to conquer.
Thirdly we must recognize and appreciate whatever God has made available to us today. None of us is empty. It may be difficult to make progress if we don’t appreciate what we have today. You may not have everything but you have something. That will be the starting point of the miracles in your life. A woman was in debt and about to be taken by the creditors. She felt she had nothing; but the prophet helped her to see that a miracle can start from what she already has in her house.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I declare progress in my life. I am moving from glory to glory; from victory to victory.
LEARN MORE: 2 Kings 4:1-7, Proverbs 29:18
Friday 22nd September, 2023
SECRET PREPARATION 2
Text: “And there was there with us a young man, an Hebrew, servant to the captain. and we told him, and he interpreted to us our dreams...” Genesis 41:11
My sincere prayer is that the eyes of your understanding will open to see clearly what God is saying to us today. The reason why some may never do anything significant in their lives is that they missed the privilege to do small and seemly insignificant opportunities in life. If you are looking forward to big breaks in life then embrace the small breaks that are presented today. If you can’t handle small things what’s the assurance that you will be able to handle big things.
Interpreting the dream of the baker and the butler must have looked so insignificant in terms of what Joseph will get from these men. They were also prisoners that had nothing to pay for the service. This was actually a secret practice that prepared Joseph several years before he had the privilege of standing before Pharaoh to interpret his dreams. I’m sure that at the time he was interpreting for the prisoners he had no premonition that the same interpretation of dreams will bring him into destiny. His secret practice eventually brought him to an open manifestation.
The secret practice is God’s window of opportunity to introduce us to our ultimate destiny; it’s a privilege to have a glimpse into that which God has prepared for us from the foundation of the earth. The journey into destiny is never accidental. It’s usually unfolded gradually as we stay connected to the Spirit of God and we stay open to God’s dealings over our lives. Whatever God will do through you in a great way he will start it with you in small ways in the secret place; roll up your sleeves and get busy practicing in the secret place. Start singing and record your voice by yourself if that is your area of calling. Start in the secret; soon you will come into the open.
CONFESSION
The gift of God in me is getting stronger daily. My life is touching lives and blessing them.
LEARN MORE: Galatians 2:20, James 4:7
Thursday 21st September, 2023
SECRET PREPARATION 1
Text: “And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion and a bear…I went out after him, and smote him...” 1 Samuel 17:34-35
I’m always excited and eager to share God’s word with you on a daily basis. It’s such an awesome privilege. I’m so grateful to God for it. I saw this insight recently and I know it will inspire everyone reading today.
From several examples in scriptures, we can safely conclude that whatever God will do in our lives usually does not start in the public. Whatever God has not done through us in the secret may never come into the open. Just as a bird hides the eggs away in the secret while been developed so also God works in us and on us while he’s perfecting his work in our lives. If you are too eager to come into the open you may realize that you were not really matured for the demands of the open life.
David was going to face Goliath in the open; in the public eyes of a whole nation. No one really thought he could do it because they never saw the secret dealings that God had with David. The victory in the secret prepared him for victory in the open. There is a season in our lives when no one knows us; times when mistakes won’t cause serious consequence. This is a period when we must fully allow God to work in us so that when the opportunity presents itself, we’ll be ready for it.
David had practiced in the secret how to handle the beer and the Lion. The secret practice prepared him for the public display. If the gift of God in you will bring you before great men it must have presented you before “common” men first. If you are looking forward to standing before great men you need to start practicing before “common” men. Your days in the secret are not wasted. You are in preparation.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus the gift of God in me is finding expression where God has placed me today.
LEARN MORE: Proverbs 18:16
Wednesday 20th September, 2023
GOD WORKING IN YOU 3
Text: “And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, an, behold, he keepeth the sheep....”1 Samuel 16:11
I want to emphasise again to us today the reality of Christ in us.
God lives in us by his Spirit. Christ in us is the hope of glory. This is more than religion. This is the core issue in a believer. Christ in us.We are going to draw our lessons today from the life of David. He was the youngest of all the sons of Jesse. He was the kind of person that his Father did not consider him to be tested for the throne.
As young as David was and inexperienced from the estimate of the father God was already at work in him. Outwardly he did not look like someone qualified for the throne but inwardly God was already at work. At the end of the day what prevailed for David was that which God had prepared him for on the inside.
God works in us through his word to bring out the best in us. Just as a potter will look at clay and see something beautiful in it so also God looks at us and sees the “king” in us and not just an “ordinary shepherd boy.
”It’s possible you are not seeing anything good and significant about your life; but can you allow God to work in you and on you. By the time he’s through the glory of God will shine forth out of your life.
One major trait of God working in us is that there will be willingness to and the ability to do whatever demands are placed on us. ‘’...To will and to do.” What a privilege we all have that God is at work in us. Keep yielding yourself to God; the more we do so the more the best in our lives will also come out.
Someone may be asking how God will work in me. It’s simple; just begin to acknowledge that God is working in you. Begin to talk to God in prayer specifically about this. Yield yourself to God continually in prayer; asking him to work in you.
PRAYER:
Lord work in me by your Spirit to be all I’m supposed to be. Mould me and shape me to your own design.
LEARN MORE: Colossians 1:27, 1 John 4:4
Tuesday 19th September, 2023
GOD WORKING IN YOU 2
Text: “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. “Philippians 2:13
I strongly believe that the summary of the lives of men like Joseph, David and Daniel was that God was at work in their lives. It’s this one factor that made all the difference in the lives of these individuals. In the midst of hatred and human disappointments they all fulfilled God’s plan and purpose for their lives. Let’s take our time to explore how God was at work in the lives of these individuals as we trust God to also be at work in our lives also.
The first expression of God at work in the life of Joseph was the unveiling of God’s plans and purpose for his life. At a very tender age he began to have a glimpse into what God had in store for him. It was actually the unveiling of God’s plans for his life that got him into trouble. The course of his life was set on time. Even though his brothers could not see it; he saw it very clearly.
Knowing God’s plans and purpose for our lives is a major victory in life. It’s a major expression of seeing God at work in our lives. Once we come into this revelation life will no longer be a game of chance but a life of precision. The law of success states that the more detailed and precise we are about life the more our lives tends towards success; the less detailed and precise we are the greater the chances of getting it wrong. Life is a serious business; we cannot just afford to go wherever and do whatever comes our way. The steps of a righteous man are supposed to be ordered into destiny. This becomes easier when we have a foreknowledge of which direction our lives must be going. This was the privilege that Joseph had at a very tender age. I’m sure the brothers did not have the same privilege they wouldn’t have been that envious of Joseph. From today the Spirit of God will begin to work in your life to bring you into visions and insights.
CONFESSION:
God is working in me by his Spirit. My eyes of understanding is been opened to know God’s plans.
LEARN MORE: Ephesians 1:15-20
Monday 18th September, 2023
GOD WORKING IN YOU 1
Text: “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. “Philippians 2:13
The life of a believer is principally the life of God at work in a mortal man. Paul said “...I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the son of God...” Gal 2;20. This is how we are designed to function as believers; the life of God finding expression in our lives. The more the life of God finds expression in our lives the more we look like him and the more we become a testimony of his acts in our lives.
Seeing God at work in our lives begins from a deep understanding of the indwelling Christ. He lives in us; not just for ceremony purpose. He lives in us to carry on his life and ministry through us. The reality of Christ in us must become an overwhelming reality; it must consume you so much that you say it every day and tell everyone you meet everywhere.
God is at work in us principally because he wants to duplicate himself is us; this is the highest goal of his presence in our lives. If Christ is not been seen in your life then it means his presence in you is of no effect. One major thing that God has done to see this happen is to also put in us the Holy Spirit to help our weaknesses and exchange his ability for our frailties.
When God is allowed to truly work in us his wisdom will also find expression in our lives. Wisdom give us a sense of direction in life. We’ll know the right steps to take per time and what we should do with our lives. Believers who truly allow God to work in their lives takes steps that are beyond the natural and they get results that are beyond the limitations of this world.
Let’s conclude today by saying that when God is at work in us the limitations of this world will lose its grip on our lives; because God cannot be limited. If you are in business or a student, you’ll be doing so by the ability of God working through you.
CONFESSION
God is working in me to produce his very life in me and through me. The limitations are broken off me.
LEARN MORE: 2 Corinthians 3:5-6, Philippians 4:13
Thursday 14th September, 2023
PROTECT YOUR DREAMS AND WORDS
Text: “And his brethren said to him, shalt thou indeed reign over us? And they hated him yet more for his dreams and words.” Gen 37:8
Joseph was extremely loved by his father. He had so much privilege that were given to him, perhaps beyond what was available to his older brothers. This was already a problem for him. His brothers hated him for the preferential treatment that Joseph was given. To add salt to injury Joseph began to have dreams of becoming a leader over his brethren.
This made his brothers so furious that they began to plot his death. From that point on his life became a series of one challenge or the other.
After he was taken away from the watchful eye and caring arms of his father the only thing that kept him on was his dreams and his mouth. They hated him all the more for his dreams and his words. They took his cloths away from him, they took him away from his comfortable home, but they could not take away his dreams and his words. In the worst circumstances of life you must not allow your dreams to be taken away from you. You must also make sure that no matter what is wrong around your life you must never be wrong with your words. The challenges of life should never silence your voice. If they silence your voice, they silence your life. A closed mouth is a closed destiny.
By dreams here we simply mean the revelation of God’s plans and purpose for our lives. If you don’t know it yet you must seek God for it. If you know that already hold on to it tenaciously. Joseph prospered everywhere he went because he held on to the revelations that God showed him. Joseph did not only catch a revelation of God’s plan and purpose for his life; He began to speak in line with what God showed him. He was far from it, but with his words he channelled the course of his life towards the dream. Take charge of your life today.
PRAYER:
Lord help me to walk in the centre of your plans and purpose for my life.
LEARN MORE: Proverbs 29:18
Tuesday 12th September, 2023
CASTING STONES
Text: “So when they continued asking him he lifted up himself, and said unto them; He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” John 8:7
The irony about life is that it’s easier to see the offence of someone else than see our own offence. Most of the time we are quick to see what someone did wrong than what we did wrong. It’s an expression of the selfish nature of man.
The Woman in our story today was caught red handed in adultery. It was a grievous offence then and even now. The penalty for what she did was clear in the Law of Moses. Jesus did not give an immediate response not because he approved what the woman did, but because the approach was wrong.
Jesus asked them to cast stone at her if any of them had never sinned before. He was more or less saying judge and condemn her if you have never done anything wrong in your life before. The Bible says “And they which heard it, being convinced by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last...” John 8:9. Each of them must have realised that after all we did things that were wrong before and no one condemned us for it, so why condemn this woman. It’s important for us to know that even though God does not approve of sins, he does not condemn us, rather he offers us mercy, forgiveness and grace to go and sin no more.
God is asking me to tell you to stop casting stones at people. Stop condemning people for what you think is wrong with them. John 8:10-11 says “...Woman, where are those thine accusers? Hath no man condemned thee? Neither do I condemn thee; go and sin no more.” Even Jesus did not condemn people; why should you? Correct in love, but don’t condemn.
CONFESSION:
Lord I drop every stone of condemnation I must have thrown at other people before. From today I will treat people with love and mercy.
LEARN MORE: Matthew 7:3-5, Romans 8:1
Monday 11th September, 2023
THREE WISE THINGS
Text: “And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.” Numbers 13:30
All we are going to learn today are three things we must learn and apply to our lives on a daily basis. Each one of us was made for success. We were made for a life of absolute victory in God. Please meditate this along with me.
1. See yourself like Joshua and Caleb did – It was quite obvious that there were giants in the Promised Land. In spite of this these two men saw themselves as victors and not as victims. I want to encourage you to see that the greater one dwells in your life. See yourself as someone that can handle whatever challenge life brings your way.
2. See the possibility in God’s counsels for your life irrespective of the obvious challenges around – if it was not possible to enter the Promised Land God wouldn’t have asked them to go and spy the place. Whatever God says to you is as good as done. All that is required is your agreement.
3. See beyond where you are and what you are right now – We can have more, we can do more than we have ever done. We can be more. Life in God is not stagnant, it’s progressive. There is more to your life than what you have ever seen or experienced.
I want to ask you to break free within yourself. Christ in you makes you a victor in life. We are no longer victims of the circumstances of life. The ability of Christ has become our ability. The life of Christ has become our life. We function in his ability, his capacity and his place. In Christ we can do the impossible and accomplish the unimaginable.
CONFESSION:
There is more to my life than I have ever seen and experienced. There are possibilities all around me.
LEARN MORE: Proverbs 4:18,1 John 5:4
Sunday 10th September 2023
OVERCOMING EXCUSES
Text: “When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, wilt thou be made whole? The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.” John 5:7-8
I read a statement a couple of years back that has stuck to my heart, it says “Excuses are the tools that men with no purpose in view use in building for themselves a great monument of nothing”. Please read it over and over again. One of the signs of been a failure is to look for someone to blame for the circumstances of life. Excuses produces nothing.
This man in our anchor scripture had been in this state for years. It’s possible he really did not have anyone to help him but there could have been other means of getting to the water.
An excuse paralyses our initiative to find a way out on our own. It’s extremely difficult to get ahead in life if you make someone responsible for your life. At best you cannot go beyond what that person makes available for you. Saul gave David all the excuses why he should not attempt facing Goliath, but David knew how to deal with it.
Overcoming excuses will involve the following:
1 Understand that nothing is as difficult as they seem on the first attempt. Second and subsequent attempts will make it easier to handle the same challenge.
2 That something has not been done before does not mean it cannot start with you. Every human invention that is popular today began with someone.
3 You may never know you can do something until you give it a trial. Taking a step towards what you dread will reveal how much potential you have within you.
4 Instead of looking for reasons why something is difficult look for reasons why it is easy.
CONFESSION:
Excuses are no longer part of my language. I see possibility in every circumstance.
LEARN MORE: Proverbs 20:4; 22:13
Saturday 9th September, 2023
YOUR DEFENCE
Text: “Hast not thou made a hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? Thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.” Job 1:10
The defence around Job was so real and sure that the Devil could not penetrate. There is a hedge of defence around your life, your family and everything that belongs to you. It is a defence provided by God himself that the enemy has no clue about. How I pray that we’ll be more conscious of this defence than the attack of the enemy around us.
Beloved understand that the angels of the Lord encamp around you 24/7 watching over you day and night. It’s not your business what their names are but know beyond doubt that they are there. I have been in a car accident before that you will never believe that anyone came alive, but I came out unscratched and others with me. As believers we have come unto mount Zion and there are innumerable company of angels there (Heb 12:22).Lift up your hands and thank God for the angels watching over you.
The blood of Jesus is constantly speaking on your behalf. It’s a mark on your life that someone had taken your place in death. Christ went to the cross as your substitute and his blood is a defence on your life. We overcome by the blood of the lamb. Rev 12:11
The name of Jesus is an impenetrable defence for us. It’s a strong tower we can always run to. Every attack of the enemy must bow to that name as we engage it in prayer. The name of Jesus produces results in our mouths to the extent to which we know the person of Jesus. It’s not enough to call his name as a ritual. His name also must not be something you call in vain for every frivolous reason. When we have reference for his person the name will carry authority in our mouths.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I decree no weapon formed against me and my household will prosper. We take cover under the everlasting blood of Jesus.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 34:7, Proverbs 18:10
Friday 8th September, 2023
WAY OF ESCAPE
Text: “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye be able; but will with the temptation also make a way of escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13
Life has been so unfair to you. It seems the whole world is against you. Every attempt to move on in life has been frustrated. People you have trusted so much had disappointed you. These may be a description of your life; it may be describing your present state in life. In the midst of it all there is a way of escape for you.
A feeling that you have reached the end of the road is not of God. God is never confused about what to do in your case. He has millions of ways to get you out of that mess you are in right now.
The challenge with us is that we tend to see situations of life as bigger than God. No matter what you go through understand that there is a way of escape.
Locating a way of escape will involve the following:
1 Don’t ever give up on any issue of life. No matter how hopeless it seems. Once we give up we close up our spirit from seeing the way of escape God is providing.
2 Don’t depend on your own understanding of the situation. Make up your mind to see the situation from God’s perspective.
3 Don’t ever tell yourself that you are confused or it’s over. Our confession conditions our spirit to receive from God. Remind yourself over and over again that there is a way of escape for you.
The Spirit of God dwelling within you is a way maker. That was what helped Samson out in locating way of escape from the Philistine. Your life is a miracle in the making; let go of every intimidating thought of hopelessness. It’s satanic. Life is never hopeless in God.
CONFESSION:
There is a way of escape for me in life. Where there is no way God is making a way for me.
LEARN MORE: John 16:13-16, Judges 15:13-15
Thursday 7th September, 2023
IT’S NOT OVER
Text: “And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse.” Mark 5:26
It’s not over with you. It’s not finished, it’s not ending. It’s only a beginning with God. All things are new. If God is involved it can never be over with you. When we have done all we could in the natural and it seem nothing changed it’s easy to conclude that it’s over, but that is actually the language of the devil.
Even as you read this something is changing for you. You are closer to your miracle than you imagine. Help is coming speedily in your direction. Seasons are changing in your favour. Can you believe and declare these words over yourself.
The woman with the issue of blood had suffered so much in the hand of physicians, they had done all manner of tests on her, and she had spent so much. After all it was getting worse. It was a condition that came with all stigmas. Everyone should have given up on her-but not God.
As bad as her case was she still had a ray of hope. She saw Christ and her faith came alive. She was determined to come out of that condition. No matter what you have been through refuse to give up on your faith, it’s your lifeline to a great future. If the devil can steal your faith he has stolen everything.
Your faith is your connection to the possibilities that exist in God. Please keep it alive and active. When hope is gone life is gone; hope is the fabric that holds life together. You cannot afford to give up on your faith now. You are closer to your miracle than you can ever imagine. This woman kept her hope alive until she met Jesus; even though she had not gotten the solution from the physicians she did not give up.
CONFESSION:
It’s not over with me; God is still on the throne. He’s at work on my life. The seasons are changing in my favour.
LEARN MORE: Job 14:14, Psalm 27:13-14
Wednesday 6th September, 2023
HE HAS DELIVERED US
Text: “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear son.” Col. 1:13
The power of darkness in this scripture refers to the power of the devil himself. I want you to notice that it’s written clearly that we are delivered from the power of darkness. This is clearly stated in the past tense; it’s not something that is going to take place in the future but what has already taken place when Christ died on the cross. This is explained clearly in another scripture that says “and having disarmed the powers and authorities, he (Jesus) made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” (Col 2:15 NIV).This is a concluded battle.
The unfortunate thing is that we can spend the whole of our lives fighting the devil, going from one deliverance service to another. We tend to behave as if what Christ did was not enough. It’s an unnecessary battle. We are simply setting aside what Christ did and trying to establish our own. The scripture talks about the Israelites been ignorant of God’s righteousness and going about to establish their own (Rom 10:3).All they were required to do was to submit to God’s righteousness. It was enough.
The fight we are required to fight today is the fight of faith. This is simply appropriating what Christ has done on our behalf. The fight of faith does not say “I need deliverance”, it says “I am delivered”, and there is a big difference between the two. As we engage the reality of what Christ did on the cross we’ll see its practical display in our lives. If there are challenges in any area of your life get hold of this truth and walk in your liberty.
“So Christ has made us free. Now make sure that you stay free and don’t get all tied up again in the chains of slavery to Jewish laws and ceremonies.” Gal 5:1 (LVB). This is God’s word over your life; stand on it, declare it so in your life.
CONFESSION:
I am delivered. I am free, nothing is holding me down. No more yokes on my neck.
LEARN MORE: Colossians 2:10, Hebrews 10:14
Tuesday 5th September, 2023
ETERNAL CONSEQUENCES
Text: “Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.” Hebrews 12:16-17
Everything we do in life is a seed with eternal consequences. Whatever we do with our lives echoes in eternity; good or bad. Even when men don’t see God is watching. We have the privilege today to write the story of our eternity.
There are mistakes that are better we don’t make them at all than to make them and then try to rectify them. Even when God has forgiven us we’ll still see the effects of them around us. Some of them might stay with you forever. This is why we must allow God to get hold of our lives on time so that the chances of making such mistakes are reduced to the barest minimum or completely eliminated.
Esau should have delayed his hunger a little bit longer, at least he should have preserved his birth right. He had no value for it and then sold it away just to satisfy an urgent need. What is not enough today will soon be in excess. The value you place on your future will determine the sacrifices you make today. Don’t take decisions under pressure, look at it objectively with the eye of the Spirit, you may realise that the consequences far outweigh the benefits.
The consequences of your actions are inevitable. Live your life in such a way that you’ll not have regrets. We have an opportunity every day to determine the course of our lives. With the wisdom of God’s word we can choose right and do the right thing that will yield a great harvest in our future. The investments of today will be a definite harvest tomorrow; so be careful of what you are investing.
PRAYER:
Lord, help me by your Spirit not to live my life like Esau. Help me to place the right value on what I have.
LEARN MORE: Daniel 1:8, Genesis 39:7-9
Monday 4th September, 2023
LESSONS FROM ANTS
Text: “Go to the ant, thou sluggard; Consider her ways and be wise.” Proverbs 6:6
Honestly there is no excuse to fail in life. God has provided every means for us to learn and be all we were made to be. If you failed in school that should not make you a failure in life. I strongly felt someone will read this today that needs to brace up with life. You may not be able to undo the past but you can determine the future from now..
The Ants are so small but they teach us vital lessons about life. These small creatures succeed in very harsh conditions in spite of their smallness.
God asks us to consider their ways and be wise.
Ways of the Ants:
1. They don’t have guides, overseers or rulers but they are extremely disciplined and organised. Most of the time you will see them all following a place in a particular order. Following after one another.
2. They are persistent. They hardly give up on what they try doing. If you try to keep them off from a target prey, they will always find their way back. They don’t try once and give up as mission impossible.
3. Next time you see Ants observe them closely; you’ll notice that they always try to carry grains or food droplets that are bigger than their size. They are never intimidated by the challenge. The attempt may be slow but they will carry it. With God on our side will can attempt challenges that look bigger than us. David did this and God helped him.
4. Ants are diligent, hardworking and serious minded. They understand the concept of doing things at the right time.
CONFESSION:
I am disciplined about life. I am never intimidated by the challenges of life. I am diligent in all things.
LEARN MORE: Proverbs 24:30-34
Sunday 3rd September, 2023
GOD’S PREPARED PLACE
Text: “Behold, I send an angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.” Exodus 23:20
God has a prepared place for every one of us in life. It’s prepared already. God is not just trying to figure out what to do with our lives. He has it all figured out before we arrived here. All that it will require today is for us as individuals to follow him closely to that prepared place.
In our prepared place his hand will keep us. If we find ourselves in a strange and unprepared place we may become vulnerable and exposed. Wherever God takes us he keeps us there. In the prepared place there are divine provisions. On several occasions God sent Elijah to prepared places. At a time it was at the brook, at a time it was in the house of the widow. In each of those places his needs were met supernaturally. In the prepared place doors will open for us and favour will answer for us. These and many more are reasons why we must ensure that we are only found in the “prepared place.”
Locating the prepared place will require that we learn to follow God’s direction for our lives on a regular basis. It has to become a craving of our heart to follow God by all means. Please join me in prayer today as we express our craving to locate the prepared place.
1. Lord I want to follow you in every aspect of my life; I want to go where you want me to go and I want to do what you want me to do.
2. Lord I surrender my heart and intellect to you. Guide and lead me by your Spirit to my prepared place.
3. Lord let the holy fire burn inside me to move me out of every place that was never designed to be my “prepared place”
4. In the name of Jesus I overcome every pride and arrogance that may want me to despise or ignore my prepared place.
CONFESSION:
The Lord is guiding my steps to the prepared place of destiny.
LEARN MORE: Proverbs 3:5-6
Saturday 2rd September, 2023
RECOGNIZE YOUR PART
Text: “For as the body is one, and hath many members (parts), and all the members (parts) of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.” 1 Corinthians 12:12
I’m sure you have seen several films and movies before. They are usually made up of different parts or roles. Each of these roles are played by different individuals. There is no movie in which one single person plays all the roles. The beauty of being the movie is when each person plays their roles well. The extent to which each person understands their part and play it well will determine the success of it.
We all have different parts to play in life and each one of us must recognise and understand well our parts. Each person on a film spends days, weeks and months studying their parts in order to play it well. I want to ask you if you have even discovered your part in life; what roles did God has designed for you. The extent to which you recognize and play your part will determine your level of fulfilment in life. The parts may be different but they are well suited for individuals.
Another beautiful illustration from scriptures to understand our individual part in life is to understand the different parts of the human body. Every part of the human body is useful and significant. Even though some parts may look more obviously significant but we must understand that every part is equally significant. There is really no basis for comparing the different roles of each part; their roles are different and unique. Each part is significant to the extent of the value we place on it. Each one of us must recognize our part in life and place the right value on it. When we place value on our part and develop it there will be so much virtue coming out of it to bless multitudes. Don’t just be drawn to the “part” of others; appreciate your own too.
CONFESSION:
In the play field of life I’m a lead actor in my own life. My part is special and unique. I have a part that cannot be replaced. My part will bless others.
LEARN MORE: 1 Corinthians 12:1-30
Wednesday 30th August, 2023
BEAUTY FROM WITHIN
Text: “So God created man in his image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” Genesis 1:27
The greatest rejection in life is self-rejection. When a man or woman rejects himself it will also look as if the whole world has turned their back. Self-rejection is a tool in the hand of the devil to make an individual fall beneath God’s prearranged program for their lives. Most of the time self-rejection is as a result of looking at ourselves and judging ourselves by the standards of this world. Every form of self-rejection is as a result of seeing ourselves wrongly based on human perspectives.
If you look at your life from God’s perspective you’ll see that you have so much that is worth of celebrating in your life. God did not mass produce us. He took time to work on each one of us to a specification that fits his ultimate program and purpose for our lives. Each one of was uniquely packaged and designed for a unique destiny in God. The reason why you don’t look like your popular movie star is because your course in life is completely different. It’s the purpose of a product that determines its design and make up. God never made a flop; your design was perfect for his plans and purpose for your life. You may not fit in to what society wants you to look like; but you are perfect for what God wants you to be. This is all that matters. David said “Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb.” (Ps 139:13 Message Bible).
Beauty is not just a function of the skin or your pointed nose. It’s function of an inner persuasion of who God made you and what God made you. Once you begin to see yourself this way there is a beauty that will not just come from your make-up but from the inside. If your beauty is based on make-up then what happens when you wash it off? You were made in God’s image; you are beautiful.
CONFESSION:
I’m beautiful. I’m the best of my type God ever made. I’m perfect for my purpose in life.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 139:13-18
Tuesday 29th August, 2023
LIVING IN POSSIBILITIES
Text: “But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, with men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” Matt 19:26
The life of a believer is the life of God. We have his life in us. The ability of God resides in our spirit; the capacity of Christ is functioning inside us. The life of God is a life of possibilities. There were several individuals in the Bible who had almost impossible cases; but the possibilities of God answered for them.
It was medically impossible for Sarah to conceive at such an advanced age. But thank God that the possibilities of God answered for her. The red sea was scientifically impossible to cross by the Jews; the possibility of God answered for them. The wall of Jericho was physically an impossible wall to surmount. It was so wide and so strong that the Jews could never have gone into the city. God’s possibilities made a way for them. Mary initially questioned the possibility of a woman getting pregnant without a man. The angel had to explain to her “For with God nothing shall be impossible.” (Luke 1:37). We can go on and on to see the possibilities of God in the face of human impossibilities.
This is the realm that God wants us to live as a way of life. As we interact closely with God challenges will begin to shrink in proportion compared to the possibilities of God available to us. Daniel had walked closely with God to the point that he knew it was possible to interpret the dream of the King. All the magicians in the land had failed; but he understood the possibilities of God. The three (3) Hebrew boys understood cleanly that with God it was impossible to burn in the furnace. David saw the possibilities of God as he was facing Goliath; King Saul and his men could not see it.
We live in possibilities as we see God in everything. We must make this conscious decision to focus purely on God in everything. The more we see God the more we see possibilities. He’s our healer, he’s our provider and he’s our way maker.
CONFESSION:
There is a divine possibility in every aspect of my life. I see God in every issue of my life.
LEARN MORE: Genesis 18:10-14, Isaiah 32:27
Monday 28th August, 2023
LIVING IN GRACE
Text: “And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” John 1:16-17
Let us learn about grace again today. Grace is the manifestation of divine life in a mortal man. This is the ability of God that comes to help a helpless man. Humanity was sold out legally in sin. We were dead to sin and helpless about it. There was nothing anyone of us would have done to save ourselves. The program of salvation was purely a divine process void of human contribution. All that man needed to do was to receive this provision and submit to it as the only way out.
Living in grace simply means living in the awareness, assurance and confidence of the grace of God made available to us. If we don’t live this way there will be so much limitations in our lives that will forever be an uphill task to overcome. The alternative to living by grace is living by our own efforts; it will never be enough. It will never measure up. The best of human effort is shallow and inadequate to satisfy divine requirements.
Living by grace is living by the ability of God that helps us to choose right and to live right. Living by grace is never an excuse to act against God. It’s actually a humble response of gratitude to please the one who has lavished so much on us. The grace of God lavished on us by the cross is far beyond human comprehension. The depth of this grace is so deep that it will take the whole of eternity to explore it.
Grace is the outworking of the ability of God in a mortal man. With this grace at work in our lives we’ll do that which ordinarily would had been beyond us. With this grace at work in our lives we’ll go beyond the status quo and break new records in the Spirit. I see God doing great things in your life and through your life.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus we declare that I function in the grace of God in every aspect of my life. I declare that the ability of God is expressed in all that I do.
LEARN MORE: John 1:16, 1 Corinthians 15:10
Sunday 27thAugust, 2023
INNER CONVERSATION
Text: “For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.” Mathew 9:21
The most powerful conversation in life is the unspoken inner conversation that is going on within us. The spoken conversation is actually an expression of the inner conversation. Inner conversation is the same as heart meditation going on in our hearts. This could be positive or negative.
From our anchor scripture you will notice that the woman with the issue of blood had an inner conversation with herself; her miracle was concluded within her. The greatest conflicts in our lives are the one that is going on within us. What people say to us is not as powerful as what we say to ourselves. What people say to you only becomes powerful when it becomes an internal conversation and disposition.
She concluded what the outcome of life should be right within her. She needed no external input as to what the outcome will be. This is a way in which we take control of our lives without allowing external influence to determine the course of our lives. If you don’t take charge of your life from within there will be too much external influences to send you on a wrong course in life. Before this woman had an encounter with Jesus the external influences of the physicians had not helped her in any way; she had come to a point in her life where she had to stir the wheel of her life in the direction she wanted.
Whatever thoughts you accept and embrace will automatically become an internal conversation that will channel the course of your life. The mouth speaks from the abundance of inner conversation. Set your heart on the word and let it become your inner conversation. It will begin to channel your course in life and set you on the right path of destiny.
CONFESSION:
Lord we ask that Christ may reign and rule over every life reading this devotional on a daily basis.
LEARN MORE: Proverbs 4:23, Luke 6:45
Saturday 26th August, 2023
PERSONAL RESOLVE
Text: “For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.” Matthew 9:21
We are learning again today from the account of the woman with the issue of blood. If you read the story carefully you will notice that her miracle was personally provoked. Jesus was on his way somewhere else on invitation to minister to someone else. The woman with the issue of blood was not in his written schedule for that day. Jesus did not even know she was there. Considering her condition someone would have prevented her from getting close to Jesus. It was her personal resolve of faith that gave her the victory.
If we are waiting for people to give us way in life we may remain in the same spot all our lives. There were so many people that day touching Jesus; her touch was different. It was a touch that was borne out of a heart-seated desire to experience a change.
If she had waited for someone to make that decision for her life would have remained the same for her. Everyone there that day were following Jesus for their own personal need. Her resolve was not a group discussion with anyone. She needed no human opinion to receive her miracle. I’m sure that if she had consulted people around her someone would have rehearsed to her how so many physicians had failed her for twelve years.
We must be able to draw the line in life of when it will be required to consult people and when it’s only God we should consult. If you are depending on public opinion to move up in life you will not do much with your life. We must believe so much in God and in our God given purpose that we can take steps in that direction without minding public opinion.
Life is principally a function of personal commitment and responsibility. If you don’t take responsibility for your life nobody will. You don’t have anyone to blame for the outcome of your life. It’s purely a product of your personal resolves.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus, I take a decision today to be all I was created to be. I take a personal resolve to reach forth to all that God has in store for me.
LEARN MORE: Philippians 3:12-14
Friday 25th August, 2023
DIVINE ESCAPE
Text: “Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we are escaped.” Ps 124:7
This is one of the scriptures that should always set you in a celebration mood. Even as I write I can feel a sound of joy and rejoicing in my spirit. I have personally experienced a divine escape in my life. So many to mention all. I was once in ghastly car accident along with my siblings; our soul escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowler. One faithful day I was travelling for an official assignment in a public transport and just like we watch in a film the car suddenly tumbled several times; I need not tell you that my soul escaped.
God sent me today to tell you that the seal of escape is already on your forehead. There is a mark of touch not on your life. it does not matter in what situation you find yourself there will be a divine escape in your life. The blood of Jesus has been shed to set us apart and make us a no go area for the enemy.The “snare” we are talking about is not a physical one. They are traps set up by the enemy to get us. It could be a sexual trap, it could be an offence trap, it could be a financial trap. Whatever it could be your soul will escape.
I want you to note carefully from our opening scripture that the snare is broken already. It has lost its capacity to hold you down. Don’t ever act like a victim. It has been divinely determined that no weapon formed against you shall prosper. This has to become your understanding and confession.
My soul is escaped from the snaresThe snare is broken alreadyThe snare has lost its relevance on your life. Whoever sets the snare will by themselves fall into it. Haman was hanged on the gallows he had prepared for the Jews. The men that conspired against Daniel were thrown into the den. Your soul is escaped.
CONFESSION:
Father thank you for the snare has been broken over my life. Thank you, Lord, for the escape of my soul.
LEARN MORE: Esther 7:4-10, Isaiah 54:17
Thursday 24th August, 2023
THE RIGHT ADVISE
Text: “Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with scoffers.” Psalm 1:1 (NLT)
Several months ago someone shared her story with me of how she got into a wrong relationship out of the advice of her friends; not really because she wanted to. At that point in her life she knew it was not a right thing to do. She specifically told me that she took the step just to satisfy her friends; but thank God along the line she learned her lessons and came out of it.
At one time or the other in life someone will come along the line to offer us their advice. Whatever advice we take will either affect us positively or negatively. This is why we must be spiritually sharp enough to know that the advice is a right one. In this edition we saw how the wife of Job gave him an advice to curse God. Advices will always come.
1. The step or decision someone is asking you to take must be consistent with the revealed word of God. The word of God is the will of God. Whatever is not consistent with God’s word can never be God. This will require that each one of us must personally know God’s word.
2. The advice must be such that will bring glory and honour to the name of the Lord. This should be the ultimate goal our lives. Once this becomes our goal then it will be easy to shift a right advice from a wrong one.
3. Whatever is not of eternal value is eternally useless. The worth of anything that we are doing must be measured in terms of eternity. If it has no relevance in eternity then it might not just be something worth doing.
4. Will this ever make my life a testimony and a worthy example for other believers to follow? We don’t just live for ourselves; we live to mirror Christ to other people and everything that we do is done with that goal. Please use these to weigh every advice.
PRAYER:
Lord I live by your counsels alone in everything. I have a heart of discermnet.
LEARN MORE: Proverbs 1:8-16
Saturday 19th August, 2023
HELPED BY THE SPIRIT
Text: “And Pharoah said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?” Genesis 41:38
There are several people in scriptures that had extraordinary lives. They all went through several challenges in life that naturally would have destroyed them but they came out of it stronger and victorious. What was that major factor that made the difference in their lives? What was it that they had that others did not have? These are the questions we want to answer in this article today.
Joseph had one of the most difficult task to handle. He needed to interpret the dream of the king and also provides the answer. According to Pharaoh there is none that can interpret it. All the magicians and wise men of the land had tried to no avail. At the end of the day Joseph was able to interpret it and also provide the solution. Then Pharaoh gave his response “...Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?” (Gen 41:38). The interpretation was purely done by the Spirit of God. This placed Joseph on the throne in a foreign land. Someone is reading this; this is your time of supernatural enthronement. The Spirit of God in the next seven weeks will take you to a place you never thought you could get to in seven years. It will be so dramatic that celebration will never cease in your life. Joseph was helped by the Spirit.
The Philistines were out to completely destroy Samson. Several strategies were devised to get him destroyed. In each of the cases he came out victorious. It was not because he was a giant; there is no reference in scriptures that said he was a giant. He was just an ordinary person like every other person. It was the anointing of the Spirit on his life that helped him. According to him if he’s shaven and the anointing of the Spirit is lifted he will become like an ordinary man. We can go on and on to give several examples of great exploits in scriptures. It was all because this people were helped by the Spirit of God.
PRAYER:
Lord I open my heart and my life to the help of your Spirit in every area of my life.
LEARN MORE: Judges 14:5-6; 16:8-9, Acts 26:22
Friday 18th August, 2023
EMPOWERED BY THE SPIRIT
Text: “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea...” Acts 1:8
We are taking our time today to look closely at the place of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The Spirit of God plays a major role in our journey into destiny. The Spirit of God is God’s number one promise to the believer (Gal 3:14).
The Spirit of God has come to empower us to be all we are created to do and to become all we are created to become. Jesus categorically told the disciples that it was important and necessary for him to go away so that he might sent the Holy Spirit to them. John 16:7 Says “...It’s expedient for you that I go away: for I go not away, the comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.” Why was Jesus saying this? Jesus was literally responsible in handling issues for the disciples. Every time there was a challenge they ran to him; but now it was necessary for each of them to be equipped to function exactly like Jesus would have functioned. It was necessary for each of them to become responsible to handle the same issues that Jesus was handling. This was why it was expedient (Necessary, Important) for him to go away so that the Holy Spirit can come and reside inside each of the disciples.
This is the same thing that has happened to us. For every one of us that are filled with the Holy Spirit we are empowered by the Spirit to function and operate in the place of Jesus. We are empowered to walk in victory and dominion. This is why you should never see yourself as a victim but as a victor in life. The Spirit of God has come to channel our course into all that God has programmed for us from the foundation of the earth. We are not on the disadvantaged side of life. We are highly privileged.
PRAYER:
Father thank you for the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life. Thank you for empowering me by your Spirit to fulfil destiny.
LEARN MORE: Micah 3:8, Acts 10:38
Thursday 17th August, 2023
PRACTICE OF SIN
Text: “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary the one to the other; so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.” Galatians 5:17
The penalty of sin has been paid; the power of sin has been broken. The challenge with all of us is that the flesh wants to be in control. The flesh wants to walk against what we know is right and godly. The flesh is constantly at war with the spirit. When the flesh is allowed to rule then the practice of sin sets in.
This is where our personal responsibility comes in. If sin will not lord itself over us then we must take some definite steps. The first of them is to stop every excuse for sin in our lives. Some will say “everybody is doing it”, it may sound logical, but that kind of thinking will keep sin alive in your life. We are not supposed to follow everybody; we are supposed to look up to Christ as our perfect example.
Secondly we must make choices that are consistent with godly living. I heard a statement years back that really helped me to live right, it says “You cannot feed your mind on junk and expect to be a treasure”. What you watch, what you listen to have a major impact on your life as a believer. Some have become addicted to immoral thoughts and practice as a result of wrong films and music they have been exposed to.
Thirdly, we must ensure that our source of advice in life is right. The kind of environment we spend our time matters. If you spend your time with ungodly friends and influences it will be easier for sin to gain control over your life. David said “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful”. Psalm 1:1
Lastly don’t cover sin in your life. Expose it to God in prayer and bring it under the blood of Jesus.
CONFESSION:
Grace is at work in me to make godly choices. No more excuses for sin in my life.
LEARN MORE Proverbs 28:13, 1 John 1:8-10
Wednesday 16th August, 2023
POWER OF SIN
Text: “For sin shall not have dominion over you; for ye are not under the law, but under grace.” Romans 6:14
The sacrifice of Christ on the cross did not only pay the penalty of sin but also delivered us from the dominion of sin. The power of sin has been broken. We don’t have to live as slaves any more under its control and influence. The word of God becomes a reality in our lives as we align our thoughts and confession with the word.
From our anchor scripture it has been declared and settled that “sin shall not have dominion over you...” There shouldn’t be any debate at all whether or not we can live above sin or not. The word of God has settled it for us. So if you are still thinking that there are some things that are beyond you and you cannot stop doing them; then that is a lie of the devil which you must reject. If you are born again the power of sin is broken already on your life. Can you stop that argument and just submit to the authority of the word of God over your life.
Living above sin begins from the understanding that the penalty has been settled already,
then we must also understand that the power or dominion of sin has been broken over our lives. If you don’t understand and accept this truth sin will take advantage of you. It will be so easy to allow and give excuses for sin in our lives. Don’t ever accept the lie of the devil that no one can live above sin. If you accept that lie you will live as a victim all your life.Under the law the people were given set of rules to follow but they were not empowered from within to keep them. But for us today we are under grace. Grace is divine enablement. Grace is not an excuse to sin but an enablement not to sin. Walk in the light you have received today and let grace find expression in your life.
CONFESSION:
The power of sin has been broken over my life. I am not a victim to sin, but a victor over sin. The grace of God is at work in me.
LEARN MORE:
Sunday 13th August, 2023
AN EMPTY MAN 1
Text: “This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.” Psalm 34:6
I was so blessed reading this account of David and I want to share it with you today. David referred to himself as “...this poor man...” How on earth was he a poor man? Religion will read this and say “why should anyone be rich since David was a poor man.” As usual religion is a shallow and incomplete understanding of God’s word.
By all standards David was a rich man. He was the great King over Israel. He provided for the building of the temple. He was never a poor man. The expression of being a poor man is an expression that describes an attitude or a state of his heart. Jesus said “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matt 5:3. A “poor man” here describes a man that has emptied himself of himself. A man who has created enough room in himself for God to fill. When we are full of our self we leave no room for God to occupy in our lives.
If you still feel you know how to run your life then you are full of yourself. Such an attitude leaves God handicapped over our lives.God wants to fill us with his wisdom, grace, ideas and all the virtues we require to make a success of our sojourn on earth. If you are full then you cannot be filled. David was a man that was sold out to God. He was so dependent on God that he will pray three times a day and praise God seven times a day. His expectations were solely from God. He had come to a point in his life that he realised that except God builds a life it’s a waste of time trying to do so. Empty yourself of pride and ego; it will rob you of God’s ultimate plan for your life. Let there be more room in your life for God to occupy.
PRAYER:
Lord take the place that is yours in my life. I declare that my spirit, soul and body are your habitation. Work in me and work through me to the glory of your name.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 127:1-2
Saturday 12th August, 2023
MIND IN EGYPT
Text: “Is not the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.” Exodus 14:12
The Israelites were in Egypt for over four hundred and thirty years. It was a great deliverance for them to have come out of the grip of Pharaoh. It was not an easy task. Pharaoh did everything possible to stop them from going. It took the miraculous hand of God to bring them out. As soon as they got their freedom and were in the wilderness they began to complain and murmur. They actually said it was better to have been left in Egypt just because they encountered some challenges.
I want you to read this very carefully. This people had been free physically speaking from Egypt, but they were not free mentally. Their bodies were out of Egypt but their minds were still there. God was trying to move them forward but they were moving backwards in their minds. They had stayed so long in Egypt that it had conditioned their minds. This is also the same challenge that believers face. We have been so accustomed to the world and its ways of doing things that it keeps controlling our lives even now that we have been saved from sin.
This is exactly what Apostle Paul was talking about when he said we should not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds. We are in the world but not of the world. Our way of thinking and reasoning must be completely different from that of this world. This is the only way our lives will be different from that of this world. Next month we’ll take our time to look closely at the subject of renewing the mind. Stay glued to your “Inspiration”. Thank you for reading with me this month. I love you.
CONFESSION
I don’t belong to this world anymore. My spirit, soul and body are delivered from the pattern of the world.
LEARN MORE: Romans 12:1-2
Friday 11th August, 2023
HELPED DAY BY DAY
Text:” For at that time day by day there came to David to help him, until it was a great host, like the host of God.”1 Chronicles 12:22
Nobody becomes great overnight. It’s the summation of what happens day by day that becomes a lifetime of greatness. If we are going to end up great in life we need a portion of help day by day. The help of yesterday is not enough for today, the help of today will be grossly inadequate for tomorrow. The help on the job is not the same for our health or our marriage. We need to know how to connect to help on a daily basis.
If you rely on yesterday’s help for today you may find yourself in a fix. Neither should you depend on the help of today for tomorrow. No matter how much help you have seen before you need fresh help on a daily basis for fresh victories.
This understanding will help us to maintain our dependence on God. Once we begin to feel we did it yesterday or last year we can do it again on our own then we are setting ourselves up for defeat.Failure in life starts where God’s help stops. As we receive God’s help day by day we’ll also grow from glory to glory, strength to strength and success to success until like Isaac we become “very great”. Genesis 26:13
We connect to God’s help as we maintain a vibrant and consistent communion with the Holy Spirit .We must also learn how to acknowledge God in everything. Don’t ever assume you can do anything on your own. You must live a life of absolute dependence on God. It’s the absolute dependence on God that draws help in your direction.
*PRAYER:
Lord I need your help today. There is nothing I can do on my own. Lord let your help be available for me again today. Do that which only you can do in my life today.
LEARN MORE: Proverbs 3:5-6, John 15:5
Thursday 10th August, 2023
FULL OF GRACE
Text: “And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace.” John 1:16
When you look at yourself and all that has to do with you what do you see? Do you see a poor person that is always asking for help from others? That will be a very wrong picture of you. it does not matter who you are and what you are going through; that picture is not true about you. if that’s all you see about yourself it will limit how far you can go and what can be accomplished through your life. your life as a believer is defined by the word of God; not by the standards of this world.
Let’s look at you from the perspective of scriptures: The scripture tells us that of Christ fullness we have received and grace for grace. So, we can conveniently say that so much grace has been poured upon our lives. We are recipients of the grace of God. The dimension of grace that we have is from the “fullness of Christ”, Verse 14 of John One tells us that Christ was full of grace. By extension we are also full of grace. We have received out of his fullness; we cannot pretend that we have received nothing. It will be false humility to keep talking and behaving as someone that has nothing. Nothing of this world can compare with the fullness of grace in Christ that has been poured on our lives. We must begin to brag on what God has given us. When the world is bragging on what they have acquired we should be bragging on the grace of God that we have received.
To crown it up the grace we have received should begin to find expression in us and through us. We are channels of God’s grace on the earth. This becomes possible as we recognise that we are also filled with the grace of God. Just as the grace of God cannot be exhausted so also the grace of God will keep flowing through us as we allow it.
CONFESSION:
I have received the grace of God in abundance. The grace of God is working in me and through me. I’m a channel of God’s grace. I’m full of grace.
LEARN MORE: Romans 5:17, 1 Corinthian 15:10
Wednesday 9th August, 2023
FAITH UNDER ATTACK
Text: “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.” Daniel 3:17
The number one target of the devil in any life is our faith. Each time you are faced with an issue in your life your faith is under attack. The devil does not mind allowing you to go to church and do all the necessary spiritual activities as long as he can succeed in keeping your faith very weak and ineffective. The strength of our faith is the strength of our lives.
The signs that your faith is under attack will include the following:
1. When we begin to doubt the faithfulness of God over our lives. This will weaken your resolve to hold on to God.
2. When the words of our mouths becomes more of murmuring and complaining rather than giving glory to God in the midst of that challenge we are facing.
3. When you find yourself talking more of the problem than you talk about the possibility that exist in God. This is a clear indication that your focus is more on the problem.The three (3) Hebrew boys came under a severe attack on their faith. The enemy was ready to reduce all they believed to ashes. Thank God these boys understood what was going on. They stood their ground and their faith prevailed. When you faith fails your life fails and the enemy will rejoice over you. I want to encourage you to work on your faith and watch over your faith. The measure of your faith is the measure of your life.
No matter what you do don’t give up on your faith; don’t give up on God’s counsels for your life. I spoke with a friend recently; she was married for eleven (11) years before she had a baby. All efforts to have a baby failed. She did several IVF but all failed. There were several attempts to get her to consider diabolical means but she stood her ground. According to her she refused to give up on her faith. Her baby boy is over a year old now.
DECLARATION:
I will not give up on God. I will not give up on his counsels for my life.
LEARN MORE: Romans 4:17-21
Tuesday 8th August, 2023
BEAUTY DECEPTION 2
Text: “But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance (Beauty), or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as men seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance (Beauty), but the LORD looketh on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7
The land that Abraham took did not have any external physical features that will be good, but it ended up being the best place. At the end of the day Lot lost so much in that land and even lost his wife in the “well-watered land.
Beauty deception is when our decisions are based on the physical appearance of issues without consideration for the inward appearance not obvious to the physical eyes. Prophet Samuel almost made this same error. He was going to make a decision based on the outward appearance. His focus was on the stature of those guys and not necessarily what they had in their hearts. Decisions that are made based on external beauty or what is portrayed externally most times will be wrong. We must see beyond the external beauty of a person to what lies beneath the skin. The greatest value of a man or woman does not come from the external beauty but rather from the inner beauty
# Many people have been deceived into wrong marriages because of the outward display
# Many have lost precious resources on business proposals that looked so good on the outside initially.
# it’s better to marry someone with a beautiful heart than someone with a beautiful face alone.
Life is all about making choices but we must be sure that our choices and decisions are never made based on outward appearance. Each time you have a major decisions to make you must take your time to wait upon God to help you see beyond the obvious. The physical senses are not good enough to channel your course.
CONFESSION:
My eyes will not deceive me. I will always be open for the Lord to show me what the physical eyes cannot see.
LEARN MORE: Genesis 13:8-18
Monday7thAugust,2023
BEAUTY DECEPTION 1
Text: “But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance (Beauty), or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as men seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance (Beauty), but the LORD looketh on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7
We’ll start our lesson from a basic understanding of what we mean by the word “Beauty”. In our context today “Beauty” means the following.
1. Beauty means the outward appearance of events.
2. Beauty means the external features that are obvious to the physical eyes
3. Beauty also connotes a face-value presentations of issues
I want us to pause a bit from the story of David and focus briefly on the account of Abraham and Lot. “And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah…” Gen 13:10. As far as Lot was concerned he was making a choice of the best land ahead of his uncle Abraham. He must have felt very smart making that choice. According to scriptures, the place was “….well watered….” That was all Lot could see with his physical sight. But what he did not see was that that land will soon be destroyed. It’s important for us to realize that “Not all that glitters is gold and not all that is gold glitters.” We therefore cannot afford to make decisions solely based on how things look outwardly. There are so many things that are hidden from our physical sight. A very handsome and caring man today might turn to a monster tomorrow. It’s okay to have such a man, but don’t base all your decision on that. There are deeper issue than what our physical can see. A business proposal may look so nice and enticing but see beyond the papers.
DECLARATION:
My physical eyes will not deceive me. I will see beyond the physical. I will see in the Spirit always.
LEARN MORE: Proverbs 31:30
Sunday 6th August, 2023
JUDGE GOD FAITHFUL
Text: “Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.” Hebrews 11:11
Sarah is a character in the Bible that we can learn so much from. Her testimony has encouraged so many people around world. If you study her story carefully you’ll notice that initially when she was told that she will have a baby in her old age she “laughed” over it. This was laughter of impossibility. But along the line she came to her senses. She must have spoken to herself.
She received strength to conceive. This was obviously a supernatural strength. This was something beyond herself. There was no medical explanation to her conception and delivery. She came to a point that she decided to believe God for the impossible against all odds. A miracle is something that is beyond human explanation. This will be the order of the day in your life from henceforth. Things that eyes has not seen before nor ears heard before will be the order of the day in your life. We must trust God for the impossible in our lives also. God is still in the business of doing the impossible and changing situations.
The scripture tells us that she “judged God faithful”, to judge means to “look at the circumstances and draw a conclusion”, her conclusion was God is faithful. Her conclusion was completely different from that of Job’s wife. She saw possibilities in God. She knew God was more than enough to handle the situation. This is a practical step of faith that God wants us to follow in life. Sarah’s conclusion was not because circumstances were right but because God was right. This attitude and response to life will give us a lot of rest in life. It will help you to get stronger in the face of adverse situations and circumstances. God is faithful no matters what happens; it’s God’s faithfulness that will that will change the circumstances around our lives. Circumstances may change, people may change, and government policies may change but God remains faithful – unchanging, no shadow of turning.
CONFESSION:
I conclude today that God is faithful. No matter what I go through God is faithful.
LEARN MORE: 1 Corinthian 1:9, James 1:17
Friday 4th August, 2023
SATANIC ADVICE
Text: “Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? Curse God, and die.” Job 2:9
In the next couple of days we’ll take our time to study carefully the life of different women in the Bible. Each of these women had tremendous impact on the lives of their husbands and people around them. Some positive while others negative. Please read carefully.
Job had one of the most tragic losses in history. He lost his children and everything precious to him all in one day. The climax of it all was that he became terribly sick. If we are judging it naturally it will be right to question God about all that happened. At this point in the life of Job he needed all the encouragement he required to face his challenges. The closets person that should have offered this encouragement was his wife. But the wife failed to do that.
This woman did not see God as the way out. She saw God as being responsible. Her conclusion was “what’s the use serving God anyway.” Obviously this was a very wrong perspective of the challenge Job was going through. What happens to us in life is not really as important as how we respond to them. Job’s wife’s response was clearly a wrong one. Whatever we go through in life is never the end of the road. “Curse God and die...” is one of the most ungodly advices anyone could offer. It’s better to bless God and live. No matter what we go through we must learn to acknowledge God in praise in the midst of it. He knows exactly how to bring us out of whatever challenge we are facing today.
As I close today let me remind you that God made a way in the red sea in the past. He brought down the walls of Jericho. He can do all that again in our lives; He will bring us out of that challenge. Don’t listen to Job’s wife advice. It’s a satanic one. This woman was going through the grief of loss too and wasn’t the right channel of advice at this point.
DECLARATION:
Lord I declare that you are God in every situation of life. I declare that you are my way out.
LEARN MORE: 1 Corinthians 10:13
Wednesday 2nd August, 2023
WALLS OF HUMAN OPINION
Text: “And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and Eliab’s anger was kindled against David, and he said. I know thy pride. And the naughtiness of thine heart….”1 Samuel 17:28
Let’s state from the onset that the most important and final opinion about your life is God’s opinion. Every time we want to take a step in life we’ll always have other people who will give us their opinion on it. This is not completely wrong as long as the opinion is right. If you accept men’s opinion above God’s opinion it will constitute a “wall” that will stop you.
In the story above Eliab’s opinion about David was completely wrong. If David had listened to his elder brother he would have gone down the drain like every other person. It’s unfortunate that a lot of times we are controlled in life by the opinions of people who are so important to us.Every human opinion about us must be compared with God’s opinion about us. Anyone is free to give their opinion about you but you must never be controlled by it.
David was not acting out of pride, he was simply responding to divine promptings. It does not matter what someone says about you, as long as your heart is right with God and you want to please Him.
We must also be careful what opinions we have of other people; it could determine success or failure for someone. Parents for example should be careful about their opinion of their children. Most of the time our opinions are expressed in our words. That a child failed a particular exam or subject does not make the child a failure.
Perhaps someone had said you are good for nothing, in Christ you are good for everything.Where men say you will not reach you will go beyond it, what men say you will never do; you will overdo.God’s word is the perfect opinion about you.
CONFESSION:
I refuse to live by Men’s wrong opinion about me. I receive God’s opinion as final in my life. That is the only thing that is true.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 139:14, Philippians 4:13
Thursday 3rd August, 2023
WALLS OF SIN
Text: “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid...” Rom 6:1-2
I want to remind you that when we talk about “walls” we are talking of barriers. Whatever hinders our progress and stops us from becoming all we can become is what we refer to as “walls”. The good news about all these is that we have the God-given right to deal with such “walls”. We are not victims in life but victors.
Sin could be a major “wall” in our lives. It’s a “wall” that we must scale by the forces of the Spirit. Sin is a sinker; it has always sunk great destinies. There is no way a man will live in sin and still expect the grace of God to keep finding expression. Living in sin is taking on the nature of the devil. Whatever sin we don’t stop on time will eventually stop our progress and prevent the outworking of grace in our lives.
Samson was a highly anointed man. He was anointed right from the womb. He was heavily equipped by the Spirit to defeat the Philistines. There was no physical means by which the Philistines would have captured Samson. Every attempt on his life failed until he lost his anointing on the lap of an adulterous woman. That became a barrier for his progress in the anointing. It will not really the Philistines that captured him but his promiscuous living.
Sin majorly cuts off the flow of communication between the Holy Spirit and the recreated human spirit. We all need a clean heart and a clear conscience to receive guidance and instructions for our lives. Divine warning against sin is not because God does not want us to enjoy our lives but because He wants to position us for a glorious life in which the devil is no longer a factor in our lives. Wherever sin reigns the doors are widely opened for the enemy to kill, steal and destroy whatever is good in our lives. Engage the grace of God in your life to live above every sin.
CONFESSION:
The power of sin is broken over my life. The grace of God is working in me to live above sin. I’m not a victim but a victor over sin.
LEARN MORE: Romans 6:14, Titus 2:11-12
Tuesday 1st August, 2023
WALLS OF HATRED
Text: “And his brethren said to him, shalt thou indeed reign over us? Or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet for his dreams, and for his words.” Genesis 37:8
Happy New Month. I love the story of Joseph. There is so much to learn from his walk with God. Joseph is someone that would have been stopped by the hatred of men. Everything in the natural was pointing to a life that will end in disaster. As soon as he discovered that God has a plan for his life all hell broke loose on him. It was as if he became the prime target of the enemy. None of this was able to stop what God programmed for him from the foundation of the world.
His blood brothers that have should assisted him were the one who plotted his destruction. In the house of Portiphar the venom of hatred was poured on him. Joseph did not allow any of this to stop him. It was not really because he did something wrong. It was actually because he got something right; he discovered God’s purpose and he refused to defile himself. You may be hated for doing what is right. You may be hated for walking in God’s purpose.
In the midst of such hatred we must keep our eyes fixed on God. If you focus on the hatred and what someone is doing against you it will be difficult to focus on what is the priority of your destiny. There is really no point fighting the hatred of men; that will place you on the same low level with them. The best fight to engage is the fight of faith in the word of God and on your knees. Nehemiah was hated by a group of men that wanted to stop the project he was handling. He simply ignored them and focused on what he was doing and becoming. The ultimate goal of hatred is to make you lose focus and abandon your journey into destiny. Keep your focus. No one can stop you if you don’t give them the permission.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I keep my focus on my destiny intact. I refuse to be discouraged by what people do.
LEARN MORE: Nehemiah 4:1-23, Hebrews 13:6
Monday 31st July, 2023
WALLS OF INSUFFICIENCY
Text: “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.” 2 Corinthians 3:5
I don’t have enough money to start the business. There is no one to sponsor my education. I don’t have the talents to become great. I’m in a situation that I don’t know exactly what to do. These are statements we must have all made in our lives before or still making. It’s a natural thing to look at the circumstances of our lives and make such conclusions.
Many great people in the past also made such statements at the beginning of God’s dealings with them. The pattern that God follows is that he does not expect us have everything before setting out. Moses was selected to confront Pharaoh and he began to express his insufficiency. “I am of slow tongue, i don’t know how to talk.” Jeremiah was been commissioned as a prophet to the nation and then he told God that he was a child. He was more or less saying I don’t have what it takes to do what you are asking me to do. Gideon looked at his family background and concluded that he did not have what it takes to become what God was saying.
A close look at all these will show that “Insufficiency” is an act of looking at ourselves and not looking at God. As long as we are looking at ourselves there will always be something that is “too small”, “too little”, and “not enough”. God had to help these individuals to overcome that sense of insufficiency. It would have been a “wall” that stopped God’s purpose for their lives. If all you will do and accomplish in life will depend on you so many things will forever be above you.
Paul understood clearly that God is our sufficiency. God is enough for everything. He has all it takes to accomplish whatever He’s asking us to do. God is big enough. God is rich enough. God is wise enough. He is the el-shadai; the multi-breasted God. TRUST HIM.
CONFESSION:
God is my sufficiency. In Him I have all it takes to fulfil destiny. Im not in any way disadvantaged.
LEARN MORE: Exodus 4:10, Jeremiah 1:5-10
Sunday 30th July, 2023
WALLS OF FEAR
Text: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me...” Psalm 23:4
Fear has always been a major “wall” that stops many from being all they want to be. It has stopped the great and the small before. Fear is an inner assurance that what is wrong will eventually happen. It’s a feeling that the worst will happen. It demoralises us and robs us of the inner strength to rise up to the challenges that comes our way in life. King Saul was supposed to be the tallest man in Israel. He was the king and had the best weapons at his disposal. The external armour that was available for him did not in any way stop the inner turmoil that he had. He was externally equipped but internally empty of all the courage he needed to face the battle.
Fear robs us of the inner courage to be all we need to be in life. This is a major “wall” we all need to scale. Every time we want to take a step into the unknown there will always be an inner fear that seeks to stop us. This fear is borne out of the uncertainty of where we are going. The vital lesson about life we must learn is that the familiar and the known today was once an unknown. If we embrace the unknown today it will also become the known eventually. Each time God wants to take us higher in life he will always require that we live the “known” behind and walk into a new terrain.
Fear’s foothold is our lack of confidence in the ability of God to keep and sustain us. Like a little child trusts the arms of the parents so also we must learn to trust the everlasting arms of God to keep and sustain us. Fear is actually a negative spiritual force that attracts whatever negative thing is expected into our lives. Job was a great man who had so much of the blessings of God on his life; but at a point in time in his life he began to entertain the fear of losing everything. It must have started by just a thought. Everything he feared eventually became a reality. Every fear that comes into your heart will build a wall in your spirit. We must consciously deal with such fears on time.
PRAYER:
God has not given me the spirit of fear. Every wall of fear is pulled down in my spirit.
LEARN MORE: Romans 8:15, 2 Timothy 1:7
Saturday 29th July, 2023
SCALING THE WALL
Text: For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall.” Psalm 18:29
The life of David is one of the most inspiring and instructive life in scriptures. His life is a typical example of what can happen with an ordinary life that is totally yielded to God. He rose from nothing into prominence. Not by any rich family pedigree or fine line of connections. He rose out of obscurity to become a national hero. I strongly believe that God is about to lift someone reading this article today to an unimaginable height in life. Many of us are hidden today that will soon come into national and global limelight beyond our family backgrounds.
It was not as if the rise of David was on a bed of roses. He had life-threatening circumstances to deal with. The Lion and the Bear would have finished him long time. Goliath too was ready to give the flesh of David to the fowls of the air and the beast of the field (1 Sam 17:36, 44). King Saul literally took a troop of army to stop David from ascending the throne. These were the barriers that David referred to as “a wall”. They were all designed to stop his progress and journey into destiny.
We all have different issues around our lives that could literally prevent the fulfilment of God’s counsels for our lives. As long is involved in our lives and we give him all the required room in our lives whatever represent “a wall” around us will not stop us. It’s important for us to take a stand individually that by my God I will leap over the wall.
By the supernatural hand of God on our lives we’ll advance through the troops and leap over the walls. Nothing will stop your progress in life. Where God is taking you has been ordained from the foundation of the world and you will get there. There will be a miracle in your life today.
PRAYER:
I declare that the supernatural hand of God is taking me up in life. I leap over the walls in Jesus name.
LEARN MORE: Zecheriah 4:7
Thursday 27th July, 2023
BODY UNDER SUBJECTION
Text: “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection....” 1 Corinthians 9:27
The body in our context simply refers to the cravings of the human flesh. The body has it’s own unique demands and it could be so overwhelming that it will look like the only important thing in the world. When the body is making demands that are not consistent with the word of God then we are brewing so much trouble that will be detrimental to our destiny.
Putting the body under subjection simply means putting the body under control so that it’s not the one in control of our lives. Once the body is the one in control it will be very difficult to do things that will aid our upward movement into destiny.
Sleeping for example is legitimate but when the body began to demand for it at the expense of what we know we should do per time then we are setting ourselves up for a fall. A student may need to cover some school work in preparation for an examination. Sleep will have to be put under subjection for a while to accomplish the set goal. Whatever the body is asking for that will hinder a worthwhile goal must be put under subjection.
The sexual cravings of the body can be one of the most destructive ventures any of us can get into when not put under subjection. This is something each one of us must do. If the sexual demand of the body is satisfied outside the context of marriage it becomes destructive. It may go undetected for a while but it’s a poison that will eventually destroy. If you don’t put your body under subjection it will dominate you and destroy you. Samson was so powerful; he was anointed from the womb. He kept allowing the sexual demands of his body to gain control until he became a prey in the hand of the Philistines. That will not be your story in Jesus name.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus my body is put under subjection.
LEARN MORE: Galatians 5:22-25
Saturday 22nd July, 2023
SPIRITUAL LAMENESS 1
Text: “Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees: And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it be healed.” Heb 12:12-13
We spend lots of money taking care of our physical health. Millions of naira is spent yearly to stay fit physically. But more serious is the spiritual state of our lives. If we as concerned with our spiritual life as we are the physical life, the world will be a better place.
The poorest man on the face of the earth is a man that has no connection with God. He may have money, but he is spiritually bankrupt. When a believer lives a life of sin the man is spiritually lame. The implications of being spiritually lame have eternal consequences. This is why we cannot take this for granted.
Spiritual lameness also means spiritual weakness. We need healing spiritually when we notice the following:
1 When you don’t have any desire for the things of God. When you have to be reminded over and over again about spiritual things, something is wrong.
2 When living right is a struggle. You find yourself making more compromises than taking a stand for what is right.
3 Obvious lack of desire for prayer and the word of God. This is the basis of a vibrant Christian life. When those things are lacking the Christian life is at a risk.
The spiritual state of a man affects every area of his life. When the spiritual foundation of a man is weak his entire life will be weak. When the spiritual life is strong it will also have a direct effect on everything else. As a student when you are spiritually sound you’ll be academically sound.
Take charge of your spiritual state it will enhance everything else in your life.
PRAYER:
Lord heal every lameness in my spiritual life.
LEARN MORE: Joshua 1:8, Daniel 1:8,20
Friday 21st July, 2023
GRACE AT WORK 2
Text: “And Joseph found grace in his sight...” Genesis 39:4
We began looking at the subject of grace yesterday. Remember we said yesterday that if you can explain it logically it’s not grace. Grace is beyond logic. Its divinity at work in humanity. This was practically at work in the life of Joseph. Let me show you the levels of transformations that took place by the grace of God that was at work in the life of Joseph.
All in one day he went from a prisoner into a prince.
All in one day he went from the accused to the celebrated.
All in one day he went from the incarcerated to the overseer over a nation.
All in one day he went from the lowest point to the highest point.
All in one day he went from the prison cell to the place.
All in one day he went from being barefooted to riding the royal chariots.
All in one day he went from a bachelor to a husband with no expenses incurred.This is a multiple change of levels.
There is no logical explanation for these other than grace at work.
I want you to note that the experiences of Joseph in the palace wasn’t the beginning of the manifestations of grace in the life of Joseph. The expression of grace in his life began in Potiphar’s house and also the prison. This simply suggests that at whatever level of life we are currently we can begin to experience the manifestations of grace in our lives. The external conditions may not be right but as long as grace is at work in you there will be a rise in your life above the negative circumstances. If you find yourself in a place and there is no manifestations of grace it’s not a place to stay for too long.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I declare that the grace of God is working mightily over my life.
LEARN MORE: Genesis 39:1-4, 21
Thursday 20th July, 2023
GRACE AT WORK 1
Text: “And of his (Christ) fullness have all we received, and grace for grace...” John 1:16
Grace is a multi-dimensional subject. It’s a subject that is an anchor for our Christian life. A man is either functioning in grace or in disgrace. We are going to take our time to look at different dimensions of grace as the Spirit gives us insight. To begin today I will start with the dimension of grace that changes the story of man. Grace rewrites the story of a man. For the sake of sound learning, it’s important to note that the foundational grace is the grace that brought salvation. This is where our journey of grace begins from.
Titus 2: 11 says “For the grace of God that brought salvation hath appeared to all men.” This is the foundational grace that brought us to the reality of other dimensions of grace. John 1:16 declared “And of his (Christ) fullness have all we received, and grace for grace...” After we have received the grace of salvation we can now proceed to have “grace for grace.” This simply means that we can now begin to enjoy the multidimensional nature of grace from one degree to another. I strongly believe that someone today will begin to function in strange dimensions of grace from now. Grace is far beyond human explanation. If you can explain it logically it’s not grace. Grace is beyond logic. Its divinity at work in humanity.
Joseph had gotten into trouble with his brothers. He was literally sold like an animal into Egypt. He found himself in a strange land completely cut off from every human support he had enjoyed all his life. He was stripped of his greatest possession; the cloth of many colors. He found himself in a more complicated case when he was accused of attempted rape. There was no relative, no friend and no lawyer to advocate for him. In this midst of this trouble the grace of God made all the difference in his life.
CONFESSION:
Grace is multiplied over my life daily. I function in the grace of God. There is no limit to my life.
LEARN MORE: Genesis 39:4, 21
Wednesday 19th July, 2023
ETERNAL RELEVANCE 4
Text: “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ…..” Romans 8:2
A life conformed to the image of Christ is not necessarily a life without its own challenges; but a life full of peace, hope, confidence and assurance. This is a life that is beautiful, attractive and compelling. The beautiful thing about this journey is that you can never become too much of Christ. The more of Christ you become the more inner satisfaction you get and the more you will realize that you need to become of him. This is an endless inner cycle that keeps you continually pursuing more of Christ. You are continually looking inwards and allowing the Spirit of God to work in you and produce the required changes in your life. Please read this closely.
Christ wasn’t weak. He was powerful.
Christ wasn’t confused he had a clear direction in life. He knew exactly his assignment in life.
Christ was never stranded; he always knew the right step to take.
Christ wasn’t a victim of the circumstances of life. He was a victor.
Christ wasn’t earthly. He was on earth but operating by heaven’s instructions.
Christ had very uncommon results whereas others had struggles.
Christ was tempted on all points but without sin.
Christ words brought healing and hope to multitudes. His presence brought hope and assurance to multitudes.
This is just a few of the image of Christ we are talking about. The greatest value you can have in life is to be like Jesus. This is eternal relevance.
*CONFESSION:*
My life is an extension of divinity. I think and live like Christ. I’m a partaker of the divine nature.
LEARN MORE: 2 Peter 1:3-4
Tuesday 18th July, 2023
_ETERNAL RELEVANCE 3
Text: “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ…..” Romans 8:29
Relevance is a function of value. The value you bring to the table will determine your relevance. Eternal relevance will therefore require that you become eternally valuable. In today’s lesson, I will take my time to explore a couple of factors that will enhance a life that will become eternally valuable and then relevant. Anything that is short of eternal relevance is not worth having. Whatever you get or pursue that does not add to your eternal relevance has no value in the long run.
Let’s get into it right away.
A life that is conformed to the image of Christ is a life that is extremely valuable and a life that will remain relevant when everything else is gone. This is hardly the life desire and pursuit of most believers but this is the ultimate goal of Christianity. This is the ultimate reason why Christ died. This is not necessarily about perfection but a progressive journey towards the ultimate purpose of why we were saved. This is the possibility of Christianity; that a mortal man redeemed by the blood of Jesus can begin a work of inward transformation that makes him exactly like Jesus. If this is all you achieve in life it’s the celebration of heaven. Unfortunately, we achieve so much in life in terms of fun, entertainment, career, and business but our lives are far from the life of Christ.
Romans 8:29 “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ…..” Many come to Christ for their problems to be solved, but after the problems are solved you will realize that something is still missing. This is because despite all that we may have seen, enjoyed and celebrated in our lives nothing is as satisfying as a life that is conformed to the image of Christ. We would continue tomorrow.
DECLARATION:
My entire life is conformed to the image of Christ. When people see me they see Christ at work in my life.
LEARN MORE: Ephesians 4:23-24
Monday 17th July, 2023
ETERNAL RELEVANCE 2
Text: “And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you…”2 Corinthians 12:15
Let’s look at three areas you can create eternal relevance. Giving towards a course that is targeted at changing lives for eternity even when it seems you have nothing to personally gain from it. Whose life is changing by your giving? Most people measure their giving by the applause they get from it or how much will multiply back to them. *Matthew 6:2. The relevance of such giving ends with the applause and the recognition of men with no eternal relevance. The best way to measure the impact of your giving is on how much its changing lives.
Discovering the purpose of God for your life and spending your life to serve your generation with this purpose. Acts 13:36 says concerning David “For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep with his fathers….” The name of this man has become a generational relevance. Even Jesus came from his lineage. The scripture also talks about the keys of David. Revelation 3:7. Whatever you use to serve your appetite and ego will perish with you, but what you use in serving your generation will speak in eternity. Everything about your life is divine purpose determined. Whatever does not contribute to God’s purpose for your life has no eternal relevance.
Doing the will of God against all odds and popular trends. “…he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.”1 John 2:17. Abideth forever here means eternal relevance. God himself will bear a record of such people. You must make a resolve to do the will of God in your life against all odds. This is a choice that everyone who desires eternal relevance must make. Every time you compromise the will of God you lose a bit of relevance. The more you continue to compromise the will of God the more you will lose relevance. If that trend does not stop it will eventually ruin your life.
PRAYER:
My life is established in the purpose and the plans of God for my life. No more compromises in my life.
LEARN MORE: Luke 22:42, Romans 12:1-2
Sunday 16th July, 2023
ETERNAL RELEVANCE
Text: “Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life….” John 6:27 KJV
The NLT says “But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the son of man can give…” I want to begin by saying that the phrase “Labour not for the meat which perisheth…” does not suggest that you fold your hands and do nothing waiting for food to drop from heaven. Manna has stopped falling. Now if you don’t work you will beg to eat. The NLT gives us a broader understanding: “…Don’t be so concerned about perishable things….” The lesson here is helping us to understand what should be the greatest or the highest priority of our lives. We can be so engrossed with mundane things that we lose sight of what really matters in life. We need perishable things for daily sustenance but don’t live for them. We live for something higher and greater. Perishable things also mean things of lesser value and limited capacity to produce inner satisfaction. A flamboyant life does not necessarily suggest inner peace and satisfaction. Some of the most dressed people are the most miserable people internally. It’s a major challenge in life if you spend all your years, emotional energy and physical strength on things that will still leave you empty and unsatisfied.
If we go back to our opening verse, you will see another mind-blowing insight. It says “…. But for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life….” Here Jesus suggested what we should labour for. “…Meat which endureth…” Spend your life pursuing things that are of eternal relevance. Invest your time, energy and resources on things that have eternal value. One of the greatest foolishness in life is to spend your whole life pursuing what will perish at the expense of what will endure forever. When eternal relevance becomes your goal in life it will change everything about you.
CONFESSION:
Thank you, Lord, because my life is becoming eternally focused on what is important and not mundane.
LEARN MORE: Colossians 2:1-4
Saturday 15th July, 2023
INFLUENCING OTHERS
Text: “Ye are our epistles written in our hearts, known and read of all men.” 2 Corinthians 3:2
Your life is also a source of influence on someone – Just as we are influenced, we are also influencing someone. The influence of your life will be a product of your personality. Who you are is what you will pass on to others. For those who have children your children will become what you are; so be what you want them to be. The more you surround your life with positive influences so also your life grows in that direction to be a positive influence on others. If there is an area of life you will love to be an influence expose yourself to the same higher level of influence in your life. Don’t live your life to chances. Deliberately choose what is influencing your life. If you lose control of what is influencing you it’s a major loss in life.
The significance of your life will be a product of the quality of influence you have on others. Long after you are gone what will remain of you is the influence you left on others. At different times in our lives, God will give us opportunities to occupy an office or a position. These are opportunities to leave an indelible mark on the life of others. The influence of your life will be a product of the purpose of God finding expression in your life and through your life. A life of purpose is a life of influence. The purpose of God in your life will also draw others to purpose. When you lack purpose you are actually losing yourself.
A life truly yielded to the Holy Spirit will produce an amazing influence on others. Even those who don’t know you will draw values and virtues from your life. The Holy Spirit fills your life with relevant virtues and values that are beneficial to others. Influence is not forced. It flows from you to others. When the Holy Spirit truly has an influence in your life that same influence will flow from your life to others. It won’t be a struggle but a product of a life already changed.
CONFESSION:
My heart is changed by the Holy Spirit. The same change in my life is producing changes in the life of others.
LEARN MORE: 1 Corinthians 11:1, 2 Corinthians 1:4
Friday 14th July, 2023
DIMENSIONS OF INFLUENCE 8
Text: “Christ has delivered us from the power of darkness...” Colossians 1:13
The influence of the consciousness of evil and darkness – we can become so conscious of darkness that we lose sight of light. Many believers know more of darkness more they know of light. They will tell you how witches operate but hardly know how the Holy Spirit operates. This kind of people live their lives more in fear than in faith.
They see evil in everything, and their prayer life also reflects this. When you develop the consciousness of evil it can influence your life so much that it becomes a constant experience in your life. The consciousness of evil will actually create in you a silent expectation of evil in everything. In the words of Jesus “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:32. Knowing so much about evil and the operations of darkness will not set you free. The knowledge of darkness will never set you free from darkness. It’s the knowledge of the truth that sets you free. Everyone is a victim of their fear. What you greatly fear will most likely come to pass.
When you are conscious of evil you will find your dreams full of funny manifestations. You must stop building fear in yourself and start building your faith. There are some books you have to stop reading. Books like dream’s interpretations. If you need an interpretation of a dream let the Holy Ghost give you. If the dream is from God he will also give you the interpretation. How can a book give a fixed interpretation to every form of dream for everyone in every situation? Books on the reading of stars must leave your house. If you need to know anything about darkness the first thing you need to know is that “Christ has delivered you from the power of darkness. Colossians 1:13. If you don’t know this everything else you know about darkness will create fear in you.
CONFESSION:
I’m delivered from the power of darkness. It has lost its power over me. I’m shinning in the midst of darkness.
LEARN MORE: John 1:5, Ephesians 5:8
[7/16, 4:00 PM] Pst Aina: INSPIRATION
(Giving direction to your day)
Sunday 16th July, 2023
ETERNAL RELEVANCE
Text: “Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life….” John 6:27 KJV
The NLT says “But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the son of man can give…” I want to begin by saying that the phrase “Labour not for the meat which perisheth…” does not suggest that you fold your hands and do nothing waiting for food to drop from heaven. Manna has stopped falling. Now if you don’t work you will beg to eat. The NLT gives us a broader understanding: “…Don’t be so concerned about perishable things….” The lesson here is helping us to understand what should be the greatest or the highest priority of our lives. We can be so engrossed with mundane things that we lose sight of what really matters in life. We need perishable things for daily sustenance but don’t live for them. We live for something higher and greater. Perishable things also mean things of lesser value and limited capacity to produce inner satisfaction. A flamboyant life does not necessarily suggest inner peace and satisfaction. Some of the most dressed people are the most miserable people internally. It’s a major challenge in life if you spend all your years, emotional energy and physical strength on things that will still leave you empty and unsatisfied.
If we go back to our opening verse, you will see another mind-blowing insight. It says “…. But for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life….” Here Jesus suggested what we should labour for. “…Meat which endureth…” Spend your life pursuing things that are of eternal relevance. Invest your time, energy and resources on things that have eternal value. One of the greatest foolishness in life is to spend your whole life pursuing what will perish at the expense of what will endure forever. When eternal relevance becomes your goal in life it will change everything about you.
CONFESSION:
Thank you, Lord, because my life is becoming eternally focused on what is important and not mundane.
LEARN MORE: Colossians 2:1-4
Thursday 13th July, 2023
DIMENSIONS OF INFLUENCE 7
Text: “Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition….” Mark 7:13
The influence of culture – Culture and Christ are millions apart in many ways. Culture is not necessarily evil if it does not contradict the standards of God’s word. Mark 7:13 says “Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition….” This is where the challenge lies. When the traditions of men out rightly cancel the word of God. Many are in Church but believe more in their culture more than they believe in Christ. They will rather defend their culture than defend the word of God. You will find a lot of these examples in marriage and family-related issues. When we received Christ his life should actually become our new culture. A new creation also implies a new culture.
I remember the issue of a couple who had challenges. The man was a pastoral assistant in a church I pastored in Nigeria several years ago. The wife left the house on a market day and eventually, when the conflict was resolved culture said they must do rituals. If you don’t take a stand very early as a believer culture will have a lot of influence on you. The scripture says “So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths.” Colossians 2:16 NLT
There are moral aspects of culture, respect for the elderly, and decent dressing formats. This is obviously not what we are talking about here today. We are talking about whatever the culture demand that is directly in opposition to the word of God. Several years ago a young man asked me if he could send money home to his father to buy goats for a ritual. I told him he was free to send money for his father to buy clothes, and pay medical bills but not to buy a goat for a ritual. He may not be in the village with the man but his money connects him to that ritual. He may say he did not believe in the ritual but he sponsored it.
CONFESSION:
The word of God rules my life. My thoughts and thinking are under the influence of the word of God. Every wrong influence has lost its power over me.
LEARN MORE: Colossians 2:1-16
Wednesday 12th July, 2023
DIMENSIONS OF INFLUENCE 6
Text: “He that walks with the wise will be wise, but the companion of fools shall be destroyed.” Proverbs 13:20
The influence of a wrong company – The word of God is the wisdom of God in print. No matter how smart or wise we may think we are the wisdom of God is greater than our wisdom. An adage in Yoruba says “If the goat walks with the dog it will eat shit.” Local dogs are usually seen eating human shit while goats eat grass. But when a goat stays too long with a dog they may eat the same thing. Everyone you spend your time with will eventually influence you in one way or another.
King Solomon said, “He that walks with the wise will be wise, but the companion of fools shall be destroyed.” Proverbs 13:20. I was once privileged to minister in a prison several years ago. I met a young man in that prison who had been there for over 7 years for an offense he did not commit. His best friend committed murder and ran away. The police picked him as the closest friend. This is how much a wrong company can influence your life. Evil communication corrupts good manners says the wisdom of God. (1 Corinthians 15:33). Psalm 1:1 says GNT “Happy are those who reject the advice of evil people, who do not follow the example of sinners, or join those who have no use for God.” Who are you taking advice from? Whose examples are you following? I hope you will be sincere with yourself to answer these questions.
Let’s close today’s lesson by saying that the ultimate goal of our lesson on the concept of influence is to make sure we are not ignorantly being influenced in the wrong direction without even knowing it. Whatever influences you against God’s direction for your life will bring a lot of regrets to your life.
PRAYER:
My life is connected to people of purpose and power. I’m being influenced daily in the direction of God’s purpose for my life.
LEARN MORE: Proverbs 13:20
Tuesday 11th July, 2023
DIMENSIONS OF INFLUENCE 5
Text: “And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” 1 John 2:17
The influence of the world on the life of a believer can be so subtle that it may go on for years unchecked in our lives. We would explore some implications of the influence of the world in our lives today. The world is constantly bombarding us with its influence.
If you think and live like the world you will not be able to rise above the world. If you will rise above the world your way of thinking must completely rise above the world.
If you think and live like the world you will also be subjected to what defeats the world.
If you think and live like the world it will hinder how much of God and his grace that is expressed through your life.
If you think and live like the world you won’t be able to function at the peak of God’s purpose for your life.
The world has nothing permanent to offer you. The pleasure and the glamour of this world are transient. (1 John 2:17). When you are too attached to the world’s ways, it will leave an emptiness in you.
What the world has to offer you cannot compare in value to what God has in store for you. The world will offer you things that are appealing and attractive but destructive most of the time. The bait on the hunter’s trap is never an expression of love for the animal. Fashion and entertainment are subtle ways by which the world lures us into things that are destructive. Hidden behind flamboyancy many times are deep hurts and regrets. Whatever takes God out of the equation of your life will leave you with regrets.
PRAYER:
The world; with its deceits and manipulations will no longer control me. I live under the influence and control of the word of God. God’s word has prevailed in me.
LEARN MORE: Acts 19:20
Monday 10th July, 2023
DIMENSIONS OF INFLUENCE 4
_Text: “Don’t live any longer the way this world lives. Let your way of thinking be completely changed…” Romans 12:2._
New International Reader’s version (1998)Continuing from our lesson yesterday. So many lives are under the bondage of what parents, teachers or even society thinks about them. WHOSE OPINION IS RUNNING YOUR LIFE? Receive deliverance today. One of the greatest deliverance in life is not necessarily from demons but from the opinions of men. When someone expresses a negative opinion about you cancel them by the blood of Jesus. If you don’t deal with it you may come under its control and influence for years.
The influence of this world – This is a major influence that may be difficult to deal with if you are not sincere with yourself as a believer. You will be amazed at how much the world has had an influence on so many of us. You will also be amazed at how much the scriptures have to say about the influence of the world on our lives. From dressings, to relationships, to choice of music, movies and so on the world has so influenced so many of us that the true identity of a believer is lost in many cases. The potency of our testimony as believers have been so watered down because of how much the world has influenced us into its mold. Romans 12:2 says “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think…..”NLT. New Century Version Says “Do not be shaped by this world: instead be changed within by a new way of thinking….” You will notice here again that influence is by mind control – the way you think. Whatever controls your way of thinking will control your life and the outcome of your life. “Don’t live any longer the way this world lives. Let your way of thinking be completely changed…” 1 John 2:15 also has a lot to say. “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the father is not in him…
CONFESSION:
The corruption of the world has no power over me. The power of God in me is helping me daily to be separate.
LEARN MORE: 2 Corinthians 6:14-18
Sunday 9th July, 2023
DIMENSIONS OF INFLUENCE 3
Text: “...I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart…” 1 Samuel 17:28
The Influence of Men’s Opinion – You may not realize how your life has been driven by the opinions of others. You can become so influenced by the opinions of others that you lose your peace over what someone thinks or said about you. Anyone is free to have their opinions about you provided you don’t become a captive to their opinions. Unfortunately, this is happening in so many lives. Nobody has a complete and perfect knowledge of you, so whatever they think about you is partial based on their limited knowledge of you. Even the Bible says “We know in part….” 1 Corinthians 13:9. NLT SAYS “Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete….” Nobody can tell you what you can’t do or can’t become. God has not given anyone that power no matter who they are. If you are a captive to the opinions of men you will live an unstable life. You must have a very understanding of God’s opinion about you. This will give you inner stability in the stormy opinions of men. David came to the battleground to see the entire army of Isreal afraid and hiding. By divine promptings, he took a step to confront Goliath. But two opinions of men tried to stop him. The ultimate goal of human opinion most of the time is to stop you from stepping into God’s possibilities. David’s elder brother Eliab had a wrong opinion about David. “..I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart…..” 1 Samuel 17:28. These were enough to stop David from proceeding. But David had a very clear opinion about himself. The people who are very close to you will have different subtle opinions about you that may influence you negatively if you are not conscious of it. It doesn’t matter what anyone thinks about you what God thinks is higher and final.
CONFESSION:
I refuse to accept any human opinions that are contrary to God’s counsel for my life. What God has said concerning me supersedes what anyone has said over my life.
LEARN MORE: Lamentations 3:37-40I
Saturday 8th July, 2023
DIMENSIONS OF INFLUENCE 2
Text: “See I have made you a god unto Pharaoh.” Exodus 7:1
Today we would go a step further in looking at different dimensions of influences on our lives. I trust God that as we go through these lessons there will be deliverance in so many lives. If you don’t have control over what is influencing you it’s a major loss in life.
The influence of a wrong identity – This could be a result of a negative past or a negative background. The human identity is a self-image that controls us from within. Most divine encounters in the scriptures began with a change in identity before these people could step into God’s possibilities for their lives. A wrong identity will always make us feel inadequate, insufficient, and incapable. Moses had a divine assignment to go and face Pharaoh. He began to complain and make excuses for why he wasn’t qualified for the job. God had to tell Moses “See I have made you a god unto Pharaoh.” Exodus 7:1. Moses had the identity of someone that could not talk. God had to help him see himself as someone above Pharaoh. Exodus 4:10. A wrong identity will limit you more than the enemy will limit you. Pharaoh could not stop the Jews, the red sea could not stop them but their wrong identity stopped them from getting to the land of promise. They have been slaves all their lives and could not see the possibilities of God in themselves. Here is their wrong identity “And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants, and WE WERE IN OUR OWN SIGHT AS GRASSHOPPERS, AND SO WE WERE IN THEIR SIGHT. Numbers 13:33. Life will always take you at your self-appraisal.
You must see yourself the way God sees you and call yourself what God calls you. The circumstances of life should not become an identity.
Pharaoh could not stop the Jews, the red sea could not stop them but their wrong identity stopped them from getting to the land of promise.
LEARN MORE: Exodus 4:1-17
Friday 7th July, 2023
DIMENSIONS OF INFLUENCE 1
Text: “Forget the former things, do not dwell on the past.” Isaiah 43:18 NIV
We stated in our first lesson that influence is majorly about mind control. An internal control that is determining your life from within without even knowing it. Today and subsequent days we would focus on different dimensions of such influences. This awareness will help you examine your life closely to areas you need to deal with. Not all of them may apply to you but you will find one that is applicable to you or a combination of them.
The influence of a negative past – This could be a mistake in the past, a disappointment, and a deep hurt by someone you loved or other forms. The scripture clearly says “Remember not the former things….” Isaiah 43:18 KJV. NIV says “Forget the former things, do not dwell on the past.” The remembrance of the past can become so overwhelming that it becomes the burial ground of what God wants to do today. We can become so tied to what went wrong yesterday that we lose sight of what can go right today.
The best of your life is never behind you but ahead of you. We may not be able to go back to change the past but we can use today to influence tomorrow in the right direction. Life is a school; learn from the past and move into the possibilities of a greater future. If you refuse to forgive someone in your past it will become a self-imposed prison today that will hinder your movement into God’s best. This may also need to forgive the foolish you that made so mistakes. Receive God’s forgiveness and forgive yourself too. If you don’t leave the past behind you may pass with it. When you came to Christ you became a new creation with no record of a negative past. We all have one form of negative stories in the past but we must not live in these stories. Today we have an opportunity to write different stories in our lives.
CONFESSION:
The positive stories of my life today outweigh the negative stories of the past. God is at work in the present season of my life and changing me.
LEARN MORE: Isaiah 43:18-19
Wednesday 5th July, 2023
THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT INFLUENCE
Text: “Don’t befriend angry people or associate with hot-tempered people. Or you will learn to be like them and endanger your soul.” Proverbs 22:24-25 NLT
You may have been so influenced by someone or something that the control of your life has been taken over by it. You will need the searchlight of the Spirit to see exactly how much of this influence has been damaging or manipulative over your life and the necessary changes you need to make in your life.
Influence most of the time is subtle and unannounced. Even the source of influence may not be aware that they are programming your life in a particular direction. The awareness you are having in this lesson is a wake-up call for you to be conscious of the influences on your life and take a decisive decision about them.
Anyone who has free access to your mind and your way of thinking will eventually influence you in one way or another, negatively or positively. Influence is actually a mind’s game. Your mind is influenced by your choice of music, the movies you watch, and the people you hang with. If you have no control over this area of your life then you have decided what will influence you productively or destructively. You cannot escape the power of influence but you can decide what will influence you.
If you don’t have control of what influences you then you don’t have control over your life. It is actually a major loss in life not to have control over what influences you. The journey into destiny will require that you are deliberate about who or what is allowed to influence you. Once you can identify the major influences in your life then you can also see clearly where your life is heading. The 5 most dominating influences in your life will automatically determine your destiny. Five may even be too much; one wrong influence can ruin a destiny. This is an area of your life you must watch closely.
CONFESSION:
By the Spirit of God, I have control over my life. Wrong influences have no control over my life.
LEARN MORE: 1 Corinthians 15:33
Tuesday 4th July, 2023
CONCEPT OF INFLUENCE
Text: “Don’t befriend angry people or associate with hot-tempered people. Or you will learn to be like them and endanger your soul.” Proverbs 22:24-25 NLT
We would begin our lesson with a scripture in the book of Proverbs. Proverbs 22:24 says “Don’t befriend angry people or associate with hot-tempered people.” NLT. This instruction sounds very strange but it’s a life-transforming instruction. The next verse gives us the reason for this instruction. Verse 25 says “Or you will learn to be like them and endanger your soul.” This is an instruction that clearly explains the concept of influence.
We are all products of one form of influence or another. Someone or something had made or still significantly influenced your life. We have all been influenced by parents, teachers, friends, spouses, the media etc. You may not have realized it but certain things you do are influenced by someone or by something. There are influences you had no choice about. Your consent wasn’t involved in the choice of these influences. The choice of your parents, the choice of where you grew up or the choice of the culture that shaped your childhood wasn’t your choice at all. If you sincerely look at your life you will see traces of those influences on your life.
I saw something really negative a few weeks ago before writing this article. I saw a very clear example of a negative influence. I saw a religious group that is supposedly a Church where after the preaching and singing everyone in the Church is giving a bottle of Beer including children as young as 5 years old confidently and openly drinking Beer. This is the most negative kind of influence I have ever seen in my life. I’m sure you are as shocked as I was when I saw it. These innocent Children are victims of an influence they had no choice about. We would learn more tomorrow.
PRAYER:
Every negative influence is broken over my life. I am connected to the right set of people.
LEARN MORE: Proverbs 13:20
Monday 3rd July, 2023
ROOT DOWNWARD 2
Text: “And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward.” Isaiah 37:31
God wants us to be more spiritually minded and inclined than we are physically or carnally inclined. God wants us to take root downwards and then it will begin to show in the upward fruits that we bear in every aspect of our lives.
Today we’ll look at what it takes to take our roots downwards spiritually.
1. The word of God has to become the central focus of our lives. It will then begin to take control of our lives. Living by his word becomes the joy and the rejoicing of our hearts. The place that God’s word occupies in our lives is where God occupies. The word of God has to grow in your life and prevail in your life. If the word of God is not prevailing some other contrary forces will prevail. Every instruction of scriptures becomes something you take delight in. If this will happen we must spend quality time in the word of God on a daily and consistent basis. Jeremiah said “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart...” Jeremiah 15:16.
2. There must be a continuous desire to spend time with God in prayer on our own. Prayer is a place of communion with God. Praying not just for the purpose of solving a problem but rather to have fellowship with God. When the desire to pray is no longer there our spiritual life will be on the decline.
3. Having a desire to fellowship with other believers in Church. The Church is a place where God has ordained for our spiritual growth and edification. The Church is a place of spiritual renewal. It’s a place where we are built up in the faith to occupy our place in life. Every time we appear in Church with an open heart there will be discoveries and recoveries in our lives.The more we engage in all these the more downward our roots become and the more we bear fruits upward.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I declare that I’m taking root downward spiritually on a daily basis.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 84:7, Luke 18:
Sunday 2nd July, 2023
ROOT DOWNWARD 1
Text: “And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward.” Isaiah 37:31.
Life is essentially spiritual. What we see in the natural has its cause and control in the spiritual. When things go wrong in the natural its mostly because something has gone wrong in the spiritual. When a man does not have control in the spiritual realm, he certainly will not have control here in the natural realm. We can therefore conclude that the most important aspect of our lives is the spiritual aspect.
Let’s paint a picture from the root system of a plant. There are two parts to a plant. The root part and the parts above the soil. The downward part and the upward part. The upward part depends so much on the downward part. In the context of our lesson today we can refer to the downward part as the spiritual life while the upward part as the natural life. I’m sure you can now begin to see very clearly how important the downward part or the spiritual life of a believer is. The scripture says “While we look not at the things which are seen (Natural), but at the things which are not seen (Spiritual): for the things which are seen (Natural) are temporal: but the things which are not seen (Spiritual) are eternal (2 Corinth 4:18). Another scripture says “For we walk by faith (Spiritual), not by sight (Natural). 2 Corinth 5:7.
The summary of all we have said so far are the following:
1. The attention we give to our spiritual life should be more than we give to our natural life.
2. We should spend more time developing our spiritual life than we do on our physical life.
3. The quality of your life in the physical or natural (Marriage, Business e.t.c) will be determined by the quality of your spiritual life.
4. When your spiritual life is down every other aspect of your life will also be down. I want to challenge you to take root downward spiritually.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I declare that I’m taking root downward spiritually on a daily basis.
LEARN MORE: Matthew 6:33
Friday 30th June, 2023
FOLLOWING HARD
Text: “My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.” Psalm 63:8
God is equally available for everyone. We all have an equal access and privilege to all the provisions of eternal life. But we must note that the manifestations of God in our lives are different; this difference is not so much determined by God but by an individual hunger and thirst after God. We all started at the same level of faith for salvation; but after a while each person will determine the level of faith that they function in.
David had a very unusual and highly productive encounter with God. It’s obvious in the level of victories he had and the depth of the book of psalms. He was so intimate with God that God himself testified of David as “...A man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will” Acts 13:33. This was principally a product of a man that had a hot pursuit after God. Even when he committed adultery and murder; he did not run away from God; he ran to God for mercy.
Following hard after God is a description of an unquenchable and unreserved pursuit after God. It’s a description of a life that is fully out to be filled with all the fullness of God. A life that will not merely settle for what God gives but for who God is.
Following hard after God is having a personal commitment that cannot be compromised for any other thing. This commitment is seen also in our daily commitment to his word, his house and his people. Following hard after God is not a function of an isolated life; but a life that is all out for God in fulfilling his will on the earth.
As we follow hard after God our lives becomes filled with virtues to impart our world. Our lives become so mixed up with God in such a way that everything about us begins to reflect his person, his glory and his character.
PRAYER:
Lord I declare that my soul is following hard after you. God has become my highest pursuit in life.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 42:2; 119:10
Thursday 29th June, 2023
BLESSED ALREADY
Text: “Blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.” Ephesians 1:3
The word of God is the perfect mirror for us as believers. When you look at your face in the natural mirror it shows exactly what you look like. The same is the word of God; when we look at God’s word it shows us exactly what we look like from divine perspective. The natural look may seem different but as we take our eyes off the natural and fix it on that which is true and eternal a transformation begins to take place in our lives.
God told Abraham that he will bless him and make him a blessing. God told him that in him shall all the families of the earth be blessed. This mandate is also on our lives. Galatians 3:9 says “So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.”
I want you to note that we are not waiting to be blessed when we get a car or build a house. Thank God for those material blessings. But before they came we were blessed already. If you don’t see yourself this way you’ll be part of a rat race that will never end. If you don’t see yourself as blessed already you will live a beggarly life; you’ll talk more like a victim and not a victor.
You are blessed already. The blessings of God are at work in your spirit, in your soul and in your body. If you are consumed with this mentality you won’t wait for conditions to be perfect before you step out to do what God has laid on your heart to do. When you function from this point your life will also begin to add value to other people around.
Now that you know that you are blessed begin to bring them into practical manifestation as you walk closely with God. We must do this to bring that which is spiritual into day to day manifestation. The blessing of God on our lives ensures that everything that we do prospers. You are blessed already’ no curse can stop you.
PRAYER:
I’m blessed already. The blessing of God is at work in my spirit, soul and body. Working in all I do.
LEARN MORE: Galatians 3:8, 13-14
Wednesday 28th June, 2023
WORDS OF AN ENEMY
Text: “When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.”1 Samuel 17:11
The power of words can never be underestimated. There are different source of words and the effect that every word has on you will be determined by your response to that word. In the realm of the Spirit battles are principally fought by words. Goliath began to speak words of threat to King Saul and his men. They took his words very serious and became so afraid. They were so paralyzeded by those words that a single attempt was not made to confront the giant.
The words of an enemy could mean several things to several people. A physician is not an enemy but the words they speak could sometimes be the word of an enemy. Every word that is contrary to the word of God over your life can be referred to as the “words of an enemy.”
The purpose of such words is to get us intimidated, discouraged, and hopeless. The source of such words may not even realise that their words are aimed at causing havoc. When you listen to the words of an enemy it will corrupt your heart if you allow it to take root. Your heart is too precious to become a breeding ground for the words of an enemy. Fear comes by hearing and hearing of the words of an enemy.
David came on the scene to hear the same words of the enemy but he knew how to operate with a word that is higher than the words of an enemy. David knew that as far as God was concerned the words of Goliath were empty, useless and baseless. David knew from the word of God that the name of the Lord is a strong tower. He knew that his safety was guaranteed in that name. That was all he needed to bring down the head of Goliath.
If you are not filled with the word of God the words of the enemy may become significant on your life. Refuse to accept what the words of the enemy suggest. God’s word is the only final authority on your life.
PRAYER:
The word of an enemy is nullified over my life. I accept and endorse God’s words over my life.
LEARN MORE: 1 Samuel 17:34-50
Tuesday 27th June, 2023
STAYING IN YOUR PLACE
Text: “As a bird that wanderth from her nest, so is a man that wanderth from his place.” Proverbs 27:8
God has an ordained place for each one of us in life. This could refer to several things for several people.
1. This could mean a specific area of calling that God has for us as individuals.
2. This could mean a specific business or vocation earmarked for an individual to pursue in life.
3. It could also refer to a particular geographical location that we are required to function from in life.
We have individuals in the Bible that were selected by God to function in a specific calling in life. Moses was selected to bring the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt. Joshua was selected to take them to the Promised Land flowing with milk and Honey. Joseph was selected to preserve his family. David was selected to defeat Goliath. The list can go on and on.
Isaac made some efforts to move out of the land of the Philistines because of the famine there. But God asked him to stay in the place. That was going to be his place of flourishing. He had wanted to move down to Egypt just as his father did.
The only place where we have a guarantee of God’s involvement is in our place. That is where God has made available all the resources we require to triumph.
It is dangerous for us to function outside our place in life. This is compared with a bird that wanders away from its nest. When this happens the bird is open to the attack of the hunter. The hunter is actually looking for a bird that is astray. The Devil is on the lookout for people he can devour. He will not find you in Jesus name.
God has also placed each one of us in a biological family or a Church family. There is a level of protection that God has made available for each one of us in those places. We become exposed and vulnerable when we stray away from such places.
PRAYER:
Lord order my steps to find my place and to abide in my place. Teach me Lord not to wander away from my place.
LEARN MORE: Jeremiah 1:5, Romans 8:14
Monday 26th June, 2023
POWER OF EXPECTATION
Text: “For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.” Proverbs 23:18
The Woman with the issue of blood was sick for so many years- twelve long years. She had done everything medically possible to get out of that situation. Every effort proved abortive. She had spent all she had on the problem. Instead of improving it was getting worse.
If you read the story carefully we’ll see that she did not really lose all hope of receiving an answer. She kept taking steps to get her problem resolved. When she heard of Jesus her expectation rose up again. If she had given up on her condition she would not have taken the steps she took. Expectation keeps your “antenna”, waiting to see your miracle show up. As long as you are breathing you cannot give up on what God says about you. If it is written in the word of God you must hold on to your expectation until it becomes a reality in your life. It took the woman with the issue of blood twelve year to come out of her situation. It was her expectation that kept her on. She might have died before meeting Jesus.
Job in the midst of his challenge said “…All the days of my appointed time will I hold on to my expectation, till my change come.”(Paraphrased) Job 14:14b. This man lost everything all in one day but he did not lose his expectations. When you lose your expectation you have lost the possibility of a favorable outcome. This was why the latter days of Job were better than his beginning. Everything he lost was restored twice back to him. I see a major restoration taking place in your life today. Refuse to give up on God’s plan for your life. Expectations keep you on and open to what God is ready to bring forth in your life.
CONFESSION:
I will hold on to my expectations until God’s plans come to pass in my life. I will not give up on what God has said concerning me.
LEARN MORE: Mark 5:25-29, Romans 4:17-21
Sunday 25th June, 2023
A GUIDE UNTO DEATH
Text: “For this God is our God forever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death.” Psalm 48:14
God’s commitments on our lives are not seasonal. His promise is to carry us unto hoary hairs, to an old age. Whatever stage and seasons of life we find ourselves God is committed to our lives there.
God is committed to leading and guiding us for the rest of our lives. On a daily basis God is ready to guide us into where His blessings are waiting for us. For this to become a reality in our lives we must also be committed to following his guidance for our lives. The plans and purpose of God for our lives will only become a reality only to the extent to which we follow his guidance for our lives. None of us can ever outgrow the need to be divinely guided by God. Each one of us must renew our commitment to follow divine guidance in daily.
We must understand that God is a God of new beginnings. The change of the dates on a daily basis is not what will make things new. It’s the renewed commitment we have to follow divine guidance that will produce new things in our lives. The path we follow yesterday may not necessarily be the same path we’ll follow today. We must learn to ask God questions concerning our lives. Some of us may have to make major changes in our lives. These principles are all over scripture. Abraham was already an old man at the age of seventy five, but God had to change his location to bring to pass his promises on his life. God insisted that Isaac remain where he was though he made an attempt to relocate to where he felt was a greener pasture.
Today seek God’s direction before you set out on any project or trip. A right step taken at the right time will make a huge difference in your life on a daily basis.
ENQUIRY:
Lord what is your plans and purpose for me today. What path should I follow today? What changes should I make in my life today?
LEARN MORE: Psalm 23:1-6
Saturday 24th June, 2023
RULE OVER YOUR SPIRIT
Text: “He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.” Proverbs 25:28
In the ancient times the major form of protections in cities are fortified walls. Wars were quite rampant in those days. One Kingdom is always fighting against another kingdom, which made the walls absolutely necessary. Once the walls are broken down, it becomes so easy for the intruding enemy to gain easy access.
The walls are for the following reasons:
1. To protect the territorial boundaries of the city.
2. To protect the intruders from gaining entrance.
A City with a broken down walls is open, vulnerable and exposed to everything that can go wrong. This is the exact description of a life that has no rule over his spirit. The word ‘rule’ here means self-control.
Lack of self-control could be expressed in various forms: This could express itself in lack of self-control over the use of our time. Time is precious; if we lose control over time we’ve lost control over life itself. Time management is life management. We don’t have all the time in the world to do everything. We only have enough time to do what is relevant and productive for us. But when we fail to do this we’ll end up spending our God given precious time on irrelevant and unproductive ventures.
Lack of self-control could also be expressed in lack of control over our appetite, sleep, sexual drive and the rest. Whichever one it is, such a life is open, exposed and vulnerable to every wrong intruders.Self-Control is an internal work of the Holy Spirit within us as we yield ourselves to his dealings and promptings within us. This will protect your life.
CONFESSION:
There is control over my spirit. I am internally controlled by the Holy Spirit. Intruders are helpless. I have control over my time, my appetite and my sexual drive.
LEARN MORE: Galatians 5:22-23
Friday 23rd June, 2023
GOD OF ABRAHAM, ISAAC AND JACOB
Text: “Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.” Exodus 3:6
God was introducing Moses to his destiny. This was an assignment that was bigger than everything he had ever done. He had been a mere shepherd leading sheep. But now he was going to confront the most powerful king on the face of the earth at that time. He was going to lead millions of people out of bondage into the Promised Land. This was far bigger than his experience and expertise. God had to first of all help him to appreciate who was behind him.
God did this by helping him to appreciate that He was the same God that helped his fathers; Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This was an assurance that the same help that was available to his fathers will be available for him too.
Abraham came out of his kindred and became extremely successful. God led him on several occasions to make him a giant on the earth. God fulfilled in his life one of the greatest promises made personally to a man. Isaac became prosperous in a strange land that was plagued with famine. In the midst of this drought he reaped a hundred-fold; he went forward until he became very great. Jacob was also mightily helped. His father-in-law cheated him several times until God intervened for him. Eventually God met with him to change his name. God was telling Moses that if I could help these people I will equally help you. . Moses went on to face Pharaoh with this assurance and confidence.
In whatever way we desire His help it will be available for us. He did not fail Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He will not fail you in in life.
CONFESSION:
The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is my God. Just as they were helped I will also be helped in life. God has never failed before and he will not fail in my case.
LEARN MORE: Exodus 2:24, Genesis 26:1-14, Isa 41:10-16
Thursday 22nd June, 2023
WORK IN PROGRESS
Text: “But he knoweth the way that I take; when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” Job 23:10
The process of taking the gold through the fire by a goldsmith is not to destroy it. But rather to bring out a high quality gold. Gold in its raw form has very little or no value. The purifying process brings out its worth and value.
I agree with you that life could take us through circumstances that are not palatable. Looking at them through the eye of faith we’ll understand that these are purifying process of life. This is a process that is designed to bring out the best in our lives, so that we can be the best God created us for. God is working behind the scenes of our lives in the midst of the circumstances of life. While Joseph was going through his experience in Potiphar’s house and in the prison God was at work, ordering his steps to the throne. Behind the scene of the tragic experience of Job God was working to bring double restoration in his life. Just as we have learned before these experiences were not caused by God but God used them for his glory.
Every day as you wake up I want you to understand that divine work is in progress in your life. The ending of a day, week, month or year is not the end of God’s plans for your life. Years come and years go, but divine purpose and plans remains the same. If there is what will happen God’s plans and purpose for your life will find a clearer and greater expressions on a daily basis.
There could be expectations that are not yet met but work is still in progress. Disappointments did not stop divine program in your life. I want to inspire you to see beyond the setbacks and the breakdowns. In God’s program they are raw materials for his ultimate program for our lives. Joseph’s setbacks eventually took him to his ultimate destiny.
CONFESSION:
Divine work is in progress in my life. God is behind the scenes of my life. Every day will bring a clearer and greater expression of God’s plans and purpose for me.
LEARN MORE: Romans 8:28
Wednesday 21st June, 2023
PRODIGAL LIFE
Text: “And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotious living.” Luke 15:13
I don’t know how old you are right now but I want you to do an audit of your life today and see what you have done with all the privileges and opportunities that life has given you. Take a look at how you handled the privileges and the opportunities God brought your way so far this year.
It was not completely wrong that the prodigal son asked his father for his own portion of inheritance. It must have been an acceptable practice in that culture then. It was an opportunity for him to start building his own life and destiny. It was more or less his father giving him the seeds to cultivate his future harvest. What went wrong was that he spent his inheritance on riotous living. The seeds he would have planted or invested were consumed. If he had gone to invest his inheritance nobody would have blamed him.
Prodigal living is when we waste and throw away the privileges that God brings our way in life. The failure of the prodigal son was that he did not recognise that what he had was a seed. Just as we said a couple of days ago whatever you don’t recognise you will eventually lose. Only God knows how much precious time we have wasted this year doing what never added any value to our lives. A man or woman is prodigal when they waste opportunities, time, energy and resources.
The beauty of this is that the prodigal son came back home and received the mercy of the father. As we step into the second half of 2023 be determined to make the best use of the remaining part of the year.
PRAYER:
Lord by the help of your Spirit every form of prodigal living comes to an end in my life. I receive grace to make the best use of every opportunity that will come my way daily.
LEARN MORE: Hebrews 4:16
Tuesday 20 th June, 2023
RECOGNISING CHRIST IN YOU
Text: “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you the hope of glory.” Colossians 1:27
The greatest revelation about Christianity which sets it apart from other religion in the world is Christ in a mortal man. That was the ultimate goal of redemption. God through Christ has come to live inside us to live and carry out his life through us. Christianity is not just about following a set of rules and regulation but rather the life of Christ expressed through us.
The birth of Christ was a path to the cross and then the cross was a means to Christ coming to dwell within the recreated human spirit. That is the ultimate of the program of redemption.
Once we are born again Christ comes to live in us by his Spirit in all of his fullness. What we have is not a part of Christ but all the fullness of Christ. The implication of this is that whatever Christ is we are. Whatever he has we have. Wherever he is, we are. The scripture clearly states that as he is so are we in this world. Christ in us made us exactly like him. We are joint-heirs with him. If you don’t recognize this Christianity will be mere religion for you. Religion does not really produce an eternal change in people.
Recognizing Christ in you will revolutionize your Christian life. It will put confidence in your spirit man and gait in your footsteps. Christ is your life, he is everything you need to be victorious in life.
He is your hope of a glorious future. With Christ in your life your future is sure. This is your greatest source of confidence. This is the only thing that cannot fail and abides forever. Christ in you.
CONFESSION:
Christ in me is the hope of glory. Christ is my assurance of a great future. Everything I need is found in Christ and Christ is found in me. (Think about This).
LEARN MORE: 1 John 4:4
Monday 19th June, 2023
RECOGNISING WHO YOU ARE
Text: “That the communication of your faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.” Philemon 6
If you don’t recognise who you are the Devil will tell you who you are not. The circumstances of life will also paint a wrong picture of who you are. When you have a wrong picture of yourself it will produce wrong outcomes in your life. It will be difficult to make a head way in life when we have a wrong perspectives of ourselves. The Devil actually specialises in giving us a distorted picture of our worth and value.
One major relevance of the word of God is that it gives us the right picture of our worth and value. There are other people who may come along to help us see worth and values in ourselves, but that will be grossly inadequate to live on in this turbulent world. We must see value and worth for ourselves.
If you have ever failed before it may paint a picture of you as a failure. That is what circumstances says, not what God says. What happened to you or what did not happen to you does not define who you are. You have to be resolute not to accept whatever is contrary to what God says about you.
Recognise that you are the best of your type that God ever made. You are not in any way inferior to anyone. God never made anyone second class. You are first class all the way. This is not arrogance but a humble submission to what God already made you. No matter what your grades are in school you are still first class all the way. The Spirit of God dwells in you and that makes you extraordinary. Can you recognise this? The picture you have of yourself will determine the future you’ll experience. The experiences of your life will first be painted on the tablets of your heart. Just as an Architect draws the picture of a future house so also you are painting the picture of your future by what you think of yourself. You are the child of a King; you are limitless.
CONFESSION:
I am a child of a King. The royal blood flows in me. I am not inferior to anyone. Am the best of my type.
LEARN MORE: 1 Peter 2:9
Sunday 18th June, 2023
RECOGNISING THE SEASONS OF LIFE
Text: “...The Children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do....” 1 Chronicles 12:32
Life is in seasons. The understanding and the recognition of season will make a major difference in our lives. If you fail to recognise the seasons of life you will miss out on so many things. The sons of Issachar were in control because they recognised season that others failed to recognise.
Recognising seasons will help you to achieve the following:
1. It will help you to do the right thing at the right time.
2. It will help you to get the best out of life when the chances are brightest.
3. It will ensure that we reach out for the best God has in store for us on time. Time wasting things are eliminated out of our lives.
Seasons simply means time intervals in nature. Every wise farmer understands this principle. Every crop that will do well has the right season for it to do so. Maize planted at the wrong season may produce some seeds but will not produce as much as if it was planted at the right time. When it is planted at the right season the forces of nature such as rain also comes in to help in its maximum yield.
There is a right season to go to school and earn a degree. There have been cases of people who earned degrees at a very old age but this is very few. The best time to do it is when your mind is still fresh to absorb information and you are still strong to go through the rigour of the academic life. The best time to start serving God and discover his purpose for your life is when you are still young. The scriptures tell us to remember God in the days of our youth. This implies that the “days of our Youth” is the best season to invest everything we are in God. If you don’t recognise the seasons of your life you will waste them.
CONFESSION:
I have an understanding of times. I know exactly what to do with my life per time. I have precision in life.
LEARN MORE: Ecclesiastes 3:1-11; 12:1-2
Saturday 17th June, 2023
RECOGNIZING DIVINE MOMENTS
Text: “For who hath despised the day of small things?...” Zecheriah 4:10
About thirteen years ago I discovered that I was sending free texts on my phone. So I took advantage of that privilege to start sending Inspiring text messages to our Church members. So many people were blessed by it. Along the line a Brother in church introduced to me the need to use bulk SMS to reach church members. It was not really embraced by the Church I was then but I saw it as another tool to reach out to people. Personally I started paying the Brother to help me send bulk SMS to people. I started collecting phone numbers everywhere I went. At a point I had over one thousand people on my list. The Brother asked me one day what name we’ll give to the text as it should appear on people’s phones, I found myself saying “Inspiration,” and this was how we came about “Inspiration”. For me these were divine moments. At a particular time I had a message by Pastor Faith Oyedepo on diligence and I felt Inspired to start writing daily devotionals. Now I looked back and I thank God for helping me to recognise these divine moments.
Divine moments are destiny moulding moments in our lives that God opens a new chapter in our lives. These are times in our lives that God brings our way people that are going to make major contributions in our lives. We all need such moments to fulfil destiny. God will also orchestrate such moments. But we must be sensitive. We must be open to recognise such divine moments. If you are going to recognise divine moments then you must never treat anything as common or small. A small door that God opens today may lead to a bigger door in your life. A small opening today may lead to wide openings tomorrow. But if you refuse to walk through the small opening because of its size you will miss the greater doors. The days of little beginnings will lead to greater endings. The seemingly small divine moments I explained to you earlier has helped us to touch thousands of lives around the world for over 10 years now.
PRAYER:
Lord help me to be sensitive to divine moments in the coming year. I overcome every spiritual blindness.
LEARN MORE: Job 8:7
Friday 16th June, 2023
LAW OF RECOGNITION 2
Text: “And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became captain over them...” 1 Samuel 22:2
What you refuse to recognise will slip through your life. It therefore becomes necessary to increase the rate at which we can recognise opportunities knocking at our doors. It takes more than the natural eyes to see opportunities. We need the eyes of the Spirit to see clearly. Opportunities come disguised most times.
The rough edges in people may make you think there is nothing good that may come out of them. If you look at people merely based on how they look outwardly you will miss so many potential people that God will send your way. This group of men in our anchor scripture gathered themselves to David. At this point they did not have anything to offer David. He could have despised them and send them away. These men were distressed, in debt and discontented. At the end of the day these men became the “mighty men” of David. They were the ones God used to fight the major battles for David. If he had not recognised potentials in them he would have missed out on what God packaged in them for his advantage.
Please recognise the grace of God on people. Stop judging people based on their mere outward appearance. Built into their spirit are great potentials for something extraordinary. This applies to each one of us too. Recognise the grace of God in your life. Recognise the potentials that God has placed within your spirit. Where you are and what you have done so far does not define the limits of your life. We belong to a limitless God. There is no limit to how far we can go in life.
Jesse did not recognise that his son David had the potential of becoming a King. That was why he was not even invited in the first place to be tested. Please don’t despise people. You will be despising someone that God made in his image. Please recognise value in your spouse, your friends, your neighbours etc.
PRAYER:
Lord I repent of every way I have despised people in the past. I receive grace to recognise value in people.
LEARN MORE: 1 Samuel 16:6-13, 2 Samuel 23:8-13
Thursday 15th June, 2023
LAW OF RECOGNITION 1
Text: “Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And his brethren, James, and Joses ...are they not all with us...?” Matthew 13:55-56
A couple became obsessed with the pursuit of gold during the great gold rush of the late 1800’s. They decided to sell their farm and everything owned to go in search of gold. Failure after failure they ended up bankrupt in Europe. After many years, they decided to come back to America and visit their farm. However when they arrived they could not get close to their farm because it was surrounded with security guards and surveillance equipment to protect it. It turned out that under their farmhouse was the second largest gold reserve in America, now controlled by the Government. The farm they sold to go search for gold held the largest gold mine in North America. They simply did not recognise it.
Everything you need in life is already in your life merely awaiting your recognition of it. What you need you already have, all that needs to happen is for you to recognise them. Opportunities, miracles, breakthroughs pass us everyday unrecognised. Anything you refuse to recognise will exit your life – a gift, a person or a miracle. There are doors that God has opened for us that we just refuse to recognise them. Jesus came as the saviour, the healer, the way maker etc but the Jews did not recognise him. Even up till now some of them are still waiting for the Messiah to come. What a tragic loss. They only saw him as the carpenter son. Only God knows how many opportunities we have missed in life. The two thieves that were crucified with Jesus on the cross ended up in different places because one recognised the divine moment and Christ crucified along with them. The other was so blinded to that divine opportunity to make right his eternal destiny. I pray for you today that your eyes will open to recognise opportunities.
CONFESSION:
The eyes of my understanding are opened to recognise opportunities. I see clearly miracles lined up in my path daily and I take full advantage of them.
LEARN MORE: Luke 23:39-43, Ephesians 1:17-18
Wednesday 14th June, 2023
CREATIVE MINDS
Text: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Genesis 1:1
The world was empty, void and filled with chaos. The creative mind of God came to put orderliness into the disorderliness that God saw. Out of chaos God brought orderliness. Out of ugliness God brought beauty. Out of emptiness God brought fullness. That was the creative mind at work.
God has created us in his image and likeness so that we can also be creative like him. Whatever state of life you find yourself don’t be hopeless, we can come out of it. Built into us is the mind of Christ to bring into existence and bring to reality what has not been before. Whenever we find ourselves in a tight corner or in a dead end the creative mind of God in us comes into play to create a way out for us.
The creative mind is a major deposit of divinity in us to make the most of our lives. God filled Bazaleel with a creative mind by the Spirit to devise designs that have never been before. In whatever field of life we find ourselves this creative mind can come to bear. As a fashion designer the creative mind will create styles that no other tailor in town can design. These designs will be unique to you. The creative mind will help those of us in ministry to touch lives in a way that no one ever thought about before. The creative mind of God in a surgeon could help him out to do surgery in a way that beats human imagination. A teacher operating with a creative mind will teach his or her students in a way that they will perfectly understand.
The creative mind at work in us will help us not to be normal but different and unique. This will help us to stand out in the crowd of life. If you are going to excel in this world you must be different and extraordinary. This will be possible by the operation of the Spirit of God in us, helping us to be creative.
DECLARATION:
The mind of Christ is at work in me. My mind is creative. My mind provides answers and solutions.
LEARN MORE: Exo 31:2-5, 1 Corinth 2:16
Tuesday 13th June, 2023
BIG DREAMS AND NEW DREAMS
Text: “Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”Psalm 37:4.
One of the ways to keep hope alive in life is to have a dream; big dreams and new dreams. By this you will be compelled by a divine force of your destiny instead of being overcome by the power of your environment or circumstances. The world is not necessarily ruled by the most educated people, but men and women who are filled with dreams to be better and bigger than the circumstances of life. Great inventions came about by men who had big dreams to see the world become a better place. A life that has no dreams is dead while still alive.
We must have new dreams because God has promised to do new things in our lives. He can do exceedingly and abundantly more than we have ever seen or experienced before. If you stop having dreams then your life is stocked at the present state of life. Why will you remain where you are when God has so much in store? We can have big dreams because God is big enough to handle whatever we commit to his hands. There is really no dream you have that will be bigger than God. God cannot be scared by your dreams. It could scare people around you, but it will not scare God.
The inspiration of the Holy Spirit within us will produce godly and life altering dreams within us which are consistent with God’s plans for our lives. We are not just talking of human ambitions but rather Holy Ghost inspired dreams. The dreams of your heart will set the pace for your pursuits and expectations in life. It will become the driving force of your life. The Spirit of God inspired in me one day to start writing devotionals. This has become the driving force in my life. Allow the Spirit of God to birth something in your life.
PRAYER:
The Spirit of God is at work in my life, producing desires and thoughts that are consistent with God’s plans for me.
LEARN MORE: Job 32:8, Isa 43:19, Eph 3:20
Monday 12th June, 2023
WHEN LIFE HURTS
Text: “There hath no temptation taken you, but such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape...”1 Corinth 10:13
Question: What do you do when life hurts and it seems all hope is gone?
Answer: The first thing we must learn to do is to get back into God’s word and remind ourselves of what God says in that situation that we find ourselves. When we hurt so much the devil will take advantage of such moments to sow wrong thoughts in our minds; Thoughts that discourages and depresses. This is why we have to consciously remind ourselves of God’s faithfulness in the midst of that situation. Job was hurt deeply; he lost all he had in one day. He became terribly sick at the same time. In the midst of this he reminded himself that his redeemer was still alive. That understanding must have kept him all through the period of his loss and grief. He realised that the same God who gave him those things before can still do it again.
In the midst of that situation we must also understand that we don’t live by our feelings but by faith. We don’t make conclusions based on how things look like outwardly. The feeling of hopelessness is based on how things look like outwardly. In God there are no hopeless situations. If God is in our lives there are no hopeless situations in our lives. God and hopelessness cannot co-exist.
We must also understand that there is no challenge of life that is peculiar to us. Hundreds and thousands have gone through even more terrible situations and came out of it with testimonies. God’s word says “...Such as is common to Man...”1 Corinth 10:13. Common means that there is no big deal to it. Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill. God’s word went on to say that in that challenge there will be a way of escape. Please use God’s word to deal with your hurt.
CONFESSION:
God is faithful in my challenges and there will be a way of escape for me. I can handle the challenges.
LEARN MORE: 2 Corinthians 4:16-18; 5:7
Sunday 11th June, 2023
WORD TRANSFORMATION
Text: “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spitit of the Lord.” 2 Corinth 3:18
Question: How and when can one finish reading the whole Bible?
Answer: The person who asked this question was really interested in reading through the whole Bible, which I consider a very good and laudable desire. As much as we can we should all aspire to read through the whole Bible, it will enrich our lives. If that is your desire there are various Bible reading programs that can help us to read a particular portion every day until we go through the entire Bible.
But let me say that this was not just my response to the question. My response was that “the goal for reading the Bible is not to finish the Bible; the goal is to be transformed by it.”If you can finish reading it that will be great but that will not make any difference if you are not transformed and changed by it. There are theologians who know the Bible from cover to cover and all they do is just to teach it, not living it.
God’s word is God’s material for working in the lives of men. We can experience whatever change we desire in our lives if we’ll spend time in the word and place very close attention to it. If you spend enough time with just one chapter of the Bible it will produce more transformations in your life that speed reading so many chapters within a short period of time. I have heard people who spend a whole year reading just one portion of the Bible over and over again. If you do things like that it will produce so much transformation in your life. In my early twenties for two years I read a chapter in the book of proverbs everyday that corresponds to the date of that day. It changed me.
CONFESSION:
The word of God is changing me. Producing results in my life. It’s changing my thoughts and my lifestyle.
LEARN MORE: Proverbs 4:20-23
Saturday 10th June, 2023
MAKING THE WORD PRODUCE 2
Text: “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night...” Joshua 1:8
The parable of the sower as stated by Jesus clearly explains to us that the heart of man is the ground that produces the seed of God’s word. The quality of ground has a major role to play in how much the seed produces.
Even with the good ground there are different levels of producing the word. 30%, 60% and 100%, which depend on the depth of understanding. The deeper we become in understanding the more the word of God produces in our lives.This is why we can read one verse of scripture for as many times as possible, the more you read the deeper your understanding becomes and the more it produces in our lives.
Looking at some other scriptures we’ll see how to make the word produce in our lives.
1. Meditating on the word is a major process of getting the word planted in our hearts.
2. Speaking the word continually is another major way of making the word produce in our lives.
It must not depart from our mouths.
The word that produces in our lives is the one that is sown in our heart's and declared with our mouths.
3. Doing the word is another prerequisite in seeing the word produce in our lives. It’s not the hearers that are blessed but the doers of the word. The word we don’t practice will not make any difference in our lives. It’s actually self deception to hear the word and not do it.
Let's conclude that if you stick to the word you will end up with a testimony. It will produce what it says in your life.
CONFESSION:
The word is my life, producing results in my life. I do the word and I become the word.
LEARN MORE: James 1:21-25
Friday 9th June, 2023
MAKING THE WORD PRODUCE
Text: “And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow.” Matt 13:3
The next Four (4) days we’ll be taking lessons drawn from questions I received on WhatsApp and Facebook. I’m sure you’ll be blessed by them.
Question: How do we get the word of God to produce?
Answer: The best way to answer this question is to ask ourselves how a farmer gets the seed to produce. Once we understand this we can also understand how the word of God will produce results in our lives. The Bible is not a religious book. It’s the seed that God has given us to produce results in every area of our lives.
1. The farmer sows the seed. Seeds that are not sown cannot produce anything. Mere hearing or reading the word does not mean that it has been sown. It has to gain entrance or take root in our hearts for it to produce results in our lives. The act of meditation is what gets the word sown in our hearts. Word that is not meditated upon has not been sown yet. Casual reading and hearing the word will not get the job done. Faith comes by hearing and hearing the word, this double emphasis means continually dwelling on the word heard or read (Rom 10:17). The day and night meditation on the word gets it engrafted on the tablets of our hearts. To meditate means to set your mind on it. Think over it over and over again.
2. The quality of soil also determines the rate at which the seed produces. The heart of man is the soil that produces the word. The heart must be conducive for the word to produce maximally in our lives. The following types of heart will be conducive for the word of God to produce:
A heart of meekness
A heart of submission to whatever the word says.
A heart of faith that makes God’s words the final authority.
PRAYER:
Lord purge my heart of everything competing with your word in my heart.
LEARN MORE: Joshua 1:8, Psalm 1:1-3
Thursay 8th June, 2023
REFUSE TO FAINT
Text: “I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” Psalm 27:13
“I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.”NIV
“Yet I am confident that I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living.”NLT
I strongly want to encourage you to get confident about God’s plans and program for your life. If you lose that confidence you will faint in the midst of the challenges of life. The challenges you have to face are not reasons to give up, but rather a reason to know that there is a future ahead of your pains.
I read this word from Bishop T.D Jakes “Sometimes we can become so engrossed with our pain, that we miss the point. Pain can traumatize you to the point where you can't think clearly, you can't reason, it becomes difficult to figure things out. You can have pain so deep that you lose your sense of self, your personality, you become a different person. Don't let your pain STOP you from BEING who YOU are! There is purpose in your pain, reclaim your territory, get your stuff back! I pray that "your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard." (Isaiah 58:8).”
Refuse to give up. Hold on to God’s dreams for your life. Become determined more than ever before to become all you were created to be. This is your moment. There is no better time in your life to rise and take advantage of all that God will be making available for you. This is your moment.
Job refused to faint despite all that he went through. He was so sure that there is no defeat in God. In God there is no failure. You are connected to this great God. Be confident that you’ll see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
CONFESSION:
I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. I am confident about my tomorrow.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 23:1-6
Wednesday 7th June, 2023
A LARGE PLACE
Text: “He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighteth in me.” Psalm 18:19
The word of God is a revelation of the will of God for our lives. The word of God reveals to us what God wants to do in our lives. Every time you read the word of God it shows clearly what is possible and obtainable in our lives.
Whatever was possible in any life in scriptures is also possible in our lives. The anchor scripture today is a personal testimony of the life of David. His life came out of being nobody to become somebody. He came out from being a shepherd boy to becoming the anointed King over Israel. He went from leading sheep to leading men. He went from killing the Bear to killing Goliath.
The transition was so clear that he described his present place as a “large place”. We can as well describe where he was before as a “narrow place”. A narrow place will be a description of a life that is limited. A life that is filled with conflicts and barriers in the pursuit of God’s plan and purpose.
We all belong to a “large place”, that is where we belong in destiny. The word of God is prophetic. I see someone entering into a large place today, whatever has been a barrier on your life is broken today.Prophetically a “large place” is a place where we become all we were meant to become. In a large place nothing will be small about your life. Like we discussed yesterday we can start small but we are not permitted to remain small.
King Saul made some efforts to hinder David’s journey into the “large place”, he made attempts to kill him. In spite of it all David became stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul became weaker and weaker. Whatever is trying to hinder your journey into your “large place” will get weaker and weaker until they are completely destroyed.
CONFESSION:
I belong to a large place in life. The plans and purpose of God for my life are coming to pass.
LEARN MORE: 2 Samuel 3:1
Tuesday 6th June, 2023
WORD VIGIL
Text: “Mine eyes prevent the night watches, that I might meditate in the word.” Psalm 119:148
Vigils are usually associated with all night prayers. We find churches all over the place on Fridays praying through the night. That is all most of us know about vigils. But from our anchor scripture we get an idea of a different type of vigil. Today again you’ll see why David was such a powerful person. The secret of men are in their stories. This man will spend a whole night meditating on the word of God. He was not just a prayer warrior, but a word warrior.
The word of God is God contact point with man. In it we find the plans and purpose for our lives unfolded. In God’s word we find direction for our journey in life. Recently I read the story of a Chief executive officer of a multinational telecommunication company how he was able to discover how to run the company in so many nations from the story of Moses in the book of Exodus. The word of God can handle any area of our lives. The challenge with us is that most of us have never given the word of God an undivided attention.
The word of God is the answer to every human question. It’s God’s instruction manual for our lives. The attention we give to God’s word is the attention that God gives to us. If you don’t take the words of a man serious then you have not taken the man serious.
Word vigil is a practice in which we stay up in the night to read and meditate in the word of God. It’s usually a period of the day that distractions are minimal. Our focus will be better at this period of the day.
Spending quality time in the word is spending time with God. Nothing is as edifying and enriching like spending quality time with the word of God. It doesn’t have to be reading so much, but rather picking a portion of the scripture that we meditate upon over and over again until the virtues in it are released into our spirit on a daily basis. Practice this it will change your life.
CONFESSION:
The word of God is taking over my spirit. I am completely under the influence of the word of God.
LEARN MORE: Jos 1:8, Ps 1:1-3
Monday 5th June, 2023
THIRSTY FOR GOD
Text: “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God; when shall I come and appear before God.”Psalm 42:1-2
There are certain things in life that you can never have enough of them. The more of them you have the more you will still need to keep life going. No matter how much oxygen you have used in a lifetime, you’ll still require so much more to stay healthy and alive. When you stop taking in oxygen danger is knocking at the door.
This concept is also true of our relationship with God. There is so much in God that we can never have enough of God. The more of God you think you know the more you’ll realise that you don’t know. It’s dangerous to think we already know all that there is to know about God. His ways are past finding out. God is bigger than what our natural minds can fully comprehend. The present state of your walk with God and your effectiveness as a believer is a function of what you know about him. If we are going to get deeper and become more effective in God them we must pursue God the more. The depth of our pursuit of God will determine the extent to which we’ll discover and know God. God is more than willing to take us deeper and higher.
The Hart is an animal that depends so much on water for sustenance. The animal is always on a desperate search for it. This is the same attitude we should have towards God. Desperately reading the word of God on a regular basis. That thirst produces in us a deeper revelation and understanding of God. When your revelation and understanding of God increases your capacity to function in life also increases. The hundred-fold dimension of results is what God wants for us. This is why we must keep pursuing God.
PRAYER:
Lord my heart is thirsty for you; I want more of you in my life. I want to grow deeper in the knowledge of you. I don’t know enough yet.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 63:1-2, Matt 13:23
Sunday 4th June, 2023
VOICE OF TEACHERS
Text: “And have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, Nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me!” Prov 5:13
One of the people that has made irrevocable impact and contributions in our lives are teachers. We were exposed to them from a tender age. Apart from the home the next major impact on a child is the teachers. It’s always a challenge for parents to convince a child contrary to what a teacher said in school.
Teachers are instructors. They help us to find our bearing in life. The only person that has not had a contact with a teacher is possibly an illiterate who did not have any form of education; formal or informal. This is also true in spiritual things. One of the core ministry gifts in the body of Christ are teachers. These are spiritual leaders God has placed over us that help us to find our bearing in God. If you read the previous verses before our anchor scripture for today you will understand that there will be a major deviation from the path of life if we ignore the instructions and the reproof of the teachers that God has brought our way in life. If you recognise a teacher God has placed on your life spend time listening to them on their tapes or books. It will enrich your life. Prov 5:7-12
The Holy Spirit is the ultimate teacher, but he also reaches out to us through human vessels. Each time you read this material it is the voice of a teacher reaching out to you. I have seen cases where people come to Church week after week and do nothing about what they are taught. In so many cases you find people do the right opposite.
The voice of teachers starting from the Holy Spirit is meant to guide you in life. To help you avoid the pitfalls, to help you become all you were meant to be. I hope you’ll obey their voice.
PRAYER:
Lord I open my ears more than ever before to hear the voice of teachers you have used to teach me. I receive a heart of obedience.
LEARN MORE: Isaiah 30:21-22, John 14:26
Saturday 3th June, 2023
DIVINE CORRECTION
Text: “My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction. For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.” Prov 3:11-12
One major responsibility of parents is to correct their children. Sometimes it involves some levels of been hard on the children. Usually the parents will have to place some demands on their children just to make sure their academic performance improve more than the previous exams. Parents have to correct over and over again. Was it because they hate the children? Emphatically no. They want the best to come out of them.
Correction is actually a proof of love. This is also true of our relationship with God. He wants to correct us over and over again. So that the best can come out of our lives. Despising God’s correction is a wrong attitude to life. God will correct you on virtually every aspect of your life. We must be open and receptive to such corrections. If we are left to ourselves we’ll destroy ourselves. If a child is left alone he or she may never go to school, may never do assignments, and may never take bath for months. Correction is actually helping us to end up right in life. When a child despises correction the child is despising greatness. So also we are when we despise God’s correction. No one is too old to be corrected by God. If you are too old to be corrected then you are too old to be used of God.
God’s correction will come via his word as prompted by his Spirit from time to time and also through various authorities he has placed over us in life; Pastors, Parents, Teachers, Spouse etc. God’s correction is not the same as condemnation. Correction is of God while condemnation is of the Devil. Welcome and embrace God’s correction, it’s for your own good. You are dangerous specie if no one can correct you.
PRAYER:
Lord I open my life to your correction. Re-order my steps from whatever I am doing wrong.
LEARN MORE: Job 5:17-18, Hebrews 12:5-11
Friday 2rd June, 2023
ALLOW THE POTTER 2
Text: “And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.” Jer 18:4
The ultimate job of the potter is to bring out the best out of the clay. It does not matter how “marred” the clay is the potter know exactly what to do to bring out the best in the clay. We must also understand that no matter how messed up our lives are the all wise God knows exactly what to do to bring out the best in our lives.
Wherever you are and whatever you have been through God can bring out the best out of it. The circumstances of Joseph were so “marred”, but God eventually brought out the best out of it. Naomi was so hopeless that she was ready to send away her two daughter in-laws, but the master potter brought the beauty out of the messed up situation. Apostle Paul was once the worst sinner. But because after the encounter with the potter he gave God an unhindered access to his life and he became the greatest Apostle that ever lived. Am so sure something great and beautiful is coming forth out of your life.
One major factor in the potter carrying out his job is for us to understand that whatever the potter wants to do is not based on what the clay wants but what “…seemed good to the potter…”, we don’t dictate to God. We simply allow him to do with us whatever he wills. Like the architect, God has the master plan of our lives and he knows what is best for us. The things that seemed good to us might be a direct opposite of what God had in mind. The key is to keep submitting to God on all issues. We must get to the point where we don’t struggle with him any more on any issue.
CONFESSION:
The master potter is having unhindered access in my life. Working in me what seems good to him. The beauty in my life is coming forth.
LEARN MORE: Galatians 2:20, James 4:7
Thursday 1st June, 2023
ALLOW THE POTTER 1
Text: “O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as the potter? Saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.” Jeremiah 18:6
This scripture describes the kind of relationship that God seeks to have with us. The unfortunate thing is that most of the time we don’t allow this relationship to work. We seem to think we know so much to handle life on our own.
The job of the potter becomes easy and possible when the clay submits to the potter. The more the clay resists the potter the more difficult it become for the potter to accomplish his task.
Usually the potter sees in the clay what the clay cannot see in itself. There is so much beauty and possibility locked up within us that God wants to reveal to the world to see. But we must understand that just as a potter works on the clay before the beauty comes out so also God seeks to work in us and on us every day. The unhindered access that God has into our lives is what brings out the beauty in our lives.
If there are areas of our lives that God has not been allowed to touch it becomes a place where the purpose of God for our lives will be hindered. If God does not have control over your relationships and the association you keep it has limited how far God can go with you. There are those that God can never have a say in their finances. How they spend it and what they use it for is purely their decision. This will also limit what God can accomplish through them.
The potter needs an unconditional and an unhindered access to the clay, so also God wants in our lives. There should never be an area of life that God cannot correct you about.
PRAYER:
Lord my life is open and available for you. Work in me your good pleasure and do with me whatever you will.
LEARN MORE: Philippians 2:13
Wednesday 31st May, 2023
RELATIONSHIP AUDIT 2
Text: “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: But a companion of fools shall be destroyed.” Prov 13:20
Let’s do another audit of your relationships. You really have to be sincere with yourself on this.
From our study yesterday we stated that relationships are meant to help us to achieve God’s purpose for our lives. This simply implies that before getting into a relationship I should have discovered God’s purpose for my life to an extent. The first pursuit of my life therefore should be purpose ahead of relationship. Dysfunctional people cannot build great relationship. Each person comes into the relationship with a sense of purpose. Both of you know exactly where you are going in life. This is so important because this individual that is coming into your life may not be interested in going in the same direction with you. Growing up as a young man I heard this words that helped me a lot “Decide where you are going before you decide who will go with you. If you decide who will go with you before you decide where you are going, the individual may not be interested in going with you.” That will eventually create problems for you.
The best time to enter into a relationship is when you don’t need one; when you can exist by yourself. There are people who derive their sense of confidence and value in what goes on in their relationships. It’s a wrong expectation to depend on a fellow man to give you that. This is why so many people are frustrated in relationships because they are demanding from their partners only what God can supply. Before getting into a relationship we should have a sense of worth in God and not just depend on what someone else gives.
Developing a great relationship with God is vital before getting into a relationship with a mortal man.
PRAYER:
Father I declare that you are my ultimate source in life. Everything I need flows from you.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 42:1-2
Tuesday 30th May, 2022
RELATIONSHIP AUDIT 1
Text: “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.” Ecc 4:9
As we close this month let’s take an audit of our relationships. One major area that we need to get it right and have clear cut direction is in the area of relationships. This does not apply to marriage alone. It cuts across virtually every form of relationships. From couples to parents. From friends to neighbors. Relationship has a major role to play in our lives. Each one of us is product of one form of relationships that we encountered as we grew up in life.
Every relationship that we encounter leaves a lifetime impact on our lives. This is why the purpose of a relationship must be clearly defined from the onset. When purpose is not known abuse is inevitable. Each one of us has the right to decide who we admit into our circle of influence.
Relationships are supposed to build you up. The individuals involved must be conscious of this. If it’s not building you up it does not worth it. God has a plan and a purpose for each one of us, the ultimate end of a relationship is to build each other up in that direction. If a relationship is not supplying anything to achieve that it’s a waste of time and energy. We must realize that our lives are not in duplicates, we must maximize this one that we have. A friend, sibling or pastor that is not helping you to get closer to God’s purpose for your life might as well be an enemy in disguise.
This is so important because at the end of your life you’ll realize that the most important issue of your life is to achieve God’s purpose for your life and be all he wants you to become. Every relationship that helps you to achieve that is worth pursuing. Every form of relationship should help us to arrive at God’s ultimate purpose for our lives.
PRAYER:
Lord open my eyes of understanding to have discernment in my choice of friends.
LEARN MORE: Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Monday 29th May, 2023
EMBRACING CHANGE
Text: “Remember Lot’s wife.” Luke 17:32
One major way that God uses to introduce us to his ultimate plans for our lives is to first of all introduce a change in our lives. Initially it may not look like what we want, but at the end of the rope is the unfolding of what God had in store. God wanted to bring Abraham into the fulfilment of prophecy, but had to change his location, his crowd and his connections. It’s easy to hold on to the familiar and the secured. Abraham understood God’s pattern and he was able to see the fulfilment of God’s counsels for his life.
Lot’s wife on the other hand did not understand this principle. She had stayed in Sodom for a period and must have enjoyed the life she had there. Lot’s wife looked back because she simply could not believe that what God had in store for her would compare to what she had been accustomed to.
This is the way so many of us also think. You cannot reach out to your future if you insist on holding to your past. A wise man said “he who rejects change is the architect of decay.
The only human institution that rejects progress is the cemetery”. God is the author of change, and those who cannot flow with that change will be subject to decay.
When God calls us to change it’s an opportunity to be released from our past so that we can embrace something of much greater value. As long as we believe that where we are right now is the best, you’ll die a slow death of insignificance. It’s a way of saying God cannot go beyond where you are right now. It’s an insult on God. God can do far more abundantly, much more than you have ever seen before.
Be open to whatever change God is demanding from you. It’s your door to a greater future.
PRAYER:
Lord my life is open and available to whatever change you desire in my life.
LEARN MORE: Genesis 19:17, 26, Ephesians 3:20
Sunday 28th May, 2023
BENEFITS IN THE PRISON
Text: “And Joseph answered and said, this is the interpretation thereof: The three baskets are three days.” Gen 40:18
Joseph had dreamt that he was going to become a leader over his siblings. All hell broke loose on his life and he found himself in very hopeless situations. Right in the prison the power of God was still at work in him.
Obviously there was no body that would have pleaded his case for him. His family actually thought he was dead. Humanly speaking there was no way out for him. In the midst of all these the gift of God was still finding expression in Joseph. He did not allow his environment to condition him. He was in prison but the prison was not in him.
His external condition did not become an internal disposition. What happened to us is not as important as what happens in us. Even in the worst scenarios of life we can locate a way out as long as we don’t allow it to condition our mind-set.
Joseph was still productive in the worst condition of life. There was no record of ever interpreting dreams until he got to the prison. With the right disposition to adversity the best of our lives can come out of it. The worst conditions of life can work out to our greatest advantage.
Whatever you may be going through right now keep yourself open and connected to God. That will keep us in the flow of what God wants to bring out of what we are going through. It was not God that took Joseph to prison, but God used it for his glory.
Whatever is meant to harm you will be used for the glory of God. I see the best of God coming out of your life in even worst situations of life. God is not limited by our circumstances, He’s bigger than it.
CONFESSION:
The best of God is coming forth out of my life. The worst situations of life are turning out for my good. I connect to the benefits of everywhere I find myself.
LEARN MORE: Romans 8:28, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
Saturday 27th May, 2023
COMPLETE IN CHRIST
Text: “And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power.” Col 2:10
Coming to Christ is coming to a life that is completely taken over by Christ. This life that we have is no longer defined by human standards but God’s specified standards. In Christ we are complete; nothing is missing in our lives. In Christ everything is right with you. Whatever was wrong before the new birth experience was made right in Christ.
This does not mean we should just fold our hands and refuse to work on ourselves. There may be changes we’ll require to make in different areas of our lives. But even when we are making these necessary changes, God sees us as perfect and complete in Christ. Go ahead and make all the necessary adjustments in your life but understand that you are already complete even before the adjustments. The adjustments are actually a product of the inward completeness that has already taken place.
What Christ did on the cross was a perfect job. Whatever we do afterwards is a product of it and not a means to it.
The life of the new creation man is a life lived from the inside to change what is outside. Religion works from the outside to change what is on the inside. This will always fail because man is supposed to be controlled from within and not from without.
Acknowledge the truth of God’s word. Even when the natural mind is trying to figure it out, just submit to what the word of God says. We are complete because Christ is our life. We are one with him. We’ve been united with him. When he was on the cross we were there together. When he was buried we were buried together. We rose up from the grave together and are seated at the right hand side of the father together in the heavenly places. It such a vital union that include us in everything that Christ is and has. As he is so are we in this world.
PRAYER:
Thank you Lord for the perfect work of Christ on the cross that made me perfect. Everything I need for success is already inside me.
LEARN MORE: Romans 6:3-4, Ephesians 2:5-6
Friday 26th May, 2023
BUILD WITH WORDS 2
Text: “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace to the hearers.” Ephesians 4:29
We are all ministers in our sphere of influence. Once you have one or two persons that you speak to every day, you already have the privilege to minister to them. It could be your children. It could be your classmates. We have people hearing us daily.
The words of your mouth must be good. How do we define what is good or not? Simple, it must be scripturally-inclined. It must be able to pass the litmus test of the word of God. This is the best way to make the word of your mouth powerful and useful in edifying other people.
Norman Vincent Peale said some years ago that “Christians ought to be in the business of building people up, because there are so many people today already in the demolition business”. We build up lives or demolish them by our words.
No matter what you do and where you are found God is counting on you there to encourage and build lives there. You are the minister in that place ministering grace to your hearers.
We live in a world that is full of negative news every day. Discouragement in the air. The hearts of men are failing daily for fear of the unknown. We have a unique advantage today to reach out to people in our environment. If you allow the word of God to get hold of your heart and mouth a powerful ministry can begin from your life where you are located. You don’t need a pulpit to start a ministry; all you need is your mouth that is trained to minister grace to everyone that comes your way.
“Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift.” Eph 4:29 Message Bible.
PRAYER:
Lord my mouth is available to minister grace to my hearers. Build someone up through me today.
LEARN MORE: 2 Corinthians 3:6, Ephesians 4:31
Thursday 25th May, 2023
BUILD WITH WORDS 1
Text: “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace to the hearers.” Ephesians 4:29
The phrase “corrupt communication” here simply refers to foul and abusive language (NLT). The New International version calls it “unwholesome talk”. This simply describes words that should never come out of our mouths.
The NIV puts it this way “Do not let unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen”.
The type of words we speak has a direct impact on the lives of people around us. It could be a spouse, a child, an employee, a friend, a congregation etc. The words of our mouths are either building people up or tearing them down. I strongly believe that God has placed those people on our path in life so that we can be a positive influence on their lives. Most influence in conveyed by words. There are children who are destroyed emotionally based on words spoken to them by parents or guardians. In so many cases those words remain with the children for life. There are teachers who have planted seeds of failure in the hearts of innocent students.
The impact of your life will be a function of words you have adopted in life. If your mode of words are derived from worldly music it will be difficult to impact lives with it. Every word we speak must carry an element of grace with it. Words that discourages, devalues are toxic to human souls.
The words of your mouth are a reflection of your spiritual maturity. A child is recognised by childish words. Let your words be great in God and be a positive influence on people around you.
PRAYER:
Lord teach my mouth to speaks words of grace and honour.
LEARN MORE: 1 Corinthians 13:11, Colossians 4:6
Wednesday 24th May, 2023
LARGENESS OF HEART
Text: “And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore.” 1 king 4:29
Did you notice the things that God gave Solomon? These are the raw materials from which everything else is made in life. Honestly if you have these you have everything else that life will ever require.
He had the privilege of asking for any other thing, but he knew that this was the most important. If you have that kind of opportunity what will you ask for? He did not ask for his enemies to die. If your enemies die and you still lack wisdom, you’ll still end up as a failure. Please go ahead and pray whatever prayer you want to pray but make sure this one too is included in your prayer.
Largeness of heart talks about capacity. Solomon was young but he needed a greater capacity to handle his assignment. When your heart is enlarged your capacity to do great things increases. It takes largeness of heart to do great business. What you require to handle a hundred thousand worth of business is not the same as what you require to run a one billion worth of business. Greater risk and pressure is involved. So also you’ll require a greater courage and confidence. This will happen as your heart is enlarged.
What you require to live as a single person is completely different from what you require as a married person. The heart needs to be enlarged to be able to accommodate the differences that exist between you and your spouse. If you are narrow hearted you’ll see mistake in everything, you’ll find it difficult to forgive and let go of offences.
Most people fail in life not because they were not sincere but because their hearts were too narrow to handle what was committed to their hands.
PRAYER:
Lord enlarge my heart and capacity to do great things.
LEARN MORE: 1 King 3:7-13
Tuesday 23rd May, 2023
FACE THE FUTURE
Text: “Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more: but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.” John 14:19
There is really nothing in life that has a guarantee of a great future outside God. The best of careers and jobs have their own list of failures. The best of our connections may not be there again tomorrow.
The future is in God. He controls it. We must therefore build our confidence in someone that remains forever. Where we want to go he’s been there. What we want to do he has done it. He has the details of what your mind cannot figure out. We face the future as we face God.
The life we live in the present must revolve around God. The challenge with most of us is that we spend most of the active seasons of our lives around a career and business with little or no time for God. The time we invest in God today is an investment for our future. Time spent with God is time invested.
The future will remain the same with all our anxiety and worry. It is better we face it in prayer. The mistake we make most times is thinking its only people who have problems that should be heavily involved in prayer. Prayer is breathe of the regenerated human spirit. Prayer prepares us for the future and also prepares the future for us. We actually put orderliness in our future in the place of prayer. You don’t have to be married before you start to pray for your home or even pray for kids you’ll have. If you are still in school start praying about settling down after school. The unfortunate thing is that we run life majorly on emergency basis.
Face the future with the confidence of who Christ is in your life. He’s the hope of glory; there is nothing to fear. If Christ dwells in you the future is secured for you. If you don’t have a prayer life then you are leaving the future to chances. When you are afraid and anxious you create an inroad for the Devil.
CONFESSION:
I can face the future because Christ lives in me. My future is brighter, bigger and better than today.
LEARN MORE: Colossians 1:27, Luke 18:1
Monday 22nd May, 2023
BE CAREFUL WITH WORDS
Text: “But the men that went up with him said, we be not able to go up against the people: for they are stronger than we” Number 13:31
If you study carefully the story of the ten spies that gave evil report of what they saw in the Promised Land you’ll discover that at the end of the day it was their words that became their trap. The words they spoke worked against them. What God did was simply to confirm what they said. We must learn to be careful with our words. No word is empty. They carry something.
Today we’ll look at a couple of rules that should guide our words, so that our words can always work for us.
1.Don’t speak according to your size; speak according to the size of your God.
2.Don’t speak how big the problems are; speak about how big the promises of God are.
3.Don’t speak about what the enemy is doing; speak about what God is doing.
4.Don’t speak about where you are; speak about where you are going.
5.Don’t speak about what you are experiencing; speak about what you are expecting.
6.Don’t speak about what you are seeing; speak about what God is saying.
7.Don’t talk about the enemy; talk about God.
These major differences are clearly seeing in what the ten spies said and what Caleb and his colleague said. If we allow these rules to guide our words we’ll find ourselves always speaking words of faith, words of power and words of possibilities. Just imagine if God confirms every word you have ever spoken what your life will look like. If you realise it or not that is exactly what is happening in your life right now.
God is making a way for you where there seems to be no way. All things are working together for your good. God is saying I will do a new thing in your life. God is saying I will never leave you nor forsake you. God is saying my grace is sufficient for you. His word says by the stripes of Jesus you are healed. These are words that should occupy your mouth.
CONFESSION:
All things are working for my good. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places, I have a goodly heritage.
LEARN MORE: Numbers 14:28-29
Sunday 21st May, 2023
OVERCOMING DISCOURAGMENT 2
Text: “And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved...but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.” 1 Sam 30:6
Dealing with discouragement is principally a personal responsibility. The plain truth is that we spend more time with ourselves more than any other person does. Even in very intimate relationship we still have times that we are away from each other. No matter how close a couple will be they will still have times that they are away. If all the encouragement we need depends on what comes from others then we may not have enough of the encouragement we need in life to face the issues that confronts us. Most of the time it’s not really the challenges of life that defeats us but rather how we respond to them.
If all the encouragement that we can ever get will come from someone else we’ll forever run short of it. The wife of job did not even have any to give him. His friends were only trying to find out who was faulty about what happened. David too would have been stranded if he had depended on his colleagues to encourage him; they actually wanted to stone him. He had to encourage himself. The best way to deal with discouragement is to receive inner encouragement that comes from the Holy Spirit. If you don’t deal with discouragement from within the things that happen without will defeat you.
The journey of life is principally personal, so don’t wait for someone to encourage you. They might do it late or not even do it at all. We need so much dose of encouragement to deal with life. You will have to stay very close in intimate relationship with the Spirit of God in other to deal with discouragement. The Spirit of God is the river of God within a believer, bringing comfort and courage in the face of adverse circumstances.
CONFESSION:
The Spirit of God is at work in me. Bringing me comfort and courage.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 46:1-11
Saturday 20th May, 2023
OVERCOMING DISCOURAGMENT 1
Text: “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth.” Job 19:25
This man had a great business. He was also blessed with a wonderful family. But all of a sudden hell broke loose on his life and he lost everything in a day. To add salt to injury the man became terribly sick. These are enough to make a man get mad with God and get discouraged with life. His wife who should have been a major source of encouragement to him wanted him to curse God and die; she felt there was really no reason again to keep living. Job 2:9
When we get discouraged with life, we have given the Devil reasons to rejoice over us. Challenges are inevitable to life. It’s actually a sign that you are still involved in the venture called “life”. We must therefore deal with discouragement if we are going to make headway with life.
In spite of all that Job went through he did not give up on his confidence in the faithfulness of God. He lost everything but he did not lose his confidence in God. Dealing with discouragement is fundamental in coming out of whatever challenge life brings our way. Discouragement actually gets us to sink deeper into the challenge. Discouragement blinds our eyes to every possibility that exists around us.
No matter what you are going through understand that God remains faithful. It’s a major understanding you must have about God in order for you to deal with life. Job said “...I know my redeemer is alive...” Alive here means God is still working. He is still doing whatever he had done before. The circumstances of life does not change who God is. It becomes extremely difficult if we blame God for whatever happened in our lives. Like Job did remind yourself over and over again that God is faithful.
CONFESSION:
God has never failed before and he will not start failing in my own case. I declare God faithful in my life.
LEARN MORE: 1 Corinthians 1:9, Hebrews 11:11
Friday 19th May, 2023
THE RIGHT PLACE 2
Text: “And the Lord appeared unto him. And said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of.” Gen 26:2
If you look closely at the story of Abraham you will notice that Abraham and Lot had their fortune in the land of Egypt (Gen 13:1-2). It was after this experience that Isaac was born. It’s so natural for a son to want to go to a place where the father made it. This was the exact scenario that Isaac found himself. He wanted to move down to Egypt to escape from the famine in the land of the Philistines. Genesis 26:1-2 says “And there was famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech King of the Philistine unto Gerar. And the Lord appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of.” The question on my mind was, why was Abraham allowed to go there and his son was not allowed? The answer is simply God has the right place for each one of us.
The right place for Abraham was not the right place for Isaac. If you look at it closely where God asked Isaac to stay was a place that nothing will grow naturally because there was no rain. But because he was in the right place that God placed him he became extremely prosperous and successful. It was all because he had God’s manifest presence. If he had moved to Egypt he would have been operating under the omnipresence nature of God which wouldn’t have made any difference for him. The other Philistines envied him because they only had the omnipresence of God and not his manifest presence. It’s dangerous to operate in a place that God has not placed us.
God’s guidance makes a lot of difference in life. We must be humble enough to allow God to show us the right place. He will show up for us there. Where he leads us is where his grace keeps us.
PRAYER:
Lord help me to follow the right path in everything I do in life. Paths that will lead to my blessings.
LEARN MORE: Genesis 26:11-14
Thursday 18th May, 2023
LIFE LESSONS 4
Text: “He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that followeth vain persons is void of understanding.” Prov 12:11
Life is principally a personal adventure. Each one of us must take personal responsibility for the outcome of our lives. We must be resolute not to blame anyone for the state of our lives. If you blame anyone you have given that person the right to dictate the outcome and direction of your life.
There are things that nobody else can do for you no matter how much they love you. Your parents can pay all your fees in school but can never write exams for you. If they do it will be a criminal offence. There is therefore a limit to which anyone can help you in life.
The word “land” in our anchor scripture could refer to any area of our lives. What you put into the land is what the land brings back to you. When you put nothing it will produce unwanted weeds for you. It takes conscious and deliberate steps for a farmer to clear the land and plant the required seeds on it. This is also true about your academics, marriage, ministry etc. what you refuse to do will remain undone forever.
Wherever you desire to see changes and results then go to work in that area. Till your land and plant the required seeds in it. It will produce a harvest that you desire in it. If your Christian life is out of shape, till the land here. This may require that you begin to spend some time reading your bible. It may also require that you change your association. These are personal efforts that will produce amazing results in your life.
If you spend all your life with people who have no future, then you might end up empty like them. Go to work on your life.
PRAYER:
Lord open my eyes to know what I should be busy doing with my life. Help me not to waste my life in unfruitful venture.
LEARN MORE: Proverbs 24:30-34
Wednesday 17th May, 2023
LIFE LESSONS 3
Text: “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life...” 1Tim 6:12
Life is a battle ground; it will hardly give to you what you are not willing to fight for. Ultimately life will pay off for those who are determined to put up a fight to take their own portion out of life.
Right from the point of birth God has built into every man what is called the immune system. This basically has the responsibility to fight disease and whatever wants to attack the human body. If the immune system is not there it will be so easy for wrong things to attach to the new born. The immune system is also boosted by various immunisation programs just to help the child to fight disease.
This is also true generally in life. We must be ready to fight whatever comes against us and is out to stop God’s program for our lives or else we’ll end up as victims. As believers we are not fighting from the side of a victim; we are fighting from the side of someone who has been declared as more than a conqueror even before the fight began. The fight of a believer is actually a fight to maintain our ground of victory that Christ already procured for us on the cross. Jesus actually took the fight on our behalf to the very gates of the adversary. He made an open show of the devil and triumphed over them.
God is asking us to take the shield of faith and fight for what belongs to us. Stand on the word of God and insist that what God says must become a reality in your life. If you don’t take that stand the enemy will take advantage of us and rob us of all that God has ordained for us from the foundation of the world. It’s important for us to also note that our fight is not carnal; we don’t engage physical weapons. We cannot fight the enemy on the same level. Just as David did not have to carry physical weapons to fight Goliath. Take on spiritual weapons and fight for your destiny.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I overcome every work of the devil around my life today. I take what is mine.
LEARN MORE: 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, Ephesians 6:10-18
Tuesday 16th May, 2023
LIFE LESSONS 2
Text: “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, becauise the days are evil.” Ephsians 5:15-16
Life does not happen for anyone accidentally. What eventually becomes of every one of us will be a culmination or a summation of all we have done with our lives on a daily basis. This is a sobering thought. It therefore means that we have a responsibility to determine what our ultimate end will look like by determining what we do with our lives on a daily basis.
Let’s look at it this way; it will be absurd for a farmer to expect a harvest of crops he has not planted. A farmer wakes up every day to go to his farm to check up and work on his crops. He has a full expectation of the harvest in the nearest future all because he has sown something in the soil. His prayer and expectation only becomes relevant because he has sown seeds. Without the seeds in the soil 40 days of prayer and fasting with heavy rains will make no difference.
Every waking day we are sowing seeds that will produce a harvest in our lives. The unfortunate thing sometimes is that individuals had sown so many wrong seeds in their lives and are today reaping a harvest of what they don’t want. However, God gives us fresh opportunities daily to do it right. When a farmer sows maize it’s so certain that in a couple of weeks, he will harvest maize in a multiplied form. We can also be certain of what the future holds in store for us by looking closely at what we are doing with our lives today. This makes us victors in life. We are not victims expecting whatever will happen to happen. We make the best use of every day to determine what should happen to us and the direction our lives must follow.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I take charge of every day of my life to make the best use of it and invest in it.
LEARN MORE: Galatians 6:6-7
MONDAY 15TH MAY 2023
KEEP HOPE ALIVE! -2
“This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way” Acts 1:11
How often do you as a believer sit down to illuminate on this very issue of the second coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ? It is faster and nearer than you can ever imagine. This period in the Old Testament was referred to as the “the terrible day of the Lord” (Joel 2:23 KJV). It is a time when God’s judgment will rain down upon the earth. Jesus himself described it as the “great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will it be’ (Matt.24:21). That time is yet ahead. But throughout these letters, we learn that God has a plan to deliver his own people from that “coming wrath.” Christians shall have victory even over the approaching crises of the world.
More important than the certainty of heaven, or escape from the agony of living is the promise that He who is coming again even now rules in the affairs of men. Intertwined with the promise of John 14 is the assurance that He will come to live within us. “I will not leave you as orphans”. He said I will come to you” (v.18). The wonderful paradox that Christians possess is that though the kingdom of Christ is yet coming when Jesus will return to this earth, He is already here with us now. He is leading us, fulfilling us, ministering to us, guarding us, and even now, ruling in earthly affairs.
Beloved, what does this mean to you as a Christian today? This simply means a Christian has no business being discouraged, defeated, or despairing. If we succumb to any of these moods, it is because we have forgotten the great truths proclaimed in Paul’s letter. If these truths were living, vital and fragrant in the hearts of the early believers, surely, in our dark hour of history, God is calling us back to the fundamentals of the Christian life of faith, hope and Love.
PROPHETIC DECLARATION: I decree and declare that you have no business being discouraged, defeated, or despairing about the coming event if you live your life in Christ Jesus. PRAYER: Thank you Lord for the assurance that you will not leave us as orphans and for your promise that you are coming again and even now rule in the affairs of men.
FURTHER READING: Joel 2:23; John 14 : 1-18
Sunday 14th May, 2023
DEVILISH NEGOTIATION
Text: “And Pharoah said, I will let you go…Only ye shall not go very far away...” Exodus 8:28
God was determined to set his people free. He had concluded their deliverance and movement to the Promised Land. Their time of slavery was over in Egypt. This divine decision and determination was conferred on Moses to execute in Egypt. God had given him the mandate with every assurance required. But it was not going to be an easy task. Pharaoh was determined not to let them go. He began to treat the people of God with such severe labour. After so much miracle and divine intervention Pharaoh began to consider the possibility of letting go the Jews. He sent for Moses and began to negotiate with him.
“And Pharoah said, I will let you go…Only ye shall not go very far away; intreat for me.” Gen 8:28. What this simply means is that don’t go too far away from the place of bondage. Don’t go too far away from my reach so that I can reach out for you anytime I wish. He was asking them not to have a complete victory. Moses understood the implications of this. It wasn’t a negotiation to consider.
This is exactly how the devil negotiates our destiny:
1. Don’t serve God too much. You are not the only one in Church.
2. Keep back certain areas of your life away from God.
3. Nobody can live without sin. Everyone is doing it. Little indulgence will not hurt.
When you begin to live with such notion the devil is negotiating your destiny. Everyone that will go far in God’s plan and purpose must go far with God. It must be a life that is completely sold out to God. We can’t be playing around “Egypt” and expect God to release all he has in store for us. One leg in and one leg out will not go far with God. The Lord help your understanding.
PRAYER:
Lord I make a decision today to go far with you and to yield everything to you.
LEARN MORE: Exodus 10:24, Rev 3:15-16
Saturday 13th May, 2023
DIVINE MARK
Text: “...Let no man trouble me; for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus” Gal 6:17
Several tribes around the world have special tribal marks that are used to identify someone in that tribe. A tribal mark is a symbol of identity for such tribes. Tribal marks does not really carry any economic or spiritual significance. It does not any way mark a man for success, good health, protection and the rest. However there is a spiritual mark that sets a man apart for holy purpose. This is not a mark on our physical skin but a mark in our recreated human spirit.
We carry the mark of the Lord Jesus. It so important for us to realize that our union with Christ is not just for the fun of it. It’s a union that brings us untold advantage and privileges. There is also a graphical picture of this in the Old Testament that will help our understanding. Genesis 4:15 “….And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.” This mark may necessarily not be a physical one but all we know is that there was something about him that will not allow anyone to kill him. The mark set him apart.
The anointing of the Holy Spirit on a believer is a mark that sets us apart from defeat, failure and assault of the enemy. If we’ll truly understand and focus on this mark no weapon formed against us will ever prosper. The book of Psalms says “Touch not my anointed, and do my prophets no harm.”
As you walk through another new month I want to encourage you to be conscious and be behold of the mark of the Lord Jesus on your life. No devil can toil with your life. You are too defended. The one that lives inside you is greater than any challenge that life may throw at you. We are never victims of the circumstances of life; but rather we are more than conquerors through Christ that loved us.
CONFESSION:
The victory of Christ is domiciled in my spirit. There is a mark of victory on my life. I’m victorious in everything.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 105:13-15
Friday 12th May, 2023
OWNED BY GOD
Text: “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own” 1 Corinth 6:19
God created everybody on the face of the earth but he does not claim ownership over everybody. After the fall of man in Eden the right of God’s ownership was given to the Devil. Man literally became subject to him and a slave to sin.
Jesus came as the second Adam to completely reverse what was done after the fall of man. His blood was the ultimate price that was paid to redeem us back to God. 1 Corinth 6:20 says “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
The scripture stated clearly that “...You are not your own”. In order words we don’t own ourselves. God owns us. He has a right over our lives. The Devil and everything that represent him has no more rights over our lives. God’s stamp of ownership is on our lives by the presence of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives.
This is so beautiful because if we are left to ourselves we’ll destroy ourselves. The best way we can make the most of our lives is to allow God to completely take his rightful place in our lives. We cannot live anymore as owners of ourselves. We’re claiming ownership over ourselves if we still do whatever we want and go wherever we want. It will be difficult to walk in God’s perfect will for our lives this way. Allow God to have his way and you’ll have your way too in life.
Glorify God in your body and spirit which are God’s. When this happens we’ll allow God to display and express his glory in us and through us. The glory of God will then flow in us and through us for the whole world to see.
CONFESSION:
I belong to God; he paid the price for my freedom. My spirit and body are available for him to use.
LEARN MORE: 2 Corinthians 5:15
Thursday 11th May, 2023
MEMBERS OF CHRIST
Text: “Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.” 1 Corinth 12:27
So many people belong to different clubs, community based associations and professional groups which they are very proud of. So much time, energy and resources are spent to stay loyal to these groups. The underline motive behind such loyalty is the benefits that people derive from such groups.
None of these diverse groups can compare with the value and benefits of belonging to the body of Christ. We are members of the most powerful group on the face of the earth. Our greatest pride and confidence should be that we are members of Christ.
We partake of the benefits of this body by understanding what Christ stood for. The scripture explains clearly to us that Christ was the image of the invisible God. Christ was the full expression of God on the earth. The fullness of God was domiciled in him. Jesus declared to his disciples he that has seen him has seen the father. He was God in the human flesh. We have the fullness of God in us as members of his body.
The scripture also reveals to us that the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are found in Christ. This talks about the firsthand and the most authentic information that is required to succeed and function in life is found in Christ. This is also available to us as members of Christ. Everything you need to function and succeed in life is available to you as a member of Christ.
We must become so proud and excited about our membership of the body of Christ. That is the highest, greatest and the most influential group we can belong to.
CONFESSION:
As a member of Christ I have the fullness of God in me. The wisdom, knowledge and resources found in Christ are also available to me.
LEARN MORE: Colossians 1:19, Colossian 2:2-3, 9
Wednesday 10th May, 2023
ACKNOWLEDGE GOD’S WISDOM
Text: “If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, them must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct.” Ecclesiastes 10:10
The wisdom of God produces in man a sense of direction. Knowing exactly what to do. Knowing what to say and knowing where to go. The wisdom of God cannot be at work in you and you’ll be confused at the same time. The wisdom of God is at work potentially in the life of every believer. For it to become a functional force in our lives we must be conscious of it and acknowledge it in our lives.
We must understand very clearly that Christ in us is the wisdom of God personified. In Christ are hid the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Christ is made unto us wisdom. Christ was the embodiment of the wisdom of God. This was why in every situation Jesus was never confused. He always knew what to do. The same dimension of wisdom is also at work in our lives as believers. Deposited in our recreated human spirit is the wisdom of God. This is a fundamental truth we must acknowledge in other to walk in God’s direction for our lives.
The word of God also plays a vital role in working in divine wisdom for direction in our lives. The word of God is the wisdom of God in print. We must also recognise and acknowledge the word of God as the wisdom of God made available for us. Each time we read and hear the word of God we must appreciate that we are interacting with the wisdom of God. The value we place on God’s word determines the virtues that flow to us from it.
To acknowledge means to know something, to admit it and to declare it so. This must become real to you. Let it become your way of thinking and seeing yourself. The wisdom of God is at work in you and the wisdom of God is available to you through the word of God. Developing this confidence is fundamental to walking in God’s direction. Divine direction is not based on our prowess but on divine wisdom. Please acknowledge God’s wisdom.
THANKSGIVING:
Thank you Lord for your wisdom that is at work in me and available for me.
LEARN MORE: 1 Corinthians 1:30
Tuesday 9th May, 2023
ACKNOWLEDGE GOD’S DIRECTION
Text: “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:6
One common phrase that people use is “I am confused” you must have said it before or hear someone saying it. This is a phrase you have to learn never to say again. It’s a confession of inability and weakness. You may feel that you are confused but you must not say so. We are not supposed to agree with our feelings but with God’s eternal word. The foundation for a believer is the word of God and not our feelings. We walk by faith and not by sight.
Please understand that the word of your mouth gives direction to your life. The word of your mouth is an expression of your confidence and faith in God or lack of it. is an acknowledgment of your feelings and not an acknowledgment of the ability of God and the possibility that exist in God.
A confusing situation should not make you a confused person. Don’t use the situation to describe your person. Even if you are faced with a confusing situation don’t agree with the confusion, agree with God. Acknowledge what his word says in that situation. “There is no situation that you are faced with but such as is common to man, in that situation God is faithful who will not allow you to be confused, but will give you direction in the same situation” 1 Corinthians 10:13 (Paraphrase)
It’s better to say “I am never confused”. There is a way out in this situation. Once you start saying that you are giving voice to God’s word and it will be confirmed for you. God said as we speak in his ears so will he do. As you speak that way your spirit man also takes instructions from you. The search begins in your spirit man as you begin to speak right.
CONFESSION:
There is direction in my spirit. I know exactly what to do in every situation of life. I am never confused. My spirit is man is enlightened to see clearly
LEARN MORE: Numbers 14:28, Ephesians 1:17-18
Monday8thmay,2023
KNOWING GOD’S DIRECTION
Text: “To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.” John 10:3
I strongly believe that one of the most important subjects in God’s word is the subject of God’s direction for our lives. If not for space i would have given you all the verses of scriptures that are related to God’s direction for our lives. Even though this is so important in our lives, it also an area in which we all have challenges. In the remaining part of this month the Spirit of God will be taking us through an exploration of scriptures that relate to this area of our lives.
Knowing God’s direction from our lives as believers begins from an understanding that each one of us as believers have the right and the capacity to hear God and connect to what God is saying per time concerning our lives. Once you don’t understand this it will be a struggle connecting to God’s direction for our lives. We must also realise that every of God’s dealings for our lives is a walk of faith. We must agree with God’s word on this issue.
From our anchor scriptures today Jesus clearly said “...The sheep hear his voice...for they know not the voice of strangers...” can we receive that word by faith. According to Jesus it should not be a struggle to hear God’s voice and direction for our lives. The word of God must become personal to us. Next time you are faced with an issue that requires direction acknowledge this truth of God’s word. When it comes to receiving from God it begins from agreeing with his word. Don’t try to figure out how it will happen. Just stand on God’s word. I want to encourage you to take your time to read every subsequent article in the remaining part of this month.
CONFESSION:
By faith I declare my heart is open and receptive to what God is saying per time. My inners ears are closed to the voice of strangers.
LEARN MORE: Eph 1:16-19
Sunday 7th May, 2023
RENEWING THE MIND 4
Text: “O how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.” Ps 119:97
The truth is that virtually every thought that ever passed through your mind came from a source. It could have been something we did without even knowing. Every book, novel or magazine you read will leave a particular thought pattern on you. The movies we watch and the music we listen to will also create a mind set in you.
We adopt the patterns of this world as we relate with materials that are worldly. The plain truth is that most of the music from the entertainment world is designed to make us think in a particular way.
The mind is renewed as we relate with the thoughts of God on the pages of scripture. The word of God is the thoughts of God in print. If you want to know how God thinks on a particular issue then check the pages of scripture.
Renewing the mind does not come automatic, we have to consciously, continually and deliberately relate with the bible and bible related materials, like this one in your hand.
Meditation is the act of setting our minds on scripture. Allowing it to saturate our minds. The more we interact with scripture and submit to whatever it says the more our minds are renewed to think and behave like God.
This is something each one of us must do. It’s a non transferable responsibility. It’s not something you can wish to happen or pray through to happen. Renewing the mind does not come by praying. It’s possible to pray so much and still misbehave so much when the mind is not renewed.
The word of God creates in us God’s thought pattern. It gives us a standard by which we measure whatever we hear or whatever thoughts come into our minds.
There is never an end to this process of renewing the mind; as long as we are living there will always be a need to renew our minds on an issue.
PRAYER:
Lord help me by your Spirit to accept the responsibility of spending time in your word.
LEARN MORE: Ps 1:1-3
Saturday 6th May, 2023
RENEWING THE MIND 3
Text: “Throw off your old evil nature and your former way of life, which is rotten through and through, full of lust and deception. Instead, there must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitude.” Eph 4:22-23 (NLT)
I strongly believe that these words will revolutionize someone’s life. By the time God is through with you, you’ll be a surprise to yourself. So much beauty will come out of your life.
The point blank truth is that as long as our way of thinking is wrong our lives too will be wrong. We can never live beyond the thinking pattern we have developed over the years.
The best way to develop a successful life is to learn how to think exactly like God. When we think like God we’ll behave like God and see results like him.
I grew up as a young teenager reading a particular romantic magazine, at a point I discovered that I was unconsciously trying to carry out some of the things I read in the magazine. It polluted my mind and gave me a complete wrong mindset. At that stage of my life as a believer I discovered I was struggling to live right.
Thank God I received help on time. I heard Dr David Oyedepo Said “You cannot feed your mind on junk and expect to be a treasure”. That word gave me the way out. I realised from then on I had to be selective about what I read and watch. It did not happen overnight, but one step after another I began to consume God’s word veraciously. It became the joy and the rejoicing of my heart. I read every available Christian material I could get. In those days I received Joyce Meyer magazine every month for about two years. It completely changed my thought pattern. I still recollect she said in one of those magazines “Where the mind goes, the man will automatically follow”.
What we set our minds on will determine the course of our lives. Please read on tomorrow.
CONFESSION:
My mind is pure. My mind is free of everything that is wrong. God’s word is taking charge of my thoughts.
LEARN MORE: Eph 4:24
Friday 5th May, 2023
RENEWING THE MIND 2
Text: “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Rom 12:2
From our anchor scripture it’s clear that the only way that we’ll not be conformed to this world is if there is a transformation taking place within us.
This transformation takes place through the process of renewing of our minds. The contents of our minds is what determines the course of our lives. It’s one thing for our spirit man to be born again and regenerated but a different thing entirely for the mind to be changed. Salvation is instant but changing the mind is a process. This is why each one of us must be consciously engaged in getting our minds renewed.
Why is this so important? We all grew up in different cultures, different family backgrounds. If we see a man that grew in a family setting where the father always beat the mother, he may also have a mindset that there is nothing wrong beating a woman just to teach her a lesson. This man will have to renew his mind and begin to think differently. The ultimate purpose of renewing the mind is to bring us to the point where we see life and issues purely from God’s perspective.
Renewing the mind is aimed at developing God’s mindset on all issues. Please understand that as long as a man’s thinking is wrong his life will be wrong. A man cannot change until his mind set changes.
Renewing the mind is the process of exchanging our old thoughts for new godly thoughts. Exchanging our thoughts with God’s thoughts. Adopting God’s mindset on all issues. When this happens we’ll begin to function at God’s perfect will for our lives.
CONFESSION:
God’s thoughts are taking over my mind. I think like God on all issues. I see life purely from God’s perspective.
LEARN MORE: Eph 4:23
Thursday 4th May, 2023
RENEWING THE MIND 1
Text: “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Rom 12:2
It’s clear that this scripture above was not written to unbelievers. It was addressed to believers. From the content of the message it’s obvious that it’s possible to come to Church and be so active there while your life is still conformed to this world.
We must understand that the pattern of this world is completely different from the godly pattern that God expects from us. As long as we are conformed to this world we cannot function at the highest level that God has ordained for us.
To conform means doing things exactly like the world will do it. Running your business like unbelievers will do it. Relating with your spouse like unbelievers will do etc. The New Living Translation says “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world…”
Like we said earlier if your life is conformed to this world it will limit your capacity to be all you were meant to be. It reduces the rate at which you can connect with God’s perfect will for your life.
From the words of Jesus we are in this world but we don’t belong to this world. We function by a different set of rules and patterns.
As we round up today I want you to realize that whatever God is asking you to do is ultimately meant for your good. If we choose to live otherwise God has nothing to lose but we’ll miss so much in God. We’ll continue tomorrow.
CONFESSION:
I am not of this world. I have a pattern of life that is completely different from that of this world. I function at a higher level of life.
LEARN MORE: John 17:14-16
Wednesday 3rd May, 2023
MORE BLESSED TO GIVE
Text: “I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, it is more blessed to give than to receive. “Acts 20:35
I heard this statement so many years ago and it has given me a mind-set. According to the words of Jesus it’s more blessed to give than to receive.
What makes you is not what you are given but what you give out. Life itself operates on this principle. We are not truly living until we learn how to give and make meaningful and tangible contribution to our environment.
There is a joy and a sense of fulfilment that comes to you when you see lives that are being changed and transformed by your giving. We are not just talking about giving to raise our social status or to show that we have arrived but rather giving to partner with God in the business of changing lives.
There is a sea called the “dead sea”, the sea is a large body of water. As the name implies, it is “dead” because there is no fish in it, the water is dirty and of no use to anyone. This is basically because the sea has inlets but has no outlets. It does not flow out. If you don’t flow out you’ll not be of any use to anyone.
Mike Murdock says “what you give leaves your hand but does not leave your life; it goes into your future and multiplies there”. What you give is actually working for you, it does not end there. What you consume and spend on yourself alone ends with you.
Giving is more than giving money though it’s inclusive. It includes everything we are. Giving our time and energy to the right course. Whatever you give will always returned back to you in a multiplied form. If you give nothing, nothing returns in a multiplied form.
CONFESSION:
Giving has become a lifestyle for me. I function in the nature of God who is the greatest giver.
LEARN MORE: Proverbs 11:24-25
Tuesday 2nd May, 2023
UNDERSTANDING GIVING
Text: “...Verily I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which hath cast into the treasury.” Mark 12:43
These words came directly from the mouth of Jesus himself. This suggests that God recognises our giving. Giving is a fundamental principle of God’s word that every one of us must learn. This widow did not give to be noticed because what she gave was so small, but God recognised it.
We must understand that giving does not start from having so much, it begins from having the heart of a giver. If we don’t learn how to give when we have little we’ll still not do it when we have much. The true test of our giving life is when we have very little to give. For someone with the heart to give they will always have something to give.
As far as God was concerned this widow gave more that every other person. Giving therefore is not so much measured by quantity but by quality. The quality is determined by our heart of sincerity of what we are giving.
Giving is sowing seeds that guarantee a future harvest in our lives. As long as the soil is right and conducive a harvest is inevitable. Giving into the course of the gospel is sowing into a ground that will forever bring back a harvest in our lives. What you have may be small but that is the best time to give.
The widow of Zarephath had the last meal to eat and die but the prophet still requested from her to give her last meal. The natural mind would have said the man was wicked. But we must understand that the opportunity to give was an opportunity to connect her to her miracle and the possibilities that exist in God. If she had refused to give the man of God there would have been divine provision for him, but then the widow would have eaten what she had and still die. If what you have is small and not enough turn it into a seed, it will guarantee a future harvest for you.
CONFESSION:
I am a giver. I will always have to give. I’m above greed. I overcome selfishness.
LEARN MORE: 1 King 17:8-16
Monday 1st May, 2023
ETERNAL SOURCE
Text: “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”1 John 4:4
Everything God created was designed to depend on its source for sustenance. This is why staying in water is not an option for a fish, but a must. If you have ever seen a fish outside water you will understand how helpless the fish is without water. Every plant came out of soil, if you take it out of soil it withers away gradually. All these establish the truth that everything created depends on its source for life.
From our anchor scripture today “Ye are of God” from the Greek translation means “You originate from God”. We did not merely originate from our parents but essentially we originated from God. It therefore means that God is our eternal source. Everything we’ll ever need in life is found in God.
For the fish to keep receiving support from the water it has to stay in water. For plant to keep drawing nourishment from the soil it has to remain attached to the soil. In the same light to keep drawing from God we must stay attached to God.
Staying attached to God is more than just going to church. It practically means developing an intimate relationship with God, it’s possible to go to church all your life and not have an intimate relationship with God. This is a relationship that comes from the understanding that there is nothing you can do without God. Knowing God and getting close to him becomes the heartbeat of your life. As important as your degree is, it has no capacity to become your source. Your job is a channel but never your source. No human being is rich enough to be your source. Ultimately God is your eternal source. All you need in life is available in Him.
PRAYER:
Lord by your Spirit help me to know you. Help me to stay connected to you as my eternal source.
LEARN MORE: John 15:4-6
Sunday 30th April, 2023
INCREASING CAPACITY 2
Text: “His lord said unto him, well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things...” Matthew 25:21
This account we are reading right from yesterday is actually a description of how the kingdom of God operates. I want you to note that the men that were given five (5) and two (2) talents each did not go on a prolonged prayer and fasting to experience and increase; though it will not be out of place to do that. But the major factor that their master saw was their faithfulness at the initial level of operation that they were given. The man expected that at his return the servants should have deployed their talents. Two of them did but one refused to use what he had. At the return of the man, he increased the capacity of the two servants that deployed what they were given initially.
Again I want you to appreciate that we are not just talking about a mortal man increasing our capacity; we are talking about God himself changing our level of operation and results in life. We cannot really function beyond the level of grace that God bestows upon us. Please note that I’m using the word grace in place of capacity.
Your level of grace will be determined by your level of faithfulness. Faithfulness will be the yardstick for the level we are going to operate from next. If you have a great voice to sing; can you stay faithful and committed to using that voice at every opportunity that God brings your way today? When there is a need for someone to sing in your church don’t run away; embrace the privilege and begin to watch how your capacity grows. When there is an assignment in your office and everyone is running away from it, embrace it. As you stay faithful facing such challenges your capacity will begin to grow. When an athlete exercises his muscles against all odds their capacity increases. Don’t hide what you have like the third servant; hiding it will never increase it. You increase as you give away. We also increase in capacity by the Spirit
CONFESSION:
My capacity is changing; my level of operation is increasing on a daily basis. I’m changing levels by the Spirit. I’m becoming more and more useful.
LEARN MORE: Isaiah 32:15, Matthew 25:14-28
Saturday 29th April, 2023
INCREASING CAPACITY 1
Text: “There is one who scatters, and increases yet more. There is one who withholds more than is appropriate, but gains poverty.” Prov 11:24 (WEB)
I want to give you another version of our opening scripture. The essence of this is to give you a clear picture of our lesson today. “Those who give freely gain even more; others hold back what they owe, becoming even poorer” (ISV). We can apply this scripture to different areas of our lives. The more we give out the more we have to give out. The more I write the more God gives me more word to write. The more I bless others the more I get blessed in return. This is actually a God-ordained principle. If you are going to see more and experience more in God you must learn to freely release what he has given you so far.
This is what we refer to as increased capacity. We don’t just pray for God to increase our capacity. We have to be faithful on the current level of life to qualify for a higher level of usefulness and exploits. There is a big difference between grace for salvation and grace for usefulness. There is nothing that we do to qualify for the grace of salvation. But when it comes to grace for usefulness we can see it grow and multiply. The scripture tells us to” ...grow in grace...” (2 Peter 3:18). This is simply talking about an “Increase in Capacity.” As we grow in grace our level of usefulness and exploits increases.
The kingdom of God is compared to a man that travelled to a far country. He gave his servants talents.
This is the same as “capacity”, they were not given the same level of capacity but each of them had something. Whatever level we are right now we can grow. We’ll continue tomorrow.
CONFESSION:
I’m growing in grace and becoming all I’m designed to be. My level of operation is increasing daily.
LEARN MORE: Proverbs 4:18
Friday 28th April, 2023
THE DIFFERENCE MAKER
Text: “And the Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man. And let it be, when these signs are come unto thee, that thou do as occasion serve thee, for God is with thee “ I Samuel.10:6-7
We attend the same school with unbelievers; and travelled on the same road with unbelievers. We can even work in the same office with people that don’t know God in any way. There should be a major difference between our experiences in life and their own experiences. When they are confused about life and losing control on circumstances, we should be having a difference and taking charge of situations.
The difference will not just come from our level of education or connections. Some of the unbelievers might even have a better education and connections than us. But what will make a difference between us and them is the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. If this difference is not there, we would just find ourselves swimming against the same tide like them.
The importance of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer cannot be overemphasised. He is the one in charge of God’s operations on the earth today.
In the Old Testament, when the Holy Spirit came on the prophet of old, He made the difference in their lives and ministries. Also the apostles of the Lord were transformed at the instant the Holy Ghost came on them. Saul the son of Kish was transformed and turned into another man when the Holy Spirit came on him. And he not being a prophet was enabled by the power of the Holy Spirit to prophesy in company of other prophets such that those who saw him wondered in amazement and ask “... is Saul also among the prophet?.” (I Sam. 10:11). The same Holy Spirit is all you need for successful and fruitful journey in your walk with God and through life! He’ll make the difference in your life if you’ll learn to recognise him. He’ll take you all the way and become to you what you need him to be in your life.
CONFESSION:
The Spirit of God is working in me and making all the difference in my life. He’s doing great work in me.
LEARN MORE: Acts 1:4, 8; 2:41
Thursday 27th April, 2023
TRANSFORMED ROD
Text: “And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took THE ROD OF GOD in his hand.” Ex 4:20
For so many years, Moses was a shepherd with the rod in the wilderness. It was such an ordinary rod in the hand of Moses. At this point in the life of Moses, God needed someone to use and the only thing that Moses had at that time was the rod in his hand. If you read the account very carefully, he actually gives God reasons why he was not qualified for the job; these were genuine reasons. But thank God he had something that God can use.
God needed his rod as a point of contact. As soon as Moses cast the rod before the Lord, the Spirit of God came upon it and it was no longer an ordinary rod. It looks the same but the presence of God was now on it, imparting into the rod supernatural power. From that point on, the rod of Moses became the rod of God. This is what happens, whenever you present anything you own to the Lord. It becomes the tool and medium for the miraculous. Your business could be your rod. You may be a petty trader with a little retail shop but when you commit that business to the Lord, His presence will come upon it and it will seize to be petty shop and become God's shop! Your voice can be your rod; when the hand of God comes on your voice. It can touch lives all over the world.
What’s that thing you can present to the Lord today? As you lay it down before Him, His presence will come on it and it will become your point of contact through which you are plugged into an unending stream of the miraculous. Just as Moses complained of not being qualified to be used of God, we can also make such excuses in our lives; but then we must realize that God is not asking for so much from you but just the little you have that His presence can transform.
CONFESSION:
Lord I present my life, my time, my energy and my resources to you. Take hold of my life afresh and use me for your glory.
LEARN MORE: Isaiah 6:8
Wednesday 26th April, 2023
DIVINE INSRUCTIONS
Text: “All scriptures is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” 2 Timothy 3:16
If you have ever watched a football match before you will notice that the coach of the teams are always by the side of the field passing various instructions to the players. This is a common practice in every sport. The instructions are meant to guide the players in doing well. A pilot goes through a training that involves a lot of instructors that give instructions on how to safely fly a plane. The instructions to a pilot are not optional; he has to abide by them to successfully fly a plane. Any deviation from the instructions will be deadly. Parents principally train their children from childhood with different instructions. Instructions are principally for our guidance. We all need these instructions to safely navigate our way through life. When instructions are ignored and neglected there is bound to be mistakes along the path of life. Instructions are like signposts on the path of destiny. “He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction...” Prov 10:17. King Solomon also said “He that refuseth Instructions despiseth his own soul...” Prov 15:32.
The word of God is actually a compilation of instructions that are designed to lead and guide us in life. The word of God is profitable for several reasons; one of them is to provide us with “instructions in righteousness.” The rightness of God that is already resident in our recreated spirit is allowed to find expression as we follow the divine instructions. King Solomon said “Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.” Prov 4:13.
The word instruction appears about Twenty five (25) times in the book of proverbs alone; it appear about thirty three (33) times in the Bible. It comes from a Hebrew word that means warning, restraint, and correction. The New Testament Greek word for it means almost the same thing. The Greek word also includes nurture and chastening. Each time you hear God’s word or read your Bible watch out for divine instructions; they are for your guidance.
PRAYER:
Lord I live by your word; I live by every instruction of your word. I receive grace to be a doer of the word.
LEARN MORE: Jeremiah 17:23; 32:33; 35:13
Tuesday 25th April, 2023
IN THE OPEN
Text: “Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.” Hebrews 13:13
There is an aspect of our Christian life that is not designed to be expressed in the open. Jesus talked about giving to the poor and prayer as things we do in the secret without calling attention to it. When we do them in the secret God rewards us openly. This is certainly not what we are talking about today.
The focus of our teaching today has to do with an open identification with Jesus. The declaration and the confession of your faith should be an open one. It’s not something we should hide. Jesus did not die secretly; it was an open shame and ridicule. Don’t deceive yourself by saying my Christianity is personal. Yes; its personal but must be publicly declared. Everyone that knows you must see the full identity of Jesus in your life. it must be very distinct that you are a believer.
If you hide your identity as a believer then it will be so easy to join the flow of what is wrong and evil. When you meet someone for the first time one of the first thing you must do is to reveal your identity. Once you do that it will determine the tone of the conversation from then on. We cannot deny Jesus before men and expect him to stand on our behalf before God. If you can’t talk about Jesus in the open how do you intend to talk to him in the private?
Part of bearing the glory of Christ is to also identify with his shame. Bearing his reproach opens the doors for carrying his glory. When we identify with him openly he also identifies with us privately. Paul and Silas identified with Jesus openly; they were locked up in the prison for it and God showed up for them in the prison. Daniel opened his window wide to pray; not because he wanted to call attention to himself but because he wanted the people to know he was on God’s side. In the Lion’s den God showed up for him.
PRAYER:
Lord I identify fully with you today. My life will be an expression of Christ everywhere I go.
LEARN MORE: Matthew 6:1-6
Monday 24th April, 2023
SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY
Text: “And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?”Acts 19:15
We all carry the same Bible. The same Holy Spirit dwells in us. The process of getting born again was the same for all of us. But we must not confuse this for the same level of spiritual authority. Spiritual authority is built over time as a believer began to crave after God beyond the ordinary. The level of spiritual accomplishment will be determined by the level of spiritual authority.
From our anchor scripture it’s clear that Jesus and Paul operated from a level of spiritual authority that even the evil spirit could recognise it. It means that when we have a very shallow level of spiritual authority we’ll be limited in what decrees we can make and how much we can command situations to respond to us.
Jesus was inside a storm; he had a level of spiritual authority that could calm the storm. On several occasions evil spirits begged him to take it easy with them. Several times he spoke and demons obeyed. Paul also operated very high level of spiritual authority. On one instance he was beaten by a viper snake. Everyone felt he will swell up and die. He shook off the snake and that was all. God wants us to shake off sickness; shake off depression; shake off discouragement. This is not just a physical act but exercising spiritual authority. Situations will respond to us only to the degree of our spiritual authority.
Spiritual authority is determined by the depth of our understanding of God’s word. The deeper we are in God’s word the higher our level of authority. The stronger our intimacy with the Spirit of God the stronger our level of spiritual authority. Operating in the things of God is not by strength; it’s by the exercise of the Spirit. We also build spiritual authority on the altar of prayer. If you knee before God in prayer you will stand up to situations.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I take authority over every form of darkness around my life.
LEARN MORE: Zechariah 4:6, Act 20:32
Sunday 23rd April, 2023
WORDS MAKES PEOPLE
Text: “And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him...” Genesis 27:37
Isaac invited one of his sons to usher him into destiny. The blessing eventually went to Jacob. By the time Esau came his father explained to him what we read in our anchor verse today. I want you to notice that Isaac did not really give Jacob any physical inheritance. All he gave him were conveyed by words.
Words are powerful; it’s actually the major determinant of the content of our lives. Words are the building blocks of destiny. The words we hear overtime determines how we think and how life eventually turns out for us. Negative words will nurture and channel a man’s life in the negative direction. Positive words will also do the same thing.
If words are this important we must open up our lives to right words. Forcible are right words; they channel our lives in the right course of destiny. This is one major reason why we must position ourselves to hear right words on a consistent basis. If you sit under a pastor every week to hear words you are being shaped in a particular direction. Your entire life will be a product of the words you have heard all your life. A student that spends four (4) years in a law school class can never become a pharmacist that dispenses drugs. At the end of those four (4) years the student will begin to think, talk and behave like a lawyer. No matter how much you pray an Engineering class can never produce a lawyer. The words spoken in those classes are designed to make the student become the content of those words.
What life class are you attending right now; who is speaking over your life daily? Much more we must allow God to speak over us daily. It will shape your life.
PRAYER:
Lord help me not to walk in a popular route but a route that you have created for me to follow.
LEARN MORE: Job 6:25
Saturday 22nd April, 2023
START WHERE YOU ARE
Text: “...Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and eastward...For all the land which thou seest....” Genesis 13:14
Every journey has a starting point and an end point. Every race has the starting point and the finishing lines. There is no journey that starts from the end point and no race starts from the finishing line. The journey and the race starts from the starting point and then an individual works themselves to the end point.
Where we are today is the starting point of destiny. If we cannot start from where we are we should not expect to arrive at anywhere. If you are seeing yourself become great and going places; where you are today is the starting point. There is no point asking for a better condition before you start. If you are trusting God to win the whole world you must start winning your family, your friends and your neighbourhood. If you want to win Grammy award you better win your church choir award first. If you want to be a heavy weight champion you must start from been a feather weight champion first. A world champion tomorrow must be a local champion first today.
Another side to our discussion today has to do with seeing God’s plans for our lives from where we are today. The present state of our lives should not become all that we see about life. Life is bigger; there are greater opportunities ahead of us. What we have seeing so far in life cannot compare with what is available in God. God asked Abraham to look from where he was northward, southward and the rest. God was painting a mental picture for him to see how far he can go and possess. He had to see beyond where he was to move beyond where he was,
If you cannot see beyond where you are you’ll be confined and limited to where you are. See beyond your present salary; see the possibilities of God ahead.
PRAYER:
I see my life going forward. I see myself making progress. I see increase all around me in Jesus name.
LEARN MORE: Proverbs 4:18
Friday 21st April, 2023
THE ACTS AND THE WAYS OF GOD
Text: “He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.” Psalm 103:7
Every time there was a problem or a need the Jews will run to Moses. They will usually cry unto Moses and Moses will go to God. When there was no food to eat they cried unto Moses and food was supplied in abundance. The Jews hardly handle any problem by themselves; they will always run to Moses. What was it that made the difference between Moses and the rest of the Jews? That is what is clearly explained in our anchor scriptures today. It’s so important for us to clearly understand this difference. This will go a long way to help you to understand how to handle life by yourself and not respond to life like a victim.
The word of God is a combination of two things: The ways of God and the acts of God. The acts of God are the practical demonstrations of God at work. The red sea parting ways, water coming out of a rock, bread falling down from heaven, the walls of Jericho falling down flat etc are all the acts of God in the midst of his people. The ways of God are the principles, instructions and methods that produced the acts of God. The acts of God don’t just happen. Its always because someone engaged certain principles and instructions to see the acts. This was the difference between Moses and the rest of the Jews.
If we truly want to see the acts of God in our lives we must embrace the ways of God. The ways of God may not look popular and sophisticated, but it will always produce a supernatural result. No matter what we know and think we can do by ourselves the ways of God are always higher and better. From our discussion so far we can safely conclude that it’s better to know the ways of God than the acts alone. Once we are equipped by his ways we’ll always produce his acts in our lives. I know a young man who was miraculously healed when he forgave a neighbor that offended him.
What he simply did was to engage the ways of God.
PRAYER:
Lord teach me your ways and let my eyes observe your ways.
LEARN MORE: Ps 25:4, Proverbs 23:26
Thursday 20th April, 2023
IT MUST END IN PEACE
Text: “Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright; for the end of that man is peace.” Ps 37:37
The word of God is a concluded divine decision on your life. It has been decided and concluded that your life must end in peace and testimony. Whatever is happening right now can never be the conclusion of your life. we must see beyond the present challenge to that ultimate end of peace and testimony.
Jesus went through the cross with so much pain. The scripture says he endured the cross. This suggests that it was actually painful. But he did so with the joy that was set before him. He knew there was a glory at the end of it. He was too sure that it will end in testimony (Hebrews 12:1-2).
If you read your Bible carefully you’ll notice that everyone that went through one challenge or the other ended up having a testimony. Abraham and Sarah ended having a testimony. Their case was so hopeless; but it ended in peace. Joseph was thrown in a pit to die. He was stripped of his honour and dignity; sold like a mere animal. he went from one negative experience to another but it ended on the throne. His end was peace. Job was advised by his wife to curse God and die. The challenge was so much. But thank God the latter end of Job was bigger than his beginning. We can go on and on. your own story will also end in peace.
Mark the perfect man and behold the upright. That is the condition. Perfection in terms of walking in the centre of God’s plans and purpose for our lives. Uprightness in terms of walking in the rightness of Christ that has been impacted into our spirit at new birth. Allowing the life of God to find expression through our lives. This is our calling as believers to daily walk in the rightness of Christ.
CONFESSION:
My life has been decided and concluded. Everything about me must end up in peace and testimony.
LEARN MORE: Rom 8:28-29
Wednesday 19th April, 2023
BENEFITS DAILY
Text: “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation.” Psalm 68:19
I strongly believe that the ultimate purpose of searching scriptures daily, watching daily and hearing God daily is to experience the benefits that God has in store for us daily. It’s amazing to know that God has daily package of benefits for us. God is never tired of loading us with benefits. The load of last year will not prevent the load of this year. We can actually look forward to something new and fresh to be added to our lives on a daily basis. This is why we should not approach any day casually. Every day should begin with spending time with God and receiving direction for that day. This is our goal in “Inspiration”, to give help us to have direction on a daily basis.
Receiving the benefits of every day will require that we are not tied to the challenges of yesterday. Once our focus is on the past we’ll not be able to move forward as we should. God can do things in our lives today that will completely erase the disappointments of the past. Don’t look at today from the perspective of what went wrong yesterday; if you do that it will hinder the possibilities of the benefits of today.
Every new day is the day that the Lord has made and we are expected to rejoice and be glad in it. An attitude of praise right from the beginning of a new day sets our feet on the path of enjoying the benefits for that day. Praise is a spiritual process that sets our feet on the path of God’s plans for every day. Praise helps us to keep our focus on God and the possibilities of his word over our lives.
There is a benefit of protection every day as you go out. There is a benefit of healing and health daily. There is a benefit of divine supplies daily. There is a benefit of God making a way where there is no way daily. Reach out in faith for your daily load of benefits.
CONFESSION:
I am loaded with benefits daily. My basket is full and overflowing with the blessing of God on a daily basis. I am loaded; too loaded to fail.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 121:7-8, Isa 43:19
Tuesday 18th April, 2023
HEARING DAILY
Text: “...He wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to ear as the learned. The Lord God hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious...” Isa 50:4-5
As soon as a child is born the parents will begin to relate with the child. Even though at that stage the child cannot really pick words but the parents will begin to speak words to the child. A child will grow hearing the father and mother daily. This could go on as long as twenty years or even more depending on how long the child stays at home. One silent truth we may not be aware of is that the life of that child is shaped by hearing the parents daily. After a while the child goes to school and also begins to hear the teachers daily. These are things we have done all our lives without really thinking of what is going on in our lives.
What we hear daily shapes our lives. It’s actually a silent process that goes unnoticed. It therefore means that we must be very careful of what we hear on a daily basis. Once you open your ears daily to someone you have given that person all the right to influence your life in a major way; positively or negatively.
This also explains why God expects us to hear him on a daily basis. Proverbs 8:34 says “Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gate...” If we allow it God wants to open our hears morning by morning to hear words of life, words of direction, words of healing and words that will cause definite transformations in our lives. Men are made by words. What we constantly hear will determine what we believe and ultimately what we become.
The disciples will sit down with Jesus daily to hear from him. At a point so many people deserted him and Jesus asked the rest “...Will ye also go away? Peter replied “...Lord to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life.” John 6:67-68.
DECLARATION:
My ears are opened daily to hear from the Lord. I receive the words of eternal life on a daily basis.
LEARN MORE: John 10:1-5
Monday 17th April, 2023
WATCHING DAILY
Text: “Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gate, waiting at the posts of my doors.” Proverbs 8:34
The beauty and quality of your walk with God will depend on what you do on a daily basis. The things we do on occasional basis hardly produce deep and permanent results in our lives. God is not supposed to just be a part of our lives but the most important person in our lives on a daily basis. From our lesson yesterday it’s becoming very clear to us that daily approach to the things of God is what really matters in the final analysis. This is the best way to enhance our level of authority in the realm of the Spirit. One major reason why a devotional like this exist is to help us start our day with scriptures and something to meditate on daily.
Watching is an act of expectancy; looking forward to something. It’s an attitude of eagerness to receive from God on a daily basis. The verse above also talks about “waiting”. Watching and waiting are not things we do in a hurry; time is usually spent doing them. From our anchor scripture you will notice that “watching daily” is God’s expectation; God wants it and he proclaimed blessing on anyone that does it.
There is so much that God wants to add to our lives on a daily basis. All we have so far is just a drop in the ocean of God’s possibilities. There should be an eagerness to have more of God daily.
We watch daily to receive fresh encouragement from the Lord. No mortal man has the capacity to encourage us as much as we can receive from God. Even the best of our friends and close ones may not always be around; this is why we must stay connected to God’s fountain of divine encouragement daily.
We watch daily to receive fresh direction for our lives. The journey of life requires that we keep receiving direction as we proceed in the journey. Once a pilot loses touch with the control towers in the airport it will end up missing his way.
Watching daily is actually an act of dependence on God. Knowing that we need God daily no matter what we have received in the past.
PRAYER:
Lord I am here to receive from you today. Lord I ask for a fresh direction on my life today. I ask for wisdom to take the right step and say the right thing today.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 63:1-4
Sunday 16th April, 2023
SCRIPTURES DAILY
Text: “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” Acts 17:11
The word “noble” in our opening scriptures today is from a greek word “eugenes” and it literally means “high in rank”. This clearly suggests to us how God rates us as believers. It also connotes how believers can be supernaturally elevated in life. This was how God perceived this group of believers. They were more noble! What an awesome description. It was not as if they went for a contest; it was not based on their status in the social class. It was simply as a result of their attitude and response to God’s word.
The Berean believers were higher in rank compared with the Thessalonians. High in rank also suggests that they had a higher level of authority in the realm of the Spirit; they must have seen higher level of results in their lives as believers. If you check their lives you’ll also see that they were more Christ -like. The NIV version says “Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians...”The first reason why this people were more noble was because they had so much eagerness for the word of God; they received it with readiness of mind. It was something they were always looking forward to. Their minds were so open to receive whatever the word of God says. They were not the type that will argue on the word. That did not suggest that they were gullible.
Secondly they searched the scriptures daily. It was not just a Sunday morning affairs for them. To search daily means to create time for it daily. The practice of reading, studying and meditating on scriptures daily is what marks out one believer from another. This is to reveal how much value they place on the word of God. Please join me again every day of this new month as we search the scriptures daily. I love you!
CONFESSION:
I live a profitable life. The word of God is working in me. My rank is getting higher daily in the Spirit.
LEARN MORE: Joshua 1:8, 1 Timothy 4:13-15
Saturday 15th April, 2023
HOLD YOUR PEACE
Text: “The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.” Exodus 14:14
The best way to fight our battles is to allow God to fight them for us. This is exactly what our anchor scripture for today suggests. God is asking us to hold our peace. It’s so natural to get anxious and worried over situations. Fretting and anxiety is never a position of victory but a position of loss. Right behind the Jews was Pharaoh and his men. The Jews had just come out of slavery; they had no weapons to fight. There was really no point trying to fight. There was no way they would have escaped because the red sea was in their front. When it comes to God we actually fight by not fighting.
The fight of a believer is a fight of taking rest in the assurance that God is more than enough to handle whatever comes our way. Hold your peace does not necessarily mean to be passive; it means to take a stand of confidence and assurance in God. It means to confront the issues in the name of the Lord just as David confronted Goliath. It’s obviously not the strength of David that defeated Goliath. It was purely God that fought that battle for him.
God also told Jehoshaphat not to “fight”; all he was required to do was to appoint singers that will sing praise unto God. Praise is a position of rest and confidence in the ability of God. Usually we dance and rejoice after victory has been declared; but in this case they were required to praise God ahead of the victory.
Hold your peace. The anxiety will not change anything other than your blood pressure. Can you acknowledge your inability to fight the battles by yourself and allow God to fight it in his own way? His ways may not be as fast as you think but his ways are far greater and better than your own.
The greatest “storm” is not the one on the sea but the one in our hearts. We need the peace of God that pass human understanding to fill our hearts.
CONFESSION:
My heart is free from every anxiety. The peace of God has taken over me. No more storm in my heart.
LEARN MORE: Philippians 4:4-7
Friday 14th April, 2023
BROOK OF CHERITH
Text: “Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook cherith...So he went and did according unto the word of the Lord...And the ravens brought him bread and flesh...” 1 King 17:3, 5, 6
There are two basic lessons we are going to learn from here today. I’m sure it will be a blessing to you. The first one is for us to understand that the brook of Cherith is a place of supernatural supplies. This is a typical example for us that all our needs can be met supernaturally. The riches of God’s glory is not dependent on the economy of our nation neither is it subject to market forces. God can meet our needs from unexpected sources far beyond our wildest imagination. God can move people you have never met to be a source of blessing to you. it’s so interesting to note that the man of God in this story was not stranded. I speak over you today that you will never be stranded in life. There will always be a way out where there seems to be no way. The raven bird literally brought food for Elijah. God can use unexpected people to meet out needs.
The second vital lesson we need to learn from all this is that Elijah did not just wake up one day to move out to stay at the brook cherith. He was divinely led to move there. We have a guarantee that if we are found at the right place that all our needs will be met supernaturally. David said “The Lord is my shepherd, i shall not want.” Its so important that we allow ourselves to be guided in business, in career and everything we venture into. if its God that led you into it you will be sustained there.
I want to round up this lesson by showing you that along the line the brook dried up and it was time for Elijah to be led to another place of divine supplies. Don’t be tied to what is no longer working; it could just be that God has made another provision somewhere else waiting for you to discover. Stop crying and mourning over someone that has stopped helping you. God has other channels he can use.
CONFESSION:
God is my source. I will not run short of supplies this year. All my needs are met supernaturally.
LEARN MORE: 1 King 17:7-9, Psalms 23:1-6
Thursday 13th April, 2023
SEED OF THE WORD
Text: “Now the parable is this; The seed is the word of God.” Luke 8:11
Every farmer understands the power and the potential of a seed. The seed may look small and insignificant, but it could end up as a great harvest that will feed nations. A seed today can become a forest tomorrow; it’s just a matter of time. A seed despised is a future denied.
The word of God is also referred to as a seed. Even though it sounds insignificant but has the potential of changing the entire course of a man’s life. Every word of God spoken to us and over our lives are spiritual seeds. God has given us his word as a seed to produce the harvest of whatever the word is saying. Just as a farmer’s harvest is tied to the seed so also is the word of God to our lives. The potential of a seed is only revealed when the seed is planted, watered and nurtured. The seed by itself will not produce a harvest even though it carries great potential. The word of God written on the pages of scriptures will not produce any result except we consciously engage it.
The process of engaging the seed of the word starts from receiving the word in our hearts. The heart of man is the ground for growing the word. A farmer cannot plant a seed he does not have. We must know the word and relate to it as something personal to us. One sign that you have received a particular word is that it will dominate our mouths. Believing whatever the word says is another means of engaging the seed of the word. What works for us is not just we hear but what we believe. In most cases we hear so much, but we believe so little. It will be easier for us to believe God’s word when we realise that God does not speak according to what we can do but what we can do.
Lastly we also engage the seed of the word as we subscribe to the demands of the word spoken to us. Every word that God gives us places a specific demands on our lives. One general demand of God’s word is that we must rejoice at his word. God wants us to give him glory based on what he has said.
CONFESSION:
The word of God is producing fruits in my life In a hundred-fold. God’s word is working in me and through me on a daily basis.
LEARN MORE: Matthew 13:18-23
Wednesday 12th April, 2023
KING SAUL VS KING DAVID 3
Text: “Then he said, I have sinned; yet honor me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me….” 1 Sam 15:30
I want us to round this up by looking closely again at the life of King Saul. If you read his account carefully you’ll notice that along the line King Saul sort for forgiveness; but it was more of asking the Prophet to pardon him. He did not really turn to God for forgiveness. If we read carefully again we’ll notice he was just seeking for that forgiveness so that he could preserve his honor before the people. This was a time in his life that he should have secluded himself from the people to sort things out with God. He was eager to appear before the people again to prove how important his throne was. He was more concerned with preserving his reputation and not his relationship with God.
It does not matter how many people are clapping for us; what matters is if God’s applause is on our lives. Earthly approval does not translate to heaven’s approval. It’s possible to be the great man in a church and God has no recognition for us. At the end of the day what matters is God’s approval over our lives.
Pleasing God by all means was the greatest pursuit of the life of David. If you read the psalms carefully you will feel the heart of a man that was constantly panting after God. His passion for God eventually outweighed his mistakes. What will eventually prevail in our lives will be determined by our greatest passion in life. If your thirst and hunger for righteousness is stronger than the pull for sin you’ll eventually live right against all odds. Even though David took some wrong decisions his desire to please God eventually prevailed. David was desperate for God. He knew where God brought him from and he was ready to protect God’s trust in his life.
PRAYER:
Lord, my heart is thirsty and hungry for you. My heart is open and free to do only your pleasures. Nothing else will take your place in my heart.
LEARN MORE: Galatians 1:10
Tuesday 11th April, 2023
KING SAUL VS KING DAVID 2
Text: “For I acknowledge my transgression; and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only have I sinned...” Psalm 51:3-4
King Saul disobeyed God on several occasions and eventually lost his throne. David became the king in his place and began to rule Israel. It was not as if his reign was flawless; David actually committed more grievous sins. He committed adultery and eventually murdered the husband of the woman. Why was he then kept on the throne and not replaced like King Saul was replaced. One major thing that marked David out was a repentant heart. If you read Psalm fifty one you will see this very clearly. He was so quick to repent and to seek God’s forgiveness.
God’s forgiveness is not an excuse for sin. But at the same time we must understand that God’s forgiveness is always available to us. By the blood of Jesus we have every access to seek and receive God’s forgiveness over whatever wrong we have committed. It means we don’t have to live in the guilt of that sin. The blood of Jesus already procured our forgiveness.
From the account of King Saul we can also learn that status or position is not an excuse for sin. That a man or woman is highly placed does not give them an excuse. When we live in sin unrepentantly a major loss will eventually take place in our lives. It may not be a physical throne but something precious will suffer for it. Living right is actually a major way of preserving whatever is precious that God has given us. Whatever we take for granted by careless and carefree living will eventually be lost. Let me remind you again that David was not really perfect just like King Saul but he had a “perfect” heart. He was hungry for God; he was desperate to make it right with God. Don’t allow the sins of the past to keep you down; seek God’s forgiveness today and you’ll have it.
PRAYER:
Lord, I receive your forgiveness over everything in the past that does not glorify you in my life. The past will not stop my possibilities today.
LEARN MORE: Philippians 3:13-14
Monday 10th April, 2023
KING SAUL VS KING DAVID 1
Text: “...Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.” 1 Sam 15:23
In a couple of days we’ll take our time to look closely at the life of King Saul and King David in comparison. I am sure the Holy Spirit will open our eyes to learn several lessons from their lives.
King Saul was actually the first King over Israel. There was never a king before that time. There was no royal family to select a king from. At that time he was the most qualified to occupy that role. It was such an awesome privilege he had; that the spot eyes of God came on him. But along the line he fell out of place with God. He eventually lost his throne. This was basically because along the line he began to take for granted the privilege he had.
King Saul actually got to this point because he began to disobey God intentionally. Divine instructions were no longer taken serious. He took his throne for granted. Even when he was confronted with his errors he could not repent. He was more of making excuses and passing the blame. God looked for a replacement while King Saul was still physically on throne.
David was found and anointed as a king. King Saul was still occupying the throne physically but he was no longer there spiritually. He was no longer recognised in heaven as the King over Israel. It’s important to know that earthly or human placement is not the same as divine placement; human applause is not the same as divine endorsement. We must never confuse them as the same. In replacing King Saul God picked someone who was not necessarily “perfect” in conduct but “perfect” in heart. David was someone who had a desperate longing for God. He was a man after God’s own heart. I strongly believe that this is the same thing that God is looking for in our lives. He had desperation for God that nothing else could satisfy. May your heart also long after God in the same way.
CONFESSION:
In the midst of my imperfections the perfection of God is at work in me. My heart is perfect towards God.
LEARN MORE: 2 Chronicles 16:9, Isaiah 38:1-3,
Sunday 9th April, 2023
SERVING KINGS 2
Text: “And Saul said unto his servant, then get me a man who is an expert player, and make him come to me. Then one of the servants in answer said. I have seen a son of Jesse, the Bethlehemite, who is expert at playing…So Saul sent his servant to Jesse and said, send me your son David who is with the sheep” 1 Samuel 16: 17 – 19 (BBE)
From the story of David I noticed that after he was anointed to become a King in 1 Samuel 13:16 he was selected to come into the palace again to serve King Saul. This was even long before he defeated Goliath. This shows that Killing Goliath wasn’t the only criteria why God selected him. David was a die-hard servant. Those who eventually become kings are those who faithfully and committedly serve Kings.
The surest way to connect to relevant people is to be valuable. The proof that you are valuable is that people pursue you. There are things that you have that only the poor will look for you, there are things that you have that only the rich will look for you. There are certain dimensions of things you have that greatness will come looking for you. The quality of people looking for you is a reflection of the quality of value you represent. It’s one thing for you to be looking for Kings to favor you but another thing for kings to be looking for you because of the value you carry. Isaiah 60:3 “All nations will come to your light; mighty kings will come to see your radiance.” NLT. We can only receive the reward of kings when you serve kings. When a man truly and faithfully become valuable he will eventually serve kings. The quality of your life and the height of your rise in life will be determined by the quality of value that you offer. Your relevance in life is determined by the value you offer as demanded by this generation. When no one is seeking you and placing demand on what you represent it may be a report sheet for you that you are not really valuable. David wasn’t just anointed. He was an expert. We must become exceptional in whatever area of life God has placed us. You can’t serve kings with mediocrity.
CONFESSION:
I’m relevant to my world. I bring solutions and answers to everywhere I go. My life is adding value everywhere.
LEARN MORE: Matthew 5:13-16
Saturday 8th April, 2023
SERVING KINGS 1
Text: “Then Samuel asked, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest.” Jesse replied. “But he’s out in the fields watching the sheep and goats.”…”Send for him at once……..” 1 Samuel 16:11 NLT
I want us to do a little explorative study of the life of David. Do you remember when it was required for a King to be selected over Israel and Prophet Samuel was sent to undergo the selection process. David wasn’t in the house. He was in the bush serving the need of his father.
Those who were in the house who were physically qualified for that position were not selected. When God looks for Kings he does not check human pedigree or status; he looks for people who are already busy serving in the bush of obscurity. If you don’t serve well in the “bush” there is no guarantee that you will serve well in the “palace.”
David wasn’t looking for recognition.
David wasn’t looking for accolades.
David wasn’t looking for human applause.
Those who are crazy about recognition, accolades, and human applause hardly get to the throne of divine significance. If you are going to serve Kings you must first of all master the art of serving from obscurity. This reminds us of Joseph also. He had to serve the servants in the prison without any compensation before he could serve Pharaoh in the palace. If you feel too big to serve in low places you will be too small to be relevant in high places. If you will ever go up in the staircase of divine destiny you must go down the staircase first. Serving Kings is a description of coming into prominence or limelight. Serving Kings is where God expose you to platforms that are far bigger than what anyone ever experienced in your lineage.
POWERPOINT:
If you feel too big to serve in low places you will be too small to be relevant in high places.
LEARN MORE: Luke 22:25-27
Friday 7th April, 2023
DIVINE SIGNALS 7
Text: “And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: FOR THEY KNOW HIS VOICE.” John 10:4
The second aspect of connecting to divine signals is on the RECEIVING of divine signals which takes place in our human spirit. The radio must always be tuned to the right frequency to receive the signals. This will depend on the development of the recreated human spirit which is the point of receiving the signals. There is a difference between potential and capacity. We all have the potential to pick divine signals but not all are developed to have the capacity to do so. Capacity is a function of development. In our opening verse Jesus was talking of the potential of every believer. However this potential must be developed.
We develop our spirit as we feed on the word of God. This involves spending time to read, hear and memorise the word of God until we have abundance of it in our spirit. There will be weakness in your spirit when it’s not fed. The unfortunate thing is that we feed our body more than we feed our spirit. Many times divine signals are communicated from the abundance of God’s word in our spirit. This will require that we give God’s word our undivided attention. The capacity to receive divine signals is developed as we consciously and continually meditate on the word of God. Meditation is more than feeding. Meditation is same as regurgitation of what you have been fed with. Meditation enhances the digestion process of what we have read and integrates it into our spirit. Meditate means think and talk about.
There is a building taking place as we pray in the Spirit on a regular basis. Jude 20 says “Building up yourself… Praying in the Holy Ghost. These are spiritual processes that as proved productive in so many lives for years. If you do them casually it may not produce any significant results in your life. But if you are consistently committed to them they will produce a cumulative results in our lives over time.
CONFESSION:
The voice of the Lord is clear in my life. I know his voice.
LEARN MORE: John 10:1-5, Jude 20
Thursday 6th April, 2023
DIVINE SIGNALS 6
Text: “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.” Romans 8:16
This verse give us a summary of how divine signals are RELEASED and how it’s RECEIVED. Divine signals are RELEASED as the Spirit bears witness…..Divine signals are RECEIVED as the Spirit of God bears witness with our spirit. We can also say that two people are involved in the administration of divine signals. The Spirit of God and then the regenerated Human spirit.
The Spirit of God bears witness
The first major step in receiving divine signals is to become conscious of the person, the presence and the purpose of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The signals of the Spirit are produced in our lives to the extent to which we become conscious of the presence of the Holy Spirit. The consciousness of the presence of the Spirit in our lives is to a different degree in the lives of different people. If you lack the consciousness of the presence of the Spirit you will also lack the manifestations of his presence. The Spirit of God works in us as we acknowledge and recognize his person and his presence in our lives. We connect to the signals of the Spirit as we give premium to his person and his presence in our lives. When the Holy Spirit is unrecognized, unappreciated, and ignored we would not experience his help as we should. If you doubt his presence you will lack his help.
The scripture says “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?“ 1 Corinthians 3:16. Another scripture says “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have of God….” 1 Corinthians 6:19. The effectiveness of our faith and the quality of our walk with God will depend on how much we acknowledge all that God has given us. If you will connect to divine signals you must give the Holy Spirit your attention.
PRAYER:
The Spirit of God is at work in me. There is guidance in my life. I’m daily on the path of progress and purpose.
LEARN MORE: Romans 8:14-16, Philemon 6
Wednesday 5th April, 2023
DIVINE SIGNALS 5
Text: “I can of mine own self do nothing: AS I HEAR (DIVINE SIGNALS). I judge: and my judgment is just.” John 5:30
Continuing from our lesson yesterday the law of precision states that “the more precise and detailed we are about life the greater the chances of success in life. The less precise we are about life the greater the chances of failure”. We all need God-inspired precision to make the best of our lives. If Jesus needed it we need it much more. This will require an absolute dependence on the all-knowing and the all wise God. Jesus knew things that were far beyond human comprehension. Thank God for all that we know, but we must understand that what we don’t know yet is far more than what we know. There are a million ways of doing what we are doing to get greater results. This is what is made available for us in God. Great results in life will require that you have precision in life. Knowing what others don’t know, seeing and hearing what others cannot see or hear.
Let’s look at factors that will hinder our connectivity to divine signals. A sinful life produces confusion in our spirit. Sin reduces your sensitivity. When you are sinful you begin to take irrational decisions and uncoordinated steps. When you become overtaken by fear your spirit man also becomes blurred. Fear will blind your eyes to what God has spoken in his word concerning your life. Divine signals are drawn many times from the reservoir of God’s word in our spirit. When your spirit is full of bitterness and unforgiveness it will be difficult to pick divine signals. Bitterness defiles people. (Hebrews 12:15). A rowdy spirit will also reduce your ability to pick divine signals. Many times the noise within can be louder that the noise outside. The noise of human opinions. When you have a quiet spirit you can have divine signals even in the marketplace of life. If your spirit man is not developed it will also be difficult to connect to divine signals.
CONFESSION:
There is no fear in my spirit. I have been delivered from the spirit of fear. My spirit is free from defilement.
LEARN MORE: 2 Timothy 1:7, Hebrews 12:15
Tuesday 4th April, 2023
DIVINE SIGNALS 4
Text: “I can of mine own self do nothing: AS I HEAR (DIVINE SIGNALS). I judge: and my judgment is just.” John 5:30
There are two fundament keys to a life of success as seen all over the scriptures. This is also the major reason why you must have an understanding of how divine signals operates. Success is a product of being at the RIGHT PLACE, at the RIGHT TIME, with the RIGHT PEOPLE, and doing the RIGHT THING. This is a priceless privilege that divine signals give us. Genesis 26:2 “And the Lord appeared unto him, and said, go not down into Egypt: dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of.” Isaac had wanted to move his family to where his father had success. He was suddenly interrupted by a divine signal to remain in a place that was naturally unfavourable for his business. If he had moved to Egypt he would have been a covenant Child but wrongly placed. DIVINE SIGNALS will interrupt our myopic strategies many times. If you are not flexible in your plans you will miss DIVINE SIGNALS.
The second major step to a life of success is what I call a God-inspired precision. Jesus said “I can of mine own self do nothing: AS I HEAR (DIVINE SIGNALS)...The life of Jesus was so precise. He did things that were completely out of this world. Every step he took were accurate. Some of them were not logical but they produced outstanding results on the earth. This was because every step he took was inspired by the father God. He did nothing by himself. He waited for four days until Lazarus died because of the instructions the father gave him. When he made mud and placed on the eyes of a blind man, this was what the father was saying at that point in time. It may be argued that these were absurd, but they produced outstanding results. Jesus knew what others did not know, he saw what others did not see. He heard what others did not hear. This was why he took step that others would not have taken. He had uncommon results
PRAYER:
My steps are guided from heaven. Every step I take are steps of progress and greatness.
LEARN MORE: Genesis 26:1-14, Psalm 37:23
Monday 3rd April, 2023
DIVINE SIGNALS 3
Text: “The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly.” Prov 20:27
Today as the Spirit of God will help us we would focus on how to connect with divine signals over our lives.
The first thing is to be humble enough to accept that you lack the capacity to lead yourself. As long as you think you know what is best for you it will be difficult to accept the divine signals. Jeremiah 10:23 says “O Lord, I know that the path of (life of) a man is not in himself; it is not within (the limited ability of) man (even one at his best) to choose and direct his steps (in life). Amp. You must also accept that the physical appearance of anything is not the true or total description of the inner state. If you are easily carried away by outward appearance you will make too many wrong decisions in life. You must also accept that God is always talking. If you are not hearing God does not mean God is silent. Even when it seems that God is silent there is a voice in his silence.
Basically, we connect with divine signals with our human spirit. “The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly.” Proverbs 20:27. Divine signals come into our spirit in form of a lighted bulb. A check within, a nudge within, a restraint from within. The recreated human spirit is where divine signals are received. The state of our human spirit will determine the level of our human sensitivity. When a radio station is transmitting its signals there must also be a receptor that is tuned to the right frequency. If you are not hearing any radio where you are right now does not mean the radio station is also silent. Lack of reception in your house does not mean there are no signals in your house. It could just be that the receptor is not tuned to the right frequency. Your spirit man must be tuned to receive divine signals. The state of your spirit is absolutely your responsibility. It’s never up to God but up to you.
PRAYER:
I’m spiritually sensitive to what God is saying over my life on a daily basis. My spirit man is not dull.
LEARN MORE: 1 Corinthians 2:9-12
Sunday 2nd April, 2023
DIVINE SIGNALS 2
Text: “And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, this is the way, walk ye in it. When you turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.” Isaiah 30:21
No matter how much you pray nothing will happen if you remain where God has left. Where divine signals takes you may not be popular or logical but it will be miraculous if you chose to follow God. The best of God for our lives most of the time are reserved in places that are unknown and we are naturally not used to.
Divine signals simply refers to the guidance of the Spirit in our recreated human spirit showing us what to do and where to go next. At the beginning of every New Year or at different seasons of our lives the common questions are “What next?” ”Where do I go next.” These are questions we have all asked ourselves in life. The answers to this questions are beyond human intellect. Many are in regrets today over a marriage that had the most costly wedding gowns. A business that promised so much at the beginning has thrown some into debts.
If you live your life depending on your human strength you will make too many mistakes with your life. The complexities of life are beyond the human intellect. The wise man said “…Lean not unto thine own understanding…Proverbs 3:5. If you depend on yourself you will fail yourself. The scripture also tells us that “….Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared….”1 Corinthians 2:9. As we begin the second quarter of this year it’s important that each one of us connect to divine signals over our lives. As long as we are eager to follow, God is always ready and willing to guide us and to lead us. Following divine signals is priceless. It will save you a lot of time, energy and resources. I sincerely trust God with you this month that you will not miss your way.
CONFESSION:
I have precision in life. I know what others don’t know, I can see and hear what others cannot see or hear.
LEARN MORE: 1 Corinthians 2:9-14
Saturday 1st April, 2023
DIVINE SIGNALS 1
Text: “And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, this is the way, walk ye in it. When you turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.” Isaiah 30:21
The NLT version says “Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you, a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left.” I want to begin today by emphasizing that there is a right way to go and a wrong way to go in life. This is applicable to virtually every area of our lives. From marriage, to business, to career and so on. Majority of life challenges are related to being at the wrong place, with the wrong people, doing the wrong thing and at the wrong time. No matter how experienced a pilot is he must stay in touch with the signals from the control towers. When such signals are lost its usually fatal. One major key to a lifetime of success is being at the right place at the right time meeting the right people and doing the right thing.
The blessings of God are everywhere but the specific blessings of God for your life are not everywhere. Not every a road is a good road for you. The path of success for someone else will not necessarily be the same path of success for you. One wrong step taken today will lead to other wrong steps that may end up as a lifetime of regrets.
The principles of God don’t change but his direction changes from time to time. What God asked you do in one season may not be the same in another season. Where God was yesterday may not necessarily be where he is today. God sent Elijah to the brook of Cherith where he was fed by ravens. The brook eventually dried and divine signals came again to move to meet the widow (1 King 17:1-9).
There are things that God has prepared and ordained for our lives from the foundation of the earth long before we were born that we are expected to simply walk into them by divine signals. Ephesians 1:4
PRAYER:
Lord my spirit man is open to receive your guidance for my life. I am connected to divine frequency.
LEARN MORE: 1 King 17:1-9
Friday 31st March, 2023
DISCOVERING PURPOSE
Text: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5
It so interesting to know that it was not our parents that decided our birth-God did. We were already on His mind even before our parents met. We were in His plans even before our physical conception in the womb.
He had a plan and a purpose for our lives. We were born at the right time, at the right place, by the right people for a unique purpose. Nothing is accidental about you. The greatest use of our lives is to live fulfilling God’s purpose for our lives. Whatever does not help you to fulfill God’s purpose is not good for you. Discovering God’s purpose gives focus and direction to our lives, so that we don’t waste a whole lifetime chasing shadows. Just as a Fish functions easily and excellently in water so also we can only function and become the best in life in our God assigned purpose.
Everything you do, the places you go, the friends you keep must help you to fulfill God’s purpose for your life. Whatever takes you out of God’s purpose for your life is taking you out of destiny.
The purpose of a product is hidden in the heart of the manufacturer, so also our purpose is in the heart of God. As we keep pursuing him we’ll come to a discovery of God’s ultimate purpose for our lives. We may not have all the details at once; but as we stay faithful and committed to the elementary stages of it the fullness begins to unfold before our very eyes. It may start small but it will never remain small. When God reveals his purpose for your life there is a global mandate on it. It has the capacity to go beyond your wildest imagination. Please discover your purpose.
CONFESSION:
I’m here on purpose. There is a divine mandate on my life. I was born for something extraordinary. My place in destiny is unique.
LEARN MORE: Jeremiah 29:11,Ephesians 3:11
Thursday 30th March, 2023
STRONG REASONS
Text: “Produce your cause, saith the Lord; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob.” Isaiah 41:21
When it comes to receiving from God our reasons must be strong enough to merit a response from God. Strong not in terms of how good we are in arguing or shouting, but rather in how much we line up with God’s word and eternal purpose for our lives.
Imagine a young bride trusting God for the fruit of the womb and saying “Lord answer me so that my mother-in-law can be put to shame”, or a trader saying “God send me customers today so that I can show my competitors”. Those reasons and things like that sound religious but are not strong in terms of God’s word and counsels for doing things. These reasons are religious but not scripturally strong.
The blood of Jesus was shed on your behalf to secure your eternal freedom; nothing has the right to hold you down based on the efficacy of that blood that was shed for you. That is a strong reason for ask anything from God.
The new birth experience brought you to become joint-heirs with Christ. Whatever belongs to Christ belongs to you too. Who he is, we are. He actually gave us his name so that we can lay hold of whatever in his stead. This is a strong reason.
Jesus needed to set a woman free and people around were against it, but Jesus gave a strong reason that as a daughter of Abraham she had to be free. We are also the seed of Abraham; we have a right to the blessings of Abraham. Luke 13:16. Every time you pray give reasons based on the word. The promises of God’s word are your strong reasons to receive answers.
God honours his word and will not deny his word. The time spent in the word of God are never wasted. This equips us to effective in the place of prayer.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I lay hold of everything purchased for me by the blood of Jesus.
LEARN MORE: Romans 8:17
Wednesday 29th March, 2023
PREPARED HORSE
Text: “The horse is prepared against the day of battle; but safety is of LORD.” Prov 21:31
King Saul and the armies of Israel had the right weapons. They were armed to the teeth. In terms of physical battle they had all they needed to face Goliath. This is a description of a “prepared Horse”. Everything was set in the natural. But with all they had they still could not face the enemy.
There are times in life that we have done all the reading for an exam, done all the required research and something still went wrong with the exams. The best of our preparations by themselves does not guarantee success.
Please note that this is not suggesting to you not to prepare and get ready for whatever project or assignment you are involved in. This is meant to help you to appreciate that there is more beyond our preparations.
At the end of the day the God factor will determine the ultimate outcome of what we are doing. Make all the required preparations and calculations but don’t forget that “...safety is of the Lord”.
David in the natural did not have the required weapons. The only preparation he ever received was his experience with the Lion and the beer which was quite different from this present challenge on ground. Beyond all these David understood that “...safety is of the Lord”. That is why he took his refuge in God. David said “In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength and my refuge is in God.” Psalm 62:7
Again for emphasis sake make all the preparations you require. Study well, do your research, but then don’t depend on your preparations. Depend on the rock of ages. Safety, Success, Victory comes from him.
The best of human “horse” is not enough to face the challenges of life. We need all of God to become anything great in life.
CONFESSION:
God you are my strength and refuge. The battles of life depend on you and I will trust in you and not in my efforts.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 46:1,7,11, Psalm 127:1-2
Tuesday 28th March, 2023
PREPARED PLACE
Text: “Behold, I send an angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.” Exodus 23:20
God has a prepared place for every one of us in life. Its prepared already. God is not just trying to figure out what to do with our lives. He has it all figured out before we arrived here. All that it will require today is for us as individuals to follow him closely to that prepared place.
In our prepared place his hand will keep us. If we find ourselves in a strange and unprepared place we may become vulnerable and exposed. Wherever God takes us he keeps us there. In the prepared place there are divine provisions. On several occasions God sent Elijah to prepared places. At a time it was at the brook, at a time it was in the house of the widow. In each of those places his needs were met supernaturally. In the prepared place doors will open for us and favour will answer for us. These and many more are reasons why we must ensure that we are only found in the “prepared place.”
Locating the prepared place will require that we learn to follow God’s direction for our lives on a regular basis. It has to become a craving of our heart to follow God by all means. Please join me in prayer today as we express our craving to locate the prepared place.
1. Lord I want to follow you in every aspect of my life; I want to go where you want me to go and I want to do what you want me to do.
2. Lord I surrender my heart and intellect to you. Guide and lead me by your Spirit to my prepared place.
3. Lord let the holy fire burn inside me to move me out of every place that was never designed to be my “prepared place”
4. In the name of Jesus I overcome every pride and arrogance that may want me to despise or ignore my prepared place.
CONFESSION:
The Lord is guiding my steps to the prepared place of destiny. .
LEARN MORE: Proverbs 3:5-6
Monday 27th March, 2023
PLAY YOUR PART
Text: “For as the body is one, and hath many members (parts), and all the members (parts) of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.” 1 Corinthians 12:12
I’m sure you have seen several films and movies before. They are usually made up of different parts or roles . Each of these roles are played by different individuals. There is no movie in which one single person plays all the roles. The beauty of the movie is when each person plays their roles well. The extent to which each person understand their part and play it well will determine the success of it.
We all have different parts to play in life and each one of us must understand well our parts. Each person on a film spends days, weeks and months studying their parts in order to play it well. I want to ask you if you have even discovered your part in life; what roles has God designed for you. The extent to which you discover and play your part will determine your level of fulfilment in life. The parts may be different but they are well suited for individuals.
Another beautiful illustration from scriptures to understand our individual part in life is to understand the different parts of the human body. Every part of the human body is useful and significant. Even though some parts may look more obviously significant but we must understand that every part is equally significant. There is really no basis for comparing the different roles of each part; their roles are different and unique. Each part is significant to the extent of the value we place on it. Each one of us must recognize our part in life and place the right value on it. When we place value on our part and develop it there will be so much virtue coming out of it to bless multitudes. Don’t just be drawn to the “part” of others; appreciate your own too.
CONFESSION:
In the play field of life I’m a lead actor in my own life. My part is special and unique. I have a part that cannot be replaced. My part will bless others.
LEARN MORE: 1 Corinthians 12:1-30
Sunday 26th March, 2023
RECOGNIZING YOUR SEEDS
Text: “But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:10
It’s important for us to realize that God has packaged in us “seeds” that we need to engage to fulfil destiny. The first thing to do is to recognise the “seeds.” The important question we need to ask and answer is “How do we recognize or pinpoint the seed?”
Fundamentally we recognise the seeds that God has placed inside us by the Spirit. Even though there are some other criteria we can look at; but the help of the Holy Spirit is basic. I want to give you a paraphrase of our anchor scripture today “...Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath pre-packaged in them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit; for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.” The more intimate we become with the Holy Spirit the more we’ll recognize the “seeds” that God has packaged in our lives that we can begin to engage. The Spirit of God has access to the minute details of our lives. He can unravel every hidden thing to the human comprehension.
We can also recognise what God has packaged in us as we look closely at what we have flare for and what we enjoy doing. There are certain things that come so natural to us without having to struggle to do them. This also is a vital way to recognise the “seeds” that God has invested in us. As we recognize the seeds and begin to engage them we’ll see the plans and purpose of God come to pass in our lives. If they are not recognized they will remain dormant and unutilised. An unutilised “seed” is a future harvest denied.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I declare that I’m filled with the Spirit of wisdom and revelation to see and know all that God has packaged in my life to fulfil destiny.
LEARN MORE: Ephesians 1:15-19
Saturday 25th March, 2023
PRIVILEGE OF PRAYER 2
Text: “Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.” James 5:17
This scripture clearly explains to us that Elijah was just a man like any of us. He was subject to the same kind of challenges that we have today. There were times he felt weak, there were times he was disappointed and possibly discouraged just as we do sometimes. But in the midst of it all he had a privilege of still taking charge of situations around him. It was not as if he was helpless. He had the privilege of prayer; with that he was able to determine the course of events around him. We are not helpless; we have the lifeline.
The privilege of prayer is open to us all. We can pray as much as we can and as often as we desire. It’s an open privilege that we all have.
One of the reasons why so many of us don’t pray as much as we should is because we feel we are not good enough or not powerful enough to do so. Elijah could have given the same excuses that we give too. He was a man subject to like passion like us. The difference was that he knew how to pray with the whole of his heart. He knew how to get his heart engaged in his prayer. He was never half-hearted about his prayer. He will usually pour all his soul into it. He prayed earnestly.
In prayer we can change situations; in prayer we can determine the course of events. In prayer we can put a stop to whatever is wrong around us. These and many more was what Elisha did on the altar of prayer. He literally changed the course of events in a nation. This is the privilege of prayer. Even as I write my heart is panting to take more advantage of this in my life.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I declare that situations are changing in my favour today. I declare an end to whatever is contrary to God’s counsels in my life.
LEARN MORE: Jeremiah 33:3, Matthew 7:7-11
Friday 24th March, 2023
THE PRIVILEGE OF PRAYER 1
Text: “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” Jeremiah 33:3
The privilege of prayer is one of the most powerful privileges of scriptures. This is a divine privilege over our lives. The first call to prayer is more of divine than human. God himself invited us to pray. Coming to pray is actually response to a divine call. God must have so much in store to have called us to pray.
So many people don’t know they can pray and get answers by themselves. Each one of us must develop a vibrant prayer life. We cannot get too much out of life if you have to depend solely on someone’s prayer. Thank God for parents, pastors etc that may be praying for you; but it has to become a personal thing if you will take advantage of all the privileges that prayer offers us.
The basis for answered prayer is not perfection; the basis is relationship. We are not approaching God in prayer on the basis of our perfection but on the basis of our relationship with him through Christ. God has made a commitment on our lives. By the blood of Jesus we are brought into an intimate union with God. He became our father and we became his sons and daughters. Answers to prayers depend on our understanding of God’s commitment on our lives and our willingness to take advantage of that commitment. Every responsible parent naturally assumes the care of their children.
Even though God is committed to us he expects us to still come back to him in prayer – as a sign of dependence on him. Prayer shows that we are depending on God and not ourselves. Not praying is an expression of pride and self – dependence. Please take advantage of prayer daily.
PRAYER:
Father thank you for the privilege you have given us to call upon you. Thank you for answers to prayers.
LEARN MORE: Proverbs 3:5-6, Matthew 7:7-11
Thursday 23rd March, 2023
YOUR TRUE WORTH
Text: “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold...But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”1 Peter 1:18-19
The price of a product sold in the market is usually determined by the quality of the product. The higher the quality the higher the price. The price paid is usually an indication of the true worth of that product.
The word “redeemed” in our anchor scripture literally means to buy back at a price. The scripture clearly shows us that we were not redeemed with silver and gold. This is because the value of silver and gold cannot compare with the value and worth of a human soul. If God had used silver and gold to buy us back from a life of sin it would have meant that our worth is compared to whatever amount was paid. Thank God it was not silver and gold that was used. The market forces would have determined our worth.
The precious blood of Jesus was the price paid on our redemption. It was a blood of the sinless Christ; without blemish and without wrinkle. This is of the highest quality that ever exists on earth or in heaven. This is what determines our through worth. Your worth as a believer is not based on the standards of this world. It’s not based on your colour or nationality. It’s not based on membership of a particular club or society. Whatever value the blood of Jesus has is the value that you have. Don’t ever look down on yourself as insignificant. The blood of Jesus brought significance on your life. The blood of Jesus brought you to a heavenly-class; where we are seated with Christ in glory.
If someone ask you; “Who do you think you are?” the response should be “I’m what the blood of Jesus made me.” That settles it all. Even if you can’t say it loud echo it in your spirit.
CONFESSION:
I’m valuable. I’m precious. The blood of Jesus made me significant.
LEARN MORE: Ephesians 2:13-14, 1 Peter 2:9
Wednesday 22nd March, 2023
GOD’S OPINION ABOUT YOU 3
Text: “And now I’m going to tell you who you are, really are, you are Peter, a rock. This is the rock on which I will put together my church...” Matthew 16:18 (Message Bible)
Apostle Paul was formerly called Simon, which means a reed; unstable and easily blown away. Jesus came into his life and said you are Peter – A rock; stable, solid and dependable. Jesus saw beyond what he was to what he could become. We thrive, grow and flourish on God’s opinion about us A vital tool of the Devil is to weary the saints by constant accusations; he deflates our confidence in God and in ourselves. I should not be a partner to the devil in his job.
These are a few lessons I learnt as these thoughts went through my mind:
1. Remind yourself and other people of changes God had already wrought in them, not just how much they still need to change.
2. Treat others the way they could be and they will gravitate towards your positive expectation of them.
3. Learn to take side with the positive aspects of people rather than their negative sides. See more of what is good in them, not what is wrong.
4. By all means your words towards people in your sphere of influence should be positive, edifying and motivating. Don’t ever deflate people with your words, build them up.
Before I end this let me remind you again of God’s opinion about you: The sins of your past are completely wiped off. You are simply the best of your kind God ever made. You are unique and special, inferior to no one. The experience of the past does not determine the possibilities of today. In your future is the possibility of a great God.
PRAYER:
Father thank you for what you made me and what you called me. I celebrate your opinion about me today.
LEARN MORE: Job 12:3, Psalm 139:14, Hebrews 8:12
Tuesday 21st March, 2023
GOD’S OPINION ABOUT YOU 2
Text: “She said, no man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.” John 8:11
I realized that it’s not my job to point at the fault and mistakes of others; it’s the job of the Holy Spirit to convict men of mistakes and faults. I should see people the way you see them and call them what you call them. Thank you Lord for believing in me so much, i realised that in spite of my weaknesses you said i am complete in Christ. I don’t have to do any single act of goodness to qualify for that, the sacrifice of your son qualified me. Even when others see my fault, you see my completeness. Nobody could love me and treat me like you do; certainly I should not expect it from men.
I finally realized that when others reject me you do not and I also should not reject myself. My success in life depends on your opinion about me and my acceptance of that opinion about myself. Thank you Jesus I’m your righteousness and I’m complete in you. I’m qualified for the greatest honor in life.
I realized that I naturally loose the power to influence people by merely pointing at their faults and mistakes. Even when I have to speak the truth I have to do it in an atmosphere of love and not of condemnation if the truth will ever make sense or change anyone. I must never attempt to change people from the vantage of been better than them. It’s the grace of God that helped all of us out. A woman was caught in adultery and brought to Jesus; he did not take sides with the accusers or else he would have lost the ability to influence her permanently. He rather saw beyond her faults to what she could become and so forgave her sins and empowered her to go and sin no more by his words. Even if you have done something wrong in the past God does not condone it but at the same time he does not condemn you. Let it go. You are free.
PRAYER:
Father thank you for accepting me freely and completely. Thank you for loving me.
LEARN MORE: Romans 8:1
Monday 20th March, 2023
GOD’S OPINION ABOUT YOU 1
Text: “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ...For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” 2 Corinthians 5:18,21
Some years back I had an experience with a superior at work. He said some hurting words to me. I got back into my office that day and I began to write. It was more or less an out pouring of my soul. I’m sure that you will be blessed as you read. I’m not sure if I should call it an article or a poem; whichever way you see it I’m sure it will bless you.
Lord, I want to thank you because you love me so much. I never knew that I could be affected so much by someone’s opinion of me until tonight, however I realised that even before I was born you had your own opinion of me. I also realize that your opinion is the most important; not even my own opinion about myself.
Even when I was a sinner you saw value and worth in me. This was why you released your only begotten son to die for me. I also realised that though you don’t want me to remain the way I am; you accept me as perfect and complete. You want me to grow and become a better person, but you don’t do that by constantly pointing at my mistakes and taking a record of my wrongs. Your love forbids that kind of treatment. Rather than show me my weaknesses, you point at my strengths and celebrate who I could become rather than who I am. I was just thinking that you focus more on things that are not obvious in me now because they are my true worth. The things that are seen in me now that looks negative are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. So, you constantly remind me of them. That is the way you treat me and that is the way you expect me to treat others; looking at them as they could be and not as they are presently. Join me tomorrow as we continue.
CONFESSION:
I have a right standing with God. God accepts me completely. The blood of Jesus made me right.
LEARN MORE: Colossians 2:10, Hebrews 10:14
Saturday 18th March,2023
SELF-REJECTION
Text: “So God created man in his image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” Genesis 1:27
The greatest rejection in life is self-rejection. When a man or woman rejects himself it will also look as if the whole world has turned their back. Self-rejection is a tool in the hand of the devil to make an individual fall beneath God’s prearranged program for their lives. Most of the time self-rejection is as a result of looking at ourselves and judging ourselves by the standards of this world. Every form of self-rejection is as a result of seeing ourselves wrongly based on human perspectives.
If you look at your life from God’s perspective you’ll see that you have so much that is worth of celebrating in your life. God did not mass produce us. He took time to work on each one of us to a specification that fits his ultimate program and purpose for our lives. Each one of was uniquely packaged and designed for a unique destiny in God. The reason why you don’t look like your popular movie star is because your course in life is completely different. It’s the purpose of a product that determines its design and make up. God never made a flop; your design was perfect for his plans and purpose for your life. You may not fit in to what society wants you to look like; but you are perfect for what God wants you to be. This is all that matters. David said “Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb.” (Ps 139:13 Message Bible).
Beauty is not just a function of the skin or your pointed nose. It’s function of an inner persuasion of who God made you and what God made you. Once you begin to see yourself this way there is a beauty that will not just come from your make-up but from the inside. If your beauty is based on make-up then what happens when you wash it off? You were made in God’s image; you are beautiful.
CONFESSION:
I’m beautiful. I’m the best of my type God ever made. I’m perfect for my purpose in life.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 139:13-18
Friday 17th March, 2023
DELIVERED FROM MEN
Text: “...Had suffered many things of many physician… and was nothing better...” Mark 5:26
One of the greatest deliverance everyone us must experience in life is deliverance from men. There are so many people whose lives are controlled and chained by what someone said concerning them. There are individuals in our lives that may say that without them we cannot make headway in life. Some will even be bold enough to say it to your face. We need deliverance from such people. This deliverance is majorly a mental deliverance. Bringing down every ungodly thoughts and imaginations against the knowledge of God in your life.
The words of a man may be powerful but fallible. It’s only God’s word that is powerful and infallible in our lives. Therefore the words of a mortal man should never become final in your life. The final decision on your life is divine and not human. David said “Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people…” Ps 18:43. If the words of a man become more powerful in your life than what God has said then that man has become your god. The word of a physician should be respected but not final in your life. We’ve heard cases where all medical tests said that a woman cannot conceive and then ended carrying babies. No man has the right to say it’s final in your life. When men say it’s over God says I will give you a new beginning.
The woman with the issue of blood got her deliverance from the negative report of the experts that attended to her case for twelve years. This deliverance actually came when she took a step of faith to reach out for possibilities that exist in God. If she had given up on her case just as the physicians said she should have never received her healing that day. Don’t ever draw conclusion on any issue based on what people said. This is deliverance. If God did not close it no man can close it.
CONFESSION:
I’m delivered from human opinion. I’m completely free from what people said concerning me.
LEARN MORE: Isaiah 43:19, 2 Corinthians 10:5-6
Thursday 16th March, 2023
PRIVILEGE OF FAITH
Text: “And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.” Mark 5:34
The woman with the issue of blood had been to several Physicians. Each of them had done what was medically possible to no avail. Their conclusion would have been that her case had no solution. Twelve years was long enough to conclude that her case was closed. Despite all that she had gone through her personal faith made the difference. It’s so important that each one of us realise that our lives are not up to someone else; it’s up to our faith.
1. Your faith gives you a voice over the issues of your life. The doctors had said all they could on her case but she still had her faith to work with. Her faith eventually made her whole.
2. Your faith gives you the power to take a decision in the affairs of your life. This woman did not leave the final decision of her life in the hands of the Physicians. It’s not up to what the doctor or your employer said; but up to what I decide by my faith.
3. Your faith takes your life out from been a victim to become a victor over the issues of your life. Someone may say that he won’t help you; but the person cannot say God will not help you. Faith help us to by-pass them. Faith takes your life from their hands and places it in the hand of God. Our lives are better-off in the hand of God than in the hand of a mortal man.
4. Faith brings the supernatural hand of God to bear in the issues of our lives. Where men says its over God says I’m just starting with you.
These are major reasons why each one of us should develop our faith in God and not leave our lives to chances. Don’t wait for life to pass you by, develop your faith in God.
PRAYER:
Lord I receive grace and inner strength to stay focused on your plans and purpose for my life.
LEARN MORE: Matthew 6:22-24
Wednesday 15th March, 2023
LIVING IN POSSIBILITIES
Text: “But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, with men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26
The life of a believer is the life of God. We have his life in us. The ability of God resides in our spirit; the capacity of Christ is functioning inside us. The life of God is a life of possibilities. There were several individuals in the Bible who had almost impossible cases; but the possibilities of God answered for them.
It was medically impossible for Sarah to conceive at such an advanced age. But thank God that the possibilities of God answered for her. The red sea was scientifically impossible to cross by the Jews; the possibility of God answered for them. The wall of Jericho was physically an impossible wall to surmount. It was so wide and so strong that the Jews could never have gone into the city. God’s possibilities made a way for them. Mary initially questioned the possibility of a woman getting pregnant without a man. The angel had to explain to her “For with God nothing shall be impossible.” (Luke 1:37). We can go on and on to see the possibilities of God in the face of human impossibilities.
This is the realm that God wants us to live as a way of life. As we interact closely with God challenges will begin to shrink in proportion compared to the possibilities of God available to us. Daniel had walked closely with God to the point that he knew it was possible to interpret the dream of the King. All the magicians in the land had failed; but he understood the possibilities of God. The three (3) Hebrew boys understood cleanly that with God it was impossible to burn in the furnace. David saw the possibilities of God as he was facing Goliath; King Saul and his men could not see it.
We live in possibilities as we see God in everything. We must make this conscious decision to focus purely on God in everything. The more we see God the more we see possibilities. He’s our healer, he’s our provider and he’s our way maker.
CONFESSION:
There is a divine possibility in every aspect of my life. I see God in every issue of my life.
LEARN MORE: Genesis 18:10-14, Isaiah 32:27
Tuesday 14th March, 2023
PERSONAL RESOLVE
Text: “For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.” Matthew 9:21
We are learning again today from the account of the woman with the issue of blood. If you read the story carefully you will notice that her miracle was personally provoked. Jesus was on his way somewhere else on invitation to minister to someone else. The woman with the issue of blood was not in his written schedule for that day. Jesus did not even know she was there. Considering her condition someone would have prevented her from getting close to Jesus. It was her personal resolve of faith that gave her the victory.
If we are waiting for people to give us way in life we may remain in the same spot all our lives. There were so many people that day touching Jesus; her touch was different. It was a touch that was borne out of a heart-seated desire to experience a change.
If she had waited for someone to make that decision for her life would have remained the same for her. Everyone there that day were following Jesus for their own personal need. Her resolve was not a group discussion with anyone. She needed no human opinion to receive her miracle. I’m sure that if she had consulted people around her someone would have rehearsed to her how so many physicians had failed her for twelve years.
We must be able to draw the line in life of when it will be required to consult people and when it’s only God we should consult. If you are depending on public opinion to move up in life you will not do much with your life. We must believe so much in God and in our God given purpose that we can take steps in that direction without minding public opinion.
Life is principally a function of personal commitment and responsibility. If you don’t take responsibility for your life nobody will. You don’t have anyone to blame for the outcome of your life. It’s purely a product of your personal resolves.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I take a decision today to be all I was created to be. I take a personal resolve to reach forth to all that God has in store for me.
LEARN MORE: Philippians 3:12-14
Monday 13th March, 2023
NOT ENTANGLED AGAIN
Text: “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1
If you don’t take a stand of faith then you will find yourself under the influence and control of things that you were supposed to be in charge of. Adam and Eve lost their ground to the deception of the enemy. They were mandated to take charge and be in dominion. The enemy came with his lies and deception. Just as they could not take a stand and lost it to the devil so also we’ll lose what’s rightfully ours if we don’t stand firm in the liberty wherein Christ has made us free. Entangled again talks about been free from something and allowing it to get hold of our lives again. We can all look at specific areas of our lives where God has set us free. We must ensure therefore that we do not allow the subtle deception of the devil to get us back into that bondage.
Yoke of slavery is the outcome of satanic deception. If you believe and accept what the enemy is saying above what God’s word is saying you will be trapped in the yoke of slavery. If you believe your dreams more than you believe God it will get you into bondage. Whatever anyone is saying or seeing concerning you must be subjected to the word of God.
Someone was told that his wedding day has been marked with blood and that there will be trouble that day. The wedding was about to be cancelled just a week to the wedding. I got angry in my spirit when I was told because as far as scriptures are concerned everyday has its own unique evil; its individuals that will redeem their own day from evil (Eph 5:16). Moreover the blood of Jesus is a greater blood that has marked us for exemption. We stood on this word together in prayer and thank God they went on with the wedding. The wedding was successful and nothing evil happened. Refuse to be entangled again.
DECLARATION:
I stand on the authority of God’s word. I refuse to be entangled in the yoke of slavery.
LEARN MORE: Galatians 6:17, Revelation 12:11
Sunday 12th March, 2023
HE MADE US FREE
Text: “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1
This is one specific stand we must all make as believers. I want you to note carefully what this scripture says “...Christ hath made us free...” This did not even say that “...Christ will make us free...” There is a big difference between the two phrases. It’s not something that will happen in the future but something that has taken place already. What we do in prayer is to enforce the reality of our freedom.
We can declare that we are free from every entanglement of the devil. Free from the entanglement of the past. We can shout it on the roof top that we are free. We can be bold enough to tell everyone that knows us that we are free. No more chains on us.
Let’s look at some of the things we are free from:
1. Free from the power of sin – Sin has no more control over our lives. We are no longer a slave to the dictates and desires of the flesh. We are empowered by the Spirit of God to live above sin.
2. Free from the dominion of darkness – We are delivered from the kingdom of darkness and translated into the kingdom of light.
3. Free from past mistakes – The prodigal son came back to his father and the father gave him a slippers which literally means to leave the past behind and walk into the future. Stop looking at the rear mirror and look ahead into what God has in store for you.
4. Free from the opinions of men – Our ultimate identity in life is found in Christ and not necessarily in the opinions of men. Therefore we can live our lives pleasing God and not men.
5. Free from the limitations of life – The limitations of our birth or family background has no more hold on our lives. We are free from every existing curse.
CONFESSION:
I am free; completely free. The past has no more hold on my life. The limitation of my background has no hold on my life. Jesus made me free.
LEARN MORE: Romans 8:13, Galatians 3:13-14, Colossians 1:13
Saturday 11th March, 2023
STAND FAST
Text: “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1
Stand fast simply means stand firm. It’s another way of saying be resolute. We can also refer to it as taking a stand in God. If you don’t take a stand something will take you off your feet. God has done so much for us. The sacrifice of Christ on the cross made so much available to us. If all these will become a reality in our lives we must take a stand of faith in them. When it seems life is blowing us in contrary directions we must take a stand of faith. If we don’t take a stand in God the counsel of the enemy will stand in our lives.
I have seen so many people deceived and destroyed by so called prophecies that have no basis on the word of God. The word of God is the final authority on our lives as believers. Even dreams are not final; if you don’t take a stand of faith you will never be stable.
Let’s look at a couple of stands that you must take:
1. Take a stand that you are a new creation – There should never be a doubt in you of the reality of your new status in Christ.
2. Take a stand that you are completely forgiven – The blood of Jesus procured forgiveness for you. God has no record of sin against you.
3. Take a stand that no matter what happen it will work out together for your good – This will give you a lot of stability and confidence to face life.
4. Take a stand that God loves you completely and freely – The unreliable love of man should never give us a misunderstanding of the love of God. God loves you extremely.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I take a stand of faith today to fulfil God’s purpose and plans for my life. I take a stand to experience only what God says about me.
LEARN MORE: Romans 8:28, 2 Corinthians 5:17
Friday 10th March, 2023
UNADULTERATED AND UNPOLLUTEED
Text: “But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth, and some to honour, and some to dishonour.” 2 Tim 2:20
A vessel is simply an instrument of service. The quality of a vessel usually will determine what it’s used for. Our opening scripture talks of vessel of wood, vessels of earth (soil), vessels of silver and vessels of gold. Even though they are all vessels they are made of different materials and qualities. This is simply the reason why some are for dishonour while some are for honour.
Let’s say clearly that what your life will be used for will be determined by the material you are made of. Gold is the material with the highest quality and also the vessel that will be used for the highest purpose. God wants each one of us to be vessels of gold. Each one of us will be of the highest quality and purpose.
The quality of our lives will be determined by our degree of purity. The purer we become the more gold-like we become. 2 Tim 2:21 says “If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good works.” Purity means undiluted, unadulterated and unpolluted.
Functioning as vessels of gold will require that we allow God to work in us and on us. The extent to which he has access to us will determine our purity and subsequently our quality. Gold is actually purified in fire. When we apply our hearts to the word of God it purges and purifies our hearts. Our hearts are actually the vessel we are talking about. A pure heart will carry divine virtues and be used of God in a mighty way. If a man will purge himself of this he will be a vessel unto honour, qualified for the master’s use and prepared unto every good work.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus my heart is free of every form of impurity. I declare that my life is unadulterated.
LEARN MORE: Proverbs 25:4, 2 Corinthians 7:1
Thursday 9th March, 2023
TEMPORARY OPINION
Text: “Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.” Job 8:7
The present state of your life and the present circumstances around your life will naturally paint a picture of your life. This will also create an opinion of you in the hearts of people that know you. Whatever opinion life has created about you should never be a permanent one. As far as God is concerned the present state and circumstances of your life is a temporary opinion. A temporary state should never become a permanent mind set or identity or else we may find ourselves tied down to a life of defeat and mediocrity.
Abraham was childless for several years of his life. It took so long that it was as if it will never change. That temporary challenge eventually gave way. Joseph temporarily was a no body. He was a servant and then found himself as a prisoner. Except you allow it the present negative state will never be a permanent state.
If you are sick today it will not be a permanent state. The great healer is still at work. He took your infirmities and bore them on the cross. Your healing is here. Even as you are reading this the healing virtues are flowing all over you. the reading of God’s word brings life and health to us. Just imagine the opinion of men concerning the woman with the issue of blood for twelve years. That temporary opinion eventually changed.
The state of being a prisoner changed for Joseph. He went on to the palace. Everything changed for him. The difference was so much that if you were not told there was no way to have known that he was once in the prison. He went from a “hopeless” bachelor to a married man without any proposal or paying dowry. I decree such a supernatural change over your life today. The mighty hand of God will change your position positively. You may look small, ordinary and insignificant today; but this is a temporary state. Get excited about God and about your change coming.
PRAYER:
Thank you Lord for where I’m today. Thank you for the greater heights and the changes ahead of me.
LEARN MORE: Job 14:14, 2 Corinthians 4:18
Wednesday 8th March, 2023
WE LACK NOTHING
Text: “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue.” 2 Peter 1:3
At different times in our lives we have been given precious and wonderful gifts. We all look forward to such gifts at different times in our lives. These are most times gifts that will not last forever. After a while the gifts will lose value and become obsolete. If we place so much value on earthly and temporary things how much more should we place value on eternal things that God has given us.
Our opening scripture explains to us that God has given us all that pertain to life and godliness. In other words everything I need in life has been given to me. In other words we don’t lack anything. If you look at your life from the natural perspective it may sounds like a fairy tale. The best way to handle our lives is to completely agree with God even when nothing around us seems to support what God’s word is showing. The circumstances of our lives are bound to change in conformity to the revelation of God’s word that we see.
Life is primarily spiritual. It’s therefore important for us to see ourselves first of all in the reality of what God’s word says before it will become a tangible reality in our lives. Everything you need for life and godliness is already made available. This simply means that nothing is missing in my life. This will go a long way to help us not to live as victims. We don’t have to live our lives depending on human systems that cannot fully satisfy.
Let’s close by highlighting a couple of things that God has given us:
He has given us his wisdom
He has given us his grace
He has given us his life
He has given us his Spirit
As we pursue the knowledge of God the things that God has given us become realities in our lives. Having a sense of lack limits and weakens us. In God you lack nothing.
CONFESSION:
I’m not a victim. Nothing is missing in my life.
LEARN MORE: John 1:16, 1 Corinthians 1:30
Tuesday 7th March, 2023
DIVINE GUARANTEE 2
Text: “(For after all these things do the gentiles seek): For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.” Matthew 6:32
The pattern of this world is completely different from the pattern of the kingdom of God. We cannot do things like unbelievers will do it and expect to get results higher than they are getting. If we truly want God’s involvement in our lives then we must follow his instructions and pattern for our lives. Once we put this aside then we have completely taken away his hand from our lives. Most of us will prefer to set aside divine instruction while we expect miracles to happen.
The pattern of this world is to use every means to get what we want. People run to and fro daily to make ends meet. If you have been to major cities of this world you will understand what I’m saying. The rat race has been on for years and the rats have not won. The only escape from the “rat race” is “God’s race”. Seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness delivers us from the rat race.
The practical implication of this is that if you are a business man or woman for example; you are not in business primarily to make money, but rather you are in business to please God and to use that same business as a tool for expanding the influence of his kingdom on the earth. There is a big difference between being in business to make money and being in business to please God.
Peter was a great professional fisherman. He did all he could all night to get a breakthrough but got nothing. As soon as he released his boat to be used by Jesus his breakthrough came. Can you release your entire life to the use of the kingdom and see the greatness that will come out of it. Releasing it to God will not reduce you it will rather take you higher. This is the path to everything.
PRAYER:
Lord I release my life and everything I have to you. Use me as a vessel to expand your kingdom on the earth.
LEARN MORE: Luke 5:1-7, 2 Corinthians 5:18-20
Monday 6th March, 2023
DIVINE GUARANTEE 1
Text: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33
There is no carrier in life that gives you an assurance that once you do them everything else in life will be available. There is no employment letter that guarantees that you will never be sick again once you work in this organisation. There is no visa of any country of the world that is an assurance that witches will not fight you again. There is no particular type of wedding gown that gives 100% conception after marriage.
The summary of all we have said above is that there is nothing in this world that gives you a guarantee of everything. But God himself gives us a divine path that guarantees everything. This is one thing that God wants us to do that gives us access to everything else. The unfortunate thing is that we spend our whole lives pursuing things that only guarantee few things at the expense of the one that guarantees everything.
This path is a path of seeking the influence of the kingdom of God in our lives and in the lives of others. It’s a two way thing. Seeking the dominion of the kingdom of God in our own personal lives and helping others around us to also have this influence in their lives. In your office, in your neighbourhood there are people blinded by the devil and the cares of this world. God wants our lives to be so dominated by his kingdom and his righteousness to the point that we go on our knees in prayer and go out to bring others into the same influence.
I want you to note that this will only work when it becomes our “first” pursuit. This means the greatest priority of our lives; Far more important than our business, academics etc.
PRAYER:
Lord we ask for massive salvation of souls this week in my Church and all other Churches. Every blindfolding of the devil is removed.
LEARN MORE: 2 Corinthians 4:4, 2 Peter 3:9
Sunday 5th March, 2023
TEST OF THE HEART
Text: “You should remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandment or not.” Deuteronomy 8:2 (LVB)
This opening scripture clearly tell us that there is a test that God will take each one of us through in life. This test is required because things cannot be taken at face value. This is not an audition of who can preach the most in our midst, neither is it the test of the sweetest voice around. This is a heart test. This test will involve the following:
1. Test of the content of your heart.
2. Test of the state of your heart.
3. Test of the motive of your heart.
This test will come to all of us at different times and situations in our lives. God wants to be sure if we are truly serving him or we are interested in what he offers us. God wants to be sure if we are either using him or loving him. Most prayer points are prayers of using God and not prayers of loving God.
God led his people through a particular route over a certain period of time. The purpose of this was to test their heart. It was not to punish them per se but to test the sincerity of their commitment. Where we are right now in our lives could be a test of our loyalty to God. So many people don’t walk with God for so long because their commitment is only motivated by carnal things. So many get offended for so many reasons that should rather spur them to a greater commitment to God. We have so many gifted people with zero patience. Patience is a major function of a heart that is truly yielded to God. Different scenarios will happen to test what exactly is in your heart. May you pass.
PRAYER:
Lord help me that my heart may be true and worthy of carrying divine virtue.
LEARN MORE: Luke 15:8
Saturday 4th March, 2023
GLORY TO GLORY CHANGE
Text: “...Are changed into the same image from glory to glory….” 2 Corinthians 3:18
There is an insatiable desire in the heart of men to experience a change. Many are desperate to change their jobs, their country of residence. Some unfortunately even want to change their spouse. There is always a desire to experience something new and different.
God’s greatest interest is not just to change your circumstances but to change you as a person. If you are not changing as a person you’ll just have a cosmetic change in your situations that will not last long. A change of job or a country of residence does not necessarily mean that your life will change automatically. Many times people become more miserable with such external changes that wasn’t a product of an inward change.
The divine process of introducing us to higher levels of possibilities and productivity is to place a demand on us to change. He that resist change is an architect of decay. There must be certain changes in attitude, character, and appetite and so on if you will ever move up in life. If you will rise beyond your present level of results in life you must be open to make certain changes in your life. This is inevitable. If your choice is to go up in life you must also have a corresponding growth. Change is not necessarily from what is bad all the time. It could be from what is good to what is better or what is better to what is great.
The influence of the word of God and the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life should produce definite changes that are obvious to you and to people around you. Someone should notice that you are not as impatient as you used to be. It should be obvious that you are now more focused and determined to work things out in your life. It should be obvious that you have minimised your level of making excuses and procrastinations. It should also be obvious that your association has changed and you are no longer wasting time with unprofitable people.
CONFESSION:
Lord I cover my loved ones (Mention their names) in the blood of Jesus. I declared them secured.
LEARN MORE: Job 42:10, Ephesians 1:16
Friday 3rd March, 2023
WHERE YOU ARE GOING
Text: “And it was by faith that Joseph, when he was about to die; confidently spoke of God’s bringing the people of Israel out of Egypt. He was so sure of it that he commanded them to carry his bones with them when they left.” Hebrews 11:22
We are all at different places and phases of our lives. Many of us as still far away from where we are going. For some it could be an unpleasant place or phase. For some it’s a dream place or phase. Whichever it is for you there are still higher places and phases that God has programmed for our lives. We must therefore not be confined to where we are today.
The emphasis of our lesson today is to learn “Not just to talk of where we are but where we are going.” In God where you are going is bigger, brighter and better. A life of faith does not wait for things to happen before talking about it. Faith actually talks about it in advance.
Joseph was so sure that Egypt was not the final destination of God’s people. The scripture did not say in any way that Joseph had a vision or a dream this time. He just knew that God had something bigger, brighter and better for his people. He spoke by faith where they were going. It took them hundreds of years to see the fulfilment of this but it eventually came to pass. From that little business you have today start declaring how it will become a major supermarket in town. From this little vision that God gave you see yourself going all over the world.
Inspiration daily devotional is going all over the world; entering into palaces and changing lives everywhere. Presently we are at some places and at a phase. But we are going bigger, brighter and better. Its important that you also begin to declare where you are going in life. Don’t be limited in your mind to where you are today. Reach out for more.
SONG:
I’m going higher 2 x. For the Lord is on the throne. I’m going higher 2x etc.
LEARN MORE: Proverbs 4:18
Thursday 2nd March, 2023
WHAT GOD IS DOING
Text: “And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.” Job 19:26
Let’s start today’s lesson by saying “don’t talk about what the enemy is doing; talk about what God is doing.” It’s always easier to see what the enemy is doing more than what God is doing. As believers we must be able to draw the distinct line between this two. Most Christian lives are focused more on what the enemy is doing other than what God is doing. Most people talk about the enemy more than they talk about God.
If you read our opening scripture carefully you’ll notice that Job was more or less talking about what God is doing in the midst of his challenges. Job knew that the “worms” were working adversely on his body but he also knew that God was working. His emphasis was actually on seeing God in the midst of it all. This is why he said in Job 23:10 “...I shall come forth as gold.”
Our emphasis today is for us to recognise that God is at work in our lives. He’s not on break or at a loss of what to do concerning the various issues of our lives.
Someone may be asking how will I know what God is doing in my life. Whatever his word says he will do is what God is doing. Let’s look at a couple of examples.
1. He’s giving his angels charge over you.
2. He’s making a way where there seems to be no way.
3. He’s turning our mourning into dancing.
4. He’s increasing us on every side.
5. He’s doing a new thing.
6. He’s leading us in the path of righteousness.
7. He’s healing you of all diseases.
All God is asking us to do is to agree with him by faith and begin to declare by faith what he’s doing in our lives. Even when you don’t see anything physical around you we can hold on to his eternal word. Stop talking about what the economy is doing and start talking of what God is doing.
CONFESSION:
There is an increase taking place in my life on a daily basis. New things that eyes have never seen before are taking place in my life.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 115:14. Isaiah 43:19
Wednesday 1st March, 2023
WHAT GOD IS SAYING 2
Text: “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal”2 Corinthians 4:18
We ended our lesson yesterday by saying “don’t talk about what you are seeing, talk about what God is saying.” This is so important because what you are talking about is what is more important to you. What you are talking about is an expression of what you believe. This is why we must be careful of what we are saying in the face of challenges. The ultimate purpose of God is to make sure that what we are saying is in agreement to what he is also saying. This is exactly what ‘confession’ is all about. David said “ I will say of the Lord , he is my refuge and fortress...” Heb 13:5-6 says “...For he hath said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. So that we can boldly say, the Lord is my helper...”
From our opening scripture there is a description of two things:
1. The things which are seen
2. The things which are not seen
The things which are seen are the obvious challenges around our lives. They are so real that they seem to be the only thing that exists in our lives. It could be a health challenge. It could be a financial challenge. From the story of the woman we considered yesterday the death of her son was what was seen. It was obvious. The things which are not seen are the things that God had said and the things he has prepared for our lives. They are not open to the naked eyes. But this is exactly what God wants us to see. It’s natural to talk more about what we are seeing. Someone may ask what’s God saying?
Whatever is written in the Bible is what God is saying. God’s word says that you shall not die but live. This is what God is saying.
PRAYER:
I agree with what God is saying concerning my life. I agree with God’s eternal word.
LEARN MORE: Isaiah 53:1; 55:10-11
Tuesday 28th February, 2023
WHAT GOD IS SAYING 1
Text: “Run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her, Is it well with thee? Is it well with thy husband? Is it well with the child? And she answered, It is well.”2 Kings 4:26
The story of this woman in our opening scripture today is one of the most powerful demonstrations of a faith response to a challenge. This woman had waited for years to have this child. This was the only child and at this point the child had grown up. Unfortunately one day the child developed a severe headache and was rushed to the mother. After several hours of the mother watching his son in pain the child died. This should have been a devastation experience for this woman. This was not something she was told happened. She witnessed it by herself. The natural response would have been to start crying and everyone around trying to calm her down.
The first thing this woman did was to run towards her solution. She knew there was help in God. She went out in search of the man of God that will connect her with the answer.
The man of God sent a message to her to find out from her what happened. She completely took her focus away from what she was seeing to what God is saying. The scripture says “Say to the righteous it is well...” Instead of responding in fear and anxiety she declared “...It is well.” She did not say what she was seeing; she declared what God was saying.
It’s so important for us to be able to differentiate between what we are seeing and what God is saying. What we are seeing is temporal while what God is saying is eternal. It will be a big problem if what you are seeing is bigger than what God is saying. What you see in your dreams should not be greater than what God is saying. The summary of our lesson today is “Don’t talk about what you are seeing; talk about what God is saying.” We would continue the lesson in the new month.
DECLARATION:
God is saying my path is a shinning one. I’m shinning brighter and brighter every day of this year.
LEARN MORE: Proverbs 4:18, Isaiah 3:10
Monday 27th February, 2023
WALKING IN PURITY 7
Text: “For God has not called us to be dirty- minded and full of lust but to be holy and clean.” 1 Thess 4:7 (LVB)
Today we’ll look at a few principles that will help us to walk in purity. The Lord grant you understanding.
1. Purity of life begins from the purity of the mind. This is crucial because whatever proceeds from our minds guides our lives. Wherever the mind of a man goes his life will automatically follow. A life can only be as pure as the mind is. This is why the mind must be renewed and protected from every garbage. We cannot feed our minds on junk and expect to be a treasure. If you are not disciplined about what you watch and listen to you can never live pure. The content of your mind will be the expression of your life. Let the word of God wash and purify your mind.
2. My body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. This should be the thought pattern of a believer. This body must be kept away from everything that defiles. This body cannot be available to any other person other than the person that we are legally married to. The Holy Spirit cannot be living inside me and alcohol is coming inside me at the same time. As a lady a man that has not paid your dowry and receive the blessing of the Church should not touch that body. It’s an illegal touch. The Holy Spirit is angry.
3. My soul is worth more than the whole world put together. What will you gain if you gain the whole world and lose your soul at the end of the day. We cannot afford to sell our conscience for money. Whatever is not of eternal value is eternally useless.
4. Everything we do in life is a seed with eternal consequence. Life is a choice. We are free to make our choices but it comes with definite consequences. It’s what we sow that we reap. We cannot eat our cake and still expect to have it. The wages of sin is death. What we do either in the secret or in the open echoes in eternity. Gal 6:7-8
PRAYER:
Lord purify me like gold so that I may be bold to say my body is your sanctuary..
LEARN MORE: Proverbs 23:7, Romans 12:1-2, 1 Corinthians 3:16-17
Sunday 26th February, 2023
WALKING IN PURITY 6
Text: “And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her.”Genesis 39:10
I want to talk to you today about the purity test. Each one of us will have to pass this test in life. Joseph’s master’ wife began to see him lustfully and began to make advances at him. This was an evil opportunity that was presenting itself to Joseph. The woman was ready to go to any extent to achieve this. She was also ready to do whatever Joseph wanted. If Joseph had agreed the woman would have suggested to her husband to promote Joseph and increase his allowances. The offer would have been mouth-watering and irresistible. But Joseph understood clearly that his destiny was at stake.
He knew that the pleasures of sin are nothing compared with the loss of a destiny. He placed more priority on God’s ultimate destiny for him than the temporary pleasures of this world.
We are all faced with this test every day. We live in a world that places more priority on indulgence of the flesh. The world prefer to call it fun than call it sin. Whatever you call it sin will destroy you faster than anything else. If you have to commit sin to get a man to marry you, the man has succeeded in taking you out of destiny. Which one is better to you?
For every young person reading this material you must understand that your destiny is far more important that the pleasures of sin. Sin will take off the hand of God from your life and live you empty, vulnerable and exposed. Ask Samson in the Bible and he’ll have stories to tell you. Don’t give in to peer pressure or the demands of the modern age. Whatever does not glorify God is wrong, avoid it like Joseph did, and better still: FLEE.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus the power of sin is broken on my life. I work in purity for the rest of my life.
LEARN MORE: 1 Corinthians 6:18-19, 2 Timothy 2:22
Saturday 25th February, 2023
WALKING IN PURITY 5
Text: “For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was anything kept secret, but that it should come abroad. “Mark 4:22
Walking in purity will require learning to expose and confess our sins to God to seek forgiveness. Been exposed is not really convenient. It’s part of the human nature to keep secrets. There are issues in our lives that we may never want anyone to know. This may be okay to some extent. But then we must understand that what is hidden to man is open to God.
We can only keep secrets as far as our relationship to man is concerned. God is watching every step we take, every word we utter and the deepest thoughts of our hearts. It’s therefore important that we learn how to “undress” before God. There is really nothing that is a surprise to God. He knows that we are human and liable to errors.
It becomes a problem when we try to keep things away from men and at the same time from God. Covering our sins does not take it away. We only succeed in covering it until when it will be exposed for the whole world to see. We deal with sins in our lives as we confess them and we bring them under the cleansing blood of Jesus. Pro 28:13, 1 John 1:9. It’s better to have it “cleansed” than “covering” it. When it’s cleansed by the blood of Jesus it does not exist again. God wipes it off record. Heb 8:12
If you have a challenge in an area of life keeping it a secret does not solve it. It may require we bring it to the open and seek for godly counsels. It’s a sign of pride if we decide to keep it secret and this further complicates the issue because God resists the proud. It’s so important that we live our lives in such a way that we are not afraid to be questioned and scrutinised. Live sincerely and live purely, with this you won’t have to bother keeping secrets.
PRAYER:
Lord by your Spirit deliver me from every secret sin. I open my heart to you for a purging.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 19:12-13, Psalm 139:1-13
Friday 24th February, 2023
WALKING IN PURITY 4
Text: “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished bringeth forth death. “James 1:14-15
We give excuses so many times for wrong doings in our lives. It’s common to find lack of money or the basic needs of life as an excuse for indulging in immoral acts. It’s common to blame temptation or pressure as the reason for something wrong that we did.
If we are really going to face the truth according to scriptures the major challenge is that the desire for sin is greater than the desire for righteousness. Jesus said they that hunger and thirst after righteousness shall be filled.
When a hunter sets a trap for an animal he places bait on the trap, which is meant to entice and draw the animal to the trap. What draws the animal to the trap is actually the desire and hunger within. If the animal is not hungry it will just be looking at the bait. It therefore means that the power of a trap is not in the bait but in the hunger of the animal that goes for it.
No matter the temptation we’ll not fall for sin if we don’t have desire for it in the first place. The truth is that temptation will always come but it’s never an excuse to sin.
We must consciously deal with our desire for sin. We may have to avoid certain exposures that prompt us to sin; we may have to cut off certain friendships that feed our desire for sin.
Joseph had enough temptation to sleep with his master’s wife; the bait was so nice. So much promise attached to the act. It could have been a way of escape for him, but his desire for sin was dead.
Don’t forget that traps are not designed for the safety of the animal, no matter how sweet the bait is the trap will eventually destroy. “…and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” James 1:15b.
PRAYER:
My desire for righteousness is getting stronger in the name of Jesus.
LEARN MORE: Matthew 5:6, Psalm 42:1-2
Thursday 23rd February, 2023
WALKING IN PURITY 3
Text: “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men. Teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.” Titus 2:11-12
Grace is never an excuse for living in sin. From our anchor scripture you’ll notice that grace is supposed to teach us to deny ungodliness and worldly lust. Instead of making excuses for sin we should be denying it. The more we make excuses for it the more it gains control in our lives. Instead of living above it we’ll live beneath it.
Grace is an enabling of the Spirit that helps us to live above sin. Rom 6:14 says “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law , but under grace”. The grace of God that came true Christ came with the enablement we require to live above sin.
The power of sin is therefore broken on our lives. The major difference between a believer and an unbeliever is the fact that an unbeliever has no choice about sin, it’s a way of life. Even when he decides to stop a particular sin, the power to do so is not there. But for us as believers the grace of God is at work within us. This equips us to live above sin. We must therefore acknowledge this truth. Truths of God’s word become powerful and effective in our lives as we embrace the truths and acknowledge them. Instead of acknowledging our weaknesses and justifying sin we should acknowledge the power of grace that is available to help us to live beyond the sin.
Just as we mentioned yesterday we have everything to gain living right and nothing to lose. Moses forsook the sinful pleasure in Egypt in order to connect with God’s ultimate destiny for him. Joseph was ready to go to prison just in order for God’s counsels for his life to come to pass. Though he suffered temporarily for denying ungodliness, but it created room for God to work on his behalf.
CONFESSION:
The dominion of sin is broken on my life. The grace of God is teaching me daily to live above sin.
LEARN MORE: Hebrews 11:24-27
Wednesday 22nd February, 2023
WALKING IN PURITY 2
Text: “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men. Teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously , and godly, in this present world .” Titus 2:11-12
From the scripture above it is stated clearly that it’s possible to live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world. We live in a time when so many don’t even believe it’s possible to live right. There is so much ungodliness in our time that it looks normal and acceptable. The standard of God has not changed. We hear of many justifications for premarital sex. People even thwart scriptures to justify reasons for alcoholism.
2 Tim 2:19 says “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”
We cannot effectively walk with God in a state of sin. Whatever excuse we give for a particular sin has robbed us of becoming the best we are created to be.
Sin reduces our potentials. It robs us of the influence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. This is the influence we need to scales the walls and get through the barriers of life. I have always known that whatever God is asking us to do is ultimately for our own good. God really has nothing to lose by our careless and carefree way of life. If you live right it’s for your own good, if you refuse to live right it’s to your own detriment. The way you lay your bed is the way you will lie on it.
Living right produces in us a sense of confidence and assurance before God. We need this to go up in life.
CONFESSION:
I live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world. Sin has no more dominion over my life. The grace of God to live above sin is at work in me.
LEARN MORE: Romans 6:1-14
Tuesday 21st February, 2023
WALKING IN PURITY 1
Text: “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification that ye should abstain from fornication...For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.” 1 Thess 4:3, 7
One major thing that God placed within us at new birth is divine nature, the very nature of God. Within us therefore is the ability and capability to live like God (Eph 4:24). Because of this divine investment in us, God expects us to live a life of purity. It’s a mandate on our lives. The scripture above clearly states that living a life of purity is the will of God for our lives. Divine work begins in our lives when we embrace the will of God. This is something we must all settle within us. It does not matter what society says. It does not matter what the entertainment world is showing us daily on TV; in movies and music. The will of God cannot change. It’s a demand on the old and the young. Civilisation does not change the will of God.
Walking in purity begins from accepting that it’s possible. Whatever demands God placed us is possible. It was possible for Joseph. He was faced with the temptation of sexual purity. The pressure came on him daily. He knew he was going to suffer for the refusal; but he stood his ground. Daniel refused to be defiled by the King’s meat, every young man around agreed to take the food that were offered to idols but Daniel stood his ground. Whatever was possible in scriptures is possible in our lives also.
Jesus was tempted at all points but yet without sin. There are temptations everywhere. As long as we are living we’ll be faced with it. But this is never an excuse to live captured by the bait of the enemy. The life of a Christian is supposed to be Christ’s life lived through our lives. Christ life demonstrated through our lives. Paul said “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me...” Gal 2:20.
CONFESSION:
It’s possible to live right and it’s possible in my life also. I walk in purity. I have all it takes to do so.
LEARN MORE: Daniel 1:5, 8, Hebrews 4:15
Monday 20th February, 2023
DEAD OR ASLEEP
Text: “These things said he: and after he saith unto them. Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.” John 11:11
Thank God for his word. It’s so beautiful when we sit down and allow the Holy Spirit to teach us the word of God. Our lives are enriched by his word. After Jesus had stayed extra two days he decided he was going to see Lazarus. But the bad news is Lazarus had died. Just imagine the disappointment that must have filled the people who heard that Jesus was told and he did not show up.
I love this story. Jesus knew that the man had died. But when he spoke to his disciples he said “..Our friend Lazarus is sleeping...” The disciples said “...Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well” John 11:12. The disciples felt if its sleep no problem. Eventually Jesus had to let them know that Lazarus was dead. So why did Jesus say initially that he was sleeping? Jesus never wanted to paint a picture of hopelessness for them. He wanted them to know that this is not the end. He wanted them to realise I have given a word earlier and that word must come to pass.
Jesus refused to make a “mountain” out of a “molehill”. He did not look at the situation from a natural point of view. His approach was divine and unique. I strongly believe this is the same way God wants us to approach the issues of life. How do you see situations “dead” or “asleep”? Dead means hopeless; dead end. Asleep means there is a way out. It’s not the end yet. Jesus came on the scene and demonstrated that he’s the resurrection and the life. Anything dead can come back to life. We must learn to see life and situations purely from divine perspective. That is the best way to rise above the circumstances or else you’ll be suppressed by it.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I declare that every dead situation is coming alive around me. I decree supernatural turn around in every area of life.
LEARN MORE: Job 14:7-9
Sunday 19th February, 2023
TRUSTING GOD’S WORD
Text: “When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory, that the son of God might be glorified thereby.” John 11:4
This lesson today is one of the greatest lessons we could learn from the word of God. Please read carefully between the lines. Jesus was told that Lazarus was sick and the sisters sent for him. According to the account it was said that Lazarus was someone that Jesus loved. I was thinking that as a demonstration of love Jesus should have abandoned all he was doing and rush out to see the man. But somehow Jesus did not go immediately; he actually stayed back until the man died. The religious folks of that day would have got into the press to announce to the whole world that Jesus failed.
I noticed that as soon as Jesus was given the news of Lazarus’s sickness the first thing he did was to speak a word. Don’t forget that Jesus said “The words I speak unto you are spirit and life...” Jesus did not speak to impress them he spoke a word that must come to pass. We must also remember that Jesus himself is the word of God incarnate. Whatever he said was God directly talking. (John 1:1-2, 14)
It’s true that the man died contrary to what Jesus said. This is where the rubber meets the road for us. This was an opportunity for Jesus to teach people around him. The issue was will they believe what he said and hold on to it irrespective of the contrary situation on ground. This is the same challenge for us too as believers. What do we really believe; what God has said concerning our lives or what circumstances are saying presently? Whatever God has said concerning our lives are bound to come to pass. Jesus was so relaxed because he had already sent his word and that word must not return void. “..This sickness is not unto death...” Please trust his word over your life.
DECISION:
Lord I will trust your word no matter what I see.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 107:20, Isaiah 55:9-11
Saturday 18th February, 2023
FOCUSED ON THE WIND
Text: “But when he (Peter) saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, sayings, Lord save me.”Matthew 14:30
Peter walked on water briefly and all of a sudden he began to sink. He was able to walk on water because his eyes were on Jesus. He stepped out on a divine instruction. Like we said before divine instructions are enough to sustain us. Without considering impossibilities he stepped out.
“But when Peter saw the wind boisterous...” All of a sudden his focus changed. It was no longer on Jesus and his word but on the contrary wind. I strongly believe that the boisterous wind was there all along. It will be extremely difficult to walk on water if our eyes are on the contrary circumstances. There will never be a time that there won’t be one form of “boisterous wind” or another. This should never be a reason not to walk on water. If you notice that even when Peter was sinking Jesus was still on the water. Peter quickly called for help and Jesus reached out to help. One thing is sure Jesus will not allow you to sink if you will reach out to him.
We have to make a choice of what to focus on; on Jesus or the boisterous wind. As long as your focus is on the wind you will be discouraged and fear will take over you. “...He saw the boisterous wind, he was afraid...” Fear will hinder the divine possibilities in our lives. Fear is actually faith in the reverse. Faith is confidence in God while fear is confidence in the contrary situation. When your eyes is on the winds of life you will lose sight of possibilities.
Sight is never done collectively. You cannot use someone’s eyes to see. So each one must decide their focus. When others are seeing problems see the promises of God. When others are focused on trouble focus on triumph. Let God be your focus.
PRAYER:
Lord I declare that my eyes are upon you. I fix my eyes on what you are doing and not what is happening.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 16:8; 121:1-2, Isaiah 26:3
Friday 17th February, 2023
WALKING ON WATER 2
Text: “And when the disciples saw him (Jesus) walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.” Matthew 14:26
This story is awesome. I had to read it over and over again. I saw that it was not only Peter that saw Jesus walking on the sea. They all saw the same thing but had different response to it. Peter was the only one that went beyond the initial response of fear.
The first lesson here today is that Peter recognised a divine moment. He knew it was an opportunity to step into what he has never seen happen before. The others were still there doing an analysis of how it happened. They must have been looking for a scientific proof to what they saw. Peter did not need all that. He just took advantage of this divine moment. Great destinies are released in such divine moments in life. In our lifetime we’ll come across such divine moments. The ability to recognise them and not trivialise them will make a major difference in our lives. A divine moment to start a personal business. A divine moment to meet that special one. A divine moment to discover purpose. A divine moment to connect to a great mentor. What we make of such moments will make a major difference in our lives. Recognising such moments will require a high spiritual sensitivity. This is why we must maintain the fervency of the Spirit.
The last lesson we’ll draw from here today is that life is an individual race. We cannot afford to wait on a consensus decision of our parents, friends and well-wishers to take a step in life. Peter did not really find out from others if it was possible or not to walk on water. He just stepped out in faith. If he had waited for everyone to agree with him he would have lost that divine moment. Seek the counsel of wise people but ultimately obey the prompting of the Holy Spirit in your heart.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I receive greater sensitivity of the Spirit to recognise divine moments in life.
LEARN MORE: Romans 8:14
Thursday 16th February, 2023
WALKING ON WATER 1
Text: “And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come, And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.” Matthew 14:29
By the help of the Holy Spirit we’ll learn a couple of spiritual lessons today. This account of Peter walking on the water is a practical demonstration of the privilege God has given us to do the impossible and walk in signs and wonders. Peter literarily walked on water. This was neither a parable nor an illustration. It was a real life experience. It was neither a magical experience, everybody saw it. It was divine.
The first lesson we’ll draw from this is that the desire to walk on water by Peter was prompted by the fact that he saw Jesus doing the same. Faith is stirred up in our hearts when we behold the possibilities of God. Peter knew that this was possible. If Jesus could do it anyone else who desire the same could do it. The extent to which we go in life will be determined by our definition of possibilities. The inner drive to pursue a venture will not be there once we don’t believe it’s possible. We must see beyond the limitations of life into the possibilities of God.
What we believe plays a vital role in our lives. Even though Peter did not walk on water for so long. But at that moment of time he knew it was possible. What you don’t believe will be difficult to experience. Peter took a step of faith on what he believed. I want you to note closely that Peter did not just step out on his own; he stepped out in response to the word spoken by Jesus. If you are going to do the impossible and walk on water be on the lookout for divine instructions. Peter actually was stepping on the word “COME” spoken by Jesus. To be continued.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I declare that I am walking on water and doing the impossible.
LEARN MORE: Luke 1:37, 45
Wednesday 15th February, 2023
WORKING OUT SALVATION
Text: “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” Phil 2:12
I want you to note that the emphasis in this opening scripture is “work out your salvation.” But at the same time I want you to note that it did not say “work for your salvation.” “Work out” is not the same as “Work for.” We are not called to work for our salvation. Everything that needed to be done for us to be saved were done by Christ on the cross and he declared “It is finished”, meaning that the work of redemption has been concluded and completed. Nothing is to be added to it.
Work out your salvation simply means bring out the reality of the salvation you have received. Let it not just be something that exist only in our slogan; let it be a practical reality among people around you. let’s read this same scripture in the New Living Translation “...Be even more careful to put into action God’s saving work in your lives, obeying God with deep reference and fear.” The word “fear” here means a deep acknowledgment of God in everything that you do.
The work of salvation has been concluded and completed. There is no more sacrifice for sin that is required but the practical display of what has been concluded is ongoing. The salvation we have received must me practically seen and demonstrated in everything that we do. This is what it means to work out our salvation. It’s already inside us but must be worked out.
This is done as we daily submit to the authority of God’s word over our lives. It’s a daily and continuous work. The ultimate goal of this is to bring us to the point where our lives are completely conformed to the image of Christ. That is God’s ultimate standard for our lives.
CONFESSION:
The word of God is changing me daily. My life is becoming a practical display of the life of Christ.
LEARN MORE: Philippians 2:13, Romans 8:29
Tuesday 14th February, 2023
NEVER INFERIOR
Text: “But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you…What ye know, the same do I know also: I am not inferior unto you.” Job 12:3; 13:2
The word inferior appears basically four (4) times in the Bible (Job 12:3; 13:2, Daniel 2:39 and 2 Cor 12:13). It appeared twice in the book of Job. It literally means substandard, below required standard, not up to standard. Inferior simply means cannot perform as well as others. I’m sure you have heard of inferior drugs, inferior spare parts, and inferior cloths. It may be right to use the word “inferior” for such things. But it will be completely wrong to use such a word for a human being. It’s actually possible to feel inferior as a result of a poor background, a devastating experience or a failure on a venture. This feeling is satanic and designed to hinder the possibilities of God in our lives.
I was once in a group in a campus fellowship in the University. I was more or less the only one in that group that did not come from Lagos Nigeria. I felt inferior initially. As time went on God helped me to overcome it and eventually became the leader of that same group. Inferiority makes us think less of ourselves. It makes us think everybody is qualified except us. It’s a devise to keep us from all that God wants for us.
Job had a very terrible experience. The friends had so much argument on what was responsible and who was responsible. The arguments could have made Job feel inferior to others since they have not gone through the same challenge. Job refused to allow it. Don’t ever allow life or anyone to make you look inferior. You are not. The seed of God dwells in you. You are created in the image of God. You are never inferior. What others have that you don’t have does not make you inferior. Refuse to allow the limitations of life to put a permanent tag on you.
CONFESSION:
I’m not inferior. I was made in the image and likeness of God. I’m fearfully and wonderfully made.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 139:14
Monday 13th February, 2023
FACE LIKE A FLINT
Text: “For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.” Isaiah 50:7
In the words of Mike Murdock “Broken focus is one reason why people fail.” So many people have started businesses, ventures, book writing etc with so much energy and determination. But along the line lost their focus and dropped on the way. One major lesson that athletes are taught is the ability to stay focused as they compete. Once the focus is lost it’s extremely difficult to run and win. Loss of focus usually drains us of energy and the ability to run effectively.
If you look closely at the life of highly productive and successful people you will notice that this are highly focused people. They stay on their job, business, and academics without shifting grounds. One thing is inevitable there will be challenges as we go up in life but we must resolve not to be distracted. The consequences of losing our focus will be far greater than the price we’ll pay to stay focused.
There must be so much clarity in your life as to what you want to do and become in life. This is crucial to staying focused. If there is no target there won’t be focus. Just imagine a football match where there is no goal post. The players will be confused with no focus.
There are so many people in life that are not going anywhere and are looking for people to take along with them to nowhere, so if you spend time with such people you will also lose your focus. When someone comes close to you it must be very clear to them that this person is on a mission. Be confident enough to let people know what you are passionate about and where you want to go in life. Set your face like a flint, refuse to lose focus. Stay on your job, stay on your dream until something great comes out of it.
PRAYER:
Lord I receive grace and inner strength to stay focused on your plans and purpose for my life.
LEARN MORE: Matthew 6:22-24
Sunday 12th February, 2023
LIVING BY REVELATION 2
Text: “...I will pour out my Spirit unto you; I will make known my words unto you.” Proverbs 1:23
Today we’ll look further into the subject of revelation. Just as we saw yesterday in the life of Elisha revelation produces confidence in us. You are not just acting on general knowledge of what everybody knows; you are acting on a higher knowing that places you above the challenges of life. This should actually be a major craving of your life. It will mark you out and make a huge difference in the day of challenge. David had a revelation of his covenant right with God that made Goliath a cheap enemy to fight. The other armies of Israel had the weapons but lacked the revelation of God.
Let’s look closely at how to walk in revelation. First of all let’s appreciate that the word of God is the reservoir of the revelation we are talking about. This is where it all starts from. Every revelation you have must have its root in the word of God. The revelation must agree with God’s eternal word. The more acquainted we are with the word of God the deeper we are in revelations. If you are shallow in the word of God then you will be shallow in revelation. You will be highly myopic spiritually. We must search the scriptures constantly and wholeheartedly. We must spend time reading, memorizing and meditating on the word of God.
The Holy Spirit is the “revealer”, he takes God’s word and opens it to us. He helps us to see how God’s word applies to us personally and specifically. 1 Corinthians 2:10 says “But God hath reveled them unto us by his Spirit; for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.” The deep things of God can be revealed to us to the depth to which we relate closely with the Holy Spirit. Proverbs 1:23 also emphasize “…I will pour out my Spirit unto you; I will make known my words unto you.”
We also connect with revelations as we call upon God in prayer, “Lord that which I know not show me.” We have God’s promise on this.
CONFESSION:
The Spirit of wisdom and revelation is at work in my life. I see clearly and I see far.
LEARN MORE: Jeremiah 33:3, Ephesians 1:17-18
Saturday 11th February, 2023
LIVING BY REVELATION 1
Text: “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.” Ephesians 1:17
What you see and what you know plays a vital key in your life. Limited sight will automatically translate in limited living. We can never go beyond what we see and know about God, ourselves and even life in general. The more we see and know the better we become. Let me emphasise again here that we are not just talking about the physical eyes. We are talking about the eyes of the heart.
Revelation is the ability to see what God is saying. The ability to see what God is doing even when nothing is working around us.
Revelation is the unfolding of God’s counsels to us personally. If all that we see is what our two optical eyes can perceive then we’ll be limited to this natural sphere. Living by revelation should be a major prayer and cravings for us in life. This was the reason why Paul took out time to pray this prayer for the Ephesians Christians. It was a ceaseless prayer point that he made for them. We must also adopt this prayer in our own personal lives.
Elisha had a revelation of the divine protection that was available to him. The news of the invasion by the Syrian armies did not make any difference in his life. According to him “...For they that be with us are more than they that be with them.” 2 Kings 6:16.
The servant of Elisha did not have this same revelation. All he was seeing with his physical eyes were the armies of the enemy. He was so afraid that he cried to his master. The master prayed “...Lord, I pray, open his eyes, that he may see...And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw...” Now he was seeing spiritually beyond the physical. This is what we call revelation. May your eyes too be opened.
PRAYER:
I declare in the name of Jesus that my eyes are opened to see clearly into divine provisions for my life. I will see clearly what others are not seeing.
LEARN MORE: 2 King 6:15-17
Friday 10th February, 2023
BREAKING ADDICTIONS 2
Text: “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient; all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.” 1 Corinthians 10:23
The major forms of addictions are alcohol, drugs and tobacco, immorality etc. This may not be a problem to so many of us as believer. But there are some other subtle forms of addiction that may not appear so initially but their effects could as well be dominating and damaging. It’s possible to be addicted to the TV; it could be an addiction to chatting on phone, an addiction to football etc. One major sign of addiction is that it takes most of your time at the expense of your relationship with God and the things that are most important. Whatever demands your allegiance at the expense of your relationship with God will eventually take your focus away from God and destroy you.
Let’s look at some fundamental truths that will help us to break free from addictions:
1. Pleasing God and following him should be the greatest priority of your life. This must bring us to the point where God is the greatest focus of our lives.
2. Nature abhors vacuum. Every man on the face of the earth is under one form of influence or the other. The greatest and the most important influence in your life must be the Holy Spirit. He guides and leads us in the right part. He guides us away from whatever is harmful to us.
3. Be honest with to ask yourself, “Is this thing I’m doing constructive.” If it’s not constructive then it’s destructive.
4. Everything we do in life should be value driven. How much value is this adding to you? What exactly is the use of what you are doing that is not adding value to you?
5. We must depend heavily on the help of the Holy Spirit. He’s our helper in our weaknesses. The point of addiction is actually the point of weakness and we need the supernatural help to break free.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I declare my freedom from every form of addiction. I’m free today.
LEARN MORE: Zechariah 4:6
Thursday 9th February, 2023
BREAKING ADDICTIONS 1
Text: “All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” 1 Corinthians 6:12
Addiction is anything that has become a part of you and you cannot do without. It may not necessarily be something that is wrong in itself. Addictions become a problem when its something that directly affects our relationship with God and also is harmful to our wellbeing and people around us.
From our anchor scripture “All things are lawful” means something may be legitimate but may not be something that is necessary. Even though it’s legitimate it should not be something that has so many grips on me that I cannot do without it. Eating food for example is legitimate but I must not turn into a glutton. Buying and wearing good cloths is legitimate but it can become so possessive that people go into debts to buy the latest cloths in town. Brought under the power of it is when you no longer have control over it. Addiction is usually loss of control.
Breaking addictions begins from acknowledging the truth that this has gone out of control. As long as you give excuses for it then you are not ready to be free. The excuse will become the justification to continue in it.
Let me give you different versions of our opening scripture today: New International Version “Everything is permissible for me” – but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible for me” – but I will not be mastered by anything.” The New Living Translation says “You may say, “I am allowed to do anything,” But I reply, “Not everything is good for you.” I must not become a slave to anything.” It’s completely wrong to become a slave to anything. Even God is not asking us to be “slaves”. He called us Sons. It’s a loving relationship void of control.
CONFESSION:
I’m not bound by anything. I have the liberty of the Spirit to serve God freely and completely.
LEARN MORE: 1 Corinthians 10:23
Wednesday 8th February, 2023
SELF APPRAISAL 2
Text: “...We were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.” Numbers 13:33
What people say about you is not as important as what you say about yourself. When David was trying to make an attempt on facing Goliath his elder brother (Eliab) questioned why he was in that battlefield in the first place. Eliab told David that he was a very proud person. Thank God David had the right self-appraisal of himself. Eliab’s appraisal did not matter to him. He knew exactly God’s appraisal for his life. He held on to it and he became a national hero.
Just look closely at our opening scripture this is a group of people who were referring to themselves as grasshoppers compared to the giants that they saw. This was supposed to be men of repute and leaders over their various tribes. It was not the giants that called them grasshoppers. This was a self-evaluation of themselves. “...We were as grasshoppers in our own sight...” You will notice again that the way they saw themselves was exactly the way the enemies saw them“...And so we were in their sight.” If they had seen themselves as more than conquerors, that was exactly how the enemies would have seen them. The appraisal they gave themselves was a description of helplessness, hopelessness and weakness. A grasshopper cannot do much. It’s a little creature that can easily be trampled under feet.
The right appraisal of your life is written on the pages of scriptures. What you feel or what someone said about you does not matter. What matters is what God said about you. Please understand that you were made in the image and likeness of God. The description of your life should be the description of where you came out from. The word of God is your score card. The redemptive work of Christ on the cross is your appraisal now.
CONFESSION:
I am a champion. God’s word is the description of my life. I am a success. I am victorious.
LEARN MORE: 1 Samuel 17:28-31
Tuesday 7th February, 2023
SELF APPRAISAL 1
Text: “...We were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.” Numbers 13:33
A couple of years back I read a statement by Norman Vincent Peale. This is the basis of our lesson today. He said “Life will take you at your own self-appraisal.” What that simply means is that the greatest evaluation of your life is not the report sheet in school or your class of degree from the university; but rather your personal score card of your life. It also implies that the way you see yourself is the way others will see you. If you see yourself as a failure life will also treat you as one. If you see yourself as nobody it will be easy for men to trample on you and deny you of your rights. Today we have come to tear every of those negative evaluation of yourself.
We are all from different backgrounds and exposures. To a very great extent this affects how we see ourselves. We have been through different experiences in life that might have left a permanent image in our hearts.
There is no believer who is redeemed by the blood of Jesus that is a sinner. The word “sinner” is not an act but a nature. There is no believer that has the nature of sin. According to scripture Christ became sin for us so that we may become the righteousness of God. (2 Cor 5:21). I hope you will agree with me that mere doing what is right does not make an unbeliever a righteous person. So also doing what is wrong does not make a believer a sinner. If you don’t understand the word of God you will not agree with all I have said. As long as a believer is seeing himself or herself as a sinner the power of sin will never be broken.
Failing an exam or losing out in a venture does not make you a failure. Failing is an event; it’s not a personality. It must never become an internal disposition. We’ll continue tomorrow.
DECLARATION:
I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. Jesus took my sin and gave me his righteousness.
LEARN MORE: Romans 5:12-19
Monday 6th February, 2023
PATIENCE FOR THE SEASONS
Text: “For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.” Hebrews 10:36
Patience is a major requirement of life that is needed to enter into the fullness of God’s program for our lives. If you read our anchor scripture carefully you will notice that its stated that we need patience. Just as you need air to survive so also you need patience to navigate the various phases and stages of life.
The concept of time intervals in nature tells us that it takes time for certain things to happen. No matter how much you wish and pray for it to happen the stipulated time must follow its due course. The scriptures says “...Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.” (James 5:7). A farmer will have to keep going to the farm for several months and in some cases years before the desired harvest can be ready. He has to keep going there to weed and do other necessary practice. If the farmer stops doing that the harvest can be lost. The gestation period for a baby to be ready to be born is nine months. It will be unrealistic for a pregnant woman to start praying that it should be five or six months. Each of these two scenarios will require patience or else the process will be aborted.
We must know the difference between what requires speed and what requires patience. Confusing the two can be frustrating. A newly married woman may need speed to get pregnant, but will need patience for the baby to mature and be born. Patience allows for maturity and the fullness of what God wants to do in our lives. Patience is not a passive posture, but rather an attitude that keeps doing the right thing until we see God’s counsels come to pass in our lives. It’s an attitude that never gives up.
CONFESSION:
Patience it’s at work in my spirit. I know the difference between what requires speed and what requires patience.
LEARN MORE: James 1:2-4
Sunday 5th February, 2023
UNDERSTANDING PHASES
Text: “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. A time to be born...a time to plant...” Ecclesiastes 3:1-2
In the last three days we took our time to study the phases of life (Rehearsals and Performance). This is more or less our central focus for this edition. An understanding of the phases of life will give you a lot of rest and assurance. It will help us to properly position ourselves to take advantage of every phase of life that we find ourselves. There is no phase that is designed to last forever. However we must understand that one phase is a preparation for the next phase. One phase that is wasted and unutilised will automatically affect the next phase.
When a child is born the child goes through different phases of growth until he or she becomes an adult. A child will have to learn how to crawl before learning how to walk and then later how to run. A child can be dreaming of how to run but will have to start from crawling. That phase cannot be avoided. The duration of crawling may be short for some children but the child will have to go through it. A child that has not started crawling should not be worried about how to run. Once crawling is successful it will give way for the next phase of walking and if this is successful it will lead to the next phase of running. This is applicable to every area of our lives. A child will have to learn how to read his alphabets before ever dreaming of writing an entrance exam into a university. The academic phases must be completed. If a wrestler wants to fight in the heavyweight category he will have to start from the light weight category.
Don’t ever be in a hurry to get to stages and phases of life you are not prepared for. Going through the different phases of life in faith and patience builds strength and stability in our spirit. By the time you get to the higher phases you are ready and equipped.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus strength and stability is built in my spirit in this present phase of my life.
LEARN MORE: Hebrews 10:35-39, James 1:2-4
Saturday 4th February, 2023
PERFORMANCE STAGE
Text: “Thy servant slew both the Lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them...” 1 Samuel 17:36
I just have a leading in my spirit that we need to look closely at the performance stage briefly. I strongly believe that the things we are learning will make an eternal difference in your life. How i wish I could seat with you to share them with you. But I strongly believe that the Spirit of God will unveil every word to you.
The palace of Pharaoh was the performance stage of about seventeen years of rehearsals for Joseph. The battle with Goliath was the performance stage for David. Both of them had been properly prepared for their day of display. The performance stage is a divine orchestration. We can never tell when the performance stage will present itself. This is why we must take every opportunity to prepare serious. The good news is that if we have prepared well the door will open for the performance stage. If you are diligent at your current level of performance the door will open for higher stages of performance.
We must realise that the performance stage comes in levels. One performance stage could be a rehearsal stage for another higher performance stage. This principle applies to every area of life. My first performance stage as a teacher of God’s word was in the morning devotion of my family before my parents; from there I was privileged to teach an English Sunday school class in a little Baptist Church in Ilorin Nigeria. From there one day my pastor gave me the privilege to anchor the Bible study of the whole church. Since then several performance stages had unfolded. Writing and sharing this with you is a performance stage that is also a rehearsal stage for another higher stage of performance. This is how our lives unfold from one level to another until we finish our race and complete our course in life.
PRAYER:
Thank you Lord for my current stage of performance. Thank you for the higher stages you are taking me to.
LEARN MORE: 1 Samuel 17:45-51, 2 Timothy 4:7-
Friday 3rd February, 2023
REHEARSING STAGE 2
Text: ““And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion... then i went after him, and smote him...” 1 Samuel 17:34-35
This is a continuation of what we started yesterday. You may need to review what you read yesterday.
2. The time spent in the rehearsing stage is usually longer than time spent in the performance stage. A choir may spend a whole night rehearsing for a performance of few minutes. If you cannot endure the rehearsing stage then you will not be able to stand the few minutes of performance. An athlete spends days and months to prepare for a competition that will only last for minutes and in some cases seconds. If the rehearsing stage is weak then the performance stage will be shoddy.
We’ll find several examples of this concept of rehearsing stage in the Bible. Don’t forget that the rehearsing stage is the preparation stage. This stage must be handled well for us to have a grip on the performance stage. Poor preparations precede poor performance. Usually an athlete develops confidence and tenacity right from the rehearsing stage.
David came face to face with the Lion and the bear. Nobody was there to applaud him or sing his praise. He did not run away from the beasts. If he had run away there was no way he could have been able to face Goliath. The strange thing about this is that he never knew that one day he will face Goliath.
Joseph was a servant in the house of Potiphar and then found himself in the prison. In those two places he was saddled with the responsibility of overseeing what went on there. The two places were rehearsing stages for his role in the palace of Pharaoh. Others would have been looking at him as an ex-prisoner but he was fully prepared for his performance stage. Maximize today, it will prepare you for tomorrow.
DECLARATION:
I will make the best use of my life today. I will endure the rehearsing stage of today.
LEARN MORE: James 1:2-4
Thursday 2nd February, 2023
REHEARSING STAGE 1
Text: “And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion... then i went after him, and smote him...” 1 Samuel 17:34-35
Let’s say that life has two major stages. The rehearsing stage and the performance stage. The rehearsing stage will always precede the performance stage. If we get the rehearsing stage right the performance stage will be right. The rehearsing stage is a preparation stage. While the performance stage is the manifestation stage where we showcase what we have prepared for.
A choir that will perform well must take the rehearsing stage very serious. This is a time that they perfect their song for the day of manifestation. An athlete that will do well on the day of competition would have taken his time with the coach or trainer very serious. This is a fundamental lesson of life each one of us must learn very well. Life will present to all of us the rehearsing stage of life. Note the following fundamental truths about the rehearsing stage of life:
1. The rehearsing stage is usually in the secret where no one is seeing you. If you are too eager to be exposed and ignore your time in the secret place you will end up disgraced in the open. Don’t be in a hurry to get into the open. For example a young lady should perfect her cooking skills in her mother’s kitchen before she expose herself to her in-laws kitchen. Mistake at that stage will cost her more.
The rehearsing stage gives us all the opportunity in the world to make all our mistakes without much consequence after all no one is looking at us. The rating or mark is awarded in the performance stage of life. God is preparing us today for where he’s taking us to in life. Don’t run faster than your legs you may fall. Be patient as God prepare you for the stage. David was prepared by the Lion and the bear to face Goliath.
PRAYER:
Lord work in me by your Spirit to get me prepared for where you are taking me to.
LEARN MORE: James 1:2-4
Wednesday 1st February, 2023
SELF-DOUBT!
Text: “Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.” Exodus 4:12
The year is going already. Welcome to another month of unending glory. This is our theme for this year in Inspiration. When you look closely the scriptures you’ll notice one thing that is very clear. If you will go far in life you will have to believe in the ability of God that is at work in you. It will never be enough if you claim that you believe in God but you don’t believe in yourself. Self-doubt has hindered many from becoming all that God has ordained for them to do. Every time God wants to use people in extraordinary ways one major step is to help these individuals to believe in themselves. God-confidence should ultimately become self-confidence.
Self-confidence can be either positive or negative. We are not talking of ego and pride, we are talking of the confidence that God is at work in you on a continuous basis to do things that are unimaginable and extraordinary.
Let’s see the examples of self-doubts in scriptures!
1. Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue. Exodus 4:10 NLT
2. Gideon said to him, “Me, my master? How and with what could I ever save Israel? Look at me. My clan is the weakest in Manasseh and I’m the runt of the litter.” Judges 6:15-16 MSG
3. Jeremiah said “O Sovereign LORD,”I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young. “Jeremiah 1:6 NLT
These are obvious expressions of self-doubt. There was no way God would have used this individuals without helping them to see values in themselves. Self-doubts has limited and hindered many from rising up in life. Self-doubt will make you myopic. You won’t be able to see clearly all the potentials of the Spirit in your life. God told Moses, Gideon and Jeremiah of his presence. God’s presence in your life should give you confidence in your life.
CONFESSION:
The ability of God is at work in me. The sufficiency of God is producing the extraordinary in my life. I am enough because God is enough in me. Whatever God is asking me to do is not beyond me. I’m equipped by the Spirit of God in me.
LEARN MORE: Judges 6:14, Jeremiah 1:6-7
Tuesday 31st January, 2023
LET GOD TEACH YOU 2
Text: “O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works.” Psalm 71:17
One of the most important aspects of our lives as believers is to allow God to teach us by himself. All through our lifetime someone or something is teaching us. We are all shaped to think, talk and behave in a particular way we have been taught. This could be from our parents, teachers, friends, society, etc.
So many people don’t really give God the room he needs to teach them until they have made so many errors in their lives. I have come to a conclusion in life that whatever God is telling me to do is ultimately for my own good. It’s therefore just wise to allow God to have his way. David stated clearly that God taught him from his youth. This is the best time to start. Like the popular saying goes “Catch them young”. If you are a young person reading this what a privilege you have. This is the foundation of your life where the shape of a building is determined. It’s so important that we allow God to teach us from now. There are so many alternative “teachers” trying to get our attention. The entertainment industry is a “teacher”, trying to teach you that an immoral life and the like is a normal way of enjoying your life. Peer pressure will also seek to teach you. If your teacher is wrong then what you learn will also be wrong.
God’s number one ordained teacher for us in life is the Holy Spirit. It’s important that we develop an intimacy with him. He will teach you to think right, he will teach you to talk right, and he will teach you to behave right. The Spirit of God takes God’s word and opens our heart to it in a way that it applies to our lives as individuals. When God is teaching you there will be purpose and direction in your life. He will teach you to walk in the path that God has ordained for you. He will teach you things that are unique to God’s unique path for your life. This will help you to have precision in your life.
CONFESSION:
I am taught of the Lord. There is purpose and direction in my life. My life is moving in the correct direction.
LEARN MORE: John 14:26
Monday 30th January, 2023
LET GOD TEACH YOU 1
Text: “Blessed be the Lord my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight.” Psalm 144:1
Today and tomorrow we’ll look closely at the life of David and see closely one major reason why his life was such an outstanding success. He had so many challenges in his life and even times when he completely disappointed God. In the midst of it all his life stood out in victory. I speak over your life today that you will stand out in victory.
I noticed one vital lesson about God from David’s account today. God is not a magician that will just give birth to you today and in one week time you are already an adult with everything intact in your life. Life majorly is a process. There are certain aspects of life that will require that we go through the process until we arrive in the place of victory. David had absolute victory over King Saul and other battles that he faced. His victory did not just come miraculously; God literally taught him how to war and his fingers to fight.
God knows exactly the right approach and the right strategy to whatever we are doing and pursuing. This is one major reason why David never lost a battle. He gave God the room to teach him the rudiments of life. God wants to teach us how to run our business and make a huge profit out of it. Listen to what God said “...I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit...” (Isa 48:17). So much loss will be avoided in life if we allow God to teach us through life. We have so much marital disasters today because so many people believe they are grown up enough to handle relationships by themselves. What we know is just a drop in the ocean of what God knows.
God primarily teaches us through his word. The word of God is our lesson notes for a supernatural life. A man cannot embrace God’s word and fail in life. Everything you do without the foundation of the word of God doesn’t have a future.
2023 DECLARATIONS:
I am a success in life. God’s word is teaching me to make profit with my life. My life is profitable. I will be exceptionally productive this year 2023.
LEARN MORE: Isaiah 54:13
Sunday 29th January, 2023
DIVINE COMMAND 2
Text: “And blessed is she that believed; for their shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.” Luke 1:45
I strongly believe that there are specific prophetic words over our lives as individuals. This could become the foundation on which our entire life is built. Growing up as a teenager God spoke some words into my life that became the baseline for my life. Even today they are fresh as much as the day the words were spoken. The best way to locate prophetic words over our lives is to relate closely with God’s word and allow the word of God to become a personal revelation to us. The word of God is referred to as “the sure word of prophecies.” You don’t have to look for a long bearded prophet to speak over you. As we relate closely and intimately with God’s word we are simply relating with the sure word of prophecy. The word of God is the most authentic prophecy over our lives; every other prophecy that comes from any other source; human or angelic must agree with the “sure word of prophecy.”
The word of prophecy appeared unto Mary. There was nothing medically to support the possibilities of seeing it come to pass. Naturally anyone will question and doubt that word of prophecy. It did not sound logical or possible. As impossible as it sounded the scriptures says “Blessed is she that believed; for there shall be a performance of those things that were told her from the Lord.” Once God has spoken it’s no longer up to God but up to our faith. God speaks according to his capacity and not according to our limitations. All he’s asking us to do is to submit to his word of prophecy as the final authority in our lives. Mary said “...Be it unto me according to thy word...”Luke 1:38. Can we make this declaration too over our lives in 2023?
Whatever God has spoken over your life is a divine command and as you begin to take steps in its direction it will become a reality.
2023 DECLARATIONS:
I declare that my life in 2023 is a fulfilment of prophecies. God’s word will be a practical testimony for me this year.
LEARN MORE: Isaiah 55:10-11
Saturday 28th January, 2023
DIVINE COMMAND 1
Text: “So I prophesised as I was commanded; and as I prophesised, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.” Ezekiel 37::7
At the beginning of a year like this there are specific prophetic words spoken over individuals and congregations. This is one of the basic things that make the year new and not just a change in the date. It’s important for us as individuals to locate such prophetic words and position ourselves to relate with them all through the year. It’s important for us to emphasise again that God works and operates in our lives purely by his word. God is surely committed to whatever he has said concerning us. On God’s part it’s a concluded deal. But the fulfilment of these prophecies will depend on the extent to which we relate with it.
Ezekiel said “I prophesied as I was commanded...”, in other words I took what God had said and began to work with it. What God had said became the basis of addressing the hopeless situation that he saw. Did you notice what Ezekiel said “I prophesied as I was commanded...” He began to speak exactly what God said. Prophesying is not speaking hysterically outside us; it’s simply picking whatever God had said and declaring it over our lives and situations.
From this account of Ezekiel we can also learn that relating with prophecies will entail completely agreeing with God. If you don’t agree with God you may not even declare what he has said. Ezekiel had to see the issue on ground in the same way God was seeing it. Dry bones were everywhere but God was seeing an exceeding great army. I want to ask you to agree with God in your life this year. If you agree with the situations around you it will remain the way it was but if you agree with God you have given God the room to operate and work on your behalf. Dry bones are coming alive around you this year. An exceeding great army is emerging out of hopeless situations around your life. Every prophecy is a divine command that is ordained to become a reality as we agree with it.
2023 DECLARATIONS:
The word of God is the final authority over my life in 2023. I live by the word of God and the promises are coming to pass in my life this year.
LEARN MORE: Jeremiah 1: 11-12
Friday 27th January, 2023
STRONG IN KNOWLEDGE
Text: “...We do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will...and increasing in the knowledge of God.” Colossians 1:9-10
I want you to specifically ask you to note two phrases in our anchor scriptures today.
1. Filled with the knowledge of his will.
2. Increasing in the knowledge of God.
This was a prayer Paul prayed for the Colossian believers. This also reveals to us a fundamental requirement in the life of every believer.
The “will” or the “mind” of God is the baseline for everything that God will do on the earth and in our individual lives. Where the “will” of God is not known men walk in error and presumption. It’s a dangerous way to live our lives. This is why we must be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. Filled with the knowledge of his will means that you know exactly what to do in every situation of life; you are not confused about it, you are not second guessing about it.
I strongly believe that this must be a major prayer point in the life of a believer. The unfortunate thing is that our prayer points today are seriously distorted. Paul said “...We do not cease to pray for you...” it was certainly a major prayer point in the days of the Apostles. Their prayers were filled more with the desire to know God more.
The other part of our anchor scripture talks about increasing in the knowledge of God. No matter how much of God we think we know there is still so much that we don’t know. This is why we have to keep praying and desiring to increase in the knowledge of God. When this happens we become strong in knowledge and spiritually equipped to face life.
2023 DECLARATIONS:
In 2023 opportunities are waiting for me everywhere. I am supersensitive to recognise opportunities this year.
LEARN MORE: Daniel 11:32
Thursday 26th January, 2023
STRONG IN GRACE
Text: “Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” 2 Timothy 2:1
Grace is never an excuse to fold our arms and be lazy. Grace is actually a divine enablement that empowers our weaknesses and human frailties to do more and be more. When grace is at work we’ll find ourselves going beyond the ordinary and breaking the limits that life will place on us.
Paul ordinarily was not supposed to be one of the Apostles. He was never an eyewitness of the life and sacrifice of Jesus. He was also someone who stood in opposition to the gospel. But grace found him out. Grace literally placed him above his superiors that came long before him. When grace is at work age will not be a barrier; level of education will not be a limiting factor. Grace located David in the field when he was not considered qualified to be tested for the throne. Grace placed him on the throne.
To be strong in grace means to be heavily conscious of it and dependent on the grace of God. It’s something we need to reach out for every day. The grace of God is inexhaustible. The fullness of grace in Christ is made available for us. Don’t ever get to the point of depending on your efforts alone to make headway in life. The strongest of us all has a weak point that will only require the grace of God to handle it.
With the grace of God the mountains of life are surmountable. We can go over the hill and pull down the barriers. The grace of God is a divine empowerment that works in our spirit and then flows to every area of our lives. Grace will cloth you, grace will put food on your table, grace will get you married, grace will put you on the throne, grace will exempt you from evil, grace will drive out your adversaries. Stay very conscious of his grace this year. Work very hard but don’t depend on it; depend on the grace of God.
2023 DECLARATIONS:
The grace of God is at work in me and at work on my behalf. It’s finding expression in everything I do. This year grace will be sufficient for me in everything I do
LEARN MORE: John 1:16
Wednesday 25th January, 2023
STRONG IN THE LORD
Text: “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” Ephesians 6:10
When I was growing up very good cars were sold at a price that cannot even buy a bicycle for children today. So many governments all over the world had promised change and improvement in the way of life of the people. There is really no guarantee anywhere that this economy trend will improve. In those days when I was growing up people will graduate from the University and a job with a car will be waiting for them.
Even though circumstances may not change; as individuals we can decide how to respond and how to relate with the uncertainty in the world. One best response to what we see around us is to be strong in the Lord. This is not up to the economy; it’s up to us as individuals. The ability to handle life will depend so much on our spiritual state as individuals. This is something we have to do by ourselves.
Becoming strong in the Lord will entail that God becomes our greatest source of strength in life. This will require that we learn the act of constantly going back to God for renewal of strength. The more frequent that becomes the stronger we become. A day must never pass without spending time with God in prayer and reading his word. It shouldn’t become a religious process but something we do with joy and excitement.
If you read the scriptures that follow our anchor scripture today you will see clearly the other ways to be strong in the Lord. You must put on the whole armour of God. The armour of righteousness, the armour of truth, the shield of faith etc. Once this is in place we are fully equipped to face whatever comes against us as we journey through life. LIFE MAY NOT GET EASIER BUT WE CAN GET STRONGER.
2023 DECLARATIONS:
New doors of possibilities are opened for me in 2023. New chapters of glory is my portion this year. Every day will be days of unending glory in my life.
LEARN MORE: 1 Samuel 17:38-40
Tuesday 24th January, 2023
HELP OF THE SPIRIT
Text: “Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of host.” Zecheriah 4:6
We began this year with lessons on the Holy Spirit. Today we are making another emphasis on him. The difference in a year is not necessarily the change in date. The change in date will not be of any significance if nothing changes in our approach to life and what we set out to do with our lives. Each New Year is supposed to be an improvement over the previous year.
God principally works in our lives by his Spirit. It therefore means that the extent to which divine agendas will be accomplished in our lives will depend on the extent to which the Spirit of God is allowed to take charge. This year the Holy Spirit must be given his rightful place in your life. I want to suggest to you to pursue a greater relationship with the Holy Spirit this year. His involvement in our lives will mark us for victory, success and outstanding breakthrough.
There is a limit to what we can do on our own. The demands of life could be overwhelming if we are going to face life by ourselves. The Spirit of God is our helper; he’s our standby. When all else has failed he stands by us to make sure that we don’t go down. This year you will not go down. Everything about you will flourish and blossom. If we give him his rightful place he will guide our feet away from trouble and guide it to where the blessings are waiting. Making this year a year of the Spirit will save us a lot of trouble and wasted efforts. So much time and resources are wasted in ventures that never yielded any result. This year your time and resources must not be wasted. This however will depend on the precision of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives as he guides and leads us in every affair of life. This year you will have net-breaking and mouth-opening testimonies in Jesus mighty name.
2023 DECLARATIONS:
The Spirit of God will guide my steps all through the year 2023. Every step I take will be steps of progress and greatness.
LEARN MORE: Isaiah 32:15, Romans 8:14
Monday 23rd January, 2023
TRAVELLING WITHIN
Text: “For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever.” Genesis 13:15
When a man is going to embark on a journey it does not start when he lives the house and enter a vehicle. The journey actually started from within the man. It could be late in the night that the man thought about it and then made up his mind to travel. The journey actually started within the man. Before the man sets out he must have decided where he was going and also figured out how to get there. This is also true of the journey of life.
God brought Abraham out and asked him to look around him. God said to him as far as your eyes can see will I give unto you. The “see” here was not just a physical one because there is little that the physical eyes can see in terms of geographical expanse. His seeing was more of an inward one. At that point in his life he had no legitimate son. He must have seen himself having so many children. God promised to give him what he saw.
Wherever you want to go and whatever you want to do it must first of all be done in your heart. If your heart cannot go there and your heart cannot see it done your legs too will find it difficult to move. Every outward journey must start from an inward journey. If you are going to start a big business for example don’t wait until you have all the means to do it. You must first of all do that business within your heart. Your heart can see clearly what kind of business it will be and how big it will become even though you are starting small. From the heart comes the issue of life; that is where the details of our lives are conceived. If your heart is not conceiving anything positive then your life is not going anywhere great. Don’t waste 2023 conceiving nothing. Let the Spirit of God take hold of the word of God and paint on the canvass of your heart great victories and exploits this year.
2023 DECLARATIONS:
In 2023 I will grow purposefully and productively. I will grow in capacity and usefulness in 2023.
LEARN MORE: Genesis 13:14-18, Proverbs 4:23
Sunday 22nd January 2023
RACE OF THE YEAR 3
Text: “...Let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” Hebrews 12:1c
The race of life is not a five minutes race like we have it on track and field. The race of this year for example will take twelve months of fifty two weeks. This race will require a lot of patience. This is a major requirement for a successful race from our anchor scripture. Patience is a major virtue that we must all develop to be all we are required to become.
Patience is never a passive word; But an attitude of sticking it out. An attitude that does not take no for an answer. A never giving up attitude. So many people will start ignited and fired to do great things this year. In most cases that fire does not burn beyond February, March or April. Great things will happen if we can carry the same excitement and fire we had on January first to every other day in the year. If we are as expectant everyday as we are all through the year we’ll see so much results in any given year. This is where patience comes in. We must run the race without getting tired, discouraged or worn out as the year begin to unfold with its own unique challenges.
Joseph had a glimpse of the race that God had set before him to become a leader in his family. He stepped out into the race by telling his brothers. Every conceivable form of discouragement came his way. He was hated, he was despised, he was lied against and he was forgotten in prison for about two years. In the midst of it all he held on. He refused to give up. This is an example of patience at work. We all need this to make the most of our lives. No matter what happens in the course of the year refuse to give up. Let patience have its perfect work in you to obtain the prize of 2023
2023 DECLARATIONS:
In the name of Jesus every voice of discouragement is silenced in my life this year. My spirit man is fired all through. I will be strengthened with might by God’s Spirit in my inner man all through 2023.
LEARN MORE: Isa 40:29-31
Saturday 21st January, 2023
RACE OF THE YEAR 2
Text: “...Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us...” Hebrews 12:1b
The “weight” we are talking about is not a physical one. A physical “weight” would have been obvious and easy to remove. We are talking about spiritual and mental “weights”.
Sin is a major spiritual “weight”, it will hinder our flow in God and prevent us from running as fast as we should. Ultimately in life sin will reduce our capacity to catch up with God’s program and agenda for our lives. Each one of us must be sincere enough to recognise the sin that easily besets us. If you look closely at your life you’ll notice that there are certain things you will never do no matter the temptation. No matter how hungry you are I am sure you will not carry a gun to go and rob a bank to get money. But at the same time there is a particular sin that gets easily at us; this is something each one of us must deal with decisively. If you don’t stop it you’ll end up getting yourself out of the race.
Fear and anxiety will also be a major “weight” that prevents us from running the race as we should. Do you know that there are ladies who are not yet in a relationship or married who are already anxious if they’ll ever have children? It’s absolutely unnecessary. The race of killing Goliath was completely lost by King Saul and the armies of Israel because of fear. Fear is a snare; it prevents us from reaching for the possibilities that exist in God. Fear keeps us in the mood of doing nothing. God has not given us the spirit of fear but of power and of love. Anxiety is a major expression of lack of confidence in the ability of God. It’s more or less a human way of handling life outside God. Anxiety is another way of saying God I’m not sure you can handle this. We must learn to give our burdens to God. He’s big enough to handle whatever comes our way.
2023 DECLARATIONS:
Fear will have no place in my life in 2023. The boldness and the confidence of the Spirit will be at work in me all through 2023..
LEARN MORE: 2 Timothy 1:7
Friday 20th January, 2023
THE RACE OF THE YEAR 1
Text: “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” Hebrews 12:1
There has never been a race in which the legs of two people are tied together to run a race. Even in relay races one person runs per time for a team. This is also true about life. There is a race of life each one of us is required to run with the purpose of obtaining a prize at the end of the rope. No one ever runs a race without a prize in mind.
2023 is a race that God has set before us and we must run it to a point of reward. In most cases the prize for a particular race is set before the race starts. The prize is usually the motivation for many to get into the race.
This year will end in glory for you. It will be a year of a new level of fulfilling God’s purpose for our lives. We must be set to run the race. Athletes don’t enter into a race casually; they usually do so with so much determination to win the prize. I want to encourage you to run the race of 2023 with the determination to make a success of your life. Be determined to break your own records and go beyond all you have ever done before. Success that is not improved upon will soon become a failure. The purpose of God is for our paths to shine brighter and brighter unto the perfect day.
Running the race to obtain the prize will require that we strip ourselves of every “weight” that slows us down and prevent us from being effective and productive. Athletes run with little to nothing on them. Everything that will hinder must be stripped off. We need to strip off a sense of accomplishment. Thank God for what we have seen in the past but its small compared to what God wants to do.....
2023 DECLARATIONS:
Every help I need in 2023 is available every day of this year. Men and women that God has ordained are everywhere waiting for me.
LEARN MORE: 1 Corinth 9:24-27
Thursday 19th January, 2023
HIS SACRIFICE IS ENOUGH
Text: "…Took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross." Colossians 2:14
Mistakes of the past have lost the power to torment and manipulate us. They were taken out of the way and nailed to the cross. Whatever was wrong in the family lineage was taken out of the way and nailed to the cross. Whatever was designed to work against us was taken out of the way and nailed to the cross. Every handwriting that was against us. Every handwriting that was contrary to us. They were all taken out of the way. They were not just left hanging but rather nailed to the cross. If today anyone is looking for the curses or whatever they may be the right place to find them is on the cross. Anyone telling you that you carry curses is not seeing well. If they are nailed to the cross then they can’t be found in your life.
1. The challenge with us is that we agree too much with the lies of the devil
2. The challenge is that our sense of judgment is more based on human thinking rather than on what God has done for us
3. Our challenge is that we also don't really believe that what God's word is saying is enough.
That's why I asked you the questions yesterday. Do you still believe that God’s word is final? Please understand the following!
1. The sacrifice of Christ on the cross is enough. If this is not enough nothing else will be enough.
2. All that Jesus did on the cross was complete work. This settles it for us. Your victory and dominion are settled.
3. All that was against you and contrary to you don’t exist again. They have lost their power over you.
This is the truth. Whatever you believe that is not in line with this will hinder you and reduce the heights of your faith.
2023 DECLARATIONS:
Every day of this year is blessed for me already. Everything I set out to do this year are blessed already.
LEARN MORE: Hebrews 10:1-19
Wednesday 18th January, 2023
OUT OF THE WAY
Text: "Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross." Colossians 2:14
If we truly submit ourselves to the authority of God's word there will be unimaginable transformations in our lives beyond imagination.
VITAL QUESTIONS!
1. Do you really believe God's word as true?
2. Do you really believe that God's word is final?
3. Do you believe that God's word is higher than every human experience?
Your real answers to these questions will determine how you will respond to what the Holy Spirit will be showing us today. God's word is enough by itself. God's word can stand alone by itself. The Centurion said to Jesus."...Speak the word ONLY....and my servant shall be healed." Matthew 8:8. I needed to lay this foundation before I begin to build.
Let us read the verse again. Colossians 2:14 "Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross." This is something that has taken place already. This will not happen if I fast or pray. It’s a completed reality.
I want you to note the following! Blotting out..... I'm sure this is very clear. Completely taken off. It’s no longer existing. Completely eradicated. He blotted out every handwriting of ordinances that was against us and contrary to us. He took them out of the way......OUT OF THE WAY....OUT OF THE WAY. Please read this again. Then what was taken out of the way was nailed to the cross. Curses that were against you were taken out of the way and nailed to his cross. Wrong words that were spoken against you are taken out of the way and nailed to the cross. They don’t exist again.
2023 DECLARATIONS:
In the name of Jesus I strip off every weight around my life that will hinder my race into God’s plans in 2023.
LEARN MORE: 1 Corinth 9:24-27
Tuesday 17th January, 2023
HE WAS MADE SIN FOR US
Text: “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin: that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21
Jesus did not only carry our sins but he became sin in the process. Let’s read this from scriptures. 2 Corinthians 5:21 say “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin….” This is very clear “…..he hath made him to be sin for us...” He did this FOR US. It wasn’t for himself. It was all for us. By the death of Christ on the cross he became sin for us. He literally took our sins. He never committed any sin but was made sin for us. It wasn’t that Jesus stole or committed any offence. “….Who knew no sin….”
This simply means that “SIN” is not just an act but a nature. Jesus became sin. He took on the nature of sin. We were sinners but Christ was MADE SIN FOR US. From all we have said we can say that CHRIST TOOK OUR PLACE. This is so beautiful but this is just half of this truth.
Let’s go back to 2 Corinthians 5:21 “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; THAT WE MIGHT BE MADE the righteousness of God in him.” Jesus was made sin while we were made his righteousness. Jesus became us and we became him. He took our place and gave us his place.
Today as believers God sees us as his righteousness. This is not based on human performance but on the sacrifice of Christ. We are not righteous in ourselves but in Christ. We have a right standing with God with the ability to do right. We literally have the nature of righteousness. Ephesians 4:24. We are called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord. Isaiah 61:3b
As a believer nothing is wrong with you. Everything is right with you. The rightness of God is in your spirit. The main fact that you still have issues to correct in your life does not cancel this fundament truth
2023 DECLARATIONS:
The rightness of God is in my spirit. The ability of God will be at work in me all through 2023.
LEARN MORE: Philemon 6
Monday 16th January, 2023
HE CARRIED OUR SINS
Text: “He personally carried our sins in his body on the CROSS. So that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right…..” 1 Peter 2:24 NLT
In this study, we would take our time to examine all that the cross represents for us as believers and the aftermath effect of what happened on the cross. We would explore one scripture after another. This understanding is fundamental to our victory and triumph as believers. If you lack this understanding you will be more of religious than spiritual. I want to encourage you to examine the scriptures by yourself.
1 Peter 2:24 says “He personally carried our sins in his body on the CROSS. So that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right…..”NLT. The Amplified version says “He personally carried our sins in his body on the CROSS (willingly offering Himself on it, as on an altar of sacrifice), so that we might die to sin (becoming immune from the penalty and power of sin) and live for righteousness….”
The simple explanation for this is to understand that Christ literally took our sins on the cross. This simply means that the record of sins against us does not exist again. The record of sins may exist in our minds or in the judicial records but does not exist in divine records. This may sound too big for the human mind. This is why the primary walk of a believer is a walk of faith. (2 Corinthians 5:7). The scripture is very clear about this. Hebrews 8:12 says “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.” This is God talking. Guilt and condemnation reduces our confidence in God and in ourselves. This will prevent your faith from getting strong. The more you understand what Christ did for you the stronger your faith becomes.
DECLARATION:
The record of sin against me has been taken away and nailed to the cross of Christ. I am free from guilt and condemnation.
LEARN MORE: Romans 8:1, Colossians 2:14
Sunday 15th January, 2023
HARVEST OF WORDS 8
Text: “But the men that went up with him said, we be not able to go up against the people: for they are stronger than we” Numbers 13:31
If you study carefully the story of the ten spies that gave evil reports of what they saw in the Promised Land you’ll discover that at the end of the day it was their words that became their trap. The words they spoke worked against them. What God did was simply to confirm what they said. They harvested their words.
Today we’ll look at a couple of rules that should guide our words, so that our words can always work for us.
1. Don’t speak according to your size; speak according to the size of your God.
2. Don’t speak how big the problems are; speak about how big the promises of God are.
3. Don’t speak about what the enemy is doing; speak about what God is doing.
4. Don’t speak about where you are; speak about where you are going.
5. Don’t speak about what you are experiencing; speak about what you are expecting.
6. Don’t speak about what you are seeing; speak about what God is saying.
7. Don’t talk about the enemy; talk about God.
These major differences are clearly seen in what the ten spies said and what Caleb and his colleague said. If we allow these rules to guide our words we’ll find ourselves always speaking words of faith, words of power and words of possibilities. Just imagine if God confirms every word you have ever spoken what your life will look like. If you realize it or not that is exactly what is happening in your life right now.
God is making a way for you where there seems to be no way. All things are working together for your good. God is saying I will do a new thing in your life. God is saying I will never leave you nor forsake you. God is saying my grace is sufficient for you. His word says by the stripes of Jesus you are healed. These are words that should occupy your mouth.
2023 DECLARATIONS:
All things are working for my good. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places, I have a goodly heritage.
LEARN MORE: Numbers 14:28-29
Saturday 14th January, 2023
HARVEST OF WORDS 7
Text: "By your words thou shall be justified and by your words thou shalt be condemned." Matthew 12:37
Your entire life is in your mouth. Where you will end up in life will be determined by your words. Your words will eventually locate you in life. It’s not so much up to what God has said concerning you but what you say in agreement or disagreement with what God has said. What you say about yourself is far more powerful than what anyone is saying or has said about you. What people say about you only becomes relevant when you agree with them by repeating what was said about you.
One major example of exploit of words is the experience of David before Goliath. David was given a lecture on how Goliath was an impossible case. David was wrongly accused of pride. As he was facing Goliath he heard words of threat he had never heard all his life. They were big words that should have scared him away. David understood that ultimately what King Saul and his brothers said are not as important as what he will say. After all, was said David began to speak in agreement with the possibilities of God in this situation and not what everyone is saying. What everyone is saying is not necessarily correct except it agrees with God's word. In the journey of life what God is saying and what you say in agreement is what really matters over your life.
King Saul said to David "...Thou art not able to go against this Philistines to fight with him; for thou art but a youth..." 1 Samuel 17:33. In the next verse "And David said...." Verse 34. He also began to speak. He wasn't quiet. If he had kept quiet the case would have been closed against him. The victory of David began with his words. David was young but he already knew how to chart the course of his life by his words.
2023 DECLARATION:
Divine counsels and purpose are established over my life in 2023. I will walk only in the path that God has ordained for me from glory to glory.
LEARN MORE: 2 Corinthians 3:18
Friday 13th January, 2023
HARVEST OF WORDS 6
Text: “And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following.” Mark 16:20
Just as we concluded yesterday we would take our time today to explore certain scriptural principles that will help you to take your words seriously
God does not just confirm his words inside the Bible but his words inside the Bible that we declare with our mouths. Words undeclared will remain powerless. Mark 16:20. Words unspoken are words that won’t be confirmed. What we speak out in our mouths is the raw material that God uses.
God does not speak directly to our situations. God speaks to us and expects us to speak to the situation. Jesus asked us to speak to the mountain. Mark 11:23 Ezekiel had to prophesy to the dry bones. He prophesied and spoke in agreement with what God has spoken. Ezekiel 37:7. If Ezekiel had kept quiet nothing would have happened. If your mouth is quiet your life will be quiet and unproductive. He has given us his word already waiting for us to make a commitment to agree with them and consistently declare them day and night. Joshua 1:8
Words of faith consistently spoken from a heart of faith is God himself talking. Let this picture fill your mind. God is speaking through you. If you are not speaking right then possibly the enemy is speaking through you. Don’t borrow the enemy your mouth to speak negative words over your own life. Your mouth can either become the instrument of righteousness in the hand of God or an instrument of unrighteousness in the hand of the enemy. Romans 6:13 says “Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin…but your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.” This is how important the words of your mouth could be. This demands that we become conscious and deliberate about the words that proceed out of our mouths.
2023 DECLARATION:
God is at work in my life in 2023 he is working out the details of his plans for me. All that is ordained for me this year has located me.
LEARN MORE: James 3:1-18
Thursday 12th January, 2023
HARVEST OF WORDS 5!
Text: "Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering…" Hebrews 10:23
The Amplified Bible says “Let us seize and hold tightly the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is reliable and trustworthy and faithful (to his word). Wavering cancels possibilities. If you cannot speak boldly before the Lion and the Beer you will also not be able to speak before Goliath.
The words of our mouths become diluted and rendered impotent when our mouths are filled with wrong words and slang. James 3:11-12 says “Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? ….So can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.” Verse 10 says “Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren these ought not to be so. If the words of your mouth will become potent then certain words will have to leave your mouth. Ephesians 4:29 “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that it may minister grace unto the hearers.”
It takes a sanctified mouth to speak powerful words. David prayed an important prayer which also must become your prayer. Psalm 141:3 “Set a guard over my mouth, Lord keep watch over the door of my lips.”
Life is controlled by principles that make life predictable. I want to give you a couple of scriptural principles that will help you to consciously engage your words. I will delay the principles till tomorrow so that you will have all it detailed out in one article. I want you to do a brief review of all you have learned so far on this subject.
Let me close today by saying that if you don’t know how to speak right on a day to day basis when a major challenge shows up you’ll still not be able to say the right words. Don’t wait until you have a “Goliath” to face. Speak right words in every situation.
2023 DECLARATION:
My steps shall be ordered from heaven every day of 2023. I will know exactly what to do and where to go this year. My time will not be wasted in unproductive places.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 19:14
Wednesday 11th January, 2023
HARVEST OF WORDS 4!
Text: “...For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of...” Luke 6:45 NIV
Someone asked me a question “How come what I said as my desires years ago hasn’t come to pass? I will try as the Spirit gives me insight to provide some possible causes.
The words of our mouths must be in agreement with God’s ultimate purpose and design for our lives. The liberty to speak words doesn’t suggest that I should just wake up and start saying whatever appeals to me. Just as we pray amiss we can also speak amiss just to satisfy some selfish needs. God is not committed to our selfish desires but to his ultimate plan and purpose for our lives. Joseph did not just wake up to start talking; he was speaking based on a divine revelation.
The potency of words depends on the primary origin of the words. Words that are not rooted in the heart are impotent. The lips can be saying what the heart does not agree with. The convictions of the heart is what give credibility to what the mouth is saying. In the words of Jesus “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.” Matthew 15:8. The lips can be saying something different from the heart.
Words become a powerful weapon when they are not just spoken in times of convenience but also in the face of contrary situations. We must be able to maintain the same confession irrespective of the circumstances. If you are only talking in the absence of “Goliath” it won’t make any difference eventually when “Goliath” appears if you are quiet. We would continue tomorrow.
2023 DECLARATIONS:
In 2023 there is clarity in my spirit. I know exactly what God is saying concerning my life. I know what to do in every situation. No circumstances of life will hold me down this year.
LEARN MORE: Mark 11:23
Tuesday 10th January, 2023
HARVEST OF WORDS 3!
Text: “…They hated him for his words…” Genesis 37:8
The words of Joseph attracted hatred. This will also happen to us. This is one major reason why a lot of people are silent. Joseph wasn’t just talking out of a selfish ambition or a childhood pipe dreams. He was talking out of a divine revelation. What he had wasn’t just a nightmare it was an unfolding of divine agenda.
It may be required that we exercise discretion as we open our mouths to make declarations but the hatred of men should not be a reason to be silent. Silence in this case is an agreement with defeat. This was also why David could not afford to be silent before Goliath. Our confidence in God must be consciously declared in agreement with what he had spoken over our lives. What you believe in your heart is impotent until you say it out (Romans 10:10).
I need to let you know this because you will be challenged as you make up your mind to live by these principles. When you begin to speak right certain people will not be convenient with you again. People will tell you that are you the only person that is spiritual? People will tell you that you are wasting your time. The time it took for a Cocoa farmer to begin to harvest wasn’t a wasted time but an invested time. People will tell you that you are proud. The brothers of David told him also that he was proud. If you are too concerned about people’s opinions about you, you won’t go too far. We need to take full responsibility for our lives doing what is right.
One major victory you must have in life is victory in your words. Once we can be in alignment with God in our words every area of our lives will begin to line up with divine purpose.
2023 DECLARATION:
The year 2023 is a year of possibilities for me. The goodness of God will be at work in my life every day of this year.
LEARN MORE: Numbers 14:2
Monday 9th January, 2023
HARVEST OF WORDS 2!
Text: “…They hated him for his words…” Genesis 37:8
Joseph had a dream that he was going to become a leader over his brethren. He did not just stop at merely having a dream, he began to sow the seeds of words. He was hated for it, but the seeds were already sown. It took thirteen years for it to come to pass, but it eventually yielded a harvest in his life (Genesis 37:8). Sometimes people argue that he should have been quiet. Life operates by principles. He needed to speak it out; that was the process that initiated the dreams.
Just as in farming, there are seeds that may not produce a harvest in years but will eventually produce and once they do they will produce for life. A cocoa seed may not produce fruits after the first year but it will eventually produce them. We must learn as a matter of principle to speak the right words over our lives over a period of time. Your decision to always speak right words must be stronger than your feelings. We should be in charge of our feelings rather than our feelings controlling us. How do I know my words are right?
Right words are words that are consistent with scriptures and in line with God’s purpose and plans for our lives.
We live in a word-created, word-controlled world. Words are a spiritual container that carries faith or fear, blessing or curse. When you speak words, they begin to take shape in the spirit realm, then later in the natural realm. The word of God is the only trustworthy source of words. It is the incorruptible seed that never fails. God’s word always produces a harvest. We have a responsibility to fill our hearts with the word of God. When the heart is truly full of the word of God the mouth will begin to release it by words. If the mouth is quiet then the heart is not filled yet. If the word of God is scanty in your mouth then its scanty in your heart.
2023 DECLARATION:
In 2023 I’m shining in the glory of God. From glory to glory is my rising in this year of unending Glory.
LEARN MORE: Joshua 1:8, Colossians 3:16
Sunday 8th January, 2023
HARVEST OF WORDS 1!
Text: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” Proverbs 18:21
I want to welcome you to another day of learning and impartation. The revelations of God’s word will not leave us the same way. As we apply God’s word to our lives, it will program us from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18). Today someone will be reprogrammed from within.
Let’s start our lessons on this subject with some basic understanding.
1. The entire universe was created by the creative words that God spoke. Every word that we speak has a creative ability – this could be positive and negative in nature.
2. Every word that we speak is a reflection of what is happening within our hearts. The mouth is like the outlet for what has dominated the heart.
3. The words of our mouths are conveyors. They convey life or death.
4. If you don’t have control over your words then you don’t have control over your life.
Every word we speak is a seed that will eventually produce a corresponding harvest in our lives. When a word is spoken, a seed has been released which will produce death or life according to scriptures. If your words are wrong your life will be wrong. The words of our mouths have a major role to play in our lives. Most of us are reaping the fruits of the words that we spoke many years ago. We can also begin to program our future by speaking words that will channel the right course for our lives. The content of your words will eventually become the content of your life.
One major area of life that reveals the control of God’s word in our lives and the depth of our maturity is when right words proceeds from our mouths. Your word are a revelation of your inner workings. We’ll continue tomorrow.
2023 DECLARATIONS:
The doors are open for me in 2023. Nothing will hinder my journey this year. I will go from glory to glory.
LEARN MORE: Number 14:28, Matthew 12:36-37
Saturday 7th January, 2023
HELP FOR THE HELPLESS 7
Text: “And I have filled him with a divine Spirit of wisdom, and understanding and knowledge, to INVENT in every work.” Exodus 31:3 (Brenton Septuagint translation)
From our lesson yesterday it’s clear that the Spirit of God is the creative agent. This is one major help he has brought into our lives. I just trust God that he will open your eyes to see this. The Spirit of God is not someone that is far away from us. He lives right inside us.
Three (3) things you must do to experience the creative power of the Spirit. This will take us back to all we said all throughout this lesson. You must acknowledge the person of the Holy Spirit. You must become conscious of his presence in your life. You must develop a consistent fellowship with the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 6:16 “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?” NIV. This is something that we must be overwhelmingly aware of. Something that is on your mind all the time. Every time you are confronted with any issue these thoughts must come all over you. Romans 8:11 “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you….”NIV
So we can confidently say he lives in us.
His presence in us is not to be dormant. He’s in us to be at work in us.
Part of his work in us is to bring creativity into our lives. This is applicable in every area of life.
Basic Reasons why we must experience the creative ability of the Spirit in our lives; So that we’ll not be stranded in life. So that we can always see a way out. So that we can always bring forth something new and relevant to the current demands around our lives. So that we don’t become orthodox and irrelevant in our sphere of influence. So that our lives will become an endless flow of possibilities.
2023 DECLARATIONS:
In 2023 I will not be stranded. The creative ability of the Spirit is at work in me to produce extraordinary results.
LEARN MORE: Romans 8:11, 1 Corinthians 6:19
Friday 6th January, 2023
HELP FOR THE HELPLESS 6
Text: “…. And the SPIRIT of God moved upon the face of the waters.” Genesis 1:2
The focus of our lesson today is to explore the creative ability of the Spirit that is available to us. Let me emphasize here that the greatest proof of spirituality is not how long we spend in Church or the number of hours we spend speaking in tongues. The greatest proofs are productivity, creativity, and resourcefulness. There must be something practical we can show for our spirituality. The account of creation says “And the earth was without form, and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the SPIRIT of God moved upon the face of the waters. Genesis 1:2. The Spirit was there to effect the creation process as God began to speak them into reality.
Creativity is bringing to reality what never existed before. It’s more of producing something out of nothing. Productivity is the ability to take raw materials to produce something significant and valuable. Resourcefulness is the ability to make something significant from what looks insignificant and useless. In most cases what God will give you as you pray are raw materials. God will hardly give you anything in a finished state. What we make out of them is absolutely our responsibility.
Creativity is doing things in a way that no one has done it before to experience results that no one has seen before. Bringing new designs and new concepts to the market place. Let’s look at two (2) scriptures that directly show the Spirit as the creative agent. It’s important that you see this clearly. Psalm 104:30 “You send forth Your Spirit, they are CREATED; and you renew the face of the earth.” NKJV. Exodus 31:3 “I have filled Bezaleel with the Spirit of God, making him highly skilled, resourceful, and knowledgeable in all skills. (God’s word translation). This is a major help of the Spirit. When the creativity of the Spirit is at work in you life can never be stranded. You will access things that are not common and ordinary.
2023 DECLARATION:
In 2023 I will be creative, productive, and resourceful by the Spirit. My life will produce in unexpected places.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 104:30
Thursday 5th January, 2023
HELP FOR THE HELPLESS 5
Text: “Having obtained help of the Lord, I continue unto this day….”Acts 26:22
The major emphasis of our lesson for today is for us to appreciate the dimension of help that the Holy Spirit brings into our lives. This understanding will sharpen your crave for the help of the Spirit. We are all products of one form of help or another. Where we are currently is a product of the level of help we have enjoyed. Human help is good but limited because man is limited. No man can help you beyond what is available to them. It’s also important to make sure that we don’t limit ourselves to what a mortal man can offer us. When you do that you will also inherit their limitations. Where help stops is where life will stop. Paul declared “Having obtained help of the Lord, I continue unto this day….”acts 26:22. The continuity of life will depend on the continuity of help. No mortal man can be there for 24/7 and 365 days a year. Even the best couple sleeps off leaving their spouse helpless but there is a God who neither sleeps nor slumbers.
The Holy Spirit brings to our lives an all-season help. David calls it “A very present help in times of trouble….” Psalm 46:1. The help of the Spirit is available to us “Day by day.” This was the dimension of help that took David to the throne despite the hatred and the plots of King Saul. The scripture says “For at that time day by day there came to David to help him…..” David was already anointed to be the King but he needed this daily help to get to the throne. This is important because little drops of water make an ocean. It’s a matter of time the little water will sweep an entire city away.
As we close today remember the following; The Spirit of God works in us as we acknowledge and recognize his person and his presence in our lives. We connect to the help of the Spirit as we give attention to his person and his presence in our lives. When the Holy Spirit is unrecognized, unappreciated, and ignored we would not experience his help as we should.
2023 DECLARATION:
The help of the Spirit is available over my life in 2023. There will be help over my life on a daily basis this year.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 121:1-2
Wednesday 4th January, 2023
HELP FOR THE HELPLESS 4
Text: “….Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed….We have not so much heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.” Acts 19: 2
The presence of the Holy Spirit in a believer is on two levels. The same Holy Spirit but functioning on two levels or two dimensions. The first (1st) level is the “WELL” level. We have used a “well” before. A “well” contains water for domestic purposes. John 4:14. The second (2nd) level is the RIVER level (John 7:37-39).
The best way to understand this difference is to understand the difference between a “well” and a “river.” The well is for domestic purposes while the river can be for industrial purposes. The Fish is never found in the well whereas there is an abundance of Fish in the river. A boat cannot navigate in the well. This can be easily done in a river. The river level is what is referred to as being filled with the Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. Baptism of the Holy Spirit brings us to an overwhelming awareness of the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive. John 7:39. We receive the “well” level at salvation while we receive the “river level” at the Holy Ghost baptism level.
Like Apostle Paul asked the question I want to ask you too, “….Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed. Acts 19: 2. The response of the people is instructive for us. They responded by saying “…We have not so much heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.” These people were believers but had not received the “river level” of the Spirit. Later on in Acts 19:6, Paul ministered to them and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Each one of us must reach out for the fullness of the Spirit in our lives. With his help, we can go from glory to glory.
2023 DECLARATION:
I live by the Help of the Holy Spirit. His help is available over my life in 2023 to go from glory to glory.
LEARN MORE: Isaiah 59:19, Acts 17:28
Tuesday 3rd January, 2022
HELP FOR THE HELPLESS 3
Text: “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? “ 1 Corinthians 3:16
The exploits of the Spirit are produced in our lives to the extent to which we become conscious of the presence of the Holy Spirit. The consciousness of the presence of the Spirit in our lives is to a different degree in the lives of different people. If you lack the consciousness of the presence of the Spirit you will also lack the manifestations of his presence. The Spirit of God works in us as we acknowledge and recognize his person and his presence in our lives. We connect to the help of the Spirit as we give premium to his person and his presence in our lives.
When the Holy Spirit is unrecognized, unappreciated, and ignored we would not experience his help as we should. If you doubt his presence you will lack his help. The scripture says “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? “ 1 Corinthians 3:16. Another scripture says “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have of God….” 1 Corinthians 6:19 . Nothing and no one should make you doubt the reality of the presence of the Spirit in your life as a believer. The effectiveness of our faith and the quality of our walk with God will depend on how much we acknowledge all that God has given us. Philemon 6
When we lack the consciousness of the presence of the Holy Spirit we would become more conscious of another contrary spirit. What you give reference to in your life is what will eventually dominate your life. Major things you must do: You must acknowledge the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life. You must make reference to the Holy Spirit in your life as a way of life. You must consciously invite the help of the Holy Spirit in your life when needs arise in your life. You must protect the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life.
2023 DECLARATION:
The Spirit of God has broken the yoke of stagnation in my life. I’m going from glory to glory.
LEARN MORE: Isaiah 32:15
Monday 2nd January 2023
HELP FOR THE HELPLESS 2
Text: “And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?” Genesis 41: 38
The Holy Spirit helped Joseph. Genesis 41:38
The Holy Spirit helped David. 1 Chronicles 12:22
The Holy Spirit helped Daniel. 1 Samuel 16:13
The Holy Spirit helped Samson. Judges 14:6
The Holy Spirit helped ……….
These men that we mentioned were all helped in ways that no man could have helped them. Joseph for example had no human help. His family was far away from him. David would have disgraced himself before Goliath if not for the help of the Spirit he had encountered. Samson only became helpless after he had lost the help of the Spirit (Judges 16:20). Few things will happen when we lack the help of the Spirit.
1. The weaknesses in our lives will become so obvious and magnified.
2. We would become clueless in the face of contrary situations in life.
3. Wrong spirits and wrong influences will have easy access to influence us in the wrong direction.
King Saul had lost the help of the Spirit and that was why he did not know what to do as he was facing Goliath. 1 Samuel 16:14 “But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul…” David understand this very clearly and this was why he cried and prayed “…Take not thy Holy Spirit from me…” Psalm 51:11. He knew that if this happen it will be the end of the road for him. Let’s close today with three (3) basic things that you must be very clear about: The Person of the Holy Spirit, the Purpose of the Holy Spirit, and the Presence of the Holy Spirit. I want to challenge you to pursue these three aspects of the Holy Spirit in your pursuits this year. This will produce amazing help over your life this year. You will go from glory to glory.
2023 DECLARATION:
The description of my life in 2023 will be from glory to glory. Every day this year will exceed the previous day. My life will be full of glory back to back this year.
LEARN MORE: 2 Corinthians 3:18
Sunday 1st January, 2023
HELP FOR THE HELPLESS 1
Text: “...This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubabbel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord of host.” Zechariah 4:6
This verse of scripture is a summary of how God works in human affairs. In anything that we expect to see God at work, this is how he works. If we don’t understand this clearly it will be difficult to experience the realities of God in our lives. There is a big difference between religion and spirituality. We can be full of religion and empty of spirituality. The reality of the Spirit in us is what produces spirituality. Every divine help you require in God is packaged in the Holy Spirit.
The creation of heaven and earth was the act of the Holy Spirit. “Thou sendest forth thy Spirit, they are created and thou renewest the face of the earth (Psalm 104:30).” The conception of Jesus was by the Spirit. Luke 1:35 “And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee…..” Read on. The resurrection of Jesus from the dead was by the Spirit. Romans 8:11 “But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you…” By now you should begin to see why so much emphasis must be placed on the operations of the Holy Spirit in your life. It must also dawn on you from the accounts we have seen that the help of the Holy Spirit is indispensable in your journey of destiny. The journey of life is not child’s play and you will require help. Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as the comforter (John 15:26}. The word comforter is a compound word that means so much.
We are starting the journey of 2023 with this understanding. If you allow the help of the Holy Spirit this year he will take you from glory to glory. You must understand that as good as your efforts are they won’t be enough to handle the complexities of life. Consciously yield and crave for the help of the Holy Spirit this year. HAPPY NEW YEAR
2023 DECLARATION
I will go from glory to glory in 2023. There will be an unending victory and triumph in my life this year. I will experience unusual help in 2023.
Saturday 31st December, 2022
NEW SEASONS
Text: “And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days , and years.” Genesis 1:14
As we round up this year and step into a new year I want to encourage you with these words. God is a God of time and seasons, that is why life is divided into years, months, weeks and days. Right from Genesis God defined the days and there were new and specific things that he did in each of the days.
Every new beginning comes with new opportunities, new miracles and new victories. We must therefore embrace the privileges of new beginnings. God daily, weekly, monthly loads us with benefits.
We embrace the privileges of the new beginnings as we refuse to be tied to the challenges of the past. It’s extremely difficult to see what God is doing now if we are tied to the disappointments and losses of yesterday. It’s not possible driving forward when your eyes are on the rear mirror. We’ll get so discouraged and hopeless when we are so engrossed with what happened last week, last month and last year.
Don’t be tied to yesterday, God wants to do new things in your life today. God kept on doing new things every day until his work finished.
Thank God for where we are, but there are better places to go. Thank God for what we have seen, but we can see more. Thank God for whom we are, but we can be more. Thank God for what we have, but we can have more. I want to encourage you to renew your confidence in the faithfulness of God. The government of your country must have failed, someone close to you must have disappointed you but don’t equate that to God. God is still the way maker.
2023 is a year of New Frontiers in unending glory in InspirationclassGlobal series. Don't keep this posts to yourself. Find new ways of blessings lives with them in 2023.
PRAYER:
As we step into the New Year every of God’s plans for us will begin to unfold. We call forth every benefit of the New Year in Jesus name.
LEARN MORE: Philippians 3:13, Isaiah 43:19
Friday 30th December, 2022
GOD’S FAITHFULNESS
Text: “If it had not been the Lord who was on our side… If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when men rose up against us” Psalm 124:1-2
The year 2022 has been an exciting year. God made a way in many unexpected places. God intervened in several areas of our lives. If you look carefully over your life this year you will see that God was really faithful. Humanly speaking it is easy to see things that did not happen. We may find expectations that were not met. We may even conclude that God was unfair. In the midst of this we must recognize that God is faithful.
Recognizing the faithfulness of God is so important in forging ahead in life. The main fact that you are reading this material today is an indication that God was faithful this year. Several lives did not make it through this year. I personally know some of them. How much did we pay for journey mercies? I also know that you did not pick food from refuse dump this year. I am sure you can look over your life too to recognize the faithfulness of God in your life. I want to ask you, how much did you pay for the air you breathe in 2022. If God will mark all your iniquities you can never pay for them. God was faithful in forgiving our iniquities. (1 John 1:9). God’s faithfulness implies that whatever must have happened this year God has not changed. He remains who he said he is. His promises have not changed. His counsels for our lives are still in force. Heaven and earth will pass away but his counsels will not pass away unfulfilled. We can look forward to a greater year ahead of us. In the last days of this year count God faithful and celebrate his goodness in your life. Count your blessings; name them one by one and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.
PRAYER:
Lord I judge you faithful in everything that happened this year. You will be my God in 2023.
LEARN MORE: Hebrews 11:11
Thursday 29th December, 2022
PURPOSE DRIVEN
Text: “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.” Jeremiah 1:5
I want us to look at the subject of purpose again as we begin to close for this year. The greatest discoveries in life are not the discovery of goldmines or oil wells, but the discovery of human purpose. Men that discovered God’s purpose for their lives have gone to change the face of societies and the course of humanity.
Each one of us came loaded and packaged with divine purpose. We were made by God for a definite place and purpose. Life really has no meaning and significance without the fulfilment of God’s purpose for our lives. At the end of our lives the most important thing will not be how many cars we used or how many shoes you wore. The most important thing will be how much of God’s purpose became a reality in your life.
The discovery, pursuit and fulfilment of God’s purpose for our lives should be the highest priorities of our lives. Been purpose conscious means that we are aware that God has a purpose for our lives and we are doing everything possible to discover it and fulfil it. So many people are not aware at all. Some are aware but the pursuit of worldly pleasure and gains has completely overshadowed the discovery and fulfilment of God’s purpose for our lives. Don’t be that way.
Discovering and fulfilling God’s purpose for our lives will single us out of the sea of humanity. This is the only way the best in our lives can come out. Just as a fish cannot do well on dry ground, so also we cannot function well outside God’s purpose for our lives. The genius of a fish emerges when it’s placed inside the water. The best thing that we’ll ever happen in your life will be in the centre of God’s purpose for our lives.
CONFESSION:
There is a divine purpose for my life. Packaged in my spirit are divine virtues to become all I was born to be.
LEARN MORE: 1 Corinthians 2: 9-12, Galatians 1:15
Wednesday 28th December, 2022
COMPARISON GAME
Text: “For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves amongst themselves, are not wise.” 2 Corinthians 10:12
It’s a dangerous game to play when you measure yourself by what is going on in the life of someone else. As far as God is concerned it’s a foolish venture. Your friend got married this year and you are not engaged yet, so? A neighbour bought a new car, so?
There are fundamental things we must learn about life:
1. God’s dealing with us is different and unique to each one of us. The routes that God wants to take you in life may never be the same to the route he’s taking you friend or your sibling. It will be wrong to follow the path that someone else is following. We must therefore discern God’s unique dealing with us.
2. God has a specific and tailor made plan and purpose for each one of us. What made some else a success will never make you a success. Success in life is individually defined. God’s evaluation for your life will not depend on what the society expects of you but what he expects of you.
3. Each one of us is uniquely crafted by God to function and do things in a unique way. You don’t have to talk like some else talks, you don’t have to walk like a movie star. You are unique in yourself.
4. There is a due season for every purpose on the earth. God’s timing for someone else may not be exactly your own time. In due time you’ll also get to where others got to.
Playing the comparison game will discourage you and make you think less of yourself. It will be extremely difficult to function in God’s best for your life in this way. If you notice any form of delay around your life deal with it in prayer; not by comparison.
PRAYER:
Lord I accept your uniqueness over my life. I accept your plan and purpose for my life.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 139:14
Tuesday 27th December, 2022
TRANSFORMED BY CHRIST
Text: “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord”. 2 Corinthians 3:18
Coming into Christ does not necessarily mean that we came into “perfection” that same day. There is an on-going transformation that should be taking place in our lives on a daily basis.
What we received at new birth was majorly the potential and the resources we require to be exactly like Christ. Just as every raw material goes through a process to be converted to a finished product so also our lives should be going through a transformation process to make us all we were meant to be in God.
The most authentic proof of Christ in us is this undeniable and visible transformations taking place in our lives. There is really no way we can proof to any one that we have Christ in us if nothing has changed in our character, in our attitude and disposition to life.
This transformation ensures that “self” decreases in us while Christ increases in us. It will get us to the point where everything about us is swallowed up in Christ.
Ephesians 4:13 describes it this way “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” The New Living Translation says “…measuring up to the full stature of Christ”. That is the ultimate goal in our transformation process.
What we see in men is not our ultimate goal, but what we see in Christ. The only men we can attempt to follow are those that are also following Christ and are been transformed to his image.
This daily transformation takes place in our lives as we consistently behold the word of God and we allow the Holy Spirit to work in us. Since you received Christ how much transformation has taken place in your life?
PRAYER:
Lord work in me by your Spirit that my entire life will be a replica of the very life of Christ.
LEARN MORE: Romans 8:29, Romans 12:2
Monday 26th December, 2022
THE UNSPEAKABLE GIFT
Text: “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.”2 Corinthians 9:14
All over the world today is referred to as the “boxing day”. It’s a day in which everyone unwrap their Christmas gifts and see what it contains. There is always excitement in seeing a beautiful gift sent by a loved one.How much more should we be excited at having Christ in our lives? He is God’s unspeakable gift to us. That was the greatest gift God could ever offer a man. Everything that God is, are found in Christ. When a man receives Christ he receives everything. When a man lacks Christ he lacks everything. All that life will ever require are found in Christ. In him are found the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
In Christ we have an assurance of victory over every issue of life. 1 Corinthians 15:57 says “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ”. Christ in us is the assurance of a tomorrow; because he lives we can face tomorrow.
As we celebrate the gift of Christ to us today I want to encourage you to also celebrate yourself. Each one of us is the reason why Jesus had to come. It shows how important and valuable we were to God. “Unwrap” yourself too and appreciate the gift of God in your life. You are also a gift to your world. Packaged in you are divine investments that the whole world is waiting for.
The coming of Christ will not be complete until there is a revelation of the gift of God packaged in your life for the whole world to see. The whole creation is waiting for your manifestation. Just as they waited for Christ.
Very soon the whole world will celebrate your birth. Men will be glad you were born. Coming in contact with you will be so inspiring and impactful. Men will literally seek to associate with you because there will be so much virtue flowing through you to them. Having Christ in our lives is not just about going to heaven, but been impactful and relevant while we are here.
CONFESSION:
I am a gift to my world. Christ in me makes me valuable.
LEARN MORE: Romans 8:19, 1 Corinthian 3:21-23
Sunday 25th December, 2022
GOD WITH US
Text: “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” Matthew 1:23
The coming of Christ brought unto us the full manifestation of God’s presence with a mortal man. The experiences in the Old Testament were powerful; amazing testimonies came out of a human encounter with God. These are still small and pale in comparison with what Christ came to establish in our lives.
The coming of Christ establishes for us the permanence of God’s residence with humanity. Man will no longer require operating and functioning by himself. He now has access to every help available in God. Whatever we are required to do, we can be so sure of the reality of God’s presence with us. We are never alone. When it seems the whole world is gone we have a friend that sticks closer than a brother.
The revelation of “Emmanuel”, meaning God with us was just a part of the full revelation of God’s presence with man. After the sacrifice of Christ on the cross it was now possible not only to have God with us, but also God for us and God in us.
Let’s state this very clearly:
1. God with us
2. God for us, and
3. God in us.
This is the three-fold cord that cannot be broken. The enemy cannot beat this arrangement. Wherever the enemy turn God will be there waiting.
Again Jesus was talking about the coming of the Holy Spirit, he said “Even the Spirit of truth…for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.” John 14:17.
The conclusion of all these is that God has made himself so much available to us so that we can walk triumphantly in life. MERRY CHRISTMAS!
PRAYER:
Thank you Lord for your abiding presence in our lives. Thank you because your presence is all over us.
LEARN MORE: Romans 8:31, 1 John 4:4
Saturday 24th December, 2022
RISE UP AGAIN
Text: “For though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are brought to calamity.” Proverbs 24:16 (NIV)
The scripture above does not in any way state that a righteous man must fall. It does not in any way gives an excuse for falling. If we understand scripture we’ll realise that if we can embrace the provisions of God’s word and take responsibility for our lives we’ll never fall.2 Peter 1:10 says “Wherefore the rather ,brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do this things, ye shall never fall”.
However, if we find ourselves in that state in which we have fallen we can rise up again. As long as we come with a repentant heart the blood of Jesus will wipe away our sins. There is always another chance to make right that which is wrong in our lives.
One of the strategies of the devil is to put condemnation on you in order to keep you in that state. Please dust yourself up and go on with God. Like the Prodigal son we can always return to our father.
Perhaps you failed in a venture this year that is never the end of the road for you. As we step into a new year we can trust God for new opportunities and new open doors. In God we have new beginnings to rewrite the story of our lives. Whatever happened in the past has become part of history. We can write a new story today. The history becomes powerful when we refuse to write another story today.
You are never a failure. Christ in you negates that identity. You are a success from head to toe. Every cell of your body and every fibre of your being carry the identity of success. Rise up and win, rise up and be all you were born to be.
POWERPOINT:
History becomes powerful when we refuse to write another story today. You are never a failure. Christ in you negates that identity.
LEARN MORE: Romans 8:1, 1 John 1:9
Friday 23rd December, 2022
HIS BENEFITS
Text: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” Psalm 103:2
It’s so easy to sit down and count on your fingers all that went wrong this year. We may have a list of expectations that did not materialise. The devil will be so glad for us to count our losses. If you allow this to happen it will be a way of bathing yourself in oil while the devil puts fire on you, to completely siphon the remaining strength in you for this year and pollute the beginning of another great year ahead of you.
God has done so much that will take volumes of books to recount them. If you still have eyes to read this, it must be a miracle. That your mind is still sound enough to comprehend what you are reading is a testimony.
There are mistakes that you made this year if not for God’s mercy you should have been consumed. If God had marked iniquity none of us would have stood. His mercies were new every day of this year. By the end of this month God would have given you 365 new mercies (Lam 3:22-23). That is how much God had lavished on you this year.
The victories of this year were not because we were good but because he was good. It was his goodness that produced everything we had this year. We did not get anything because of our ability; it was because he had favour on us and the light of his countenance on our lives. Psalm 44:3
If your eyes were opened to see how many arrows that missed your head this year you’ll appreciate how mindful God had been of you. There were battles God fought and won on your behalf without even informing you. Certainly God has been good to you this year.
By now you should be on your knees thanking God
.
PRAYER:
Thank you Lord for all you have done this year 2022
LEARN MORE: Lamentation 3:22-23, Psalm 92:1-2
Thursday 22nd December, 2022
YOU ARE NOT A JUNK
Text: “And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him...” 1 Samuel 16:11
I have a mandate every day to inspire you to be all you were created to be. Nothing outside the best is good for you. God looked at Adam and saw a world. He looked at barren Abraham and saw nations. In Jacob, a deceiver, He saw a prince. In Moses the murderer, God saw a deliverer. God was looking at a stammering man and he saw the greatest leader in history.
When the world dumps and rejects you, and you land on the garbage heap of the world, God walks along and picks you up. He looks within you and sees a person of great worth.
Don’t ever let anybody throw you away. You are not junk. When God looks at you, He sees things that everybody ignores. You are worth so much that Jesus went to Calvary to salvage and reclaim you. The Spirit of God connected to your spirit is the only true judge of your worth. Don’t accept the opinions of others because they do not see what God sees.
Samuel was sent to the house of Jesse to pick a King for Israel; all the sons of Jesse at home were paraded until God rejected all. David was far away from home. His father never thought he could be qualified to become a King. Outwardly nothing looked like a King on him. But the potentials to become one were already within him. God was seeing in him what others did not see. David was the youngest; all they thought he was good for was to keep sheep. How you feel or what others say about you is not important. You are who God says you are; He sees in you more than you can possibly imagine.
CONFESSION:
There are great potentials in me. God sees the best in me. He sees in me a King. He sees in me greatness.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 139:14
Wednesday 21st December, 2022
NEW THINGS AHEAD
Text: “Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold I will do a new thing….”Isaiah 43:18-19a
One of the things the devil can succeed in doing to keep you down discouraged and depressed is to keep your focus on the defeats, setback and challenges of the past. The past has no life in it again except the ones we give it in our minds. Referring to ugly pasts is like exhuming a corpse once in a while to see how it’s doing.
The past is over. The devil merely uses it as a memory to taunt, intimidate and demoralize you. But it is over. God does not remember the sins in your past. So why should you?
God is behind the scene of your life orchestrating victories and testimonies in your life. The best of your life is ahead of you and not behind you. Whatever we have experienced in the past cannot compare with what God has in store.
What you are going through right now should not cover your eyes to what God is putting together in your favour. Let the eyes of your understanding be opened to see God at work in your life. What he is preparing eyes has not seen it before nor did ears hear of it. If you are born again and you love God with the whole of your heart you’ll end up in life blessed and fulfilled. I’m so sure about that because in spite of what Joseph went through he ended on the throne. The later end of Job was better than his beginning. All he lost was restored twice.
Keep your eyes on what God is doing, not on what is happening, keep your eyes on God’s possibilities and not your limitation. Your tomorrow is bigger than your today. I will be so glad to meet you in your great destiny. New things are taking place in the year ahead.
CONFESSION:
God is working behind the scene of my life bringing to pass his ultimate plans for me. My tomorrow is bigger than my today.
LEARN MORE: Philippians 3:13-14, Hebrews 8:12
Tuesday 20th December, 2022
HOLY GHOST WILL TEACH YOU
Text: “And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say: For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.” Luke 12:11-12
The things we can do at birth are majorly instinctive things built into us for our survival. A child does not need a teacher to learn how to cry. It’s a way a child naturally demands for assistance, a child did not go to school to learn how to suck the breast, and it comes natural.
But as the child grows the child needs to go to school to learn the basic rudiments of becoming a responsible adult. This is where the role of a teacher comes in. No matter how smart a child is they are still required to go to school.
We need a teacher to become all we are born to be. Just as we need to go to school to learn so also we need a teacher in spiritual things. The Holy Spirit is our ultimate teacher in life. This is one major reason why he came to dwell in us.
One major thing he has come to teach us is to know what to say when you are faced with a challenge. Take for example if you are going for a job interview or project defence, what you say and how you say it will matter a lot. The choice of words is a major factor in virtually every human relationship. What couples say to each other and how they say it could build or tear down their marriage. These are the things the Holy Spirit will teach us as we submit to him. If you don’t know how to talk you’ll get into trouble often.
He will teach us to say the right thing at the right time. He will teach us to say words that will convey power and relevance.
PRAYER:
Lord teach my mouth to say the right thing at the right time.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 19:14, Luke 21:15
Monday 19th December, 2022
SPEAKING AGAINST GOD
Text: “Yea, they spake against God; they said can God furnish a table in the wilderness.” Psalm 78:19
I want you to realize that it’s possible to go to church every day carrying a big bible and still be speaking against God. It could be that we are presently doing that in our lives without knowing.
Speaking against God in our context is not about saying that God does not exist or that you don’t believe in God. It actually refers to what we say about the day to day challenges of life that we face. The Israelites were faced with the challenge of what to eat in the wilderness and began to say all manner of negative words. Someone called me on phone recently, she had gone for a medical test that confirmed a particular ailment. Her first words to me were “I am finished”, that statement looked innocent and casual, but that is speaking against God. It was an indirect way of saying God cannot handle this.
Every time we speak in fear as a result of a challenge or a disappointment around our lives, we are speaking against God. If you go in for an exam and the questions were so difficult, don’t ever say nobody will pass this exam. It’s a way of concluding that God cannot handle this, this is speaking against God.
We must come to terms with the possibilities that exist in God. He is the God of all flesh. There is nothing too hard for him to do. If you sit down and start talking of how you have prayed for so long and nothing has happened, you are indirectly speaking against God.
If we read the account of the Israelites further we’ll notice that God got angry with them. God wants us to trust him. He’s bigger than whatever we face.
PRAYER:
Lord I repent of every way I have spoken against you in the past. I receive your forgiveness today.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 78:20-21,40-42
Sunday18th December, 2022
YOU ARE NEEDED
Text: “Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt” Exodus 3:10
There was a desperate need for the Jews in the land of Egypt; Moses was located to go for their rescue. Nobody could step out to confront Goliath until David showed up. Naomi needed a caretaker and Ruth was an answer to that need. Moses, David, Ruth was on a special assignment to the people of God. The Jews would have been destroyed except for Esther. So Esther was their answer, their solution, their reward.
You see, everything God created is a reward to somebody. Think about this. It is very important that you grasp your significance and value.
Your entire life is absolutely needed by someone. Your patience is a reward for somebody who others would not tolerate. Your words will motivate someone incapable of seeing what you are seeing. Somebody desperately needs you today.
God planned you, and nobody else can be like you. Nobody else can do what you do. You are unlike anyone else on earth. Grasp this. God is not a photocopier. He is a creator. You alone are absolutely perfect and genetically accurate for solving a problem on earth today.
Someone needs exactly what you have been given by God. Someone is hungry and thirst for your presence. Someone will perish unless you enter his life. Someone is literally dying, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually, waiting for you to come to his rescue. Someone has been praying at night that God would send you his way. Go about your business today with this mindset that God has sent you on an assignment to your world. Think about meeting the needs of others, not only your own. YOU ARE NEEDED.
CONFESSION:
I have been sent to my world. My life is an answer to the cry of many. I have what is needed.
LEARN MORE: John 17:18
Saturday 17th December, 2022
SEE BEYOND NOW
Text: “And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, so shall thy seed be.” Genesis 15:5
Abraham was well - stricken in age. He was a man that was actually old enough to die. He was still without a child. From the natural perspective, it was a hopeless case. God appeared on the scene and began to speak to this old man about the possibility of having a child.
God began to paint a picture for him to see beyond his present circumstances. We can hardly go beyond what we see in life. God told him “as far as your eyes can see”. Going beyond where you are will require that we see beyond where we are. The present circumstances of our lives should never become a permanent vision for us. We must see beyond now. A wise man said “the extent of your vision is the boundary of your blessings”.
It’s easy for the natural eyes to see the situation as it is, but we must learn to see things not as they are but as they could become. We are supposed to live our lives by faith and not by sight. In the realm of the Spirit, great things are happening for you, the angels are working on your behalf, and the forces of the Spirit are putting things in order for you. The promises of God’s word should be more real than our present circumstances.
As young as Joseph was he begun to see beyond his age and where he was. He saw himself becoming a leader over his siblings and having great influence. Initially it was as if that will never come to pass. But as he held on to his vision, what he saw eventually became a reality.
CONFESSION:
There is more to my life than what is obvious now. There is abundance ahead of me. My life is a life of purpose and significance.
LEARN MORE: Genesis 13:14-15, 2Corinthians 5:7
Friday 16th December, 2022
PEACE IN THE STORM
Text: “Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.” Psalm 119:165
One of the signs of the end time is that the heart of men will fail them for fear. We live in uncertain times. The margin for job securities has dropped. The government does not really provide much hope for its people. In the midst of this, there are tendencies for the heart of men to fail for fear.
Fear is a common denominator in every man’s life. We must learn to deal ruthlessly with fear in our lives. It’s a strategy of the devil to kill, steal and destroy God’s program in our lives. Fear is faith in the reverse. Fear is confidence in the ability of the enemy to do what he says he will do.
In the midst of changing circumstances of life, the word of God which is referred to as “thy law” in our anchor scripture must become our anchor and confidence. The word of God produces in us peace that this world cannot give. This is what will keep us stable in the midst of the storms.
Jesus was right in the midst of a storm, but the peace of God that pass human understanding kept him. It was easy for him to rebuke the storm; he decreed peace over the storm because he had peace in his heart.
The state of your heart is so important in handling the conflicts of life. Life is essentially controlled from within. No matter what happens refuse to give up on the inside. Allow the peace of God to guard your heart. The word of God has to become the controlling factor in your life. That is the only way you can have peace in the midst of the storm. If your eyes are on the storm you will be driven by fear. As we prepare to enter a New Year let the peace of God saturate you.
CONFESSION:
My heart is guarded by the peace of God. In the midst of the storms my heart is at rest. I have control over every issue of concern.
LEARN MORE: Philippians 4:6-7, Colossians 3:15
Thursday 15th December, 2022
AN ACCOUNTABLE LIFE
Text: “...How can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God….” Genesis 39:9
An unaccountable life is an irresponsible life. If you have a feeling that you can go anywhere, do whatever you like then you must be living a miserable life? Such a life will not command great success.
There must be someone somewhere who can ask you questions about your life and look straight in your eyes to tell you the truth. This is the role parents, pastors, teachers, guardians etc. are meant to play in our lives.
Most importantly we must be accountable to God. We must have a sense that God is watching us and conscious of every step that we take in life. It’s possible you find yourself in an environment that is ungodly and sin-friendly; it will become easy to flow with the trend. But you must never forget that one day we’ll all stand before God to give an account of our lives. Then every man will receive his reward according to their deeds.
Joseph found himself in a strange land, far away from parents and siblings. It could have been easy to bow to the pressure to sin. His words were “….how can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God? Gen 39:9. He was accountable to God. This was why God was convenient in selecting him as a ruler over Egypt. It takes a man or woman that is responsible to carry out divine assignments.
It’s such a powerful virtue to be responsible and dependable. God and even men are on the search for such men. The three Hebrew boys also refused to bow to the strange image of the King because they knew God was watching them. Don’t join the flow, refuse to be conformed to the pattern of this world, it will not take you far in life.
PRAYER:
Lord my heart is open for your search, purge my heart of everything that is not consistent with your will for my life.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 139:1-13, 23-24
DATE: DECEMBER 14, 2022
TOPIC: A BELLY PRAYER
TEXT: JONAH 1:17-2:1-3 KJV
Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish's belly, And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice. For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me.
Have you ever prayed a prayer from an emergency room? Have you cried out from a broken relationship or a business failure? If so, you might identify with Jonah’s prayer from the belly of the fish. Instead of obeying God and warning the people of Ninevah of impending destruction, Jonah had tried to run from the Lord. But God was with Jonah when the crew threw him overboard. He was with Jonah in the belly of the fish he had prepared to swallow him. He was with him in his trouble and that trouble awakened Jonah to repentance and his need of God.
Beneath the waves he lost all hope. But when he cried out in desperation and despair, God heard him and rescued him. There is no place where the Lord cannot hear and respond to us—no pit too deep, no trouble too terrible, no situation too difficult for God. When we cry out to him from whatever “belly” we find ourselves in, he will answer.
PRAYER
FATHER, how I thank you that in the deepest trouble when I cry out to you, you hear and answer me just as you did Jonah. I am glad that there is no place so dark or situation so hopeless that you cannot bring deliverance. I will offer sacrifices to you with songs of praise, for my salvation comes from you alone!
WORDS ON MARBLE
Prayer was the mighty force that brought Jonah from “the belly of hell.” Prayer, mighty prayer, secured the end. Prayer brought God to the rescue of unfaithful Jonah, despite his sin of fleeing from duty. God could not deny his prayer. Nothing is beyond the reach of prayer because no prayer is too hard for God to answer. E. M. Bounds (1835–1913)
Remain ever blessed.
Jesus Christ is Lord!
Tuesday 13th December, 2022
WEEDS GROWING
Text: “I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; And lo it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down.” Proverbs 24:30-31
There must be deliberate and conscious steps we must take to experience the kind of life God wants us to have. When you cultivate a garden and refuse to plant something there, we’ll end up having weeds growing on their own.
When we fold our arms and refuse to take the right steps concerning our lives, things may just get worse. Time does not solve problems; it’s the power of God we engage that turns situations around.
No matter how little, we must take positive steps towards God’s plans and purpose for our lives on a daily basis. It’s the daily little steps that culminate in giant steps. Don’t seat back watching others walk into their destiny while yours is being overtaken by weeds.
The steps you need to take may require that you go on a personal retreat to get God’s direction for your life. Don’t seat in the same rut year after year. The step may require looking inwards and making adjustments where required in your personal life.
It may require that you start your own business today. Don’t keep making excuses. An excuse does not achieve anything. It may require that you do things differently from how you have done them over the years. It may require that you get back to school and get the required qualification to move ahead in life.
The only alternative to all these is that your life will be overgrown with “weeds”, which connotes regrets, unfulfilled dreams and expectations.
PRAYER:
Lord by your Spirit I overcome every form of slothfulness. I receive the understanding to move up in life.
LEARN MORE: Proverbs 24:30-34
Monday 12th December, 2022
HEARING OF FAITH
Text: “He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith.” Galatians 3:5
We are all made of words. What we believe, where we are, and who we are, are products of words that were spoken to us and over us in life. There are people whose lives are ruled by what they were told by authority figures in their lives. A school teacher could speak words of fear and failure into the life of the students that will rule their lives forever. The verdict of a physician could become the expectation of the patient.
What we constantly hear builds either fear or faith into our hearts. This will ultimately determine our motivation and the course of our lives. The scripture clearly warns us to be careful of what we constantly hear. If all you spend your time hearing are news about accidents, deaths and devilish acts, we are literally preparing our hearts to experience the same. Every word we hear is like a seed had been sown in our hearts which will eventually produce a harvest in our lives.
It is far more profitable spending our time to read the word of God that will build faith into our hearts. The word of God is God’s number one faith material. Rather than hearing what is going wrong in your environment, hear what God can do through you to change the situation. When everybody is complaining of the economy, God’s word will tell you “My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory”. When things are difficult for everybody God’s word will impart faith into your heart that when men are cast down, you’ll experience a lifting up.
Please avoid every conversation that builds fear in you. Incline your ears to the hearing of faith.
CONFESSION:
Faith is at work in me. I respond to life purely by faith and not by fear. My ears are positioned to hear what God is saying on every issue of life.
LEARN MORE: Mark 4:24, Romans 10:17
Sunday 11th December, 2022
THE BEST OF GOD
Text: “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue” 2 Peter 1:3
The day you got born again you became the most powerful being on the earth. Christianity is not for the outcast; Christianity is an initiation into the club of the wealthy; Christianity is an initiation into the club of the rich; it is an initiation into the club of the successful; it is an initiation into the club of the healthy.
When I see a person, I’m not seeing the person for what they are right now, I see what that person can become. When a successful farmer takes a seed in his hand, he’s not just looking at a seed he’s looking at a tree; he’s not just looking at a tree, he’s looking at an orchard; he’s not just looking at an orchard, he’s looking at a plantation; he’s not just looking at a plantation, he’s looking at a forest. That means every seed has the capacity to become a forest. So when you have a seed in your hand you actually have a forest. It is transforming or translating that seed into a forest that you need to know, and God has given you the wisdom.
Everything you need for success is inside you. Invest in yourself, because you are your greatest asset. When you invest in yourself, ignorance and poverty will run from you. The word of God should be your ultimate source of knowledge, believe in the word of God and speak the word of God.
Allow the Spirit God to work in you to bring out the best of God in your life. There is so much in your life that you have not seen yet. What you have seen and done so far is just a drop in the ocean of what you can accomplish. Let there be a strong desire inside you to reach out for the best that God has packaged in your life.
Remember you are the best of God.
God bless you.
CONFESSION:
I am the best of God. There is so much God has deposited in my life. Everything I need in life is in me.
LEARN MORE: 1 Corinthians 2:9
Saturday 10th September, 2022
WORSHIP CENTRE
Text: “Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.” John 4:20
Before the coming of Jesus religion specified a specific place where man must worship. The implication is that a man could not really come in contact with God or have access to his provisions until he comes to that specified worship centre.
In verse twenty-one of the same chapter, Jesus stated clearly that worship will no longer be limited to a specific place or Church building. We don’t have to wait until we get to a Church building anymore before we come in contact with God.
The new order is that worship is more of an attitude and disposition to God, rather than a place. This can take place anywhere. It therefore means that we have an unrestricted and unlimited access to God. Anywhere and anytime we can approach God and have the best of him.
The office where you spend most of your time is a worship centre today. The shop where you sell goods is a worship centre. The classroom where you receive lectures is a worship centre. Wherever you are you can lift up your hands there and just celebrate God.
There is no specific time that worship is accepted more than other time. It could be done any time. In the midst of a business transaction worship can go on in your heart. It doesn’t even have to be a specific time; it could be all the time. The heart of man is the worship centre today. Wherever you can take your heart to, you can worship God and access his help for your day. With this approach God can reach us anytime, anywhere. This weekend you’ll have unusual access to God.
PRAYER:
Lord my heart is the worship centre. Speak to me; work in me today whenever you want.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 34:1-2, Acts 17:28
Friday 9th December, 2022
HOLY AND ACCEPTABLE
Text: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”Rom 12:1
In the Old Testament animals were offered unto God as sacrifices. But they were offered dead. Once they are offered the person offering them gives them over to God. God does not require those sacrifices again. Jesus has been offered once to God on our behalf. What God requires today is that each one of us offers ourselves to him today as living sacrifices.
We are offering ourselves to be used of God as vessels unto honour; Qualified for the master’s use. God can use anything, but the degree of usage will be determined by the quality of our vessels.
Holiness is a must if we are going to carry divine virtues into our generation. God is still on the lookout for men and women like Joseph and Daniel who will not allow the temporary pleasures of this world to soil their garments. Sin reduces our capacity to function in God’s determined end for our lives. The purposes of God are frustrated on the altar of impurity. Samson was anointed to the teeth right from the womb. It was purely a matter of divine placement, but for him to keep carrying that unction he had to live holy. We cannot continue in sin and ask the grace of God to abound. Sin frustrates the grace of God. None of us can function outside the grace of God. Grace is our secret access to life. We are saved by it and we also become everything else by it.
This is a life that is acceptable to God. We can come to God with all our sinfulness. But once we have come we must be cleaned up and go on to sin no more.
PRAYER:
Lord thank you for the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus. I declare that sin shall no longer have dominion over me.
LEARN MORE: John 8:1-11, Rom 6:1-14
Thursday 8th December, 2022
BE DIFFERENT
Text: “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you” 2 Corinthians 6:17
Standing in life and becoming all we are required to be will be extremely difficult if you have to blend with your environment. There is an ungodly demand on our lives today that will automatically hinder the purpose of God for our lives if we blend with it.
You cannot be a part of a problem you are meant to solve. Wherever we find ourselves in life we are meant to represent God there, we are supposed to stand out there and be someone that can point others to God. A decision to be different in a positive sense is a decision to be used of God in that sphere of influence that you find yourself.
Your value system must be different. What seems important to you must be different from the unbelieving world. If that is not the case you’ll realize that your choices and decisions will be exactly like unbelievers around you.
Your goals and pursuits in life must be different. For so many people their highest goals are just to feed themselves and dress smarter in the latest fashion in town. Your goals in life should include discovering God’s purpose for your life and walking in the centre of God’s will for your life. Living your life this way will mark you for great things in life.
You must be different in your commitment to God. For so many commitments to God is shallow and partial. Most commitments to God are for selfish reasons. Daniel made a commitment to God that was total and final. There was no way he could have survived without praying to God. The three Hebrew boys were ready to die for what they believed.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I declare my freedom from everything that is unclean.
LEARN MORE: Dan 1:8, Dan 6:6-10
Wednesday 7th December, 2022
CULTURED LIFE
Text: “Blessed are thou. O land, when thy King is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness.” Ecclesiastes 10:17
In societies where the royal family is highly valued and respected, there is an established way of life that everyone expects of the King, the Queen and even the princes and princesses. Right from birth they are trained and cultured to behave in a particular way. They are trained to dress in a particular way and carry themselves in a particular way. There are places they don’t go to. All these are because they occupy a leadership position that must be above reproach.
I strongly believe that as believers we are made as kings and priests, the influence of God’s word and the outworking of the Holy Spirit in our lives should “culture” our lives. We are not talking about a
“restricted” life, but rather a life in which you are built and positioned to live a life that is respected and above reproach. A life in which you can be a positive influence on others.
1. There are places you should not be found. The scripture talks about sitting in the seat of the scornful. Wherever your integrity will be questioned is a wrong place to be.
2. There are relationships you should never attempt to enter. It will be completely out of place if you are dating an unbeliever. What agreement has light with Darkness? How can Christ fellowship with Belial. What an odd combination.
3. There is a way you shouldn’t dress. Your dressing speaks volumes about you. It will be difficult to see that you are representing Christ when your sensitive parts are exposed.
4. There are things you wouldn’t do not because they are wrong per se, but because you are royalty.
CONFESSION:
I live a life of royalty. I am disciplined.
LEARN MORE: 1 Corinthians 6:12, 2 Corinthians 6:14-1
Tuesday 6th September, 2022
DIVINE IDEAS
Text: “But there is a Spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.” Job 32:8
As it ever occurred to you that when God created the heavens and the earth he did not “finish” creation. There are so many things that we have today that did not exist then. I am typing on a computer as I write this devotional that was not there in the book of genesis. Virtually everything we have today was a direct creation of a man. Men were exposed to divine ideas that have revolutionized the world.
The process of creation is still on. The Spirit of God is still bringing to existence things that have never happened before through men and women that will open up their hearts for a flow of divine ideas.
The bridge between your today and your glorious destiny is an idea that will change the course of your life.
Jacob had served his father-in-law for about twenty years with really nothing to show for it in terms of wealth until he had a divine idea to produce animals that made him rich. It was something no one had done before. By that single idea he became richer than his father-in-law
Joseph had a divine idea of how to preserve grains in Egypt that kept them all through the famine. That single idea took him to the throne. That idea was a direct product of the Spirit of God.
This is one major advantage we all have by the presence of the Holy Spirit that dwells in us. I see a flow of divine ideas in your life that will take your life from zero to hero. The idea may not look big initially, but if we embrace it and work on it, it will flourish and bring us to the top.
CONFESSION:
There is a flow of divine ideas in my life. Things that have never been done before are coming forth in my life.
LEARN MORE: Genesis 41:37-44
Sunday 4th December, 2022
LIFE'S TRAINING 3
Text: “And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and looked upon them, and, behold they were sad.” Genesis 40:6
We could have said that it was easy for Joseph to go through those experiences because he knew this was training for him. Nobody told him it was training. It was completely informal training. He just did what was right to do. The training that prepares us for destiny may not necessarily come formal with a time of resumption, exam timetables, and the day of graduation. If this was the case it will be easy for everyone to recognize it and stay through it. This is where the challenge is. The training for destiny comes unannounced. We are exposed to people and various circumstances that are meant to train us and prepare us for our destiny.
The following attitudes will help us to make the most of every opportunity for training.
1. Don’t take for granted the privileges you have today. In every privilege is a seed of a tomorrow. Where you are is the best place to start the journey to where you are going. The days of little beginnings are the bedrock for a greater tomorrow God has prepared for us.
2. Learn to treat people right in your path in life. The servants that Joseph met in the prison were the ones that introduced him to Pharaoh. Joseph could have said this are mere servants, what can they offer? He was so kind to them. He understood the importance of relationships. Someone that has no relationship with the man that he could see will also miss out so much with God.
3. Be willing to serve and make your contribution anywhere and in any circumstance. It could just be that someone that will introduce you to the next level of your life is around.
PRAYER:
Lord open my eyes to recognize the training moments.
LEARN MORE: Zechariah 4:10, 1 John 4:20
Saturday 3rd December , 2022
LIFE'S TRAINING 2
Text: “And the Lord was with Joseph....and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.” Genesis 39:2
We’ll continue today from where we stopped yesterday. Joseph went through a proper and complete training as a result of all the experiences he went through.
In the house of Potiphar he went through the training of how to manage the business of another man. He became like the administrator (overseer) in that house. This was the first time any assignment will be committed into his hand. He did his assignments so well that the master commended him for it. He also learnt in the house of Potiphar how to separate frivolous pleasure from destiny.
He was unjustly thrown in the prison and even there his training in administration continued there. God used these circumstances to train him for his destiny. Because his movement was restricted in the prison he learnt solitude with God and in that process he realised he could interpret dreams. There was no account of ever interpreting dreams until he got to the prison. It was this same gift he discovered in the prison that took him to the throne. He also met the man who introduced him to Pharaoh in the prison.
If you study the life of Joseph carefully you’ll notice that the same job of administration that he did in Potiphar’s house and in the prison is the same thing he did eventually as a second in command in the Palace. He simply did it at another high level.
The truth is that your life will become exactly five or ten years from now what you are presently doing with your life. The “present” of your life is your training time. If you are wasting today waiting for the big break to come you will suddenly realise that the big break never showed up because you are not prepared for it.
PRAYER:
Lord help me by your Spirit to be prepared for what you have prepared for me in life. Help me never to miss any training required for the top.
LEARN MORE: Genesis 39:4, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Friday 2nd December, 2022
LIFE TRAINING 1
Text: “Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.”Genesis 37:3
The story of Joseph is one of the most inspiring stories for me in the Bible. Each time I meditate on his story I seems to learn something new. God has taught me so much from his life.
He went through different levels of challenges in his life. But if you look closely you’ll notice that each of those experiences culminated into what he eventually became in the King’s palace. Each experience was a training ground for him. He was actually a well beloved child by his father. He was more or less a spoilt child. Everything he needed was made available by his father. Eventually he had a glimpse into God’s ultimate program and purpose for his life. For this to ever come through he needed to live the comfort zone of his biological father. He had to be exposed to situations and circumstances that will develop him on the inside and sharpen his skills to function in the high places.
If he had grown up in his father’s house wearing the cloth of many colours he could never have been able to get to the greatest height he got to.
There is someone reading or listening to the audio today, you may not be working where you have always wanted to work, but can you see where you are as a training ground. It’s common for God to first of all expose us to what looks like where we are going, so that by the time we get there we’ll be fully prepared. No matter how much you pray and fast it will still be required that you get trained and prepared for where you are going. This may require that you serve under someone, work for some time with a firm or company, the salary and remuneration may not be perfect, but if you do it right, it will prepare you.
CONFESSION:
God is working in me, preparing me for his ultimate destiny for my life. No challenge is a waste.
LEARN MORE: Gen 14:14
Thursday 1st December, 2022
DIVINE INITIATION
Text: “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof,but canst not tell whence it cometh,and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.” John 3:8
There are two major types of birth, natural birth and spiritual birth. John 1:13; 3:6-8. Every human being is born of the flesh (Natural birth) but not everyone is born of the Spirit (Spiritual birth).
The major difference between these two types of birth is that natural birth is the initiation into the natural life while spiritual birth is an initiation into the supernatural life.
The natural birth which produces the natural life is the reason why we think there is no way a man can live above sin. This is why we think it’s not possible to live above sickness. This is the reason people die of one sickness or another. The spiritual birth is the initiation into the very life of God, so that we can begin to experience life like God and function in his realm and capacity.
The spiritual birth is described in the following manner:
1. Born of God, John 1:13, 1 John 4:4
2. Born of the Spirit, John 3:6-8
3. Born of the incorruptible seed, 1 Peter 1:23
Natural birth makes us man-kind. Spiritual birth makes us God-kind. Everyone produces after their kind. The description of your life as a child of God should be God-kind. Every challenge around your life should bow to the God-kind.
Once a man is born again the man is initiated into the supernatural life of God. Life ceases to be ordinary but extraordinary. We have ceased to be natural but supernatural. There are things that are no more consistent with your life. Sickness, failure, sin and so on are no longer consistent with your life.
I want to ask you in this first day of the last month of the year are you born again? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? You can do that now by inviting Jesus into your heart.
CONFESSION:
I am initiated into God. His life has become my life. His nature has become my nature.
LEARN MORE: Romans 6:14, 1 John 3:9
Wednesday 30th November, 2022
STANDING IN THE GAP
Text: “And I sought for a man among them,that should make up the edge, and stand in the gap before me for the land….” Ezekiel 22:30
I strongly believe that the life of a believer should be a life that flows out. A life that is constantly reaching out to others. The irony of it is that the more we reach out the more God reaches us. The more we flow out the more our lives are enriched. One major trademark of genuine Christianity is that there is a constant desire in us to be a blessing to other people around us.
One major way that we can all be a blessing and reach out to others is to pray for them; carrying their burdens upon ourselves in prayer. We may not have all the money to help someone out of a challenge but we can pray them out of the challenge. We may be constrained by distance in terms of reaching someone but there is no distance constraint in the realm of the Spirit. Our prayer can go anywhere and reach anyone.
We may not be able to fly abroad but our prayer can do so. The high fence of a house may keep us away from reaching someone but your prayer can reach them.
Maybe your children are far away from you there is no barrier to reaching them; you can do so every day in prayer. Maybe a loved one is in a desperate need somewhere; you are not helpless about it. You can pray and be a blessing to them. You can wake up in the night and reach out to someone very far away. Instead of getting anxious and worried about what’s happening to a loved one far away the best thing to do is to pray and cover them in prayer. Where we cannot go the hand of God can go; we move his hand in prayer. God can take care of your loved ones more than you can do. Even if you are with them, it’s God’s presence that makes the difference and not your presence. I strongly believe there is a mother that needs to take this word serious today. Stop that fear and anxiety; release that burden to God.
CONFESSION:
Lord I cover my loved ones (Mention their names) in the blood of Jesus. I declared them secured.
LEARN MORE: Job 42:10, Ephesians 1:16
Tuesday 29th November, 2022
INNER STRENGHT
Text: “That he would grant you ...to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man.” Ephesians 3:16
Every man on the face of the earth operates from three different levels. This is clearly expressed in 1 Thess 5:23 “...I pray your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless...” We therefore have three levels from which we can operate from; the spirit, the soul and the body.
Let’s take it from the least to the greatest and most important. The body is the outer part of a man through which he relates with the physical world. Science has made it possible for us to develop our bodies. Several exercises are available to build great muscles. The best of cosmetics are in the market to make the body look excellent. With all this the human body is still subject to sickness and every possible weakness.
The human soul is the intellectual part of man that can be developed through rigorous study and research work. As good and important this could be its still subject to the decay of this world.
The most important part of man is the spirit of the man. This is also referred to as the inner man or the hidden man of the heart. This is actually the real man where his life is determined. The greatest human strength is one that comes from within. The unfortunate thing is that this is one area of our lives that is most neglected. The ability to face life depends so much on the state of our spirit. It takes the inner man to sustain the outer man.
We spend so much on cloths and looking good; but hardly invest anything in our inner strength. We are strengthened by God’s Spirit in our inner man as we take in a daily dose of God’s word and we spend quality time in prayer.
CONFESSION:
I am strengthened with might by God’s Spirit on a daily basis. My inner man is strong enough to face life.
LEARN MORE: Acts 20:32, 2 Corinthians 4:16, Jude 20
Monday 28th November, 2022
SENTENCED TO LIFE
Text: “...I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John 10:10
I am really excited to share these words with you today. This was a statement made by Jesus himself. He was not joking with words. He meant every word spoken. This is more or less the summary of why he came. This is the ultimate goal of redemption; that we may have life and have to overflowing.
I’m sure you have heard of “sentenced to death” before. It simply means a judgment has been passed and someone is condemned to die for an offence committed. But in our own case we have been sentenced to life. The case was judged and concluded on the cross. This was judged in our favour. Jesus took our place in death; he literally became us so that we can become him. Now we have every right to life. We are sentenced to life.
Life here is not just talking of been alive. Life here connotes the very life of God. By virtue of the new birth the life of God has become our own. This is a life that is higher and superior in quality to every other form of life. This is the life that is indestructible; it’s a life that is not subject to corruption or decay. Therefore we have a life that is higher and superior in quality.
We have the right to live; we have the right to every good thing life can offer. We have every right to become all that God designed for us from the foundation of the earth. This life is completely Satan-free; the devil has no more right whatsoever around our lives. With the life of God in us there is no earthly reason that is good enough for us to be a failure in life. We have been brought to the very life of God. I want to encourage you to take advantage of the very life of God in you and refuse to settle for anything less.
PRAYER:
I have the life of God in me. It’s working in my spirit, soul and body. I am taken over by the life of God.
LEARN MORE: 1 John 5:11-13
Sunday 27th November, 2022
LITTLE MEMBER
Text: “Even so the tongue is a little member and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth.” James 3:5-6
The tongue is said to be a little member of our body in terms of size. But in terms of function it controls the entire course of a man’s life. Because its little we may take its functions for granted but that will be at a great peril. The tongue produces words. The words of our mouth therefore control our lives. The scriptures have so much to say on the use of the tongue.
From our anchor scripture the tongue cannot really be tamed naturally; it can only be tamed spiritually because with God all things are possible. If the tongue is not tamed it will create more havoc than we can handle. An untamed tongue is an uncontrollable tongue. A tongue that speaks contrary to God’s word is untamed.
The end result of an untamed tongue is that it will set everything on fire. It will set families on fire; it will set a church on fire. It will set everything good in our lives on fire. It can set on fire what we have spent years of labour to build. To set on fire means to destroy. This is actually self-destruction. It’s therefore important that our tongues are used purely for constructive purposes. The tongue can be a very useful instrument in building our lives and building others.
The tongue is tamed principally by the word of God and the influence of the Holy Spirit. If a man is not under the control of the word of God and the Holy Spirit the tongue will always misbehave. As the word of God takes root in our hearts it also flows to our tongues.
Prov 15:4 says “A wholesome tongue is a tree of life; but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit.” A perverse tongue creates a major vacuum in our spirit.
PRAYER:
Lord by the help of your Spirit my words will be under control. Lord put a seal over my mouth.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 19:14, Ps 141:3, Proverbs 10:19,
Saturday 26th November, 2022
MADE THE HEAD
Text: “And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only and thou shalt not be beneath....” Deuteronomy 28:13
The word of God is so clear about certain issues. It’s also important for us to also be clear about them. “Made the head” as our topic suggests today is God’s program for every one of us. We all have equal right’s in God to be so. Today we’ll explore some fundamental principles that will ensure the fulfilment of God’s counsels. We are never designed to be the tail. The Religious mind will say “How can all of us be the head?” Life is an individual responsibility and decision; we all can choose what we want to be. God’s word gives us an open invitation.
The first thing I want to emphasize is that being the head does not necessarily mean being a boss or a leader somewhere. This can be involved but not limited to that. Being the head simply means being the best in God’s purpose and calling over our lives. You cannot really be the head outside God’s purpose for your life. When you are the best in God’s purpose for your life you will eventually stand out wherever you are found.
Daniel became the head in a strange land because he made God the number one priority of his life. Becoming the head is not just by human effort; it will take God to be so. As we make God our highest priority in life he also ensures that we also occupy where we belong in life. Daniel was so dependent on God; everyone was asked not to pray but Daniel could not afford that. He knew that his making was not in the hand of the king but in the hand of the King of kings. Daniel had a quality walk of purity before God; he knew that been defiled takes a man to the tail side of life. Daniel became the head also because the Spirit of God was mightily at work in his life. Please make your choice today; the head or the tail?
CONFESSION:
I am the head and not the tail. The Spirit of God is working in me to rise to the top in God’s purpose.
LEARN MORE: Deuteronomy 28:1-2
Friday 25th November, 2022
DIVINE LIFTING
Text: “He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill.” Psalm 113:7
Every encounter with God does not leave a man on the same spot. The ultimate end product of a quality walk with God is divine lifting. Everyone that genuinely walked with God ended up being lifted by God. It’s never a waste of time walking with God. It will end up in greatness; it will end up in divine lifting.
All over the scriptures, divine lifting was experienced in different ways for different people. Abraham came out of a family of idol worshippers; from that low point he became the father of faith. Joseph had a dream as a young teenager. Everything in the natural turned against him; but he ended up lifted to be second in command in one of the most powerful nations at that time. Esther from a very humble background also was lifted to become the queen of the land. David was the youngest of so many highly qualified brothers. David was taken from following sheep to becoming a King over God’s heritage. Each of these lifts couldn’t have been possible if not for God’s involvement in their lives. Where most of these people were found could not compare with where each of them ended.
I want to state clearly that God did not ask us to seek him in vain. There is so much to gain in God and nothing to lose. The only thing you stand to lose is a life in the low places. By the time God is through with you the whole world will gather to celebrate you.
I want to announce to you that there is a divine lifting coming your way. God is taking your from the miry clay and establishing your feet upon the rock to stay. He’s taking you from the dunghill of life and setting you among the princes.
PRAYER:
Father thank you for the divine lifting taking place in my life. Thank you for great heights you are taking me to.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 40:2; 75:6
Thursday 24th November, 2022
DIVINE SECURITY
Text: “Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about all that he hath on every side..? “Job 1:10
I want you to note that this statement in our anchor scripture today was directly made by Satan himself. There was divine security around this man Job. This is not talking about physical walls and fences. It was a security that was not visible to the physical eyes.
It’s possible that Job never knew that the hedge was there. The reason why the devil was making reference to this is because there was no way he could have gained access to afflict Job. The devil needed that hedge to be removed for him to gain entrance.
The hedge around Job and his household is what we refer to as divine security. I strongly believe that the same dimension of security is available for every one of us as believers. It’s important that we become conscious of the reality of this divine security around our lives. It does not matter what the enemy is bringing against us; we are secured in the divine protective arms.
This hedge is adversely affected when our lives are filled with fear. Fear is an expression of a lack of confidence in God and what he has provided for us. This is exactly what Job experienced. The few entrances that Satan had caused so much havoc around the life of Job. The devil has every opportunity to kill, steal and destroy once we live void of this understanding. The life of a believer is a life of faith; seeing what the word says as reality. As you go out every day let this be your consciousness and awareness. Inside the car, the hedge is around you; inside the plane, the hedge is there. Inside your house the hedge is there. Building fences around your house is of no use when the divine security is not there. No fence can stop the arrows of the enemy. The divine security can handle whatever is thrown against you; physical or spiritual.
PRAYER:
Father thank you for the divine hedge around my life and all that belongs to me. I am secured from every attack of the enemy.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 34:7; 91:10-12
Wednesday 23rd November, 2022
DIVINE REPLACEMENT
Text: “For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place….” Esther 4:14
The Jews had a major challenge on their lives. There was a major threat on their lives as a people. Haman had concluded all strategies to deal with them. He was able to secure the permission for his scheme. There was a need for someone who had influence in the palace to rise to the occasion and take a step to avert this danger. The only person at this point who was in that position was Queen Esther. She could either fold her arms and do nothing or rise to the occasion.
Mordecai sent a message to Queen Esther to tell her that if she keeps quiet help will come from another place. It was a divine privilege that Queen Esther had and she could not afford to miss out on that privilege. Each one of us must recognise and take advantage of the privileges that God has given us today. God has placed certain responsibilities on us and if we fail to carry them out they will shift to another person. If Queen Esther had not acted God would have looked for an alternative means of saving the Jews. God can never be stranded.
This is what we mean by divine replacement. It’s a privilege to have the positions we have. It’s a privilege to have the influences we have.
Jesus also emphasised this truth to the Jews. He said to them that if they keep quiet God will raise up unto himself stones that will praise him. God can make use of very strange sources. If God gives you an assignment and you refuse to carry it out he will use another source. His purpose on the earth can never be defeated; we’ll be the one losing out on the privilege that God gave us.
I want you to look closely at your life today and see the privileges that God has given you. How many of them are you utilising well. Maybe he gave you a voice to sing and bless a particular people. If you hide away God will look for a replacement.
PRAYER:
Lord I receive help today to recognise my opportunities and to make the best use of them.
LEARN MORE: Luke 19:39-40
Tuesday 22nd November, 2022
DIVINE PLACEMENT
Text: “And David said unto Michal, it was before the Lord which chose me before thy father, and before all his house to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord...” 2 Samuel 6:21
We are going to look at the life of David and Apostle Paul as our case study today. The lives of these two people are certainly examples for us of what God can do through our lives. There is an aspect of their lives which I want us to take very close. Obviously both of them cannot be ignored in scriptures. If you look closely at their lives you’ll notice that both of them were not really qualified for the greatness that they experienced. Coincidentally both of them were murderers at some stage in their lives.
What God did in their lives was purely a divine decision. It was a divine placement. There was no way either of them could have attained the height they got to by their efforts alone. I strongly believe that the same dimension of divine placement can take place in our lives.
A very close look at their lives will reveal two major things that would have prompted this divine placement. God is still on the lookout for such people that he can place in heights that are far beyond this world. The first major thing is that these individuals at a point yielded their entire lives to God. There was nothing they held back from God. Their lives were sold out to him.
One other thing that marked them out for divine placement was a humble disposition to life. David had his own share of mistakes; grievous ones. But he had a humble heart to repent before God and not give excuse for his sins. He had a contrite heart; a broken heart before God. Paul was used so mightily but he never took credit for any of it. He attributed his labour and all that he did to the grace of God. This is the path to divine placement.
PRAYER:
Lord I humble myself before you and I yield my entire life to you. I give you everything in my life.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 131:1-2, 1 Corinthians 15:10
Monday 21st November, 2022
SATISFIED EARLY
Text: “O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.” Psalm 90:14
I’m going to lead you in a couple of prayers today after sharing some thoughts with you. I want to encourage you to take out time to pray from the depth of your heart.
Life comes in phases and stages. There are certain things that should happen at a particular phase and stage of our lives. Abraham had an encounter with God at the age of seventy five which was great but I also believe that encountering God as a teenager is better. It’s possible to earn a degree at any age but its better in the early twenties. A lady can go to school after she’s married but it’s better to do so as a single lady. The stress will be less.
When things are delayed it comes with extra burdens and demands on us. It’s better to do things on time and at the right time. Our anchor scripture today talks about God satisfying us early with his mercy. The key word is “early”, I’m sure you understand that. We can trust God for this. Let’s go ahead to pray. Don’t just read and say amen; take out time to pray.
1. Lord help me to discover your plans and purpose for my life on time. Open my eyes Lord on time.
2. Help me Lord not to waste my time, energy and resources on relationships and ventures that has no connection with your plans for my life.
3. Lord satisfy me early with your goodness academically, maritaly etc. Every seed of delay is cursed.
4. Lord I ask for a divine prompting inside me to take the right steps at the right time in every area of my life. Lord I connect to “on time” grace today.
5. Lift up your hands in thanksgiving for answers to prayers. Father thank you for answers to prayers.
CONFESSION:
I will fulfil destiny on time. No delays in my life.
LEARN MORE: Jeremiah 29:11-13, Philippians 4:6
Sunday 20th November, 2022
EMPTIED LIFE
Text: “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7
I want to quickly ask you to note that we are not talking of an empty life. We are talking of a full life that is emptied in becoming all that God wants us to become. An empty life will suggest a life that is barren and empty of virtues to impact the world. This is not the story of believers. We have the life of God in us. We are filled with the Spirit of God. God has packaged in our recreated spirit divine virtues to be a blessing to this world.
The life of Paul is a case study for us today. His life was emptied in active stewardship to God and humanity. He went through so much trials and hardships just to make a difference in the life of others. He was a man that lived for others more than living for himself. In this process he finished his course. He did all that God wanted him to do. He became all that God wanted him to become. There was no stone left unturned in his life. Every one of us has a “course” that God wants us to finish. In our good old age we should be able to say “I finished my course”. This will mean different things to different people. For a song writer it means you would have written all the songs God wants you to write. For a pastor you would have pastored all the people God wants you to pastor to maturity. To a book writer you would have written all the books God has placed inside you.
It will be wrong to reach your old age still full. There won’t be any use of the great potentials you have in d grave. This is the only one chance you have to touch lives and impact this world with the investment of your personality. There is no point preserving your “brand” for the grave. God gave you to expend it here. I want to encourage you to develop a passion for touching lives. We actually gain as we empty ourselves.
PRAYER:
Lord take hold of my life by your Spirit to find full expression of your gifts and potentials in me.
LEARN MORE: Proverbs 11:24-25, Philippians 3:12-14
Saturday 19th November, 2022
SENT BY GOD
Text: “Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.” Genesis 45:6
The brothers of Joseph were one of the wicked set of human beings that ever existed. They hated Joseph so much that they literally wanted to kill him.
Eventually he was sold like a mere animal into slavery. The young man was subjected to this cruel treatment. He could not have access to the loving embrace of his father again.
So many years down the line the same set of brothers went to Egypt to get food and there they discovered that Joseph was still alive.
Eventually when Joseph was responding to them, he stated that he was wrongly sold into Egypt, but it was God that sent him there to preserve lives. Joseph recognized that in everything that happens to us in life there is an eternal purpose of God that can come out of it. This is the kind of mindset that we should develop in life. This will help us to relate with life from a higher perspective.
It’s also true that wherever we find ourselves in life we are sent there by God to fulfil a divine mandate. The place may not be a place you would have loved to be, but can you see yourself as someone sent there on divine agenda. God has sent you to that office to fully represent him there. God has brought you to that family to effect a change there. God has brought that boy or girl into your life to help him or her discover destiny.
This mind-set of being on divine assignment changes our attitude and disposition to wherever we find ourselves per time. Instead of complaining and trying to force yourself out of the place, allow God to use you there before your time of exist. If God cannot depend on you where you are now, what is the possibility that it will happen in your dream place?
CONFESSION:
I am on divine assignment. God has sent me to my world. Whatever God needs to be done are done through me.
LEARN MORE: John 17:18
Friday 18th November, 2022
ALL THINGS ARE NEW
Text: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new. “2 Corinthians 5:17
Once a man comes into Christ through the new birth experience the man becomes a completely new person – a new creature in Christ. It does not matter what the man had done before, it does not matter where the man is coming from “…. If any man…”. The worst of sinners is included. Notice again the bible says “…. He is…” not that he is going to be when he has cleaned up or read through the whole bible. It’s a present state reality.
The new creation man is a new species of being, one that never existed before. A brand-new life that has no past, no history of sin, failure or mistake. The old man that committed sin was nailed to the cross with Christ.
The new life we have as believers have no connection with natural descent, John 1:12-13. This life has no connection with the corruption that is in the world (2 Pet 1:4). Whatever is wrong in the past, family or lineage does not apply to this new life. This new being has no history of generational curses but rather generational blessings because its origin is found in God. (1 John 4:4, Ephesians 1:3).
As new creations we have the life and nature of God. Every creature produces after its kind. We are supposed to produce after God’s-kind not just man-kind. Men are not controlled by their condition but by the state and content of their spirit.
These are truths that you must know and accept as reality beyond what you see and what happens around you.
CONFESSION:
I am a new creation. I have the very life of God in me. I function and produce exactly like God. Programmed into my spirit is success.
LEARN MORE: Ephesians 4:24
Thursday 17th November, 2022
BUILDING YOURSELF
Text: “But ye, beloved building up yourself on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost.” Jude 20
I strongly believe that one of the things that God wants to see happen in our lives is that each one of us becomes extremely impactful and influential in our sphere of influence. There are people God has connected to you that will receive their mental, spiritual and life nourishment from your life. We can only offer what we have. We can only be as relevant to the extent to which we are built up. The relevance of your life is determined by the investment of your personality. Don’t just invest in things, invest in yourself.
Building up you is so important. Refusing to do it implies that you are a selfish person. It’s so rewarding and fulfilling when you realise that lives are been changed by your contact with them.
Building up ourselves is essentially our personal responsibility. Don’t blame anyone for your spiritual state. Take the bulls by the horns and pay the price for your spiritual and mental growth.
We grow primarily in three ways:
1. Praying frequently and extensively in the Spirit. This is a major means by which we build up ourselves. Praying in tongues is the breathe of the human spirit and it ensures that we are built up from within.
2. The word of God is also a vital tool for building up ourselves. It builds you up to be relevant in every area of life. It gives us the right mind-set to life. It also trains our mouths to be able to say the right words to people around us.
3. Reaching out to people challenges you and forces us to grow.
POWER POINT:
The relevance of your life is determined by the investment of your personality.
LEARN MORE: Proverbs 11:24, Acts 20:32
Wednesday 16th November, 2022
LEARN OF ME
Text: “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me: for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28
This is a continuation from what we learnt yesterday. Learning is supposed to be a lifetime pursuit for every one of us as believers. Learning about life and the things of God should be a daily pursuit in our lives.
Once we stop learning we stop growing mentally and spiritually, we also cease to be relevant in our sphere of influence. Our growth spiritually is in direct proportion to the amount of learning taking place in our lives.
Learning is not just about acquiring more information but rather:
1. Improving on ourselves
2. Becoming a matured Christian
3. Developing your inner man to function at a higher level of life.
4. Developing a heart of faith
5. Training to become masters over situations.
Reading your bible, reading solid Christian materials and listening to the word on various audio formats should be as important to you as your daily food. Even if you don’t like food at least you eat once in a day. Just as we feed our body, our soul and our spirits must also be fed every day. The unfortunate thing is that we can spend a whole life time neglecting our spirit. The spirit man therefore becomes so weak to channel our course in life. When you are faced with the challenges of life what comes out of you will depend on how much training your spirit has received prior to that challenge. One privilege of learning scriptures is that it brings us to know more of Christ so that we can function more like him.
If you are too busy to learn then you are too small to be relevant.
CONFESSION:
There is a transformation taking place in my life daily. God’s word is taking charge of my spirit daily.
LEARN MORE: 2 Cor 4:16
Tuesday 15th November, 2022
KNOWING SCRIPTURES
Text: “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” 2 Timothy 3:15
Imagine knowing so much about things that don’t add value to us. There are people that know the history and family background of all the European league footballers. That may not be wrong if it adds value to you. What is the use of knowing something so much and it does not add any value to you. It does not make you a better person nor add to your bank account. What you know should be something that makes a difference in your life. We must understand not all knowledge adds equal value to a man. We should therefore prioritise our knowledge pursuit on the basis of the value and benefits they add to us.
From our anchor scriptures knowing the Holy Scriptures is the most important pursuit of knowledge we can have in life. The scriptures have the ability to make us wise and bring us to salvation.
When a man is wise he handles life differently. Becoming wise produces in us a sense of direction and mission in life. One of the greatest virtues of life is knowing exactly what to do with our lives. We cease to live our lives in the realm of trial and guesses. This produces a level of confidence and assurance in a man. This is a major requirement for exploits in life.
Knowing the scriptures will produce in you results that no higher institution of learning can produce in you. Unlike the course of study in school that will prepare you for a career, God’s word will prepare you to handle life. We’ll do well to invest quality time getting to know the scriptures as we depend on the Holy Spirit to teach us.
The word of God is profitable; it will produce amazing results in our lives as we receive it with meekness of heart.
CONFESSION:
The word of God is changing me and making me wise.
LEARN MORE: 1 Timothy 4:15, 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Monday 14th November, 2022
BEARING FRUIT UPWARD
Text: “And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward.” Isaiah 37:31
Every plant experience two major types of growth. A downward growth and an upward growth. The upward growth is dependent on the downward growth. The downward growth is not so feasible but so important to the overall state of the plant.
The root serves majorly the function of growing downward to absorb nutrients that are required for upward growth. The root also serves as an anchor for the plant against the wind. Very shallow rooted plants have less resistance to storms; they are easily thrown off balance.
Everything we have said concerning roots is also applicable to the Christian life. There is a part of us that is not seen with the physical eyes but determines the rate of our showing up in God’s plans and purpose.
The more we grow into God in knowledge and understanding the more the beauty of our lives comes forth. We must all come to the point where we are filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. This is a downward spiritual growth that determines how much of fruits that are seen in our lives.
We must also grow downward in character and Christian virtues. This will clearly mark you out in life.
Most plants with shallow roots are seasonal plants, they survive one season and they are gone. This is also true for shallow rooted believers. They don’t stand the test of time. When we are deeply rooted in God we’ll realise that the storms of life get us stronger rather than throw us off the balance.
PRAYER:
I declare in the name of Jesus that I am growing downward in God and bearing fruits upward.
LEARN MORE: Colossians 1:9-11, 2 Peter 1:5-11
Sunday 13th November, 2022
NEGLECTING YOUR GIFT
Text: “Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.” 1 Timothy 4:14
Life does not just happen. Life is not a game of chance. There is what God has given you to move up in life. What we do with what God has given us is what determines our ultimate status in life. The unfortunate thing is that we can spend a whole lifetime pursuing what is not available for us while we are neglecting what God has already given us.
By the impartation of the Holy Spirit that God has given us there are gifts already imparted into your spirit man. Each one of us is loaded. We are a bundle of divine virtues that are meant to take us places in life. We take our place as we engage the gifts that God has given us.
But it’s possible that what you have may not look so impressive. It may even look like something that has no future. Please understand that this is the way every gift looked initially. There is no body that has a great gift today that began that way. Every gift began from a seed-form. It’s not the size of a seed that determines its product. There is an inherent ability in the smallest seed to produce the tallest tree. In the gift that God has given you is the inherent ability to make you a worldwide phenomenon.
If you neglect the gift of God in you, you’ll be neglected in life. The gift of God is what gives you a voice on the earth. Whatever God has given us develops as we begin to trade with it. Pouring yourself into active Kingdom service with your gifts places a multiplying effect on your gift. Whatever you allow God to use multiplies. What you have may not be exactly like someone else but please celebrate it. When you embrace and celebrate your gifts you’ll end up as a celebrity in life.
CONFESSION:
The gift of God is been stirred up in me. The gift of God in me is growing and finding full manifestation.
LEARN MORE: Job 8:7, Romans 8:19
Saturday 12th November, 2022
MAKING ROOM IN LIFE
Text: “A man’s gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men.” Proverbs 18:16
We really don’t have to wait for anyone to make room for us in life. If you do that you may have to wait for a very long time or even wait for ever. The truth is that God has not placed us at the mercy of circumstances and organisations. In the midst of the worst situations of life we can make a room for ourselves. If you wait for your uncle or parents to make a way for you it might get you frustrated.
God has placed in each one of us what it’s required to make a room in life. There is a divine gift in you that are designed to help you locate a room in life. Even when there are no vacancies in life the gift of God in us will make a room for us.
1. Discover the gift of God in you by developing an intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the one that reveals things to us.
2. Place high value on your gift – Celebrate what God has placed in your life. The value you place on what you have is the price others will place on it.
3. Fine-tune yourself – Develop whatever you have. Everything we have was given us in a “raw” state, it has to be processed and developed.
4. Announce your gift – Be confident enough to help
.
people out with your gift. When there is a problem to be solved that requires your gift don’t hide out of false humility.
5. Acknowledge the giver- Don’t ever take credit for anything. Everything you have has its origin in God. When a river forgets its source, it dries up. Don’t ever take the praise, give it to God.
PRAYER:
Lord let every gift you have placed in me begin to find expression in my life to benefit others.
LEARN MORE: 1 Corinthians 2:9-12, 1 Timothy 4:14, 2 Timothy 1:6
Friday 11th November, 2022
POWER FOR DESTINY
Text: “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God even to them that believe on his name” John.1:12
Built in every human being is the desire to become great in life. This is God’s dream for us. He wants us to live an exceptional life. A life that transcends the limitations of this world. A life that gives glory and honor to His name.
This is a life that fulfils God’s purpose in every way. Having desire for such a life is not enough, there must also be the power from within to accomplish it.
This is exactly what happened to us when we received Christ. We were given “…power to become…” As believers along with the desire to become great within us is also the power to become whatever God has in mind for us.
This power does not just work by itself; it works as we acknowledge it and take advantage of it. We must become so conscious of this unlimited power of God at work in our lives. It also refers to the ability of God within to function in an extraordinary way. On your job, in your academics, in ministry we should be exceptional. Men should see our lives and glorify God.
Don’t ever see yourself as a victim to life. The power of God is resident in you to rise above whatever could have worked against you. There is nothing you cannot handle because the power of God in you can handle anything and everything. See yourself as a highly privileged person. You have an edge in life because the power of God is at work in your life. See yourself as someone capable. The family background we came out of or the grades we had in school should never limit how far we can go in life. The power for our destiny is at work within us.
THANKSGIVING:
Thank you Lord for your power at work in me. Thank you because your ability is finding expression in everything I do.
LEARN MORE: Ephesians 3:20
Thursday 10th November, 2022
CHRIST ESTEEM
Text: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Corithians.5:17
A man or woman that does not have Christ has everything to worry about, such a life has no foundation at all. But when a man has Christ, he has a solid foundation that cannot be shaken.
Who we are is a function of where we originate from. A child of God has his or her origin in God and so everything in God can be traced to such a life. Christ in us defines our value, worth, and esteem. What we actually have is Christ Esteem. Note these:
i. As a Christian, the life of Christ has become your life. When God sees you, he sees Christ in you.
ii. The ability of Christ has become yours, so you are not in any way disadvantaged. Christ is your advantage; He gives you an edge in life.
iii. Even when others don’t see good things in you, God sees great things in you.
iv. The most important thing about you is what God says about you, not what your parents, teacher, spouse or friends say about you.
Learn to see yourself solely from the perspective of who you are in Christ. This will boost your confidence and multiply your output in whatever area of life you are involved. Whatever was wrong in our lives before Jesus came into our lives has been dealt with at the cross. The description of a worthless sinner does not apply to us again. The new creature man has never sinned before and does not have a past. The old sinful man was crucified with Christ. This old man passed away. All things have become new now. See yourself purely from the perspective of who Christ is in our lives.
CONFESSION:
Christ is my worth. His Blood is the value on my life. The blood of Jesus makes me precious and valuable.
LEARN MORE: Colossians 3:4
Wednesday 9th November, 2022
ETERNAL CONSEQUENCES
Text: “Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.”Hebrews 12:16-17
Everything we do in life is a seed with eternal consequences. Whatever we do with our life echoes in eternity, good or bad. Even when men don’t see God is watching. We have the privilege today to write the story of our eternity.
There are mistakes that are better we don’t make them at all than to make them and then try to rectify them. Even when God has forgiven us we’ll still see the effects of them around us. Some of them might stay with you forever. This is why we must allow God to get hold of our lives on time so that the chances of making such mistakes are reduced to the barest minimum or completely eliminated.
Esau should have delayed his hunger a little bit longer; at least he should have preserved his birth right. He had no value for it and then sold it away just to satisfy an urgent need. What is not enough today will soon be in excess. The value you place on your future will determine the sacrifices you make today. Don’t take decisions under pressure, look at it objectively with the eye of the Spirit, you may realise that the consequences far outweigh the benefits.
The consequences of your actions are inevitable. Live your life in such a way that you’ll not have regrets. One of the things that will help you to avoid regrets in life is to allow God to take hold of your life on time. Whatever is done outside God and contrary to his word will give birth to regrets.
PRAYER:
Lord, help me by your Spirit not to live my life like Esau. Help me to place the right value on what I have.
LEARN MORE: Daniel 1:8, Genesis 39:7-9
Day 9: 9th November, 2022
Sweet praises: E ba mi gbe Jesu ga o oba nla oba to ga
eba mi gbe Jesu ga edumare oba to ga and others.
Served at the Table: THE COMPASSIONATE GOD
Text: Ps. 136:1-26; Rom 5:8
Let's Reason together:
There is a great difference between the devil and God Jehovah. Yesterday we treated the wicked devil, and one of his attributes is that he has no compassion in his dictionary; He is not compassionate. But today we are observing the compassionate God. (Psa. 136:1-26) tells us about the numerous acts of God towards men as a result of mercy (Rom. 5:8) further testifies about His love that when we do not deserve His mercy and love yet He poured it on us.
Imagine your life without the love of God how would it be? (1st Jn. 3:1) says it is the love of God that make us to be called the sons of God. Remember God is love, and everything about Him speaks love to His children. He is so compassionate that He never want you to lose your soul to eternal destruction (hell fire) He cares about your present and future, He has good plans for you (Jer. 29:11) in short His love will prevent evil from over shadowing your life indeed He love you.
Food for thought
- His love can get what you are struggling to do, done
- Do you cares for His love?
Let's commune with God:
- Heavenly father thank you for your love.
- Help me not to abuse your love for me.
Tuesday 8th November, 2022
GIFT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
Text: “For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:17
It is so clear from the scripture above that righteousness is a gift. It’s not something any of us can work for or earn by our efforts. Righteousness that comes by efforts or human rituals is what is referred to as the righteousness of the law as opposed to God’s righteousness which can only be received as a gift by faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross (Rom 4:20-22, Rom 10:3). It’s possible that we spend our entire life neglecting God’s righteousness and trying to establish our own based on rules and regulations.
Righteousness is the nature of God that reveals his rightness and perfection. None of us could attain that on our own.
Jesus went to the cross to become sin for us and then in return he imparted into our spirit the nature of God which is principally righteousness. God’s righteousness is the nature of God that is imparted into the human spirit to give him right standing and produce the righteousness of God in him with the ability to live right. It therefore means that we can stand before God without any sense of guilt or condemnation. Every guilt factor has been taken away. This is not based on what we did but on what Christ did on our behalf.
Resident within each one of us as believers is the ability of God to do right just as God will do. It should never be a struggle for a mango tree to produce mangoes; it has all it takes to do so. We won’t expect a Cocoa tree to produce mangoes. It will be very odd for a cat to bark like a dog. It’s the nature of a thing that determines what comes out of it. Each one of us has the nature of God in our recreated human spirit, so we have the capacity to function like God
CONFESSION:
I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. The rightness of God dwells in my spirit..
LEARN MORE: Ephesians 4:24, 2 Peter 1:4
Monday 7th November, 2022
UNDERSTANDING RIGHTEOUSNESS
Text: “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification and redemption.”1 Corinthians 1:30
I will take today and tomorrow to share with you on the concept of righteousness. I wish I could seat with you where you are to enjoy this with you.
In the old covenant if a man had to please God he had to kill cows, goats and doves. It was so demanding and so challenging. Even at that the process had to be repeated every year. Once purged of sin does not mean forever purged in that system. The process was still not perfect before God because it was based on the blood of animals that were not perfect. Because of the imperfection of this process man could not stand before God with a sense of completeness and perfection. There was a remembrance of sin every year. The righteousness produced by the law was imperfect and then filthy before God.
Jesus came as a lamb without spot or wrinkle. He came as the sinless Lamb of God. He was born of Virgin Mary. He that knew no sin became sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God.
He literally took on the nature of man so that he could be qualified to stand in our place in the court room of heaven to make atonement for our sins. The ultimate price for our redemption was paid for by his precious blood. His righteousness is now credited to our account. The righteousness we have today is not our own, but his own. We can now stand before God without any sense of guilt or inferiority. We can stand before God with an attitude of “I deserve everything that is good”, not because we are good, but because Christ was good. Because he is our righteousness whatever he deserves we also deserve. Whatever belongs to him also belong to us. We are joint-heirs together with him. He does not just share with us, we own everything together.
CONFESSION:
I have a right standing with God. Christ has become my righteousness.
LEARN MORE: 2 Corinthians 5:21, Hebrews 9:11-15
Sunday 6th November, 2022
STEP INTO DESTINY
Text: “For he (Abraham) looked for a city which hath foundation, whose builder and maker is God.” Hebrews 11:10
Thank God for what you have done so far in life. Thank God for where you are right now. But I want to ask you this sincere question today; is this all there is to life? Don’t you think there is something far bigger than what you have seen and done so far in life? It’s a dangerous state to be if you fold your hands at this stage of your life to think that you have arrived. So many of us have not even started at all.
If you take a bucket of water from the ocean you have really taken nothing. There is still so much that God has in store for our lives. Bigger than the ocean. There is no limit to what you can do and what you can become. Can you see beyond where you are? Your circumstances and your environment should not define how far you can go and how much you can accomplish.
Abraham had stayed in his homeland for about seventy-five years until God came on the scene to disrupt his convenience. Abraham did not argue with God, he knew there was more in God. The scriptures said he was looking for a city that had foundation. Whose builder and maker is God.
God sent me to you today to give you a push in your spirit to rise and step into a destiny far bigger than you have ever imagined possible. Today Abraham is referred to as the father of faith. There should be a “restlessness” in your spirit to become bigger, better and brighter than where you are right now. Don’t resign to “fate”; God has not placed any limit on your life. Break forth in your spirit and see it manifest outwardly. Whatever has never been done before can start with you today. Packaged in your life is the ability of God to break barriers. Please step into destiny.
PRAYER:
By the forces of the Spirit I step into destiny today. I break out of every mental and spiritual limitation. I refuse to be hindered in Jesus name.
LEARN MORE: Philippians 3:12-17
Saturday 5th November, 2022
RUN YOUR RACE
Text: “...Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” Hebrews 12:1b
There is a race of destiny that God placed before each and every one of us. This is not just a 100m dash race but a marathon. It’s not a race you run one day and it ends there. It’s a race of a lifetime.
If you are going to run your race successfully the first thing you must locate is the right track on which you must be running. It will be a waste of time and effort running on a wrong track. Two people don’t run on the same track at the same time. Everyone must have an individual track to emerge victorious.
It’s important to also note that nobody can run your race for you. It’s absolutely a personal responsibility. It’s therefore important that we accept responsibility for our lives. We may have people who are close to us cheering us up in the race but they cannot run the race for us. There are certain things that nobody can do for you no matter how much they love you. The best the parent can do for a child is to send the child to school and then pay the fees. The parents cannot read for the child and attend lectures for the child.
Running your race with speed will require that we shed every excess weight. Weights will slow you down or even stop the race completely depending on the size of the weight. From our anchor scripture sin is a major weight that will slow us down. The anxiety and concerns of this world will also be a weight that will slow us down.
If you keep your eyes on other people’s track for too long you may miss you steps as you run. Comparison will make you despise yourself and rob you of the courage to run as you should. The track that God has placed us in life is the best place to run our individual race. Running with patience means that we should not give up no matter what we face; keep at it by all means no matter how long it takes.
DECISION:
I will run with patience the race set before me. I take full responsibility for my life today. I will maintain my track. Every form of weight is dropped off my back.
LEARN MORE: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Friday 4th November, 2022
DESTINY TRAP 2
Text: “And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.” Numbers 13:33
Today we are looking at second destiny trap. There is so much that God has in store for our lives. He wants to do great and mighty things with our lives. This will however require that we walk closely with God in total agreement and submission.
Negative self-esteem is another destiny trap. Its effects are as deadly as living in sin. Negative self-esteem can also be referred to as poor self-image.
Life will treat each one of us based on our self-perception of ourselves. What you think about yourself and what you say about yourself is a self-declared prophecy. It’s a matter of time it will come to pass. The ten spies that were sent to spy the Promised Land saw themselves as grasshopper. They felt that they were inadequate in facing the giants. They have destroyed their chances of getting into the Promised Land ahead of getting into it. The other two spies saw possibilities in themselves. They saw themselves as capable and equipped to face the giants.
When you see yourself as small, inadequate, unqualified and useless you have denied God the chances of working with you and working through you. God had to help Gideon to avoid this deadly trap. He was looking at himself based on the poverty in his family and his placement in that poor family. God had to tell him that in spite of all that he was a mighty man of valor. Negative self-image is thinking low of us. It’s a major trap that hinders how far we can go in life. Inferiority complex kills.
At the end of it all it was not the giants that killed the ten spies in the wilderness but rather a poor self-image. Please agree with God in your life. His ability and capacity dwells in your spirit.
PRAYER:
Lord I agree with you in everything. I can do what you ask me to do, I can go where you ask me to go.
LEARN MORE: Judges 6:11-16, Philippians 4:13
Thursday 3rd November, 2022
DESTINY TRAP 1
Text: “He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks.” Proverbs 8:22
A trap is a device that is used either in the house or in the bush to catch animals. Most of the time when you have a rat in the house a trap could be used to catch it without so much stress. The usual thing to do is to place bait on the trap to attract the animal. The bait is usually something that the animal love and enjoy. The bait is never an expression of love by the hunter, but rather a means of killing the animal.
There are traps on our way in life which we must avoid by all means. Destiny traps are traps that the devil has set on our paths. They are usually the things that the flesh enjoys. The devil is not offering us anything out of love, but out of the desire to kill, steal and destroy God’s ultimate plans for our lives.
From our anchor scriptures it’s clearly seen that the cravings of sin are destiny traps. Like a horse going to the slaughter so is a man dragged into sin. He may think he’s enjoying life and having a good time but destiny is been destroyed gradually and permanently.
Samson was dressed in power right from the womb. The Spirit of God was so much available for him to do exploits and do that which God had called him to do until he began to get carried away by strange women. They must have been professing love to each other but it was actually for the purpose of discovering his secret and to get rid of the grace of God on the life of Samson. Sin is a reproach; it undresses a man for destiny, and it strips a man of glory and honour. It siphons the grace of God from our lives.
Sin must be avoided like a plague. So many lives have been destroyed on the altar of immorality and covetousness. So many lives had been destroyed in the pursuit of green pastures abroad by crooked means. Don’t be lost in the sea of humanity, choose to live right and it shall be well with you.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I declare that my soul is escaped from the snare of the fowlers.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 124:6-8
Wednesday 2nd November, 2022
PSALM 23 CONFIDENCE
Text: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want...Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me...” Psalm 23:1, 6
If you read this popular psalm very carefully you will notice that is was not an expression of the promises of God. It’s not God promising to be our shepherd or make us lie down in green pastures. The psalm was an expression of the confidence of a man in his God. David was simply expressing his confidence in the ability of God. In this psalm we also find David’s eternal commitment to God.
Let’s write them out:
1. The Lord is my shepherd.
2. I shall not want.
3. He leads me beside the still waters.
4. He restores my soul.
5. He leads me in the right path
6. I will fear no evil for thou are with me.
7. A table is prepared before me in the presence of enemies.
8. My head is anointed with fresh oil.
9. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me.
10. I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Each time you read it or say it make it an expression of your own confidence in the ability of God. David understood God as his shepherd. He was ready to allow God to take the driver seat in his life. On different occasions in his life he had battles to fight, but he never went in for any of them without consulting God.
I will fear no evil is a decision that helped him to face Goliath and other battles that came against him. David never lost a battle because his confidence in God was solid. He understood the reality of divine presence. He said “...for thou art with me...” I want to ask you to also face life with this same dimension of confidence and commitment to God.
CONFESSION:
The Lord is my confidence in life. I face every issue of life in his strength and ability.
LEARN MORE: 1 Samuel 30:7-8, 18, Psalm 118:8-9
Tuesday 1st November, 2022
WHAT TO DO!
Text: “And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth... and will teach you what ye shall do.” Exodus 4:15
Today again we’ll look at another thing God promised to teach Moses as he was going to face the most powerful King of that time. This was a very delicate assignment. The King was ready to kill the entire Jew. It was a mission that Moses could not afford to make a mistake. Moses could not afford to engage in a trial and error approach. Everything he was going to do must be precise, accurate and result generating. This was not a hide and seeks game.
Life is too serious to play hide and seek with it. Every time we are faced with a challenge in any area of life the next question will always be “what do I do next”. Knowing exactly what to do will save us time, energy and precious resources. Jesus was faced with the challenge of feeding the multitudes with the little available meal from the little boy. He tried to find out from the disciples the possibility of getting food for the crowd. Each of the disciples lectured Jesus on how it was impossible to feed the multitude. There was no money to buy food and even the food was not available at that point in time. It was stated clearly that Jesus himself knew exactly what to do. He did what he knew to do and there was a miracle of supplies.
Moses went before Pharaoh doing what God taught him to do. All the plagues and miracles we saw in Egypt were a direct product of Moses doing what God asked him to do. In whatever area of life you are located you must depend on God to teach you exactly what to do. If you are faced with a challenge in your life you must allow God to teach you what to do to secure your breakthrough. Don’t just ask God to do things for you; equally ask him what you should do in that situation. This is a matured and responsible approach to life. Don’t just do what seems right. Rely on God to teach you what to do per time.
CONFESSION:
In every situation of life I know what to do. The Spirit of God is my teacher. I am never confused.
LEARN MORE: 2 Kings 6:15, John 6:5-6
Monday 31st October, 2022
WHAT TO SAY!
Text: “Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.” Exodus 4:12
Moses had a divine mandate to go in unto Pharaoh to declare the release of God’s people. He had so much fear and doubt about his ability to accomplish the task. God had to give him so much assurance of his divine involvement. God had to assure him to teach him what to say.
Knowing what to say is a major requirement in life. Conversation is involved in every human venture. As a minister of the gospel right words must be spoken when standing before the congregation. If you go for a job interview the right words must be spoken. When a customer comes into your shop the right words must be spoken to get a sale. A lawyer standing before a judge must speak words divinely orchestrated to secure release for his client. Defending a project before a supervisor will require knowing the right thing to say.
It’s interesting to note that God told Moses He will be with his mouth and teach him what to say. This is actually one major manifestation of divine presence in our lives. Whenever you are required to speak about something you must trust God to teach you what to say per time. It will make a difference between success and failure. It will be a major problem for you if you don’t know what to say. Different life venture will require knowing what to say in that period. If you go for a job interview for example the people listening to you wants to hear certain things from you. It may just be five minutes of responding to their questions, but that will determine getting the job or losing it.
I want to ask you to allow yourself to be divinely taught on what to say. This becomes possible as we yield ourselves to God in total surrender and refusing to depend on our expertise. The Spirit of God is our teacher; we must stay connected to him in intimate fellowship.
CONFESSION:
The Spirit of God is my teacher. He teaches me what to say in every situation I find myself. Right words are coming forth out of my mouth.
LEARN MORE: Proverbs 3:5-6, Luke 21:15
Sunday 30th October, 2022
GOD IN THE BUSH
Text: “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 ...” Exodus 3:4
The account of the burning bush that was not consumed was a dramatic one for Moses (Exodus 3:2). It was dramatic because it is expected that a dry bush set on fire should burn. Even if it was a green bush the fire will still have some effect on the bush.
The first picture that God was painting for Moses was that some things may be impossible in the natural world but with God nothing was impossible. Moses needed this understanding in order for him to fully step into the assignment he was going to receive from God. This is also crucial for us in life. If we are going to do anything significant with our lives we must agree with God that as far as divinity is concerned nothing is impossible.
The second major lesson here is actually our focus for today. The bush did not burn for a particular reason. What was it? The answer is right in our anchor scripture today. God was in the midst of that bush. This clearly explains to us the relevance of divine presence. There was no way the bush could have burned when God was in it. This should be an example for us of what God’s presence is meant to do in our lives. We cannot be consumed by the challenges of life because God is in our lives.
It’s so important for us to realise that God is no longer in the bush; he has come to take residence in the quarters of our hearts. Just as God spoke to Moses from the midst of the bush we can also begin to hear God clearly speak to us concerning his plans and purpose for our lives. Hearing God’s voice should not be strange to us as believers. If Moses who operated under the old covenant could hear God how much more operating under the new covenant ratified by the blood of Jesus. God is in the midst of you to help you face whatever challenge life brings your way today. There is nothing to fear.
CONFESSION:
The Lord is in the midst of me. I shall never be moved with the circumstances of life. God is in me.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 46:6, John 10:4-5
Saturday 29th October, 2022
EXAMPLE OF SCRIPTURES 2
Text: “Now these things were our examples...” 1 Corinthians 10:6
The example gives us a detailed step by step approach to how the problem can be solved. This is also what we have in the examples of scriptures. Today we’ll take our time to look closely at the example of the man called Daniel. We’ll look at a particular challenge he faced and the step by step approach of how it was solved. This becomes an example for us.
Daniel was faced with the challenge of telling the King the dream he had and the interpretation of that dream. As far as the magicians were concerned it was an impossible case. If you sleep with a man on the same bed there are no way you can know the dream he had. But this was the request of the king. Daniel must have realised that in the human realm certain things are impossible, but in God’s realm nothing is impossible. Daniel simply connected with heaven. We cannot connect with heaven and be stranded on the earth.
The question is what do you do when you are faced with a similar situation.
1. Daniel was calm, cool and collected. He was neither anxious nor fearful. God has not given us the spirit of fear. Fear will take advantage of us. Daniel knew that God was not confused about the situation.
2. Daniel understood the power of prayer to bring to earth the reality of heaven. Prayer is a major key in handling life. If you fail in the place of prayer you have failed in all.
3. Daniel sought God’s attention on the issue on ground. He knew that when we get God’s attention on any issue the problem is already solved.
I want to encourage you to go back again and read the example of Joseph. His story is an example for us on how to handle the “prison” experiences of life.
PRAYER:
Lord help me to understand and to walk in the examples of scriptures in every area of my life.
LEARN MORE: Daniel 2:16-23, Jeremiah 33:3
Friday 28th October, 2022
EXAMPLE OF SCRIPTURES 1
Text: “Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.” 1 Corinthians 10:6
The stories of various men and women in the Bible are principally written for our learning and example. They are examples that are meant to help us in our sojourn in life. The concepts of examples are so important in life. One of the ways teachers teach in school is to first of all give the students an example. If you are going to solve a mathematical problem the first thing you do is to look at the example to know how to solve the problem. Once you master the example it will be so easy to solve the problem on the day of test or exam.
If you ignore the example then you have decided to fail the test or the exam. The example gives us the following:
1. The problem given in the exam is not an impossible case. If the example can be solved then the exam can also be solved.
2. The example gives us a step by step approach on how to solve the problem.
3. The example gives us a reference point when we encounter a similar problem.
The word of God as our ultimate example in life shows us clearly that every challenge of life that was solved in scripture is an indication that similar challenges can also be solved in our lives. This should give us a sense of confidence and assurance in life that there is no challenge in our lives that is beyond remedy. If it was possible for someone in scriptures it’s also possible with us too. I want to encourage you to do a study of a particular character in the Bible that went through a similar challenge in your life and see how they overcame.
DECLARATION:
In the name of Jesus I declare that there are possibilities in my life. I declare that there is a way out in my life.
LEARN MORE: Hebrews 6:11-12; 13:7
Thursday 27th October, 2022
WILDERNESS INTO FRUITFUL FIELD
Text: “Until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest.” Isaiah 32:15
One of the things I love about God so much is that He does not meet us in a particular way and allow us to remain that way. If you read your Bible carefully you will notice that everyone who had an encounter with God also had a change of story. If God is involved there must be a change of story from losses to gain, from pain to comfort, from bottom to the top, from useless to useful, from emptiness to fullness.
This is the reason I share God’s word with you all the time. I strongly believe that an irrecoverable transformation is taking place in your life from glory to glory. One thing I’m too sure about is that I will see you in your destiny. God’s word will catapult you there.
Wilderness is a description of a land that is empty, uncultivated and barren. This could be a description of any area of our lives. The purpose of God is that we move from such a state of life to a “fruitful field” state of life. In this fruitful state your life becomes cultivated, fruitful and full. This is to help us appreciate that where we are today is not a permanent description of our lives. We can move forward. Isaac was in a land that was said to be famished. By divine intervention he reaped a hundred – fold harvest in that same land. He was supernaturally fruitful. I decree over you today supernatural fruitfulness in Jesus name.
This change in position is basically the work of the Spirit of God in the life of a believer. The more we allow the Holy Spirit to have his way in our lives the more our lives become fruitful. When the Spirit of God fills us, he fills every area of our lives too.
PRAYER:
Lord I declare that I am fruitful in every area of life. I give the control of my entire life to the Holy Spirit.
LEARN MORE: Genesis 26:1-14, Collosians 1:19-10
Wednesday 26th October, 2022
GOD’S COVERING
Text: “...So they sewed fig leaves together and covered themselves.” Genesis 3:7 (GNT)
After the fall of man Adam and Eve discovered that they were naked. They made fig leaves to cover themselves. Before this experience they did not know they were naked. In actual sense they were not naked because there was a covering on their lives. Their spirit, soul and body were covered. They were covered by the glory of God. As soon as sin entered, they became naked – exposed and vulnerable. Shame was already waiting for them. No amount of leaf would have covered their shame.
The prodigal son left the glory of his father’s house. He had everything he needed in his father’s house. He went into a life of waste and disobedience. He lost his money, his confidence and his glory. It was so bad that he had to eat with the pigs. He took up the courage to return back to his father. He was returning in shame. But as we saw it, he came home and his father covered him with the best robe. His shame was covered. His vulnerability was covered.
God is still in the business of covering men in his robe of righteousness. It doesn’t matter how sinful and terrible our lives had been. When we come to Jesus to receive him as our Lord and saviour, he will cover us with the robe of righteousness. With this our shame is covered.
There is nothing we can do or use to cover the shame of sin by ourselves. The more we try to cover it the more vulnerable we become to the sin. The more we cover sin the more it gains control over our lives. When we bring it to God in repentance, he forgives us and at the same time cleanses us from the sin and covers us with his glory. As a believer there is divine covering over your life. Your shame is covered.
PRAYER:
Thank you, Lord, for your covering over my life. Thank you for covering my shame. Thank you because your glory shall be seen daily on my life.
LEARN MORE: Proverbs 28:13, Luke 15:11-32
Tuesday 25th October, 2022
RIVERS IN THE DESERT
Text: “…I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43:19
The rivers are flowing. The deserts of your life are giving way for the rivers. There are supernatural restoration taking place in your life. The tables are turning in your favour. You are working into places and people that God has ordained for your life from the foundation of the earth. I want to challenge you today by the word of the Lord to agree with God and begin to see possibilities in your life again. Its not over yet. The loss of a job, the death of a spouse and the unjust incarceration is not the end of the road for you. Hallelujah!
Naturally the desert is a place where rivers don’t flow. It’s a place of dryness, scarcity and lack. Animals usually die of thirst in the desert. Plant life hardly thrive in the desert. A desert kind of life is a life that seems not to be experiencing the purpose of God. It’s a life that seems not to have life even though its alive. In case this is a description of your life the table is turning for your good.
Rivers in the desert is a description of divine possibilities. We have a God of possibilities. There is nothing too hard for him to do. You may not be able to figure it out; the human mind is too finite to figure out the infinite God. The ways of God are past finding out. We must yield ourselves to the omnipotence of God. When he comes to work he has no barrier. The menopause of Sarah could not stop him. The hatred of Joseph’s brothers could not stop him. The prison walls could not hinder the enthronement of Joseph.
I want to challenge you today to begin to celebrate the fulfilment of God’s word in your life. Take your rest in God’s eternal word for your life. Stir up your spirit man to receive, endorse and embrace all that God has purposed to do in your life. I decree and declare that the rivers are flowing over your business and career. Rivers are flowing over your family. It’s your season to flourish again.
DECLARATION:
Rivers are flowing in the desert areas of my life. The hopelessness around my life are turning around in my favour. My life will bud and blossom again.
LEARN MORE: Job 14:7-9, Isaiah 55:9-11 ly
Monday 24th October, 2022
IT’S A PASSAGE
Text: “…Ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life” Genesis 45:5
This young man had a dream of becoming a leader and someone significant. All of a sudden, all hell brook loose on his life. He found himself in the pit. He was rescued and sold again like a mere animal into Egypt. He became a servant in the house pf Potiphar. As if that was not enough, he became a prisoner for an offence he did not commit. He went through all this in the space of thirteen (13) years. Naturally it was a pitiable experience for Joseph. But in the midst of all this God was working. All that he went through became a passage for the purpose of God for his life to come to pass.
Joseph clearly understood that the pit, Potiphar’s house and the prison were not the end of the road for him; they were merely a passage into divine destiny. The palace was the ultimate destination of his life and as long as he was in connection with divinity he was going to arrive there.
There is someone reading this today. Where you are is not your destination but a passage. The purpose of God for your life is still ahead of you. Where you are today is a preparation ground. It may just be a place where God needed to get your attention in order to prepare you for what he has prepared for you.
The experiences of Joseph were negative, undesirable and unpalatable but they certainly prepared him for where he was going. The palace will require a man that could provide solutions; the negative experiences exposed him to that. The palace will also require someone with administrative and managerial capacity. Potiphar’s house and the prison gave him that initial exposure. The hand of God is on your life. You are not a mistake. There is a divine purpose hidden in your spirit. The experiences of the past did not conclude the possibilities of your future. Let God have his way; yield to him in everything. The best will come out!
PRAYER:
The only experience that is permanent in my life is the purpose of God for my life. Thank you, Lord, for victory.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 37:37, Jeremiah 29:11
Sunday 23rd October, 2022
THE GREATEST OFFERING
Text: “My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.” Proverbs 23:26
I have heard not having an offering to give in Church as an excuse for not coming to Church. It’s really an excuse that is borne out of a wrong understanding of God and his highest expectations on our lives. It’s possible to give the biggest offering in Church with no record in heaven. The most important offering that God wants from us is our lives and not our substance. Jesus did not die to collect our offering. He died primarily to save our souls. It’s of no use to God giving your offerings without giving your life.
The greatest offering is the offering of our hearts to God. This is clearly stated in our opening verse today. The heart of a man is the control room of his life. Everything a man does is a product of his heart. Until the heart is given over to God there will be a struggle in the life of the man to please God. Whatever takes over the heart of a man has taken over his life. Whatever is at the centre of his heart is what is at the centre of his life.
God is asking for your heart. Beyond your offering he needs your heart. Until the heart is given everything else is useless. Giving the heart simply means giving the totality of our lives to God without holding anything back. Giving the heart means allowing God to have the absolute control over the affairs of our lives. Most of our struggles with God is because a portion of our heart is not yet given over to God.
When the heart is not fully given over to God things that are contrary to the will of God for our lives will find easy access and seek to control our lives in a wrong direction. When the heart is fully given over to God it becomes a thing of delight to follow God and do his will. Offering our hearts to God begins from the new birth experience. You can give your heart to God wherever you are. It doesn’t have to be inside Church.
PRAYER:
Lord I yield my heart to you. I give up everything that Is competing with your place in my life.
LEARN MORE: Matthew 22:36-38
Saturday 22nd October, 2022
THE NEED OF SALVATION 2
Text: “…Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Corinthians 6:2
Let’s continue our lesson today from where we left off yesterday. We saw how Nicodemus and the rich ruler came to Jesus seeking to know how to be saved.
The good thing is that these two men came to Jesus. They were humble enough to admit their need of eternal life. They must have also realized that there is no other name under heaven by which men might be saved apart from the name of Jesus (Acts 4:12).
Whosoever shall call on the name of Jesus shall be saved. (Rom 10:13). This is the day of salvation. The price has been fully paid. Jesus went to the cross and shed his blood for the remission of our sins. He took upon himself the nature of a man and died in our place. He took our sin and offered us the gift of his righteousness. When a man is not saved, he has settled for an eternal condemnation. Eternity is too long to lose our soul. (John 3:18, 2 Cor 5:21). The beauty about all this is that there is no sinner that is beyond redemption; no sin that the blood of Jesus cannot cleanse.
The scripture declared “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Romans 10:9-10). This is the process of receiving salvation. Someone reading may need to do this today!
You can be saved even right now wherever you are. God is knocking at the door of your heart if you will open your heart to him. Pray with me and say loud “Jesus I confess you as my Lord and saviour, I confess you died and resurrected for me. From today I’m born again. I’m saved.” NOW YOU ARE SAVED!
PRAYER:
Lord I declare that I’m a child of God. I declare that I’m saved, washed and sanctified by the blood of Jesus.
LEARN MORE: 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, 2 Corinthians 5:17
Friday 21st October 2022
THE NEED OF SALVATION 1
Text: “…Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Corinthians 6:2
There were two (2) prominent men that came to Jesus at different times. Both of them were highly placed people. Both of them must have realized the emptiness of their soul.
Their prominence and status in the society could not fill the void in their souls.
Nicodemus was a highly religious Jewish leader and respected by his people. It was obvious that his religion was not enough to save him so he came to Jesus secretly in the night. Jesus took his time to explain to him that he needed to be born again. His religious mindset could not comprehend what Jesus was saying (John 3:1-9). It’s important for us to realize that religion does not save a man. That you were born inside a church and had been there all your life is not a guarantee that you are saved. Salvation is a definite encounter with Jesus with a spiritual transformation.
The second man was the rich ruler. He came to Jesus and asked the question “…Good master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? (Matthew 19:16).” This obviously meant that he did not have eternal life yet. If eternal life was to be purchased with money, he would have acquired it with his money. When it comes to salvation our money is useless. The human soul is worth more than the whole world put together. This man also did not realize that there is no number of good things that gets a man saved. The word of God declared “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5).”
If you are reading this today, I want to ask you to check the state of your soul. Are you truly saved or playing religion? Your years in Church does not equal salvation. We’ll conclude this tomorrow.
CONFESSION:
I need you Jesus. I need you as my Lord and saviour. I acknowledge my sin. Jesus take over my heart today.
LEARN MORE: John 3:1-6, Romans 10:1-12
Thursday 20th October, 2022
PRISON DOORS ARE OPEN
Text: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted….and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.” Isaiah 61:1
The prison mentioned here could be a physical prison but majorly it’s a figurative statement. Its a word that describes a state of life. This scripture prophetically declares the primary mission of the messiah on earth. Jesus himself confirmed this mission in Luke chapter four verse eighteen. He came among others to open the prison to them that are bound.
The “prison” is a place of incarceration. It’s a place where you are restricted and confined. It’s a state of life where you realise you can’t do what you are ordained to do. So many are bound by their past and seems never to get away from it. Some are bound by diverse kind of abuse in their past. Unfulfilled expectations have kept many bound in hopelessness. Many had given up on life.
The good news is that included in the package of the gospel is the opening of the prison to them that are bound. The sacrifice of Christ on the cross included the opening of the prison doors. There is absolutely nothing that has the right to hold us down any more. Once a man receives Christ, he receives instant liberty from all that must have held him down. Primarily we have been set free from the prison house of sin. The hold of sin has been broken over our lives. We are new creations today; old things are passed away in our lives and all things have become new.
Today God expects us to take a stand of faith in the reality of all what Christ has done for us. We must refuse every form of bondage today. The prison doors are open. You are free!
PRAYER:
Lord I declare that I am free. The prison doors are open. Nothing in the past, present or future can hold me down anymore.
LEARN MORE: Galatians 5:1
Wednesday 19th October,2022
DISCOVERY IN PRISON 2
Text: “And Joseph answered and said, this is the interpretation thereof...” Genesis 40:18
There is a divine package in our recreated human spirit that is designed to make room for us in life. We may not have a rich pedigree or powerful connections that can make away for us but the ability of God in our spirit can make a room for us. Prov 18:16 says “A man’s gift makes room for him…” NKJV. Myles Munroe said “It is interesting to note that the Bible did not say that a man’s education makes room for him, but that his gift does” He also said “When you exercise your gift, not only will the world make room for you, but it will pay you for it.”
Joseph began the interpretation of dreams in the prison.
Considering where he was, he would have been sad and questioned God.
What happens to us is not as important as what happens in us.
Even in the worst scenarios of life, we can locate a way out as long as we don’t allow it to condition our mindset.
I. The purpose of God can be revealed in the midst of a terrible Job.
II. A disappointment in life can be the birth place of a great destiny.
III. A mess can become a message.
Joseph discovered his individuality in the prison! Individuality is the divine signature coded in every human spirit. Individuality is doing what is unique to you in your God given unique way. Individuality is the key to standing out in life. If you don’t discover, develop and deploy your individuality you may get lost in the sea of humanity. By the gift of God expressed in our lives we can become so valuable and productive that doors will open for us. Let’s close by saying that the presence of the Holy Spirit is the key to this discovery.
PRAYER:
The Spirit of God is working in me to bring me into divine discoveries of divine purpose and intent.
LEARN MORE: Genesis 41:38, 1 Corinthians 2:9-13
Tuesday 18th October, 2022
DISCOVERY IN PRISON 1
Text: “And Joseph answered and said, this is the interpretation thereof...” Genesis 40:18
There is no restriction to where God can reveal himself and his plans for our lives. The discovery of God’s purpose and plan for our lives mostly will take place in unexpected places and circumstances. This is why our spiritual antenna and receptivity to God must be continually open. Joseph found himself in a hopeless situation. Right in the prison the power of God was still at work in him.
His family actually thought he was dead. Humanly speaking there was no way out for him. In the midst of all these the gift of God was still finding expression in Joseph. Like we said before he did not allow his environment to condition him. He was in prison but the prison was not in him. What happen to us is not as important as what happen in us. Even in the worst scenario of life we can locate a way out as long as we don’t allow it to condition our mindset. Joseph was still productive in the worst condition of life. There was no record of ever interpreting dreams for anyone until he got to the prison. It was the same dream that took him out of prison into the palace. What if he had not discovered it? The greatest breakthroughs of our lives are simply a discovery away.
With the right disposition to adversity the best of our lives can come out of it. The worst conditions of life can work out to our greatest advantage. Whatever you may be going through right now keep yourself open and connected to God. It was not God that took Joseph to the prison, but God used it for his glory. Whatever is designed to harm you will be used for the glory of God. JOSEPH’S RELEVANCE BECAME OBVIOUS IN THE PRISON. WHERE YOU ARE NOW MAY NOT BE GOOD BUT IT CAN BE THE STARTING POINT OF A GREAT FUTURE.
CONFESSION:
I’m not disadvantaged in life. The hand of God is working out the details of my life. I’m coming out better.
LEARN MORE: Romans 8:28-39
Monday 17th October, 2022
PREPARED IN PRISON
Text: “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good….” Genesis 50:20
The man who wins the boxing championship did not necessarily begin in the ring. He must have begun somewhere that nobody knew him. He must have began hidden from the eyes of men. He must have begun in a place that attracted no remuneration. The manifestations in the ring were prepared in the dark and in hidden places. This is exactly how life is designed to play out for people that will end up great in life.
God will use dark and hidden places to prepare people for where he had prepared for them in life. For Joseph it was the house of Potiphar and the prison that God used to prepare him for the palace.
His administrative ability found greater expression in the prison. He was there for over two (2) years and there he was able to know how to manage certain resources committed to his hands. It was the same thing he did in the house of Potiphar. I’m sure you can still recollect that he was so loved by his father. He was the son of his old age. He had so many elder ones and no one would have exposed him to responsibilities required for the throne. The “prison” experience was a preparation experience for him.
Secondly, he was cheerful enough to recognise the sad countenance of the Baker and the Butler. He eventually helped in the interpretation of their dreams. This actually prepared him for the future. At the time he was interpreting for the servants he never knew that the same dimension of opportunity is what will bring him out of prison and establish the purpose of God that he saw at the age of seventeen. By the time the opportunity came he was prepared for it.
Nothing in life is a waste. Every experience you go through will prepare you for something greater than where you are. Stay open and connected to God; there is purpose in your pain.
PRAYER:
Thank you, Lord, for every experience life has ever brought my way. Thank you for the “throne” ahead.
LEARN MORE: James 1:2-4
Sunday 16th October, 2022
FORGOTTEN IN PRISON
Text: “Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph; but forgat him.” Genesis 40:23
Joseph successfully helped the butler to interpret his dream. The dream literally came to pass. The butler was fully restored back to his position. He was now in a position to reciprocate back to Joseph. But somehow, he forgot. Joseph was again left in prison for about two (2) years. It seems the prison term had no end.
God had to supernaturally orchestrate how he will come out. Many had been forgotten by relatives, friends and colleagues. Many family members have forgotten their loved ones in prison. They seem not to care anymore. It was the same experience for Joseph. His family did not even know he was in prison. The person he helped also forgot him.
It’s important for us to note that there is a God who does not forget us. He promised never to leave us nor forsake us. He promised to be with us till the end of the age. Men may forget but God does not. Don’t ever use what men did as definition for who God is in your life.
All over scripture we have the promise and the assurance of a God who never forgets us. Isaiah 49:15 God declared “Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you! (NLT). With this depth of divine assurance David declared “Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close. Psalm 27:10 (NLT).” We have a divine assurance that we are always on God’s mind. We are engraved on the palms of his hands. In the fulness of time a book of remembrance will be opened concerning us. God is behind the scene of a life that holds on to him. His counsels will come to pass in your life at the due time. It was as if Joseph was forgotten but the God who never forgets opened the book of remembrance concerning him. He found himself in the palace where no one never thought he will reach.
CONFESSION:
I declare that I am never forgotten. I’m always on God’s mind.
LEARN MORE: Hebrew 13:5-6
Saturday 15th October, 2022
PRAISE IN PRISON
Text: “And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.” Acts 16:25
Life is majorly a product of attitude and perspective. The internal disposition of a man is far better and more important than his eternal circumstances. Victory in life will largely be determined by what goes on within a man than what life throws at him from the outside.
The most natural and likely response to a negative experience is to become sad, depressed and full of murmuring. As natural as this could be it has never helped anyone to overcome the challenges of life. Anxiety, murmuring, depression are all satanic devices to keep us down and cut us off from every divine possibility in our lives. Jesus categorically asked “Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature.” (Matthew 6:27). He was simply saying “No amount of anxiety can resolve any issue.”
Paul and Silas were locked up in prison. It was a maximum kind of prison. They were in the inner prison and their feet fast in stock; in the midst of this negative experience they began to pray and to sing praises. It was the most unusual thing for a man to do. As they were doing this the supernatural hand of God went into operation. It wasn’t something they did quietly; everyone in prison heard them.
Whenever we are faced with the challenges of life, we are either focusing on God or on the situation. Praise is an attitude and an expression that keeps our eyes focused on God. Praise keeps your eyes on God and the eyes of God on you. Murmuring and complaining provokes God’s anger. Murmuring and complaining simply means:
1. God you are too slow. It seems you don’t even know what you are doing.
2. God, I don’t think you can handle this issue.
DECLARATION:
Lord I declare that you are God in this situation.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 34:1-2, Acts 16:22-27
Friday 14th October, 2022
PRISONER JOSEPH 2
Text: “But the Lord was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.” Genesis 39:21
The experience of Joseph is a practical demonstration for us of what God can do in the midst of a hopeless situation. Like we said yesterday there was no one to help him but God helped him. I want us to take note of something quite instructive in his life today. This will be a major step we must take to experience the same dimension of victory that Joseph experienced.
He was physically imprisoned but was not mentally imprisoned. Mental imprisonment is far stronger than physical one. This is why so many times prisoners are released and after a while you may find some coming back to prison again. There are people who have never been to a physical prison before but are mentally imprisoned.
Joseph was in prison but the prison was not inside him. His external condition did not become an internal disposition. He did not allow worry, anxiety and depression to overtake him. We must consciously realise that the blood of Jesus has set us free. A man may be physically incarcerated but heavenly released. We must function from that heaven’s release on our lives. If we allow ourselves to be mentally incarcerated it will be difficult to move on to all that God has ordained for our lives and destiny.
The past is past. There is no future in the past and so we must let go of it and allow God to have his way in our lives today. The disappointments of the past cannot compare with the possibilities of tomorrow. Living in the past is like exhuming a dead body and expecting it to dance with us. Lay the past to rest and move on to God’s possibilities today. The best of your life is ahead of you and not behind you. This is your day of possibilities.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus, I decree that the prison experiences on my life are broken. I’m set free today.
LEARN MORE: Isaiah 61:1-3, John 8:32
Thursday 13th October, 2022
PRISONER JOSEPH 1
Text: “And Joseph’s master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were bound; and he was there in the prison.” Genesis 39:20
In this study I want you to understand that the experiences of life are not secluded to one person. There are people who have gone through the same experiences and came out better, bigger and brighter. The Bible is the greatest manual for living; it does not in any way hide from us people who had negative experiences. More importantly we see clearly how God helped them through it.
Joseph was a prisoner. He was locked in prison for several years for an offence he did not commit. There was nobody to plead his case. He was far away from home. His father thought he had died. He was forgotten by men but the eyes of God were watching over him. It doesn’t matter where life has placed us the eyes of God is right there with us. In the darkest night and moments of our lives God is right there with us.
Right from the prison God began to strategize his release and his enthronement. He was not even aware but God was at work behind the scene. God had to use people that were not related to him to help him out. I want you to realize that God is never at a loss on what to do concerning the issues of our lives. When we are at loss on what to do, we can trust the all-knowing God to make a way where there seems to be no way. The present situation and circumstances of our lives are never the end of the road for us.
Rivers can still flow in your desert!
A highway can be created again in the sea for you!
The mouth of Lions can still be shut for you!
Don’t give up yet. Help is on the way!
DECLARE:
God is at work in my life. The experiences of life does not determine the end of the road for me.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 121:1-2, 1 Corinthians 10:13
Wednesday 12th October, 2022
SOWING INTO A VISION
Text: "And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's. Who shall give you that which is your own?" Luke 16:12
One of the greatest privilege life gives us is the privilege of sowing seeds toward the desired harvest. The future is greatly determined by the seeds of today. The seed is a future harvest. You can never get out of life what you have not sown into it. We are all at different stages of God's vision for our lives. Some are searching for it. Some have discovered it but are trying to figure out how it will ever come to pass. Some are already fulfilling it but are still far from the ultimate. What stage are you? While we are trying to figure out God's vision for our lives there are people who are already established in the centre of God's vision for their lives. These individuals are no longer searching; they have found their place and it’s obvious. These established visions become a spring board for other visions to rise.
The vision of Moses gave birth to the vision of Joshua
The vision of Elijah gave birth to the vision of Elisha.
The vision of Christ gave birth to the vision of the Apostles.
This is a scriptural pattern. I pray you to understand this clearly. When you find someone or something that looks like what you will love to do with your life find a way to serve that vision or work for that vision. When you locate an established vision that is changing lives one way or another find a way to sow into that vision. It could even be your present place of work. When you work in an establishment you admire so much don't just work to earn a salary work to reap a future. What you earn will finish but what you reap can remain with you forever. What you LEARN in an establishment is more than what you EARN. Find an established vision and begin to serve it and begin to sow into it to reap a harvest of your own vision. Find a vision you admire and begin to pray and promote that vision.
PRAYER:
Lord grant me the clarity of your vision for my life.
LEARN MORE: Galatians 6:6-9
Tuesday 11th October, 2022
WHY YOU NEED VISION
Text: “Where there is NO VISION, the people perish…” Prov 29:18
Vision helps you to believe in the dark what God told you in the light. What you saw in the light is what keeps you going in the dark seasons of life. Vision is not so much about light around you but the light inside you. When it seems there is darkness of challenges all around you the light of God’s vision inside you keeps your life moving.
When you have a vision from God it helps you to rise beyond the limitations of people. This was why the brothers of Joseph were angry with him. He had received a vision from God that was bigger than their expectations of him. If you don’t have a personal vision for your life you will be limited by the opinions of authority figures over your life. It’s natural for people to have a limited expectation of you based on their limited knowledge of you. David had a clear vision of defeating the uncircumcised Philistine. This was why the opinions of his brother and King Saul could not discourage him.
A clear vision of your God-ordained place is the beginning of your personal transformation. The vision becomes an inward drive that doesn’t wait for anyone. When you truly have a vision from God it will not just be you driving the vision but the vision driving you. Such a vision will place a demand on you that you will enjoy and celebrate while somebody else will see it as a burden.
This was also why Joseph could not be stopped even though his brothers and the entire family were not there. I believe if you are still pointing accusing fingers at anyone concerning the state of your life then you don’t have a vision for your life yet.
CONFESSION:
The eyes of my understanding are open. I can see clearly beyond the physical. I’m blind concerning my future. I see into my tomorrow.
LEARN MORE: Ephesians 1:17-18
Monday 10th October, 2022
ENTERING THE FUTURE FROM NOW 2
Text: “...Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward.” Genesis 13:14
There is a point in this story of Abraham that I want us to see today. God said to Abraham “…And look from the place where thou art…” If your life will rise beyond your present realities you must see beyond where you are. If you are limited to what is happening around you your life will be confined to it. A glimpse into the future is what vision is all about. Vision is the ability to have a clear picture of what has not physically manifested. Vision is an inward journey that eventually culminates in an outward journey. It will be difficult for your legs to carry you to where your heart has not taken you to. Vision is a journey of the heart to where your legs will eventually carry you.
When I was in Port Harcourt Nigeria I went out on an assignment one day with a hired taxi. I left the car on the Church premises. Then my son called me to say he was driving the car. He was 14 years old then. I couldn’t believe my ears. The security men within the church’s premises spoke with me on phone to leave him alone and that he was driving well. He had never driven before and I had never taught him how to drive. What I realized was that he was already having the VISION to drive. His vision to drive was bigger than my fears. He already had an inward picture of driving. The inward journey of driving was already settled within him.
When there is a birth of vision within you it will become a driving force within you that does not see the obstacles but the possibility of a future that is greater than the present. When we wholeheartedly interact with the word of God there will be visions ignited in our spirit. Habakkuk 2: 2 says “…Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.” No matter how insignificant the vision may seem at the moment document it and begin to take steps.
CONFESSION:
I see possibilities in my future. I see the goodness of God in my life. I see God at work ahead of me.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 16:8, Isaiah 50:7
Sunday 9th October, 2022
ENTERING THE FUTURE FROM NOW 1
Text: “Where there is NO VISION, the people perish…” Proverbs 18:29
One of the greatest need of humanity is knowing what the future looks like and what it holds for us. When we don’t have a clear sense of what the future holds we tend to step into hopelessness and a sense of depression. When we don’t see the future the realities of the present tends to overwhelm us. Knowing what the future holds or looks like invigorates us and inspires us daily to move on with hope and faith in the face of contrary situations.
Every great life in scriptures and even our contemporary days began with a sudden or gradual unfolding of a future that was different and bigger than where they were. God specifically said to Abraham in a state of childlessness “And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward, for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever…”Genesis 13:14-18. This wasn’t just a physical look. There is a limit to how far the physical eyes can see.
Sight and vision are not really the same. Sight is the ability to see with the physical eyes while vision is the ability to see with the inner eyes. Vision is more of what the inner eyes see than the present realities of what the outer eyes can see. Most of the time when we are fearful, depressed and discouraged it’s a function of what the physical eyes is seeing. The ability to see from within is what vision is all about. I trust God that you will come to visions concerning your life. It will be strong and clear.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I’m coming to visions and revelations concerning my life. I have clarity concerning my life and my future.
LEARN MORE: Ephesians 1:16-19
Saturday 8th October, 2022
CONSEQUENCES OF COMPROMISE!
_Text: “…He prayed three times a day, JUST AS HE HAD ALWAYS DONE, giving thanks to his God.” Daniel 6:10_*
The direct opposite of standing with God is a life of compromise. Making a compromise will always be the easiest options when you are confronted with the issues of life.
A life of compromise will weaken your testimony and the authority of your life.
You will lose an opportunity for God alone to demonstrate himself in your life.
You will also lose the inner strength you will need to face more difficult situations that will open up opportunities in your life.
A compromise is failing a test that should have promoted you to higher pedestals in God.
A compromise will give you an immediate satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment but will completely blind fold you to greater possibilities ahead.
Your life will be full of mixtures that pollutes the uniqueness of your spirit to stand out in God.
It may seems you are having your way in the immediate but it’s a temporary false sense of accomplishment that will soon fizzle out.
The only stand that secures your future is a stand with God. If you make compromises to secure a job it can be lost tomorrow. If you make compromise to secure a relationship they may disappoint you eventually. Whatever you do out of compromise will lack the power of sustainability. Only God has the master plan of your life and it’s just wise to stand with him. He’s your sufficiency. We are never enough in ourselves. When we stand with God he makes up for our weaknesses and littleness.
PRAYER:
I declare in the name of Jesus that the power of the Holy Ghost is working in me to stand with what is right in every situation.
LEARN MORE: Hebrews 12:15-17
Friday 7th October, 2022
STANDING WITH GOD
Text: “…He prayed three times a day, JUST AS HE HAD ALWAYS DONE, giving thanks to his God.” Daniel 6:10
Right from the beginning of this month we have focused on the unique decisions in the life of Daniel which was foundational to his exploits. We are going to take it a step further today. One major unique decision that Daniel took was to take a stand with God. Everyone was expected to make their supplication only to the King for thirty days. The consequences were very clear. This was a decision that would mean a suicide mission. The verdict was that anyone who refuse to comply will be the next meal for the Lions. This was certainly a crossroad kind of decision. But A stand with God is a stand for purpose. A stand with God is a stand for destiny. A stand with God is a stand for eternal relevance. A stand with God is standing with his word on all issues. If you are not sure of God’s word it’s an easy way to live a life of compromise without even knowing. The direct opposite of standing with God is a life of compromise. Daniel was very clear about what was right to be done. He went back home and immediately began to pray. He made a decision to stand with God. At different seasons in life we would also come to this point where we have to make a decision to either stand with God or stand with people.
A decision to stand with God or lose a relationship. .
A decision to stand with God or to lose a job.
A decision to stand with God or lose a precious benefit.
A decision to stand with God or be rejected
A decision to stand with God or to suffer for a while.
Joseph had to make a decision to stand with God and went to prison for it. David had to stand alone with God when no one believed he could face Goliath. Nehemiah had to stand will God to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem despite oppositions. We would continue tomorrow.
PRAYER:
Lord I take a stand with you on all issues of life. I receive the inner courage to do so.
LEARN MORE: Daniel 6:7
Thursday 6th October, 2022
POWER OF CONSISTENCY
Text: “…He prayed three times a day, JUST AS HE HAD ALWAYS DONE, giving thanks to his God.” Daniel 6:10 NLT
I want you to note carefully that it wasn’t the problem that Daniel was facing that drove him to the place of prayer. This wasn’t an emergency kind of prayer. Most of the time when we pray out of emergency its usually done out of fear. It shouldn’t be a bad dream that drives you to prayer. We should have developed a consistent prayer life before the THREATS of life shows up. Daniel wasn’t praying out of desperation or the need to impress. It had been a consistent way of life for him. NASB Says “….He continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and offering praise before his God, just as he had been doing PREVIOUSLY.”
EMERGENCY does not impress God but consistency. It’s better to pray 15 minutes every day than to pray 3 hours once every week in a church service. In the feeding system you don’t eat a drum of food just once in a week to grow. We eat little meals at intervals in a day to grow. The rule of greatness is consistency. Nothing great ever comes by coincidence. Everything that ever became great was consciously, consistently and deliberately built.
Consistency produces in us character and mastery. The principle of consistency applies to virtually every area of life. Olympic champions don’t become one by mere wish. It’s always a product of years of consistency. Great marriages are built by two individuals who choose to work on their marriage consistently for years. Great ministries are products of years of consistent sacrifice and labour. Great business are products of years of consistent and a never giving up decision. Consistency of faith in the ability of God. You can’t go far with God if your walk with God is epileptic. Consistency of purpose. Consistency of character will ensure that you can be trusted. Inconsistency of character doesn’t go far with God.
PRAYER:
I declare today that my walk with God is consistent. I’m consistent in purpose and character.
LEARN MORE: Genesis 49:4
Wednesday 5th October, 2022
TEN TIMES BETTER
Text: “And in all matters of wisdom and understanding.. he found them ten times better than all magicians..” Daniel 1:20
If you are led of God to make a unique decision it will always turn right eventually. It may not necessarily feel right at the beginning. At a point in my life I had to change my Church; I did this twice. Not because where I was coming from was bad. But in the journey of destiny certain unique decisions are inevitable if you will ever rise into divine possibilities.
If Daniel and his colleagues had not taken that unique decision they would have remained on that same level of performance that the other people who took the King´s portion. The scripture never told us how the other people who took the King’s meat and wine ended. I’m sure they would have also seen some level of results. But one thing is sure whatever level of results they obtained is just ratio one to ten of what Daniel saw. Daniel was ten (10) times better. Following a general decision or opinion may get you some level of results but will never compare to if you had followed the unique direction that God is showing you that may not be popular.
The fullness of God’s purpose and plans for our lives depends on following the unique path that God has ordained for us. It will not always be a popular path or a path that everyone will applaud. This is why you must have confidence in your God irrespective of what anyone feels or say. You must begin to acknowledge God’s direction in your life and your ability to make the right decision. When there is a decision to be made in your life don’t crawl in fear; begin to remind yourself of what God has said concerning his guidance over your life. As we close today I will give you a couple of scriptures you need to memorise and keep in your heart as much as you can. When the word is in your heart it will flow through your mouth.
PRAYER:
Lord I declare that I’m led of the Spirit in everything. My steps are divinely guided.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 23, Proverbs 3:5-6, Romans 8:14
Tuesday 4th October, 2022
INDEPENDENT DECISION 2
Text: “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the King’s meat, nor with the wine…” Daniel 1: 8
You have a God-given right to make an independent decision that will turn out right in your life. This is a right that someone may try to take from you. This is something you must politely resist. Many of us have not really built our individual confidence in our walk with God.
A young lady joined a church newly. She met a young man and became close friends almost immediately. The young man never proposed a relationship and never said anything about marriage despite their closeness. The young man happened to be the son of the pastor of the Church. Along the line, the father on the young man invited her to tell her of having a relationship with their son. He was more or less speaking for the son who is not really interested in a relationship. So she began to wait for the young man based on the revelation of the parents of the son who are also her spiritual parents. They want her to marry their son. This has gone on for years and the young man is still not saying anything. Now she’s bothered but not sure of what to tell her spiritual parents of her decision to move on with her life. This began when she was about 22 years old. She’s about 28 now and the guy is about 31. The point I’m making is she has lost the confidence to make an independent decision out of fear of what will my spiritual parents say.
One of the greatest loss in life is the loss of the inner confidence to make an independent decision as prompted by the Spirit. It’s scriptural to seek for counsels but it’s ungodly for an individual to dominate your ability to make a decision. Someone reading this article or listening to the audio is receiving the inner confidence back today. The Spirit of God is at work in you and he’s your divine connection to guidance.
PRAYER:
I have directions in my spirit to take right steps that will take me forward. My inner ears are open to take decisions and I have the wisdom of the Spirit to do so.
LEARN MORE: Isaiah 58:11, John 10:4-5
Monday 3rd October, 2022
INDEPENENT DECISIONS 1
Text: “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the King’s meat, nor with the wine…” Daniel 1: 8
I want to challenge you on three levels today. Don’t leave the decisions of your life to a generally accepted opinion or decision. If you will have the uniqueness of God’s purpose for your life there must also be unique decisions in your life that are consistent with God’s revealed will for your life. You must have a clear understanding of the uniqueness of your walk with God. Everything we do as believers is a by-product of our individual walk with God. It becomes a challenge when you don’t have a unique and personal walk with God. When there is no personal walk with God it will be so easy to be carried away by what is popular and generally accepted. We serve God together and have fellowship together but we all have an individual stand before God. It will be a mistake to rate or judge your life by what someone is doing or what is happening in their lives. Daniel had a very clear understanding of this. He was in the palace with every other young man but he and his colleagues took an independent decision. They understood that their difference is not in eating what the King was offering them. Their difference was in their covenant with God.
An understanding of your individual walk with God will give you an inner stability in the midst of conflicting opinions of men which will happen from time to time. Everyone that knows you will have a piece of opinions on how you should run your life. This is why you must have a stand in God or else life will sweep you off. If you are easily influenced by the opinions of men it will be difficult to stand out in life because it will produce instability in your life.
PRAYER:
The words of ordinary men has lost its power over my life. I’m delivered from every human opinion that is contrary to divine opinions over my life.
LEARN MORE: Isaiah 46:10, 2 Corinthians 10:4-6
Sunday 2nd October 2022
UNIQUE DECISIONS 2
Text: “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the King’s meat, nor with the wine…” Daniel 1: 8
If Daniel had taken the King’s portion he would have achieved the Physical parameters of the King but would have missed out on the bigger picture of his spiritual destiny. If he had taken the king’s portion he would have attained the desires of the king but would have missed the opportunity to prove that God alone was enough.
We need to know that our physical attainments are not as important as our ultimate divine destiny. It’s possible to have all the physical comfort and miss divine destiny. If your life is consumed with the desire to have physical comfort and all that life can offer in terms of enjoyment you will miss out on the greatest opportunities God is offering you. The journey into God’s program and purpose for our lives will require that we make unique decisions that are not common or popular.
If you are more interested in what people think about you or their applause you won’t go too far in what God has purposed for your life. Everyone who is presently in the centre of God’s purpose for their lives must have at one time or the other gone against the popular trend or what is popularly accepted. Not as an act of rebellion but as a decision to rather be on God’s side than be on the side of popularity. It will be a gross mistake to judge or measure our lives by what everyone is doing. Our lives are determined by what is unique to us and the unique path God wants us to follow.
I want to close today by reminding you that the uniqueness of God’s program for your life will require that you stay on God’s side and follow specific instructions that will ensure his unique plans for your life.
CONFESSION:
I’m on a unique path in life. I will follow God’s instructions for my life in everything.
LEARN MORE: Romans 12:1-2
Friday 30th September, 2022
SEED OF THE WORD
Text: “Now the parable is this; The seed is the word of God.” Luke 8:11
Every farmer understands the power and the potential of a seed. The seed may look small and insignificant, but it could end up as a great harvest that will feed nations. A seed today can become a forest tomorrow; it’s just a matter of time. A seed despised is a future denied.
The word of God is also referred to as a seed. Even though it sounds insignificant but has the potential of changing the entire course of a man’s life. Every word of God spoken to us and over our lives are spiritual seeds. God has given us his word as a seed to produce the harvest of whatever the word is saying. Just as a farmer’s harvest is tied to the seed so also is the word of God to our lives. The potential of a seed is only revealed when the seed is planted, watered and nurtured. The seed by itself will not produce a harvest even though it carries great potential. The word of God written on the pages of scriptures will not produce any result except we consciously engage it.
The process of engaging the seed of the word starts from receiving the word in our hearts. The heart of man is the ground for growing the word. A farmer cannot plant a seed he does not have. We must know the word and relate to it as something personal to us. One sign that you have received a particular word is that it will dominate our mouths. Believing whatever the word says is another means of engaging the seed of the word. What works for us is not just we hear but what we believe. In most cases we hear so much, but we believe so little. It will be easier for us to believe God’s word when we realise that God does not speak according to what we can do but what we can do.
Lastly we also engage the seed of the word as we subscribe to the demands of the word spoken to us. Every word that God gives us places a specific demands on our lives. One general demand of God’s word is that we must rejoice at his word. God wants us to give him glory based on what he has said.
CONFESSION:
The word of God will produce results in my life today. My life will be a harvest of every word of God today.
LEARN MORE: Luke 5:4-7, Romans 4:19-20
Thursday 29th September, 2022
CONSISTENT WITH GOD
Text: “Unstable (inconsistent) as waters, thou shalt not excel.” Genesis 49:4
In the early days when I began to develop my walk with God several years ago; I heard the Spirit of God say to me “You can be extremely powerful as you maintain a vibrant and consistent communion with me.” Ever since then that word had become like a Bible verse for me. The word casual, irregular, inconsistent etc will never produce any tangible result in any life’s venture. If you are casual about life you will also have casual results out of life. If you are inconsistent about life you will also have the same dimension of results out of life.
This is also true about our walk with God. The rule of the game is consistency. We’ll find a couple of phrases in the word of God that tells us clearly that God wants us to be consistent with him. Prov. 8:34 “Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching DAILY at my gates..” In Isaiah 50:4 it says “...He wakeneth morning by morning...” 1 Thess. 5:18 says “Pray without ceasing.” If you like pray consistently. Let’s take prayer as a typical example. It’s better to pray five (5) minutes every day all through the week than to pray 1 hour just one day in a week. This is actually the reason why our walk with God is shallow and ineffective. Many come to Church on a Sunday morning to have a good time in praise, worship and learning from the word of God. Once service is over that’s the end of it till next Sunday. We can’t grow spiritually that way. Just imagine feeding a child only once in a week. In most cases a child does not eat so much at once. But a consistent intake of the food will make the child grow.
No one eats a drum of food at once. It’s usually small amounts eaten over time that culminates in the overall growth of a person. You don’t have to read your entire Bible in one day. But a portion must be read daily and consistently.
CONFESSION:
I am consistent and responsible in my walk with God daily. My Christian life is vibrant and productive.
LEARN MORE: 2 Timothy 4:2
Wednesday 28th September, 2022
FILLED WITH VIRTUES
Text: “According as his divine power hath given unto us all that pertain unto life and godliness...” 2 Corinthians 1:3
The measure of a believer is not the measure of this world but rather the measure of the word of God. It will be very wrong to look at yourself as a believer and draw conclusion about yourself based on the standards of this world. If you place yourself on the scale of this world there will always be something that is lacking. We are not of this world so we refuse to judge ourselves based on the scales of this world.
Every one of us as believers is loaded with divine virtues; that is required to fulfil destiny. God has given us all that are required for life and godliness. This is not talking of the money in our bank account or investments in the stock market; he’s talking of divine virtues made available in the recreated human spirit.
The life and the ability of God are resident in your spirit as a believer. We are not supposed to be struggling on our own to do right. The rightness of God in Christ Jesus is already in our spirit. We can do right and we can live right. We can take right steps in every issue of life.
Christ became our wisdom and because he lives inside us the wisdom of God is made resident inside us. In Christ is found the treasure of wisdom and knowledge. So by extension the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are also inside us. This is why as a believer we should never be confused about any issue of life. even if we don’t know yet what to do we can hold on to this reality of God’s word over our lives.
The fruit of the Spirit is resident inside us. The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost. There should be a ceaseless flow of these virtues from our lives. It’s so important that we see ourselves this way from the perspective of scriptures. We are filled with virtues.
CONFESSION:
I’m too loaded to fail. The wisdom of God is at work in my life. Every day I will always know what to do.
LEARN MORE: Romans 5:5, Galatians 5:22-23
Tuesday 27th September, 2022
TALK ABOUT JESUS
Text: “For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:20
The disciples were threatened to stop talking about Jesus. This was not acceptable to the disciples. They insisted that there was no way they could have stopped talking about Jesus. They have seen so many miracles in his name. They have personally experienced transformations in their lives and in the lives of others. This was the basis for their confidence and assurance.
We must clearly understand the place of Jesus in our lives. If you don’t know you will be quiet about him. When you are quiet about Jesus your spiritual life will be quiet and ineffective. Most people who are shy about talking to others about Jesus simply don’t understand the worth of the salvation they have. Christ is the express image of the invisible God. It pleased the father that in Jesus all the fullness of the God-head should dwell. He is our saviour and the Lord of our lives. He gave his life as a ransom for our souls. He became sin for us; so that we may become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.
If we truly understand what Jesus means to us then we’ll not hesitate to talk to someone about Jesus daily. Jesus brought to us the privilege of eternal forgiveness from our sins. He brought to us eternal justification from condemnation. He went to the cross on our behalf. He became sin for us; not because he did anything wrong. Just to make us right before God. He left his glory and put on the form of a servant just to raise us up to his own level at the right hand of God. There is really nothing in this world that can compare in value to what Jesus wrought for us. Nothing else is more important to occupy our mouth than Jesus. If people around you don’t know that Jesus lives in you and you are proud of him then it will be impossible to represent him and talk about him. One thing is clear; if we honour Jesus he will honour us back.
CONFESSION:
The life of Christ is finding expression in my life daily. Everywhere I go the glory of God will be on me.
LEARN MORE: Acts 28:31, Romans 1:16
Monday 26th September, 2022
WHY YOU NEED GUIDANCE 3
Text: “I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.” Habakkuk 2:1
We concluded yesterday by talking about spiritual positioning to receive God’s guidance. We’ll continue that today. No matter how heavy the rain is what you have in your house will be determined by where you place your container. God is always reaching out to us but the state of our human spirit will determine the extent to which we are able to pick what God is saying.
The first emphasis we are going to make on this is that our spirit man must be kept in a state of watchfulness. To “watch” from our anchor scripture simply implies a state of readiness and a state of expectancy. God does not necessarily speak to us in a very “loud” voice. In most cases it comes in a “quiet still voice”, it therefore takes some level of alertness to receive what God is saying. A state of watching is a time when our spirit man is conditioned to receive from God. This could be a period of time that we take out to spend alone with God for this purpose or simply an attitude we cultivate in the course of our day.
Cultivating a life of praise is another means of positioning ourselves to receive from God. When you find yourself in a confusing situation or in a state where you don’t know what to do you must create an atmosphere around yourself that is different from the confusing state. Praise helps us to keep our focus on God in such a confusing situation. The external situation must not be allowed to become an internal disposition. This is a major goal of engaging in praise and also God is magnified in that situation. God dwells in the midst of our praise. As we position ourselves this way we’ll find God’s direction clearer.
CONFESSION:
My life is a channel of blessing. I’m a conduit of the glory of God daily. My heart is dispensing possibilities every day of my life.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 22:3, Isaiah 50:4-5, Isaiah 30:29-30
Sunday 25th September, 2022
WHY YOU NEED GUIDANCE 2
Text: “And they heard the voice of the Lord walking in the garden in the cool of the day..”. Genesis 3:8
The need for guidance was clearly stated yesterday. Today we’ll look at three (3) fundamental truths that will help us to access God’s guidance for our lives. The subject of divine guidance is inexhaustible; I want to suggest that at the beginning of a week, month or year that you take your time to learn more on such a subject.
1. God is ever willing and ever ready to speak to us – God is a specialist in speaking to man concerning his life. it’s God’s desire to speak to us. On God’s side there are no barriers. All over scriptures we have examples of God speaking to individuals. The possibilities of scriptures are our possibilities too. Gen 12: 1 says “Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country...” Gen 26: 2 says “And the Lord appeared unto him (Isaac), and said, Go not down into Egypt...” God demonstrated this willingness over and over again all through scriptures.
2. The extent to which we’ll receive God’s guidance will be determined by the degree of our willingness to follow God - God’s willingness to speak will depend on man’s willingness to follow. For so many of us we just want God to bless us, we are not really keen on following God. There is no point asking God for his help when we are not ready to follow his ways. His help is located in his ways. In most cases our minds are already made up before we start asking God questions.
3. We receive God’s guidance as we position ourselves spiritually to do so – It’s possible that it’s raining and there is no water in your house. Abundance of rain does not mean abundance of water in your house. For you to partake of the rain you must bring your bucket or drum and keep them where water can enter it. Even inside the rain it’s not everywhere that your drum will get filled. We’ll continue from here tomorrow.
CONFESSION:
My heart is open to receive God’s guidance all through this year. My ears are open wide to hear God.
LEARN MORE: John 10: 1-5
Saturday 24th September, 2022
WHY YOU NEED GUIDANCE 1
Text: “I can of mine own self do nothing; as I hear, I judge; and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the father which hath sent me.” John 5:30
The word in our anchor scripture today is a direct word of Jesus. Listen to what he said “I can of my own self do nothing, as I hear, I judge...” Jesus was more or less saying “Everything I do are done based on divine guidance, I don’t do things on my own.” If Jesus needed divine guidance from the father how much more you and I.
The major function of the eye is to locate our way; it functions majorly for guidance. Everyone needs the eyes to function. Just as no one is too old to say I don’t need my eyes again so also no one can say I don’t need guidance again. At every point in time in our lives there will always be something you don’t know and you need to know. There will always be a need to make a choice and take a step in life. At a point in the ministry of Jesus there was a need to feed the multitude. There was no bread and there was nowhere to buy. In the midst of that need the scriptures said “...For he (Jesus) himself knew what to do” (John 6:6). Jesus was always in tune with the father to know what to do and the steps to take per time. I strongly believe that the need for guidance is one of the reasons why Jesus spent so much time in seclusion communing with the father.
The purpose of God for our lives is that at every point of need we’ll always know what to do and what steps to take. This is what God wants us to experience. We live in a time where there are enormous challenges all over the world. We need God’s guidance more than ever before. As we face another year we’ll require God’s guidance all the way. Please join me tomorrow to continue.
CONFESSION:
I will always know what to do and where to go. There is direction in my spirit daily.
LEARN MORE: Matthew 14:23, Mark 1:35, John 6:5-12
Friday 23rd September, 2022
RESERVOIR OR CHANNEL
Text: “There is that scatterth, and yet increaseth, and there is that withholdeth more than is mee, but it tendeth towards poverty.” Proverbs 11:24
A reservoir is a material or container that serves the purpose of storage and harbouring something. A channel on the other hand is a medium of distribution. The life of a believer is supposed to be a channel and not storage. The beauty of our lives comes forth as we function as a channel of God’s investments in our lives. The channel is a device that “...Scatters and yet increases...” The storage withholds more than is required and tends towards poverty.
God has invested so much in us and he expects returns from our lives. Everything that God has done and will do is not supposed to be an end in itself but a means to a greater end. God invested his life in us. The very life of God is functioning inside us. God invested his forgiveness on us. In the multitude of our sins he forgave us and cleansed us clean by the blood of Jesus. He also invested his own Spirit in us to help our weaknesses and infirmities. He lavished his grace upon our lives. God has invested so much on our lives. I want you to note the following:
1. Whatever God has invested in our lives are not meant to be dormant but rather to grow and multiply.
2. Whatever God has done in your life is supposed to extend from you to others.
3. Usually God will do something in your life as an example to others of what he wants to do in their lives too.
The summary of what we are saying is that God’s investment in your life should flow to others. We are blessed to be a blessing to others. We are healed to be a means of God healing others. Paul said “Who comforteth us in all our tribulations, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:4
CONFESsION:
God is using me mightily. I’m a channel of God’s blessings to multitudes of people around me.
LEARN MORE: Proverbs 11:24-25
Thursday 22nd September, 2022
RECEIVING IDEAS
Text: “But there is a spirit in man; and the Inspiration of the Almighty gveth them undertsnading..” Job 32:8
Creation began with an idea. It was first of all an idea in the mind of God until it became a reality. In the same way everything visible today, for example buildings, cars and so on first existed in the form of an idea in someone’s mind. One major way that God introduces us to his ultimate plans for our lives is to birth in us ideas.
Most of the time life limitation is a function of lack of ideas. Our minds become fertile as we open it up to the freshness of the Spirit. Infertility of the mind can be worse than infertility of the land. If we are going to rise beyond our present state of life we must do things we have never done before or do what we are currently doing now in different ways.
Join me as we pray in this direction today.
1. Father thank you for the quickening power of your Spirit on my life.
2. Lord I ask that you pour out afresh your Spirit upon the wilderness around my life. Lord I want to experience the freshness of your Spirit today.
3. Lord I ask that you fill me up afresh with the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of you. I declare that the eyes of my understanding are enlightened.
4. In the name of Jesus I declare that what eyes has not seen before; that which ears have not heard before will begin to come forth out of my life.
5. Lord move upon me afresh today by your Spirit to conceive ideas that will take my life to next levels of breakthroughs.
CONFESSION:
The Spirit of God is working in me today to produce great ideas that will change my world. My mind is fertile and productive.
LEARN MORE: Ephesians 1:17-18
Wednesday 21st September, 2022
PROVOKING A MIRACLE
Text: “For she said, If I may touch but his cloths, I shall be whole.” Mark 5:28
From our previous study we said miracles are unexplainable, unimaginable but undeniable acts of God in the affairs of men. Miracles are the acts of God but it can be initiated by men; in so many cases in scriptures miracles were provoked by a deliberate and determined step taken by an individual. We can therefore initiate a miracle any area of our lives.
Let’s look at a couple of examples to establish this truth and to see what God will have us do as individuals. The woman with the issue of blood was not on Jesus agenda for that particular day. Jesus was on his way to attend to another person. Jesus did not even know that she was there in the crowd. But the woman recognised that this was a divine moment she could not afford to miss. She had a conversation with herself. She did not even wait for someone to encourage her to do so. She pressed through the crowd by faith to get her miracle. She did not wait for the miracle to come to her; she took a step of faith to reach for her miracle. How did this miracle happen? Jesus said “...Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole...” it was not just the virtue of Jesus; her faith drew it out. We also need to watch out for the step of faith we need to take to experience a miracle.
The widow of Zarephath needed a miracle to eat all through the period of famine; but she needed to sow the seed of the little she had. The Prophet made that demand on her and she obliged. In many cases when you ask God for a miracle he will in turn ask you for a seed. If the woman had not given her last meal to Elijah God would have fed him somewhere else but the woman would have lost a miracle. It’s my prayer that God will open your eyes to know what steps to take to experience a miracle in your life.
DECLARATION OF FAITH:
Miracles are taking place in my life. the impossible is become possible in my life. I’m a miracle.
LEARN MORE: 1 King 17:9-16, Mark 16:20
Tuesday 20th September, 2022
MORE OF GOD
Text: “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God...” Psalm 42:1-2 (NASB)
There are certain things you are expected to keep doing all your life. Once you stop doing them a major problem steps in that may even lead to death. We have been eating all our lives; and we are expected to keep eating to stay alive. We have been breathing right from the moment we were born and this will continue as long as we want to stay alive.
This is also true of our spiritual life. You can never pray too much; the more you pray the better you become. You can never read your Bible too much; the more you read the better you become. We are also expected to keep having more of God in our lives. We can never have too much of God. The more of God you have the better your life becomes. The less of God we have the more dangerous your life becomes. One of the best ways to understand this is to look again at how King Saul and David faced Goliath. David had so much of God in his life. As a result of that he had all the inner strength to face Goliath. King Saul had so little of God if anything at all.
A popular song writer says “I want more of you; Jesus. The more I know you the more I want to know Jesus; more of you....” The irony of it is that the more of God we know the more we’ll realise that we need him more. It will be an arrogant attitude to think we already know all we need to know about God. There is still so much we need to explore in God. God is equally available for everyone who will dare to pursue him more. More of God is expressed in our lives as our heart reaches out for more of him. David used the words “pants” and “thirsts”, this is an expression of a man that wanted more of God on a daily basis. This made a lot of difference in the life of David.
CONFESSION:
My life is open for more of God every day. My spiritual life is taking a new turn daily. Everything about me is taken over by God.
LEARN MORE: Phiipiansl 3:7-13
Monday 19th September, 2022
HEAVENLY - CLASS
Text: “And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:6
The University system has a class of degrees that are awarded to students. This is usually a reflection of their performance and where each student stands in the academic rating. We have degrees like the First class degree, second class upper, second class lower and third class degree. It’s important for us to understand that as important as this may sound it’s not the same as spiritual rating. The class of degree in school is not the end of life. It’s possible to excel in life without any class of degree as much or even higher than the highest university class of degree.
As believers we belong to a higher class; this is a heavenly class. It therefore means that we can function and operate in life from that celestial realm. Jesus also had this class. Read careful what Jesus said “And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.” (John 3:13). Did you see that? He said he came down from heaven and at the same time he’s in heaven. He was talking of a dual-abode. He was on earth but at the same time in heaven. He was on earth but functioning from heaven.
God’s expectation for the new creation is that we should bear the image of the heavenly. In other words everything about our lives should be a reflection of the heavenly. “As we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly” (1 Corinthians 15:49). This is the class that we belong now. The limitations of the earth no longer have control over our lives. We have risen with Christ beyond the earth realm. This is so important in order for us to rise beyond the limitations of the earth.
DECLARATION:
I belong to a heavenly – class. This is the realm that God has brought me into. I have risen beyond the limitations of the earth.
LEARN MORE: John 3:31, 1 Corinthians 15:45-49
Sunday 18th September, 2022
REALITY OF MIRACLES
Text: “This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come our of Judaea into Galilee.” John 4:54
The God we serve is a God of miracles. He is a specialist in miracles. He specialises in impossible cases. Where men say it’s over is where God loves to work. Just read your Bible from Genesis to Revelation you will see clearly what we are talking about. If you don’t believe in miracles then you don’t believe in God neither do you believe in his word. (John 6:14)
There is no scientific explanation to how a woman in her nineties will get pregnant and give birth to a child. To let us know that it was not a coincidence nothing of such has ever happened again. The only explanation for this is just that it was a miracle. Miracles are unexplainable, unimaginable but undeniable acts of God in the affairs of men. (Acts 4:16)
The red sea was so big. There was no way anyone would have walked through it and come out alive. The hand of God miraculously divided the sea. Miracles are designed to help us have a way out of impossible situations. The woman with the issue of blood had done every possible test and taken every available drug to stop the blood from flowing. She spent all her living on this and it was getting worse until she met the miracle worker – Jesus. Time will not permit us to go through all the various miracles reported in scriptures. One thing is clear miracles are real.
If you will experience miracles in your life you must have a relationship with the miracle worker. He’s the God of all flesh. Nothing is too hard for God. But it will be wrong to only seek the miracle without the worker. We must also have an unshakeable confidence in the word of God over our lives. Mary was told she’ll have a child as a virgin. She doubted it initially but the angel encouraged her to believe. What you believe matters.
DECLARATION OF FAITH:
I believe in miracles. I believe that God is still at work in the affairs of men. I believe he’ll work in my life too.
LEARN MORE: Mark 5:25-34, Luke 1:45, Hebrews 13:8
Saturday 17th September, 2022
RESPOND TO GOD
Text: “And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.”Luke 1:38
The word of God came unto Mary that she was going to conceive and have a baby without the input of a man. Mary asked a genuine question. How shall this be since I don’t know a man? (Luke 1:34). The angel explained to her; even at that the process was not logical. There was nothing biological to how it will happen. It was not really the responsibility of Mary to figure out how this will happen. All she needed to do was to give God a positive response.
How we respond to God really matters in walking with God. We must understand that God and his word are one. How we respond to his word is exactly how we respond to God. I want to ask you to respond to God’s word positively this new month. God’s word alone will not produce result without a corresponding action from a man. Mary had to agree with the word of God that came in her direction.
I want to give you a couple of ways to respond to God through his word:
1. Receive God’s word with meekness – No matter what you know there is still so much that you don’t know. Every time you approach God’s word from the stand point of someone who knows it will be difficult to receive more. So humble yourself to learn.
2. Receive God’s word in Faith – If you ever doubt anything; it should not be God’s word. God stands by his word to fulfil it. If God said then it’s settled.
3. Receive God’s word with joy and excitement – As soon as Hannah received the word of God from the prophet her countenance was no longer sad. Rejoice at God’s word like someone who has seen the fulfilment of it.
PRAYER:
Lord I submit myself to the authority of your word. I accept your word as final over my life.
LEARN MORE: James 1:21, Luke 1:45, Psalm 119:162
Friday 16th September, 2022
RESULTS OF REDEMPTION
Text: “For as much as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation…But with the precious blood of Christ...” 1 Peter 1:18-19
The process of redemption was so serious that it cost God the precious blood of Christ to accomplish this. This was the greatest sacrifice anyone could ever make. The blood of Jesus was shed to buy us back. His precious blood was the price that was pain for our freedom. Please explore the effects of this with me.
1. We are redeemed from a useless way of life, passed down to us by tradition from our forefathers. This is what is referred to as “vain conversation” from our anchor scriptures. We now have the privilege of living a life of purpose and significance. A life of honour and dignity.
2. We are redeemed from the hand of the enemy. The Devil is the number one enemy of our lives. He has no more rights on our lives. Every of his strategies have failed already on our lives. Before the beginning of any battle we are declared as more than conquerors. Psalm 107:1-2
3. We are redeemed from destruction. Ps 103:4. There are forces that seek to waste the life of men. We are far beyond their reach. The scripture talks about “...the destruction that wastes at noonday” Ps 91:6. The blood of Jesus brought us into the secret place. Where destruction cannot reach us.
The blood of Jesus did more than saving us to get into heaven; it positioned us to walk in absolute victory while we are here. Please walk in this liberty that Christ procured for us by his blood.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I declare my absolute liberty over the enemy. I live a life of purpose and significance today.
LEARN MORE: Galatians 5:1, Romans 8:37
Thursday 15th September, 2022
NOTHING IS HIDDEN!
Text: “For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was anything kept secret, but that it should come abroad. “Mark 4:22
It’s part of the human nature to keep secrets; being exposed is not really convenient.. There are issues in our lives that we may never want anyone to know. This may be okay to some extent. But then we must understand that what is hidden to man is open to God.
We can only keep secrets as far as our relationship to man is concerned. God is watching every step we take, every word we utter and the deepest thoughts of our hearts. It’s therefore important that we learn how to “undress” before God. There is really nothing that is a surprise to God. He knows that we are human and liable to errors.
It becomes a problem when we try to keep things away from men and at the same time from God. Covering our sins does not take it away. We only succeed in covering it until when it will be exposed for the whole world to see. We deal with sins in our lives as we confess them and we bring them under the cleansing blood of Jesus. Pro 28:13, 1 John 1:9. It’s better to have it “cleansed” than “covering” it. When it’s cleansed by the blood of Jesus it does not exist again. God wipes it off record. Hebrews 8:12
If you have a challenge in an area of life keeping it a secret does not solve it. It may require we bring it to the open and seek for godly counsels. It’s a sign of pride if we decide to keep it secret and this further complicates the issue because God resists the proud.
It’s so important that we live our lives in such a way that we are not afraid to be questioned and scrutinised. Live sincerely and live purely, with this you won’t have to bother keeping secrets.
PRAYER:
Lord by your Spirit deliver me from every secret sin. I open my heart to you for a purging.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 19:12-13,Psalm 139:1-13
Wednesday 14th September, 2022
CREATION LESSONS
Text: “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said let there be light and there was light.”Gen 1:2-3
We don’t just watch things to go on in our lives from year to year. Time does not necessarily change situations. We must engage the forces of the Spirit to enforce the turnaround we desire in our lives. What God saw was not what he wanted so he began the process of changing it.
The miracle of creation was enforced by the word of God.
Lesson 1: Every time there is a challenge in any place or any area of our lives, God does not actually go there by himself. What God will do is to send his word into the place or into the situation. Ps 107:20.God’s word is as potent as his person. Once his word is available it’s as good as God himself is available. Where his word is absent he’s absent.
Lesson 2: God did not begin creation or the turnaround he wanted to see on the basis of prayer and fasting, he began by releasing his word. Even before I pray or fast the first thing I must have is God’s word on the issue. If I must pray and fast at all it will be asking God what are you saying in this situation, what is your word on this? This is important because every other step we take will be on the basis of what God has said to us. Our prayer and confession will be based on it.
Lesson 3: The same word that was spoken in the beginning is the same word that is still available today. It’s as potent as it was in the beginning. We can change anything with it.
ACTIVITY:
Please take time to declare God’s word over yourself.
LEARN MORE: John 1:1-5, Isaiah 55:10-11
Tuesday 13th September, 2022
LESSONS FROM JOSEPH
Text: “The chief jailer had no more worries after that, because Joseph took care of everything. The Lord was with him, making everything run smoothly and successfully.”Gen 39:23
There are so many practical lessons we can learn from the life of Joseph. His story inspires me a lot.
Just as a building is made up of blocks and clothes are made up of fabrics so also our lives are made up of thoughts. As the thoughts are so will our lives be. Whatever we allow in our thoughts we have allowed in our lives.
Whatever dominates your thoughts will eventually dominate your life. If your thoughts are wrong your life will be wrong too. Everything we do in life is first of all introduced to us as a thought. Every change we desire in life begins from our thoughts.
Your thoughts are a reflection of your disposition to life. The victory and success of Joseph is traceable to his thought pattern:
1. Joseph did not allow his environment to condition or shape his thoughts.
2. Joseph did not allow his circumstances to shape his thoughts.
3. Joseph had his thoughts lined up with God’s purpose and plans for him.
4. Joseph was in prison but the prison was not in him.
No matter what happens in life we must learn to see and evaluate based on God’s perspective. There are no circumstances of life that should be a reason for our failure. The prevailing circumstances of life should not keep you down. Even if you had the worst grade in school among your siblings you can still end as a success in life. Perhaps you lost a job recently, don’t use that to judge yourself, there is more to your life than that. You will end up as a success.
CONFESSION:
There is no challenge of life that can keep me down. No matter what I go through I will end up as a success in life.
LEARN MORE: Romans 8:28,3
Monday 12th September, 2022
NEVER GIVE UP ON YOURSELF
Text: “And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years...When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.” Mark 5:25, 27
One of the most dangerous decisions we can make in life is to give up on ourselves. We must have stayed so long expecting something to happen. Maybe you expect by now to have been married or gotten a job. There will always be a tendency to give up or accept whatever comes as fate. The popular saying “Winners never quit and quitters never win” is still so much true today.
The woman with the issue of blood had been in that condition for so many years. She had gone to every available physician, done all the required tests but nothing changed. She had spent all her living on that sickness. Her condition was getting worse. It’s natural to want to give up. From the story it was clear that she did not give up on herself. She had a ray of hope lingering deep in her heart. When she saw Jesus her hope was stirred up again to reach out for her miracle.
It’s clear from scriptures that God does not give up on anyone of us. Naomi and Ruth lost everything in the land of Moab. In the midst of it all things were turned around for them. Samson made the greatest mistake of his life. He betrayed the grace of God on his life. At the point of losing all God restored him back and even at the point of death he had victory over his enemies.
The prodigal son wasted all his resources on careless living. The father had every right not to take him back. In the midst of it all the father took him back. The father never gave up on him. Thank God the prodigal son too did not give up on himself. He also took a step to come back home. If he had stayed where he was nothing would have changed for him.
CONFESSION:
I will not give up on myself. I will not give up on God’s plans for me. No matter how long it takes I will keep working on God’s purpose for my life.
LEARN MORE: Job 14:14
Sunday 11th September, 2022
NEVER COMPARE YOURSELF WITH OTHERS
Text: “For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves by themselves: but they measuring themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.” 2 Corinthians 10:12
You are uniquely crafted with exclusive gifts that are branded on your destiny. There is something you can do better than anyone, find it and concentrate on that, rather than wear yourself out trying to do something that others are doing.
Comparison traps are referred to as foolishness.
It’s not wise to compare yourself with others because God made us different from them. No matter how much you try you can never do things exactly like someone else will do it. Similarly they cannot do things like we’ll do it. We must all come to the point where we appreciate what and who God made us. Comparing yourself with others will demoralize you and get you discouraged.
What someone has that you don’t have is never a reason to look down on yourself. What someone else has done that you have not done does not reduce your value. We can be challenged and inspired by others but it should never be a reason to think less of ourselves. The only person you are created to look like is Christ and yourself. God did not package in you what you need to look like someone else. It will be a wasted effort trying to do that. God packaged in you all you need to be the best of you. We must learn to appreciate and celebrate who we are and where we are per time as we trust God to do more in our lives. Comparing yourself with others is actually a sign of ingratitude to God. It’s important to also add that we should never look down on anyone based on what we have or do better than them. That will be pride.
PRAYER:
Thank God for where I am today. Thank God for the higher grounds that he has prepared for me.
LEARN MORE: Jeremiah 29:11
Saturday 10th September, 2022
NEVER TRY TO PLEASE EVERYONE
Text: “For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10
In the course of a lifetime there will be so many people that will come our way who will make demands on us based on what they feel is best for us. In so many cases the demands are based on what is best for the individuals and not what is best for us. It will therefore be a disadvantage on our part trying to please such individuals.
Ultimately in life its God we should please. If you try to please someone at the expense of pleasing God you will end up hurting yourself and displeasing God. If you live to please a boy friend at the expense of pleasing God you will end up been used and dumped. If an employer placed demands on you that are contrary to scriptures then you have made such individuals gods over your life. When the rubber meets the road you will realise that such individuals cannot sustain you in life.
There is a scripture where Paul said “Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.” (1 Corinth 10:33). What Paul was dealing with here is quite different from our subject of discussion. He was talking here about going out of his own convenience to help other people. There were issues on the law in which Paul did not please anyone.
If Joseph had pleased the wife of his master he would have missed out on God’s ultimate plan for his life. Daniel did not please the King and he became the best in the land. The three Hebrew boys refused to please the King also. In each of these cases their stand for God was richly rewarded. We must be able to stand for God on issues that we know are clearly issues of conscience.
PRAYER:
Lord I receive the inner strength to stand by you and for you on all issues of life.
LEARN MORE: Acts 5:27-29
Friday 9th September, 2022
NEVER SPEAK ILL OF YOUR SELF
Text: “But the men that went up with him said, we be not able to go up against the people: for they are stronger than we.” Numbers 13:31
Words are powerful. Words are so much powerful that whatever you speak about yourself will eventually overwhelm your life and give direction to your life. Your words are like a map and a compass, much more powerful than google maps.
Mephibosheth looked at himself and called himself a dead dog. No wonder he lived in a deserted place crawling like a dog, yet royal blood flowed in his vein. When you say you are not sure you will marry, you are embracing delay in your marital journey. There may be pressures and challenges around you, but the ultimate things are what you believe and say with your mouth.
If you say you are under a curse and that is why things are not working well for you then things that happen to people who are under influence of curses will happen even though you are not cursed! That is how words can be powerful. What a man utters carelessly can lead him into the gutter.
Please don’t just read this and put it away by the side. Make a deliberate decision about things you should say about yourself every day. This is not boasting, but setting up yourself in agreement with God. The first speech we notice from God in Genesis wasn’t to somebody; rather, He started by talking to situations and circumstances. He was making things happen through the power of speech, showing us what we’re supposed to do with words. He wanted light and He said, "…let there be light," and light came into being. Your words locate you; what you say determines where you’ll be in life. That’s the reason it’s so important for you to avoid talking negatively. For instance, when a Christian declares, "I can’t do such-and such," he may think that only applies to the context of that particular statement, but it’s not so! That statement immediately works in his spirit and affects his divine nature.
CONFESSION:
The blessings of God are on my life. Coded in my Spirit is the victory of Christ.
LEARN MORE: Numbers 14:28, Psalm 78:17-22, 40-41
Thursday 8th September, 2022
NEVER LOOK DOWN ON YOURSELF
Text: “And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants, and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight” Numbers 13:33
You are created in God’s image. Believe it. You are not a mistake. You are not an error. You are not a disaster. You are not a regretful creature. Don’t look down on yourself, for if you do people will look down on you and they will trample on you. Don’t just throw yourself at any one just in the name of relationship. No one can despise you until you permit them by the way you have despised yourself. Celebrate yourself.
What people think about you is not really as important as what you think about yourself. What you think about yourself will have a major impact on your life. Once you decide how you think about yourself you have given other people the right and permission to look at you in the same way. T.L Osborne says “Life will take you at your own self appraisal.”
Looking down on you is actually a slap on redemption. There was a price that was paid on your life. It was the precious blood of Jesus. This makes you precious also. Whatever was wrong in your life before salvation was taken care of by the blood of Jesus. Now that you are saved you are a new creation, everything that was wrong is gone away and every good thing has been imparted into your spirit.
Let’s conclude this lesson with this scripture “Let no one despise or think less of you because of your youth, but be an example (pattern) for the believers in speech, in conduct....” (1 Tim 4:12 AMP). The best way to prevent people from despising or thinking less of you is when you don’t do it to yourself. Even when people do it there won’t be any effect on you because you already have God’s evaluation about yourself.
CONFESSION:
Nothing is wrong with me. The blood of Jesus made everything right. The rightness of God dwells in my spirit.
LEARN MORE: Prov 23:7, 2 Corinth 10:5-6
Wednesday 7th September, 2022
BENEFITS DAILY
Text: “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation.” Psalm 68:19
I strongly believe that the ultimate purpose of searching scriptures daily, watching daily and hearing God daily is to experience the benefits that God has in store for us daily. It’s amazing to know that God has daily package of benefits for us. God is never tired of loading us with benefits. The load of last year will not prevent the load of this year. We can actually look forward to something new and fresh to be added to our lives on a daily basis. This is why we should not approach any day casually. Every day should begin with spending time with God and receiving direction for that day. This is our goal in “Inspiration”, to help us to have direction on a daily basis.
Receiving the benefits of every day will require that we are not tied to the challenges of yesterday. Once our focus is on the past, we’ll not be able to move forward as we should. God can do things in our lives today that will completely erase the disappointments of the past. Don’t look at today from the perspective of what went wrong yesterday; if you do that it will hinder the possibilities of the benefits of today.
Every new day is the day that the Lord has made and we are expected to rejoice and be glad in it. An attitude of praise right from the beginning of a new day sets our feet on the path of enjoying the benefits for that day. Praise is a spiritual process that sets our feet on the path of God’s plans for every day. Praise helps us to keep our focus on God and the possibilities of his word over our lives.
There is a benefit of protection every day as you go out. There is a benefit of healing and health daily. There is a benefit of divine supplies daily. There is a benefit of God making a way where there is no way daily. Reach out in faith for your daily load of benefits.
CONFESSION:
I am loaded with benefits daily. My basket is full and overflowing with the blessing of God on a daily basis. I am loaded; too loaded to fail.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 121:7-8, Isa 43:19
Tuesday 6th September, 2022
HEARING DAILY
Text: “...He wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to ear as the learned. The Lord God hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious...” Isa 50:4-5
As soon as a child is born the parents will begin to relate with the child. Even though at that stage the child cannot really pick words but the parents will begin to speak words to the child. A child will grow hearing the father and mother daily. This could go on as long as twenty years or even more depending on how long the child stays at home. One silent truth we may not be aware of is that the life of that child is shaped by hearing the parents daily. After a while the child goes to school and also begins to hear the teachers daily. These are things we have done all our lives without really thinking of what is going on in our lives.
What we hear daily shapes our lives. It’s actually a silent process that goes unnoticed. It therefore means that we must be very careful of what we hear on a daily basis. Once you open your ears daily to someone you have given that person all the right to influence your life in a major way; positively or negatively.
This also explains why God expects us to hear him on a daily basis. Proverbs 8:34 says “Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gate...” If we allow it God wants to open our ears morning by morning to hear words of life, words of direction, words of healing and words that will cause definite transformations in our lives. Men are made by words. What we constantly hear will determine what we believe and ultimately what we become.
The disciples will sit down with Jesus daily to hear from him. At a point so many people deserted him and Jesus asked the rest “...Will ye also go away? Peter replied “...Lord to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life.” John 6:67-68.
DECLARATION:
My ears are opened daily to hear from the Lord. I receive the words of eternal life on a daily basis.
LEARN MORE: John 10:1-5
Monday 5th September, 2022
WATCHING DAILY
Text: “Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gate, waiting at the posts of my doors.” Proverbs 8:34
The beauty and quality of your walk with God will depend on what you do on a daily basis. The things we do on occasional basis hardly produce deep and permanent results in our lives. God is not supposed to just be a part of our lives but the most important person in our lives on a daily basis. From our lesson yesterday it’s becoming very clear to us that daily approach to the things of God is what really matters in the final analysis. This is the best way to enhance our level of authority in the realm of the Spirit. One major reason why a devotional like this exist is to help us start our day with scriptures and something to meditate on daily.
Watching is an act of expectancy; looking forward to something. It’s an attitude of eagerness to receive from God on a daily basis. The verse above also talks about “waiting”. Watching and waiting are not things we do in a hurry; time is usually spent doing them. From our anchor scripture you will notice that “watching daily” is God’s expectation; God wants it and he proclaimed blessing on anyone that does it.
There is so much that God wants to add to our lives on a daily basis. All we have so far is just a drop in the ocean of God’s possibilities. There should be an eagerness to have more of God daily.
We watch daily to receive fresh encouragement from the Lord. No mortal man has the capacity to encourage us as much as we can receive from God. Even the best of our friends and close ones may not always be around; this is why we must stay connected to God’s fountain of divine encouragement daily.
We watch daily to receive fresh direction for our lives. The journey of life requires that we keep receiving direction as we proceed in the journey. Once a pilot loses touch with the control towers in the airport it will end up missing his way.
Watching daily is actually an act of dependence on God. Knowing that we need God daily no matter what we have received in the past.
PRAYER:
Lord I am here to receive from you today. Lord I ask for a fresh direction on my life today. I ask for wisdom to take the right step and say the right thing today.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 63:1-4
Sunday 4th September, 2022
SCRIPTURES DAILY
Text: “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” Acts 17:11
The word “noble” in our opening scriptures today is from a greek word “eugenes” and it literally means “high in rank”. This clearly suggests to us how God rates us as believers. It also connotes how believers can be supernaturally elevated in life. This was how God perceived this group of believers. They were more noble! What an awesome description. It was not as if they went for a contest; it was not based on their status in the social class. It was simply as a result of their attitude and response to God’s word.
The Berean believers were higher in rank compared with the Thessalonians. High in rank also suggests that they had a higher level of authority in the realm of the Spirit; they must have seen higher level of results in their lives as believers. If you check their lives you’ll also see that they were more Christ -like. The NIV version says “Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians...”The first reason why this people were more noble was because they had so much eagerness for the word of God; they received it with readiness of mind. It was something they were always looking forward to. Their minds were so open to receive whatever the word of God says. They were not the type that will argue on the word. That did not suggest that they were gullible.
Secondly they searched the scriptures daily. It was not just a Sunday morning affairs for them. To search daily means to create time for it daily. The practice of reading, studying and meditating on scriptures daily is what marks out one believer from another. This is to reveal how much value they place on the word of God. Please join me again every day of this new month as we search the scriptures daily. I love you!
CONFESSION:
I live a profitable life. The word of God is working in me. My rank is getting higher daily in the Spirit.
LEARN MORE: Joshua 1:8, John 5:39, 1 Timothy 4:13-15
Saturday 3rd September, 2022
FIGHT WITH NO FIGHT
Text: “The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.” Exodus 14:14
The best way to fight our battles is to allow God to fight them for us. This is exactly what our anchor scripture for today suggests. God is asking us to hold our peace. It’s so natural to get anxious and worried over situations. Fretting and anxiety is never a position of victory but a position of loss. Right behind the Jews was Pharaoh and his men. The Jews had just come out of slavery; they had no weapons to fight. There was really no point trying to fight. There was no way they would have escaped because the red sea was in their front. When it comes to God we actually fight by not fighting.
The fight of a believer is a fight of taking rest in the assurance that God is more than enough to handle whatever comes our way. Hold your peace does not necessarily mean to be passive; it means to take a stand of confidence and assurance in God. It means to confront the issues in the name of the Lord just as David confronted Goliath. It’s obviously not the strength of David that defeated Goliath. It was purely God that fought that battle for him.
God also told Jehoshaphat not to “fight”; all he was required to do was to appoint singers that will sing praise unto God. Praise is a position of rest and confidence in the ability of God. Usually we dance and rejoice after victory has been declared; but in this case they were required to praise God ahead of the victory.
Hold your peace. The anxiety will not change anything other than your blood pressure. Can you acknowledge your inability to fight the battles by yourself and allow God to fight it in his own way? His ways may not be as fast as you think but his ways are far greater and better than your own.
The greatest “storm” is not the one on the sea but the one in our hearts. We need the peace of God that pass human understanding to fill our hearts.
CONFESSION:
My heart is free from every anxiety. The peace of God has taken over me. No more storm in my heart.
LEARN MORE: 2 Chronicles 20:1-22, Philipians 4:4-7
Friday 2nd September, 2022
BROOK CHERITH
Text: “Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook cherith...So he went and did according unto the word of the Lord...And the ravens brought him bread and flesh...” 1 King 17:3, 5, 6
There are two basic lessons we are going to learn from here today. I’m sure it will be a blessing to you. The first one is for us to understand that the brook of Cherith is a place of supernatural supplies. This is a typical example for us that all our needs can be met supernaturally. The riches of God’s glory are not dependent on the economy of our nation neither is it subject to market forces. God can meet our needs from unexpected sources far beyond our wildest imagination. God can move people you have never met to be a source of blessing to you. it’s so interesting to note that the man of God in this story was not stranded. I speak over you today that you will never be stranded in life. There will always be a way out where there seems to be no way. The raven bird literally brought food for Elijah. God can use unexpected people to meet out needs.
The second vital lesson we need to learn from all this is that Elijah did not just wake up one day to move out to stay at the brook cherith. He was divinely led to move there. We have a guarantee that if we are found at the right place that all our needs will be met supernaturally. David said “The Lord is my shepherd, i shall not want.” Its so important that we allow ourselves to be guided in business, in career and everything we venture into. if its God that led you into it you will be sustained there.
I want to round up this lesson by showing you that along the line the brook dried up and it was time for Elijah to be led to another place of divine supplies. Don’t be tied to what is no longer working; it could just be that God has made another provision somewhere else waiting for you to discover. Stop crying and mourning over someone that has stopped helping you. God has other channels he can use.
CONFESSION:
God is my source. I will not run short of supplies this year. All my needs are met supernaturally.
LEARN MORE: 1 King 17:7-9, Psalms 23:1-6
Thursday 1st September, 2022
IDENTIFIED BY FRUITS
Text: “Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” Matthew 7:16, 20
One major way of identifying a tree is not so much in the leaf. In many cases the leaf of two trees may look similar. What really differentiate one tree from another are the fruits. The fruits give an unquestionable distinction between one tree or another.
From scriptures we can also apply this principle to our lives as believers. Just after Jesus left the Apostles began to operate in his place. They were called Christians because the fruit of their lives was exactly like the ones they saw in Jesus. If you see a mango tree the fruits are clearly distinct from that of a cashew tree. Once the fruit is seen you cannot miss it.
The character of a believer should be very distinct from that of unbelievers. When a stranger meets you, it should not be long before they can clearly see that you are a believer.
Built into every tree is the capacity and the ability to produce a particular type of fruit. It will be a surprise for a mango not to produce its expected fruit. Each one of us as believers also has the capacity and the ability of God in us to produce the fruits of righteousness. Therefore, we don’t have any excuse whatsoever not to produce the right fruits. At new birth the rightness of God is impacted into our recreated spirit. The Spirit of God also comes to take residence within us helping us both to will and to do of God’s pleasure.
Please read this verse carefully “Either make the tree good, and his fruit good, or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt; for the tree is known by his fruits.” Matthew 12:33. The beauty of a tree is not just in the leaf but in the fruits. No farmer invests on a tree just for the purpose of decoration; he has an expectation of fruits from it. Same with God.
CONFESSION:
I’m a fruit bearing believer. My life is producing results of God’s investments on my life.
LEARN MORE: Luke 3:8, 2 Corinthians 9:10
Wednesday 31st August, 2022
USEFUL TO GOD 2
Text: “For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ.” 1 Corinthians 12:12
The human body has different part to it and every part has its own usefulness. Even though all the parts don’t play the same role all the same every part have their own usefulness. This is also applicable to the Church that is referred to as the body of Christ; we are many but we have unique and vital roles to play in the overall growth of the body of Christ. Every part of the body has its own usefulness; so also every one of us has our own usefulness. The extent to which our usefulness will be expressed will be determined by a couple of factors. Let’s look at them.
1. The Holy Spirit must be allowed to work in us and work through us. He’s absolutely in charge of whatever God wants to do in our lives. As we yield ourselves to his indwelling work in us we’ll become vessels of honour in God’s hand. The usefulness of a believer is not in our human strength; but in the ability of God at work in our recreated human spirit. The more you yield to him the more useful you become.
2. We must place high value on who we are in God and what he has wrought in our lives through Christ. An unhealthy sense of worth will rob us of what God can do through us. We are made acceptable in Christ. We are perfected and complete in Christ. Nothing is missing or broken in us. Christ is our completion. We don’t see ourselves as inadequate anymore. We see ourselves in Christ as equipped and capable. Don’t ever look down on yourself. Look at Christ in you.
3. Take a step of faith and begin to express the gift of God in your life. Don’t wait until you have it all figured out. Begin to express yourself wherever God has placed you right now. The parable of the man that gave talent to his servants comes to mind here. We don’t grow what is hidden; we grow what we invest and explore. Make your life available and watch how your life becomes so useful in the hand of God.
CONFESSION:
In the name of Jesus I declare that the gift of God in me is finding expression and touching lives.
LEARN MORE: Matthew 25: 14-26, 1 Corinthians 12:7
Tuesday 30th August, 2022
USEFUL TO GOD 1
Text: “Herein is my father glorified that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciiples.” John 15:8
The usefulness of a tree is not in the flower and the leaves; even though these can also be of use. A cocoa farmer does not plant his cocoa for the purpose of admiring the leaf. Mango trees are never planted for decoration. The greatest usefulness of a tree is in the fruit it bears. Every other thing apart from this is secondary.
The usefulness of salt is in the taste it adds to food. Once it stops to add taste to food it’s no longer of any use. Salt is never kept in the kitchen to decorate the place.
The usefulness of a believer is primarily in the service he or she renders to God. Even though man can be useful for some other things none can compare in value to being useful to God and serving his interest on the earth. This is the only thing that will endure in eternity and bring the highest joy to a man. The usefulness of a man is not in the cloth he wears or the car he rides. The life of a man does not consist in the abundance of the things he has. The usefulness of a man is in his usefulness to God. Out of all that we do in life the most important is what is of eternal benefit to God and to humanity. What we do for God and with God will ring in eternity. What you do with your life will not end here; it will ring in eternity.
One day we’ll all appear before God to give account of all the privileges he gave us and all the opportunities that came our way. Now we can utilise our privileges to serve God. God must have placed you in an office or a position to be his voice there. The people we meet daily is not a coincidence; God ordered our steps to meet them for the purpose of been used by God to reach out to them. Don’t waste this privilege.
CONFESSION:
I have a life that is indispensable. The best of God in my life is coming forth. My life is bearing fruits to the glory of the father.
LEARN MORE: John 15:1-5
Monday 29th August, 2022
BLESSED IN EVERYTHING
Text: “And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things.” Genesis 24:1
The ultimate summary of the life of Abraham was that he was blessed in everything. So good to know that it’s possible to be blessed in everything. Some people actually believed that it’s not possible to be blessed in everything. This is completely contrary to the word of God. Here is a practical example of a man that was blessed in everything. Whatever was possible in scriptures is also possible in our lives. The word of God defines possibility for us; not the experiences of the society. It’s therefore legitimate to expect to be blessed in every area of our lives.
The scripture also tells us categorically that God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. All spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ qualify us for all earthily blessing. The spiritual controls the natural. The lesser is included in the greater. Faith begins when the will of God is known. In Christ Jesus we are qualified to be blessed in everything. It’s been concluded and sealed by the blood of Jesus.
As far as God is concerned nothing is too good for us. We don’t have to limit what we can get and what we can become. The word of God has given us an open cheque to reach for as much as we desire in God that is consistent with his plan and purpose for our lives. In most cases it’s the level of our faith and expectation that limits us. We don’t have to limit ourselves; there are no limitations in God.
God told Abraham “As far as your eyes can see...” He must have seen himself blessed spiritually, blessed financially, blessed martially etc. He did not allow his physical sight to limit him. He saw wide and far. I strongly belief that this is what the word of God is designed to do in our lives. The acts of God begin in our lives with a heart of faith that sees the possibilities of God. We can be blessed in everything.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I am blessed in everything; every limitation is taken off my life.
LEARN MORE: Ephesians 1:3
Sunday 28th August, 2022
WORKS OF ABRAHAM
Text: “They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father, Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham.” John 8:39
“Abraham’s blessings are mine; Abraham’s blessings are mine; I am blessed in the morning; I am blessed in the evening....” This is a popular song which I am sure you have heard before. It’s such a wonderful song to sing. It reminds us of what we have. It creates excitements in us. But I want you to note that Abraham did not just get blessed by singing a song. There were some practical things he did and definite steps he took. This is what is referred to as the “works of Abraham.”
Abraham was someone that believed God in very extreme conditions. He did not in any way consider the deadness of his body and that of his wife. It took so long to see God’s counsels for his life; but he never gave up on what God has said.
Abraham was a tireless giver. Giving was not just something he did on a Sunday morning. It was a way of life for him. He will go out of his way to give. This even got to the point that he was ready to give his own son as a sacrifice to God. There was nothing too much to offer to God. This was obviously why God made him a blessing to all the families of the earth. He was someone whose life was completely available to God.
Abraham was also a man of prayer. He stood in the gap in prayer for Sodom. This again was an expression of dependence on God. He was so close to God that God called him a friend. He had an intimate relationship with God. If we are going to see the practicality of the blessings of Abraham we must walk in the steps of Abraham. As we take those practical steps we can also expect to walk in the same order of blessings. The scripture clearly tells us to follow them who through faith and patience inherited the promises. This was a direct reference to Abraham.
PRAYER:
Lord help me by your Spirit to live a life that attracts your blessings in every area of my life.
LEARN MORE: Isaiah 41:8, Hebrews 6:12-13
Saturday 27th August, 2022
ADVANTAGE IN ADVERSITY 4
Text: “…Joseph’s brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth.” Genesis 42:6
We’ll continue this lesson from where we stopped yesterday. Don’t ever allow what people think about you to affect what God thinks about you. Human estimations can never cancel divine purpose. Joseph held on to his identity as a leader. There was a manifestation of this identity all through his journey until it became a full reality in the palace. It took some years but it eventually became a reality. Genesis 42:6 “…Joseph’s brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth.”
One fundamental step to stability and success is to accept God’s identity over our lives. Whatever God says is our true identity even if nothing in the physical says so. The best place to find a healthy. Stable and invigorating identity is to find it in God. God is the only one that should define who we are, what we are, what we can do and what we can become.
Momentarily Joseph was a servant and then a prisoner. But he never saw himself in those negative identities. Nothing truly defines you outside God’s purpose for your life. Any time you try to define yourself by what is not consistent with God’s purpose you will always find yourself slow, inadequate and weak.
I want us to conclude this lesson by looking at two more factors that was practically at work in Joseph that enabled him to turn his adversities into an advantage.
1. He was heavily helped by the Spirit of God. His exploits was not necessarily a product of being smart. He himself testified to it. Genesis 41:16,38
2. He was in touch with his innate potential to interpret dreams rather than depend on external factors to change his story. Genesis 39:20; 40:23
PRAYER:
Lord I declare that the Spirit of God is working in me mightily. My inner potentials are finding expressions.
LEARN MORE: 1 Corinthians 2:9-14
Friday 26th August, 2022
ADVANTAGE IN ADVERSITY 3
Text: “You tried to harm me, but God made it turn out for the best, so that he could save all these people, as he is now.” Genesis 50:20 CEV
There are 3 major things you must do with God’s presence in your life.
You must be conscious of God’s presence.
You must be confident of God’s presence.
You must protect God’s presence in your life.
We must not take his presence for granted. It can be lost to sin and carelessness.
He understood clearly that God was at work behind the scenes of his life.
According to the words of Joseph said “You planned evil against me, God planned it for good to bring about the present result… (CSB)” Genesis 50:20. Another version says “You plotted evil against me, but God turned it into good in order to preserve the lives of many…(GNT). This is a major response of faith we must have in the face of adversities. We must see God at work when it seems nothing is working. Lack of physical evidences doesn’t cancel divine realities. The place of human hatred and disappointments could become the birth place of divine purpose.
He had the identity of a leader he saw right from the time he had the dream. Genesis 37:7 “We were out in the field, tying up bundles of grains. Suddenly my bundles stood up, and your bundles all gathered around and bowed low before mine.” NLT. This wasn’t something made up by himself. It was a clear divine revelation. He wasn’t ambiguous about it. It was clear. All through the adversities he never lost this identity. This was why they hated him but he didn’t relinquish his identity to their myopic thinking. It’s obvious they did not see what he saw. God will show you things about your life that will be obviously strange to people around you. We’ll conclude this tomorrow.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I cancel every negative identity.
LEARN MORE: Philippians 2:9-11
Thursday 25th August, 2022
ADVANTAGE IN ADVERSITY 2
Text: “You tried to harm me, but God made it turn out for the best, so that he could save all these people, as he is now.” Genesis 50:20 CEV
The adversities of life are never designed to stop us but to prepare us for God’s ultimate plans for our lives if we would go through them with faith and confidence in God. No matter what you go through in life as long as you have not lost God you haven’t lost anything. Joseph was kept in prison where he met the servants through whom he knew how to interpret dreams. This same introduced him to the King. He was forgotten in prison for two years until the appropriate time he would be needed in the palace. If he had been released earlier they may not have been able to locate him. His adversities became an advantage
It’s not necessarily automatic that adversities will be turned into an advantage. Many people end up been destroyed by adversities. In the conflict of life it’s not really the size of the challenge that defeats us but our inability to rise beyond the spur of the moment. Joseph had enough share of the adversities but he rose beyond them. There may be several attitudes but we’ll explore just a few for the space that we have.
Joseph had value for the reality of God’s presence.
On two different occasions we are told of the difference that God’s presence made in his life. He must have understood clearly that nothing is comparable to the reality of God’s presence. Genesis 39:2, 21 Says “And the Lord was with Joseph….” He had lost so much along the line but this was one thing he could not afford to lose. He held on to it more than life itself. No matter what we have lost or gone through we must never lose the reality of God’s presence. If we doubt anything we must never doubt the consciousness of God’s presence. He promised never to leave us. He’s forever committed to his word.
CONFESSION:
The adversities are turning in my favour. There is an advantage in everything I go through.
LEARN MORE: Romans 8:28
Wednesday 24th August, 2022
ADVANTAGE IN ADVERSITY 1
Text: “You tried to harm me, but God made it turn out for the best, so that he could save all these people, as he is now.” Genesis 50:20 CEV
It’s not the challenges of life that defeats us but our inability to see beyond the challenges. Everyone goes through one challenge or the other at different times in a lifetime. Some are defeated while some become better by the challenges. The challenges of life does not have the power to stop us except we allow it. Every disadvantage in life has a hidden advantage in them. It may not be physically obvious until God opens our inner eyes to see them. It may not make sense initially but will make destiny eventually.
Everyone and everything was against joseph. Joseph had no one to speak or defend him. He went from one adversary to another. It was naturally obvious that nothing good will come out of his life. He had no formal education or any form of training. He was severed away from the love of his father that has kept him for years. At home he was hated by his brothers but the love of his father did not make it a big deal. In the midst of adversity Joseph did lose his sense of mission and identity. Joseph did not lose his sense of accountability to God. Joseph did not lose his inner potentials. Joseph lost his cloths but did not lose his inner drive. This are the major requirements to turn an adversity into an advantage.
The ultimate goal of adversity is to make us have a sense of loss in life. A sense of loss produces weakness. It’s very clear from the account of Joseph that the greatest loss in life is not the loss of a possession or a relationship. The greatest loss is the loss of identity. The adversities in the life of Joseph eventually placed him in a strategic position where God’s purpose would find fulfilment in his life. The negative circumstances of Joseph were not caused by God but were used by God to bring forth his ultimate purpose for him. The adversities of Joseph eventually became an advantage.
CONFESSION:
The adversities are turning in my favour. There is an advantage in everything I go through.
LEARN MORE: Romans 8:28
Tuesday 23rd August, 2022
FOLLOWING GOD
Text: “By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out...obeyed; and he went out.” Hebrews 11:6
Today we’ll take our time to learn carefully from the life of Abraham. He was said to be the father of faith; but we must realise that faith for Abraham was more than just asking God for a child and getting it after several years. There were so many sides and phases to the demonstration of faith in the life of this man. If we don’t understand the different sides we may never walk in the fullness of the blessings of Abraham. It will only remain as a song for us and not a practical experience.
His life was not a mere talk of the lips; he literally followed God in everything. He agreed to leave his entire extended family behind just to follow God. He had to abandon all he was familiar with for years. For several years he held on to one promise that God made to him without letting go of it; even when it seems his faith was under threat he still came back to what he had always believed. Even after he had a son he was ready to follow God to the point of sacrificing his own and only legitimate son.
Following God is far more than going to church. It’s far more than singing in choir. It’s more of a life that is abandoned to God. A life that is ready to do anything and everything for God. The challenge with us is that we are more interested in getting things from God than in really following him. Following God will place some level of “inconvenience” on us. This is where our commitment fails. We want to get everything from God while we still keep our wrong relationships. We want to get the best from God with wrong motives. In most cases it’s not really God we want but what he has to give. Let’s close today by saying that we cannot follow God in our own ways but by his own terms. God is not playing games with us; learn his ways and follow it. It’s for our good.
CONFESSION:
I’m following hard after God. My entire life is abandoned to him. He knows what is best for me.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 42:1-2, Romans 4:17-21
Monday 22nd August, 2022
EMPTY LAMPS
Text: “...And five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them.” Matthew 25:2-3
The usefulness of a lamp is not in the size of it or the material that was used to produce it; it could be gold or silver. That does not really matter. All that really matters is the light it produces. The usefulness of a lamp is the light it produces and it cannot produce light if there is no oil in it. Do you realise that no matter how expensive a lamp is they produce the same type of light and uses the same type of oil.
Please read this carefully; the worth of a man is not in the expensive cloth they wear or the quality of their shoe. The worth of a man is in the stuff that resides inside them. It’s possible to have a high quality lamp with no oil in it. It’s the oil in the lamp that gives it the ability to produce light and be useful. Once the oil is absent the usefulness of the lamp is gone.
The foolish will prefer to appear perfect to everybody outwardly but empty inwardly. The foolish emphasises more on the external appearance than the inward quality. So many people are empty lamps with no oil in them. Even though they appear beautiful outwardly they have no substance within to make a positive impact on anyone.
Just as we have explained previously the “oil” majorly connotes the anointing of the Holy Spirit resident inside a believer. This is a major ingredient that we all require to make a success of our lives. It will be a big mistake for any of us to run our lives without this assurance of the resident anointing on our lives. Even though the Holy Spirit has come to take residence inside us we must have a daily consciousness of his presence in our lives; it’s this consciousness and awareness that equips us to face whatever comes our way in form of emergencies.
CONFESSION:
The anointing of the Holy Spirit is in me and working in me. The anointing of the Holy Spirit equips me.
LEARN MORE: Ecclesiastes 9:8, Psalm 92:10
Sunday 21st August, 2022
THE FOOLISH PULLS DOWN
Text: “Every wise woman buildeth her house; but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.” Prov 14:1
We are also going to look closely at the life of the foolish. This will go a long way to help us to examine our lives closely and make corrections where it is needed. I decided to take them separately for the purpose of clarity.
A foolish person has no desire to build anything significant. A foolish person will prefer to spend it all today. In some cases they will build for a while and by themselves pull it down again. Please note that we are not just talking of a physical house here. There is hardly anyone one that will build a physical house and they pull it down again for no reasons.
The “house” in our anchor scripture is actually talking about the family of an individual. This can also refer to other areas of our lives such as business, career, academics etc. Most of the time a foolish person is pulling down his “house” without knowing.
We can pull down what we are doing with the words of our mouths. Every time you speak negative words over any area of your life there is a pulling down in the realm of the Spirit. Like we said earlier this is not just a physical pulling down but a spiritual one. It’s extremely important that we avoid by all means speaking negative words over our marriage, family, business, career etc. In the realm of the Spirit we build with words and we pull down with words. A father or mother can pull down a child emotionally with words and make the child develop negative self image. The pulling down will not happen one day, it’s a gradual process; wrong words spoken over time accumulates to destroy an area of life. Wrong attitudes can also pull down whatever we are supposed to be building. King Saul pulled down his own throne by disobedience.
PRAYER:
Lord I receive grace and the sensitivity of the Spirit not to pull down my own “throne” with my hands.
LEARN MORE: 1 Samuel 13:8-14
Saturday 20th August, 2022`
THE WISE BUILDS ON THE ROCK
Text: “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock.” Matthew 7:24
I want to call your attention to quite a number of truths embedded in this one verse of the Bible. The first one here is the fact that this man tried to build his house. It’s really a waste of time for a man to build a house that will only stand for few months or few years. The right motivation of building is to build something that will last for years to come and serve several generations. What’s the use of having a business that will only survive for a short period? What’s the use having a marriage that is not till “death do us part”. Unfortunately this is the way so many people are building their lives. The way some people enter into marriage is a clear indication that it will not last long.
The word “house” in our anchor scripture refers to every area of our lives; business, marriage, career etc. A wise man is a man that ensures that what he’s building will endure the challenges of life. If the house will stand it must be founded upon the rock. Jesus is our rock of ages; the rain, the wind and the waves cannot move such a house – marriage, business, career etc that is founded on the rock of ages.
Building on the rock will require that we live our lives by the demands and instructions of scriptures. From our opening scripture it’s clear that if I will build on the rock I must know God’s word and then operate my life by it. Living by the instructions of God’s word sets our lives on the rock. One thing is sure the rain, the wind and the storm will come in one form or another. This is why we must ensure ahead of the rain, the wind and the storm that our lives are already on the rock. It’s not something we do on emergency basis. It must have been there on the rock before the elements of life shows up. A life of consistently doing the word of God puts you permanently on rock.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I declare that I am consistently living by the instructions of God’s word.
LEARN MORE: Matt 7:24-27, James 1:22-25
Friday 19th August, 2022
THE WISE AND THE OIL
Text: “And five of them were wise... the wise took oil in their lamps.” Matthew 25:2, 5
The scripture above is extracted from the account of the ten virgins. This account is clearly stated as a representation of what we see in the kingdom of God.
These particular five virgins had oil in their lamps. The human spirit is actually referred to as the candle of the Lord where fire is ignited in our lives. The lamp or the candle does not burn by itself; there must be a constant supply of the oil for it to keep burning. Once the oil is gone the light goes out.
The oil represents the fresh anointing of the Spirit in our lives. God expects that we keep the oil flowing at all times in our lives. The oil or the unction is extremely needed when we are faced with challenges in our lives. We have to keep the oil fresh because we can never tell when there will be a need for it. Obviously each day comes with its unique demands and the only way we can effectively handle such demands is to be fully equipped by the anointing of the Spirit. The wise wakes up every day to renew the anointing of the Spirit in their lives. Whatever they are required to do they ensure that they don’t do it casually; they do it through the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
The more “oil” we have in our vessels the better equipped and prepared we are to face the demands of life. If you are going for an assignment in your office ensure that there is “oil” in your lamp before you go. Before you go for a job interview take time to check the level of your “oil” and ensure that it’s fresh. The challenges of life will turn you back if there is no oil in your lamp. The seven sons of Sceva wanted to cast a demon out of a man that was possessed. They never knew that they needed “oil” in their vessels to make such a demand. Renew the level of your “oil” daily.
PRAYER:
Lord I ask for fresh oil of your Spirit over my life on a daily basis. I declare that my head will never lack oil.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 92:10, Ecclesiastes 9:8, Acts 19:14-16
Thursday 18th August, 2022
THE WISE BUILDS 2
Text: “Every wise woman buildeth her house...” Prov 14:1
Today I was supposed to go to another scripture to show you attributes of the wise. But I felt compelled by the Holy Spirit to talk to you more on what we began yesterday. I just had words springing up inside me.
If you have been to an ancient city before you will see houses that were built so many years ago. We can find houses that are as old as 50-100 years and still been habited. Right across the road where I am writing is a house that was used by Mary Slessor so many years ago to stop the killing of twins in the Eastern Nigeria. The concept of building is actually for the purpose of something that will stand for a long time and will be of benefit to generations yet unborn. Some people make money and all they are thinking about is how to buy the latest cloth in town or planning for another party in town. For so many their way of thinking is more of a consumer than a “builder”. I want to ask you that what are you building that will stand the test of time.
Building comes with a lot of patience and sacrifice. If you are not patient you cannot build a great marriage or a great business. Nothing great is built in a hurry. Even a physical house cannot be built in a hurry; there is a stage by stage approach to it. If it’s built too much in a hurry it may collapse. Wise people are patient and sacrificial. They are ever ready to stay the long haul and pay the price for a great future. If you in a hurry to make money you may not build anything significant that future generations can benefit from.
What are you doing to build a vibrant and a strong Christian life? Going to Church every Sunday is not enough; there must be something extraordinary that you are doing. It could be spending extra time to read your Bible and pray. Please be a builder.
PRAYER:
I’m a builder. The grace and the wisdom of God is working in me to build a great destiny.
LEARN MORE: Proverbs 24:3-6
Wednesday 17th August, 2022
THE WISE BUILDS 1
Text: “Every wise woman buildeth her house...” Prov 14:1
By the help of the Holy Spirit in the next couple of days I will take time to share with you on the attributes of the wise and the foolish. Each one of us is on either side of the divide today. You cannot be on the fence. You are wise or foolish; not in-between. A man or woman is either wise or foolish depending on how they live their lives.
From our anchor scripture today a wise man or woman is clearly seen by their attitude to life. A wise person is a builder. They build great academics, families, businesses etc. Life is full of “raw materials”, God hardly give us anything in a finished state. God does not give a bricklayer a house. What God gives is sand, water, wood etc; it’s the responsibility of an individual to put together the raw materials and build a beautiful edifice out of it. God gives us some money and he expects us to take advantage of that money to build a great business. God brings our way someone that does not look like they are going somewhere; but with that person God expects us to build a great marriage. God gives a pastor a few members and with the few He expects the man to build a great world-wide ministry out of it.
Each one of us must recognise the “raw materials” God has given us in life to build the kind of life he wants us to have. God brought to David men that were in distress, in debt and discontented; he did not despise them. Out of these “useless” men he built a great army that helped him in all his battles. Only God knows how many things and people God has brought our way in life that we despised. So many times prayers look unanswered because we were expecting God to give us a “finished product” but he gave us “raw materials” unaware. Wise people don’t despise opportunities or people that God bring their way.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I declare that my ability to recognise “raw materials” in life is sharpened today.
LEARN MORE: 1 Samuel 22:1-2, Hebrews 3:4
Tuesday 16th August, 2022
SECURING MIRACLES 3
Text: “But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” Romans 8:11
So far we have looked at the miracle of creation and also the miracle of the conception of Jesus. The third miracle we are looking at is the miracle of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Here again we’ll see how the Holy Spirit was involved. Did you notice again just as we have seen in the two previous miracles that the Spirit of God was directly responsible for the resurrection of Jesus from the dead? Let me state clearly here that there is nothing significant any of us can do as believers without the involvement of the Holy Spirit. This is a major lesson each one of us must learn as believers.
The good news from our anchor scripture today is that the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead dwells inside each one of us. He has come to make alive whatever is dead or dying around our lives. Dead wombs can be quickened back to life. Dead situations can come back to life. Dead dreams can receive new life.
As I write this article I felt a surge of hope and joy inside me. Even when our back is against the walls we can bounce back by the Spirit. When we are down to nothing the Spirit of God can bring forth something great out of our lives. The Pharisees thought they had seen the end of Jesus but that was just the beginning of an eternal influence on humanity.
I want to encourage you as we round up this series today to get closer to the Holy Spirit by developing a greater awareness of his presence and involvement in your life. Don’t live your life passively; live it in consciousness and communion of the Holy Spirit.
DECLARATION:
The Holy Spirit lives in me and working in my life on a daily basis. Every area of my life is made alive.
LEARN MORE: 1 Corinth 3:16, 2 Corinth 13:14
Monday 15th August, 2022
SECURING MIRACLES 2
Text: “...The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee...” Luke 1:35
The emphasis we are making in this study is that the Spirit of God has a major role to play in our lives. Apart from knowing what God did in scriptures; which defines possibilities for us; we must also understand how God did those things so that they can become a reality in our lives. Yesterday we saw clearly how the Spirit of God worked.
Today again we’ll see clearly another major miracle in scriptures. The conception of Jesus by Virgin Mary was a miracle. The angel came to her to announce what God wanted to do through her. She could not figure out how it will happen. It was completely against every biological process of conception. Her question was “...How shall this be, seeing I know not a man” (Luke 1:34). It was a legitimate question. I’m sure that we have asked such questions before in our lives. How will I move from where I am today to a better place? How will my business grow? How will I pass this professional exam? We usually ask such questions because we seem able to figure out things by ourselves.
The answer that Mary was given is the same answer for all related questions in every area of our lives. “...The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee...” (Luke 1:35). This is how to make the impossible possible in our lives. This is how to turn hopeless lives around. The circumstances of your life right now cannot be the end of your life. By the Spirit situations can turn around in your life. By the Spirit we can start small and end up with a “nation”. The Spirit of God has come to turn your ordinary into extraordinary. He has come to turn your nothing into something. Give him the room.
PRAYER:
Lord by your Spirit take over my life and make something out of my nothing.
LEARN MORE: Isaiah 32:15; 60:22
Sunday 14th August, 2022
SECURING MIRACLES 1
Text: “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the earth” Genesis 1:2
I believe in miracles. Miracles are the act of God that authenticates his presence in our lives. The Bible is a book of miracles. If you take miracles away from the Bible it will be reduced to a mere book of history. There are several miracles in the Bible but I’m going to focus on three (3) which I consider as the greatest of them all. A very close look at the three miracles will clearly show us the involvement of the Spirit of God. This cuts across virtually all the supernatural occurrences in scripture.
The first of these three miracles is the miracle of creation. This was a miracle of turning a shapeless, empty and darkness-filled earth to something beautiful to behold. God spoke his word and the Spirit of God executed what God declared. The Holy Spirit is the chief executive of God’s operations on the earth.
Whatever happened in scriptures is exactly what can happen in our lives also. Situations can turn around in our lives. Emptiness can be filled up. Every form of darkness can give way for light. I have come today to speak over you that every darkness around your life is filled up with light. Every emptiness is filled up.
The Holy Spirit is clearly seen at the beginning of creation to execute God’s declaration. The extent to which we give the Holy Spirit room in our lives will determine the extent to which we see the acts of God in our lives. The Spirit of God has come to live inside us to fill up every emptiness in our lives. If you are filled with the Spirit of God you are loaded. You have so much to offer the kingdom of God and humanity as a whole. By the Spirit of God in you you’re a warehouse of possibilities.
CONFESSION:
I’m loaded with divine virtues. The Spirit of God has filled up every emptiness in me.
LEARN MORE: Isaiah 32:15, Zachariah 4:6
Saturday 13th August, 2022
GOD’S MANDATE
Text: “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.”2 Timothy 4:2
There is a divine mandate on our lives. We are all included and none excluded. A mandate simply means an assignment that someone is required to carry out. We have been called and equipped to carry out this assignment.
This mandate is principally the mandate of changing lives and transforming destinies. This is the ultimate goal of the gospel. We are all partners with God in reaching out to the lost and dying world. Each one of us is God’s contact points to our neighbours, relatives, friends, class mates etc. Everyone that God brings our way must have an encounter with God by virtue of meeting us. It’s not a coincidence that you have people he has placed in your life. Wherever you find yourself is your mission field where heaven has deployed you. You are the special envoy in that environment.
God’s word is the primary tool that heaven has to change lives. Therefore we must be bold enough to share God’s word with people around us. If you are ashamed to share God’s word then you are ashamed of God himself. God and his word are one; he does everything with his word. He saves by his word, He heals by his word and He transforms lives by his word.
I strongly believe that we should have the eagerness to share God’s word with everyone that is close to us. I have seen so much change and transformation in the life of many that I have come to a personal resolve that whatever it will take I will share God’s word with you every day. I want to ask you to join me daily to share this word with someone. Every contact on your social media (Facebook, Whatsapp etc) must be given the privilege of reading this undiluted and timeless word of God. This is God’s mandate on our lives. The greatest human need is spiritual and it takes the word of God to solve it.
PRAYER:
Lord I receive grace to be a vessel of carrying your word to the whole world.
LEARN MORE: John 1:1-3, Romans 1:16, 2 Cor 3:18
Friday 12th August, 2022
CHANGED THINKING 2
Text: “...Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just...Think on these things.” Philipians 4:8
We began yesterday looking at various ways that God’s word wants us to think. If your thinking is contrary to God’s word its effect on your life will be minimal. The word of God is God’s thought in print. The more we take in God’s word the more our thinking changes in line with God. The scripture clearly tells us to allow the same mind (thoughts) that was in Jesus to also be in us (Phil 2:5). How do I know that my thinking is right? We’ll take our time today to examine this. From our anchor scripture we can see the answers:
1. The thinking must be true – True here means that it must be consistent with the eternal revealed word of God. Anything contrary to God’s word is a lie. It does not matter how many people believes a thing and hold on to it. In God’s kingdom majority does not carry the vote. Its only God’s word that carries the vote.
2. The thinking must be honest – It must be free from every deceptive suggestion. Whatever you do let it carry a sense of honesty. Whatever you do dishonestly has no future.
3. The thinking must be just – The word just simply means right. Whatever is not right is not right. The whole world doing it does not make it right. The ability to know what is right depends so much on our understanding of God’s word and the influence of the Holy Spirit on our lives.
4. The thinking must be pure – A life of purity begins from a pure thought. The heart of man is naturally wicked; it always has the tendency to gravitate toward things that are immoral and impure. This means that whatever represents impurity around us must be carefully avoided.
Please take your time to study the rest. These are the reflections of the thought pattern of someone with changed thinking.
PRAYER:
Lord I receive your help to continually line up my thoughts with your word.
LEARN MORE: 2 Corinthians 10:5-6
Thursday 11th August, 2022
CHANGED THINKING 1
Text: “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I THOUGHT as a child: but when I became a man I put away childish things.” 1 Corinthians 13:11
Recently I came across a book titled “Change your thinking; Change your life” by Brian Tracy. I was drawn to the book and started reading almost immediately. The thoughts of a man determine everything about the man. If the thinking is wrong everything about the man will be wrong. It does not matter how much prayer you pray if your thinking is wrong your life can never be right. The first place where a man will experience change in life is in their thinking.
There is a major difference in a child and an adult. The major difference is not just in the size of their bodies but in their way of thinking. There are people who are adults but are still childish because their way of thinking makes them so. As the thinking of a child changes so his attitude to life changes.
One purpose of God’s word is to give us a new and different way of thinking; compared to what is prevalent in our environment. Whatever determines your way of thinking determines your way of life.
Based on God’s word I will give you a couple of thinking you should adopt in your life:
1. What men think and say about me is not as important as what God thinks and says about me.
2. The challenges around my life are never the end of the road. In the midst of it God has a way out.
3. My success in life is not man determined. It’s determined by God’s foundational purpose for my life.
4. My life is not my own; it’s given to me as a trust. I will be required to give account before God one day.
5. Whatever I have is not primarily for me; it’s for the glory of God.
6. My giving is not doing God a favour or just helping someone. It’s a divine means of preparing a future for me.
7. My sin is never bigger than the blood of Jesus. I don’t have to stay guilty all my life. Join me tomorrow to continue.
PRAYER:
Lord I declare that my thoughts are changing in line with your word.
LEARN MORE: Prov 23:7
Wednesday 10th August, 2022
FILLED WITH THE WORD
Text: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom...” Colossians 3:16
We explained clearly yesterday that the content of our hearts is the content of our lives. The quality of your life can never be greater than the quality of what is available in our hearts. The heart of man is the engine room of his life. It generates our desires and the pursuits of our lives. Where your heart is going is where your life is heading.
We are all filled with different things in life. Whatever you are filled with determines so many things in your life. Many are filled with alcohol. Many are filled with the latest home video. Many are filled with all the latest details of European league and the rest. Paul wrote to the Ephesians’ Christians “And be not drunk with wine wherein is excess; but be FILLED with the Spirit.” (Ephesians 5:18). This clearly shows that we can be filled with other irrelevant things other than the things of God. The irony of this is that the more you are filled with irrelevant things the more we are emptied with the things of the Spirit. It will be very difficult to be a spiritual believer if you pay more attention to the things of the flesh more than the things of the Spirit. We can spend six hours watching a seasonal film but we cannot spend ten minutes to read a chapter of the Bible. This is how we end up becoming so carnal; our desires are carnal, our words are carnal etc.
This process must be reversed. We must begin to create room for the word of God in our lives. Spending quality time to read, listen and meditate on the word of God. It’s not just enough to come to church every Sunday to hear a one hour sermon. There must be a deliberate effort every day to take in a portion of God’s word into our hearts. When you are filled with the word of God it will govern everything about you and make you a success.
CONFESSION:
The word of God is taking charge of my life. I live by it and controlled by it. I have good success.
LEARN MORE: Joshua 1:8, Psalm 119:11
Tuesday 9th August, 2022
INWARD CHANGE
Text: “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” Prov 4:23
Every change that will take place in our lives begins from the heart. The state of our hearts; our inward disposition and the content of our character is what makes who we are inside.
The state of our hearts can be described in different ways. We can talk of a heart of faith and a heart full of fears. We can talk of a timid heart and a courageous heart. We can also look at a pure heart and also an impure heart. Whichever we are looking at they all describe the state of our hearts.
The issues of life are governed from the heart. It therefore means that if the heart is in a poor state it has positioned the man or woman to govern life poorly. The outward manifestations of life are essentially a product of the heart. It therefore means that if the man will experience any significant change in life it must start from within the man.
The content of our hearts will determine the content of our lives; this is why it’s important to ensure that the content of our hearts are right. What do you read, who do you listen to, what films do you watch, what music do you love. Your heart cannot be feeding on junks and expect your life to be a treasure. Your life produces from the abundance of your heart. There must be an inward change by exposing your heart to the word of God and materials that will deposit the right materials in your heart. The inward change is proportional to the quality of materials we put into our hearts. Some have never read a good Christian book before that will mould their lives. If you are really serious about doing something great in your life do something radical about experiencing an inward change. Consume the word of God and read great books.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I declare that there is an inward change taking place in my life daily.
LEARN MORE: Ps 119:11, Col 3:16
Monday 8th August, 2022
EQUIPPED BY THE SPIRIT
Text: “Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward....” 1 Samuel 16:13
To be equipped simply means to be provided with all that will be required to carry out a particular assignment. When soldiers are going to war they are equipped with all that is required to face the battle. When athletes compete they are also equipped to do what they do well.
We also need to be equipped to face and handle life. If a man is not equipped he will just find himself as a victim when the need arise. Just imagine a soldier going to the warfront with no riffle or any means of defence. He has lost the battle before it starts.
There are different ways that we can be equipped in life. We can be equipped by the quality education we had. We can be equipped by great supply of finances. As good as all these are they are not enough to face the real issues of life. Life is principally spiritual. This is why we also need to be equipped spiritually to face life. King Saul and his men were adequately equipped in military fashion to fight but still could not face Goliath. David came on the scene with something higher than what King Saul had. He was spiritually equipped. David knew how to face the enemy in the name of the Lord.
When we are filled with the Holy Spirit he equips us spiritually to face life and handle whatever comes our way. Joseph was not equipped academically; there was no opportunity for him to attend school. He did not learn any trade. But he was equipped by the Spirit to provide answers and solution. David was anointed and the Spirit of God came upon him. From that point on he went on to win every battle he was faced with. He was equipped by the Spirit to fight battles and win.
There should be an overwhelming consciousness of the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We must also stay connected to him daily.
PRAYER:
I declare that the Spirit of God is working in me to be all I am created to do and to be.
LEARN MORE: Gen 41:38-39R
LEARN MORE: Gen 41:38-39R
Sunday 7th August, 2022
CHANGED BY THE SPIRIT
Text: ““But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 3:18
The presence of the Holy Spirit is a believer is designed to produce definite changes. When a drunkard is filled with alcohol obvious changes will be seen. The language will change, the walk will change. In the same manner when we are filled with the Spirit he will produce changes in our lives that cannot be hidden.
The Holy Spirit produces two levels of changes in our lives; Inward change and outward change. Both of them are important but one change leads to the other. The inward change comes before the outward change. An outward change will be temporary if it’s not preceded by an inward change. In most cases we are more concerned with an outward change in our relationships, on our jobs, in our businesses etc. But God is more concerned with the inward change. Man focuses on the outward appearance but God on the inward appearance. Man focuses on the outward change but God focuses on the inward change first.
If you take a pig from a dirty environment into a palace-like experience nothing has changed for it. We can succeed in changing its environment but we have not changed its inward disposition. Any slight opportunity of dirty water will take it back. This is simply because all that changed was the outer environment and not the inward environment.
God knows that once a man can change inwardly; the outward change will automatically follow. Many of us have an outward appearance but not an inward appearance. This is why our testimonies as believers don’t last. The state of our heart; our inward disposition and the content of our character is what make who we are inside. This is the first place where the Spirit of God has come to produce changes in our lives. The more we yield ourselves to the Holy Spirit the more these changes are produced in our lives.
CONFESSION:
Positive changes are taking place in my life on a daily basis. The Spirit of God is working inside me daily.
LEARN MORE: 1 Samuel 16:7, 1 Pet 3:3-4R
Saturday 6th August, 2022
PRESENCE OF THE SPIRIT
Text: “And Pharaoh said unto his servant, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?” Genesos 41:38
The presence of the Holy Spirit in a believer is for very obvious reasons. The presence of the Holy Spirit produces the ability of God in a believer; this is to ensure that we are no longer functioning by ourselves but by the ability of God resident inside us.
The presence of the Holy Spirit in a believer also produces in a believer the possibilities of God. This is clearly seen all over scriptures. The Spirit of God was directly responsible for the process of creation. As God was making declarations the Spirit of God went into operation.
If a man is truly filled with the Holy Spirit there will be obvious evidences of his presence in our lives. If you are filled with the Spirit it will show. To be filled with the Spirit is to be pregnant with divine virtues. Pregnancy can only be kept away for a while; it will eventually show. Even in cases where the pregnancy was not that obvious the birth of a baby will proof that something was carried for nine months.
The presence of the Holy Spirit made Joseph to interprete a dream and provides solution that no magician in the land could provide. It was so obvious to the King that Joseph had the Spirit of God working on his life. The Spirit of God came upon Samson on several occasions and made him an extraordinary person. Daniel became ten times better than his colleagues because the Spirit of God was at work in him. The King also acknowledged that the Spirit of the Holy God was in Daniel. I’m thinking that “what are people seeing in your life”, does anything in your life point to the presence of the Holy Spirit. Can people around you attest to the evidence of his presence in your life? Open your life to the Holy Spirit afresh.
CONFESSION:
The ability of God is working in me by the Spirit. The possibilities of God are been expressed in my life.
LEARN MORE: John 16:16-17
Friday 5th August, 2022
STANDARD OF THE SPIRIT 2
Text: ““...When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.” Isaiah 59:19b
Let us begin again today by emphasising that the Spirit of God lives inside us to work through us. Take for example the Holy Spirit intercedes through us. He’s not going to do it while we are quiet and silent. The intercession of the Spirit takes place as we open our mouth to pray in the Spirit (Rom 8:26-27). It’s so important that we understand this principle.
Now back to our main subject. The standard of the Spirit is raised against the enemy as we respond in faith to whatever step the Spirit of God is prompting us to take. It could just be prompting us to make certain declarations in the face of a challenge. Like we said yesterday it could be a prompting to pray in the Spirit or in our understanding. As soon as we take that step the standard of the Spirit is erected. The word “standard” suggests something like a wall of defence against whatever the enemy is bringing against us.
Even if you don’t feel any “special” prompting of the Spirit to pray it can never be out of place to rise up to pray. The devil can never be the one stirring you up to pray. He will prefer for you not to pray at all because it gives him the ground to operate. Every desire or urge to pray is divine; just as a desire to carry your Bible to read is divine.
As we respond to such promptings, we’ll see the manifestations of the Spirit more in our lives. The standard of the Spirit is real against all adversaries of our lives. We are never victims but victors in life. We can count on the help of the Holy Spirit in every conflict of life; he’s the standard bearer. All we need to do is to stay open and connected to him; when the need arises, he will work through us to erect that standard.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus the standard of the Spirit is raised against every adversary around our lives. We declare an impenetrable defence of the Spirit today.
LEARN MORE: Ephesians 6:10-18
Thursday 4th August, 2022
STANDARD OF THE SPIRIT 1
Text: “...When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.” Isaiah 59:19b
The scripture above clearly explains to us a vital role of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The Holy Spirit is given to the believer for so many reasons. He plays a vital role of raising a standard against whatever the enemy is bringing our way. How exactly does the Holy Spirit carry out this job?
The first thing we must appreciate is that the Holy Spirit dwells inside us; he’s not functioning without us. Whatever he’s doing is done inside us and through us. He lives in us and works through us. The process of raising a standard against the enemy is actually done in conjunction with us. The standard of the Spirit is only raised by our cooperation and involvement. If we are not involved it may be difficult to see this happen.
I heard the account of a woman who was stirred up from her sleep to pray. She was not sure of what to pray about because there was no visible challenge around her; but she did anyway. After several attempts she eventually stood up to pray. The following day news came to her how some of her relatives had a wall collapse in their house in the night. She also discovered that it happened at the exact time she was been stirred up. If she had not stood up to pray something terrible would have happened. This is exactly how the standard of the Spirit is raised against the enemy.
The Spirit of God will usually stir us up to pray in the middle of the night without even knowing the reason sometimes. It could also be a vision that God grants us to see what was ahead. As we rise up to pray and take authority over the situation the standard of the Spirit is been raised against the enemy on our behalf. This can happen anywhere we find ourselves or any time of the day. There will be a divine prompting inside us to take a step. This is the process of raising the standard.
CONFESSION:
The standard of the Spirit is continually raised on my behalf. I am too defended to be assaulted.
LEARN MORE: Isaiah 54:17
Wednesday 3rd August, 2022
PROMPTING OF THE SPIRIT
Text: “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.”Romans 8:16
Receiving divine guidance for us as New Testament believers is by the prompting of the Holy Spirit in our recreated human spirit. I want to paraphrase the scripture above for a clearer understanding. “The Holy Spirit himself bears witness with our recreated human spirit...” This is exactly what our anchor scripture is saying.
The Spirit of God lives in vital union with our recreated human spirit and from there he carries on the job of giving us guidance from within. God wants us to depend more on inner guidance than on external guidance that comes from other sources. Life will be a bit confusing if you have to depend on other people to always give you guidance.
Two basic things is required to enjoy the prompting of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
1. The recreated human spirit must be developed to become highly sensitive. The more our spirit man is developed the more it’s positioned to pick divine promptings per time. The recreated human spirit is developed as we constantly meditate in the word of God and we consistently pray in the Spirit. If your spirit man is in a dull state the promptings will not be clear.
2. Constant fellowship and communion with the Holy Spirit is the second major means of receiving divine promptings. This again helps us to create an atmosphere in which divine signals can reach out to us clearly and distinctly. The more we stay in worship the more we are open to receive such guidance.
Each one of us will have to develop ourselves in this area. It will be of great advantage to us in taking right steps in life. it will also help us to avoid dangers in life.
DECLARATION:
I’m sensitive and constantly open to divine guidance. My spirit man is in the right state to pick signals.
LEARN MORE: Acts 13:2, 2 Corinthians 13:14
Tuesday 2nd August, 2022
INCORRUPTIBLE VALUE
Text: “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” 1 Peter 1:23
A corruptible seed is a seed that can decay and die in the soil. The environmental forces can be averse to it that it won’t produce the required fruit. The word of God is also described as a seed. But this time it’s an incorruptible seed. Incorruptible means that it cannot decay nor die. The word of God is a seed that lives forever and will always produce result. It does not matter in whatever situation the word of God is presented it will always produce results.
The incorruptible seed is the origin of the believer. The new birth experience came out of the incorruptible seed; which is the word of God. The implications of this are so much. The life of a believer is such an extraordinary one. It will take the whole of eternity to fully comprehend all that God has made available in our lives.
1. We have a life that cannot be destroyed by the prevailing circumstances of this world. In Christ we have risen above the spheres of this world. We can therefore face whatever comes our way with confidence and assurance of victory ahead of us.
2. We have a value that does not change with the change in market forces or any other external yardsticks. We carry a value that comes directly from God. Nothing in this world is designed to last forever; when everything is gone the only thing that remains is the word of God. We therefore have an enduring value just as the word of God does.
3. We have an enduring assurance of a hope and a future that cannot change. Even in extreme cases of loss in life we have an anchor of our souls that remains intact. The source of our hope as believers is not rooted in this world but in God’s eternal word which is incorruptible. Building our lives and confidence on the incorruptible word of God is indispensable for us as believers. It will guarantee an enduring life.
CONFESSION:
My life is built on the enduring word of God. I have a value that cannot be corrupted.
LEARN MORE: 1 Corinthiens 15:46-49
Monday 1st August, 2022
GOD’S SELECTION PROCESS
Text: “...For the Lord seeth not as man; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7b
Audition is a process where individuals are selected to perform a role. This selection is usually made from several people who have presented themselves for that purpose. Different criteria are usually used to select the best depending on the role they will play. The basis for selection is usually based on external things that everyone can see.
God needed to pick a king over Israel so he sent Prophet Samuel to the house of Jesse to do the audition. Each of the sons were presented to display themselves. From the natural standpoint Eliab had the physical features to be selected above every other person. This is usually the human pattern of audition. Somehow God did not accept that selection. This was basically because God was not looking at the same thing. Prophet Samuel was looking at the eternal features; God was looking at the internal features. Man was looking at the outward appearance while God was looking at the heart.
When God sees in us a pure and a right heart we are positioned to be selected for great assignments in life. The inward appearance is far more important than the outward appearance. What makes a man is not the type of cloth he wears on his body but the kind of virtue at work inside the man. Divine audition is going on right now; God is on the lookout for men and women that can be used to change communities and affect generations yet unborn. Strangely enough David was not even at home when the “audition” was going on in his house. The search eyes of God located him where he was. It does not matter where life has placed you if your heart is right the hand of God will locate you.
PRAYER:
Lord purify my heart to be divinely positioned for whatever you want to do with my life.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 24:3-4, Psalm 51:10
Sunday 31st July, 2022
NO DIVINATION AGAINST YOU
Text: “Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel...” Numbers 23:23
There are couple of places in the Bible where the word “surely “is used. Take for example Psalm 23:6 says “Surely goodness and mercy...” This is actually a way in which God affirms what he’s saying per time. This is a word that emphasises divine assurance of what he’s saying. We have this also in our anchor scripture for today. Here again God is giving us all the assurance that we need. “Surely there is no... Divination against Israel.”
Divination is an occult practice that puts things together to work against people. It’s a deliberate evil targeted at an individual. This is a major threat on so many lives. This is a manifestation of spiritual wickedness in high places. Even though we are not supposed to deny the existence of such forces we must make sure that they don’t become a source of fear for us. One major entrance for the devil is always when the door of fear is opened. Fear is actually an expression of confidence in what the enemy has said or done.
The word of God has to become our confidence and assurance. We deal with contrary forces in life when we allow the word of God to gain control over our lives. The word of God has to become the final authority over our lives. Refuse to be controlled by the threats of an enemy; the word of God neutralizes whatever anyone has said and done against us.
Faith is a conviction of the reality of what God has said. There is no divination that will succeed in your life. God’s eternal verdict has neutralized it. With this assurance we can sleep with all confidence. We can travel to anywhere without fear. The children can go to school with all confidence. Happy New Month ahead!
CONFESSION:
There is no divination that will work against. God’s goodness is already working in my favour.
LEARN MORE: Isaiah 54:17, 2 Corinthians 10:3-6R
Saturday 30th July, 2022
BOLD ENTRANCE
Text: “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus.” Hebrews 10:19
There are so many people who are not really sure of what life holds for them or what tomorrow will look like. Many are just living a life of luck; waiting for whatever will show up. A life of uncertainty surely is a life that will not end anywhere. There is really no certainty in the systems of this world. Political promises have failed so many times. The best and only assurance we have in life is the one that comes from God.
The blood of Jesus gives us bold entrance into every provision of heaven. The beggarly and uncertain approach to life is completely foreign to the life of a believer. The boldness of a believer is not based on what we can do by ourselves; it’s based on what the blood of Jesus has already accomplished on our behalf.
The greatest qualification of the believer is the qualification of the blood of Jesus. If you are depending on how much you can pray or fast you will always feel inadequate along the line. By the blood of Jesus we all stand on the same and equal pedestal in life. By the blood of Jesus we have equal right to fulfil destiny. There is no reason why any of us should fulfil purpose than each other; God has opened the way to every one of us. The blood of Jesus opened the way.
It’s assuring to know that the door has been opened. The blood of Jesus opened the door. The door into destiny is opened; the door into increase is opened; the door into purpose is opened. All that God is asking us to do today is to enter with boldness. Don’t ever allow anyone to tell you reasons why you cannot enter into all that God provided for you. The reasons may be true naturally. The blood of Jesus is more powerful than that reason. Whatever the natural reasons may be the blood of Jesus reigns over it. The boldness of a believer was procured by the blood of Jesus.
PRAYER:
Thank you Lord for the door has been opened unto me. Thank you for the blood of Jesus that made a way for me.
LEARN MORE: Hebrews 4:16R Hebrews
Friday 29th July, 2022
GROWING INTO MATURITY
Text: “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” 1 Corinthians 13:11
Maturity is not so much a function of age; it’s more a function of our thought process. Maturity is often revealed in our words. When you hear an individual talking one can conclude whether this is an adult or a child. So many are adults in age but childish in their way of thinking and talking.
One of the greatest privileges of life is the privilege of growth. It does not really matter what level of maturity we are right now we can grow to higher levels of maturity. The more matured we become the more responsible we become and the more dependable we become. These two traits are so important to human existence. Great businesses are built by responsible and dependable people. A great marriage needs responsible and dependable people. A country needs responsible and dependable leaders. Each one of us must have a resolve to be responsible and dependable.
As believers we become matured in proportion to which the word of God takes over our thought pattern. “...I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child...” I want you to note that a child’s way of talking, understanding and thinking is usually shallow. As the word of God takes over us, we begin to think, understand and talk like God. The way we see life becomes exactly like God. This is the highest definition of maturity. If someone offends you for example the way you respond to it will reveal your level of maturity. The word of God gives all of us a common yardstick to determine the thought that is childish and that which is matured. If you allow the word of God to truly take over your life you’ll become highly responsible and dependable.
CONFESSION:
As I read this material daily the word of God is growing in me and I am growing in maturity.
LEARN MORE: Acts 20:32, 1 Peter 2:2R
Thursday 28th July, 2022
GROWING IN PURITY
Text: “Take away the dross from the silver and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer”. Proverbs 25:4
The value of precious stones like gold increases with the degree of purity. The purer it becomes the more valuable it becomes. The material goes through a refining process that ensures that the impurities are removed to increase its value. This is also true of a believer. The worth and usefulness of a metal depends so much on its purity. This is why the metal has to go through the process of purification to make it valuable and useable. This is a natural process that applies to our lives as believers.
God is on the lookout for men and women that he can use and make a showpiece on the earth. God can use anything but then the degree to which he will use us depends on the level of our purity. Whatever defiles you disqualifies you for higher levels of usefulness.
When the “dross” in our lives is taking away we become extremely useful in the hands of God.
God goes an extra mile to pour his grace into our lives as we make ourselves available for him.
God actually works through men to do whatever he wants to do on the earth. You don’t need a title to be used of God; all you need is a pure heart and a right spirit.
Dross could mean a wrong mindset, a sinful habit or even things that are legitimate that has become a hindrance to God’s access into our lives. It could be a human relationship that has taken the place of God in our lives. The “dross” is removed in our lives as we subject our hearts to the word of God. The Spirit of God takes hold of the word to purify our hearts. We are purified by the word of God because the word itself has been tested and purified seven times in fire. As we grow in purity so also we begin to grow in wisdom and power.
PRAYER:
Lord purify my hearts, purify my entire being and work in me by your Spirit to be a vessel unto honour.
LEARLEARNN MORE: 2 Timothy 2:19-21, John 17:17R
RWednesday 27th July, 2022
GROWING IN USEFULNESS
Text: “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltines, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.” (NIV) Matthew 5:13
The word “saltiness” or “savour” in the original text simply means “usefulness”. We can read the verse this way “...But if the salt loses its usefulness...”
The usefulness of a man is in the fulfilment of God’s purpose for our lives. The usefulness of a man is not so much in how much of material goods he can gather; the usefulness of a man is in how much God can touch other lives through them. Salt really has no other business than to improve the taste of whatever food we add it to. When salt can no longer achieve that purpose its of no use again. We don’t keep salt in the kitchen for decoration. Its presence in the kitchen is well defined. It’s so important that each one of us have a well defined purpose wherever we are located.
Salt only becomes useful when it’s added to the food material. We also become useful as we practically engage ourselves in reaching out to people around us. We must rise up to every opportunity to be a blessing to people God has placed on our path on a daily basis. We grow in usefulness as we grow in been a blessing. Look for opportunities around you to add something to someone. Don’t wait to have so much to do so. Salt is not necessarily needed in large quantities. Just a little of it will make a difference. The little you can do can make a huge difference to someone out there. As we take advantage of such little opportunities greater doors will begin to open. By the grace of God my usefulness in writing and imparting lives is growing just as I explained to you a couple of days ago. It started with just a little opportunity to reach out to few people. The more useful you become the more relevant your life becomes. I pray for you that your usefulness will increase daily.
PRAYER:
I declare in the name of Jesus that I’m growing in usefulness on a daily basis. My life is impactful.
LEARN MORE: Matt 5:13-16R
Tuesday 26th July, 2022
GROWING IN SERVICE
Text: “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord; forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 15:58
Salvation is a free gift without paying any price on our part. It was completed, sealed and delivered to us wholesale. The main fact that salvation is free does not mean that after we are saved we should sit down and do nothing. There is a response required on our part as a way of appreciation for all that God had wrought through Christ in our lives.
The word “abound” in our opening scripture means to keep increasing in something. God expectation is that we do the work of the Lord. This simply means active involvement in kingdom service. This should be something that is done in an increasing measure.
Growing in service simply means growing in usefulness. Each one of us as believers is designed for the “master’s use” (2 Tim 2:19). If a man is not useful to God he’s really of no use in life because the only thing that holds real value is what is done for God.
We grow in usefulness as we look for more opportunities to be a blessing to people around us. Human need is inexhaustible. There will always be a need around us that needs someone to rise up to the occasion. I was doing quite well serving a local Church several years back. At a point I felt there was a need to find something for our church members to read on a daily basis. I started writing and printing on A4 papers to cover for a whole week. After a while I began to print in a book form. As we grow in grace just as we said a couple of days ago we’ll realise that we’ll also grow in usefulness. Growing in service means we are covering more grounds; touching more lives. Let this be your conviction “there is nothing done in vain.” God is watching every seed of service in the kingdom. This is the greatest investment our lives.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I’m increasing in usefulness. My life is making so much difference in the kingdom.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 22:30, Romans 12:11
Monday 25th July, 2022
GROWING IN PURPOSE
Text: “But the path of the just is as the shinning light, that shines more and more...” Proverbs 4:18
The greatest discovery in all of human existence is the discovery of God’s assigned purpose for an individual. Birth would have been useless without an assigned purpose. God made each one of us for a purpose. We are not biological accidents; we all came pre-packaged with divine virtues to fulfil divine purpose. Life will be reduced to a game of chance without the discovery of God’s purpose for our lives. The first step therefore in walking in God’s purpose for our lives is to discover what the purpose is all about. This comes as a result of an intimate walk with the Spirit of God and as we begin to ask God questions in prayer. This will happen for different individuals in different ways depending on the quality of our individual walk with God.
God’s purpose for our lives is actually unfolded stage by stage and phase by phase. It does not all appear at once. This is where the growing in purpose comes in. In most cases the initial discovery of purpose may not look significant; it may look like something that does not have any future. When purpose is revealed or unveiled initially it’s like a seed. When we engage it in the soil it grows and begins to produce a harvest. Joseph grew as an administrator in the house of Potiphar to an administrator of prisoners until he became an administrator in the palace.
Believe in the ability of God in you, believe in your God given talents and believe in the gift of God in you. Start trading with what you have and watch it grow to maturity. If you look closely at everyone who had become great in God’s purpose you will notice that there was a time in their lives that it was insignificant; but they stayed at it until it became great in their hands. Start working, start engaging and start investing. In a couple of years from now you will be a surprise to yourself. Keep shinning! It’s your time!
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus, I declare that I’m growing in God’s purpose for my life. Purpose is at work in me.
LEARN MORE: 2 Cor 3:18
Sunday 24th July, 2022
GROWING IN STRENGTH
Text: “They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God.” Psalm 84:7
The phrase “...Strength to strength...” is an expression of growth. We are not just talking of physical strength but rather spiritual strength. Spiritual strength is a function of our inner man. Men are controlled by the state of their spirit and not just what goes on in the environment. The happening in the environment takes control of a man when the spirit man is in a weak state.
Please read this scripture with me “The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity, but a wounded spirit who can bear?” (Proverbs 18:14). NIV says “A man’s spirit sustains him in sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear.” The extent to which this will happen in our lives will depend on the level of spiritual strength in our spirit.
The more we grow in strength spiritually the more we can handle external challenges that come our way. According to the details available in scripture King Saul was a very tall man. He was shoulder high than every other person. Obviously he had some levels of physical strength. According to scriptural details too he was fully armed with a sword and a shield to fight in a battle. Despite all these he could not face Goliath. David was completely far away from what King Saul had. The difference between both of them was simply spiritual strength. King Saul was big physically but small spiritually. David was small physically but big spiritually.
From our anchor scripture “Zion” is not just a building but a place of spiritual engagement. The more we engage ourselves productively spiritually the more we grow in spiritual strength. This has to become a major prayer point for us. Ephesians 3:16 says “That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man.” We are strengthened by the Spirit.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I am strengthened by God’s Spirit in my spirit. I’m going from strength to strength.
LEARN MORE: Ephesians 3:16, 2 Corinthians 4:16
Saturday 23rd July, 2022
GROWING IN GRACE
Text: “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.” 2 Peter 3:18
Grace in our context today is the divine enablement that works in a man to do the unusual and go beyond the ordinary. Grace is divinity at work in humanity thereby making the man divine in accomplishment. We all need this dimension of the grace of God to find expression in our lives.
Grace is elastic. It can grow to whatever degree we desire it. We can never get to a point in our lives where we’ve had enough of the grace of God. The more you have the more you will need.
As we grow in grace so also the depth of our results in life is enhanced. Where we are today and what we have seen so far in life is a function of the level of grace we have enjoyed. There should be a craving in your life to grow in grace and function at an higher level of life.
Grace grows in our lives as the rate of our dependency on God grows. This requires a heart of humility; a heart that submits to God in everything. The more a man resists God the more a man deprives himself of the grace of God. Grace is a function of dependency on God. When you are embarking on an assignment let it be evident that you are heavily depending on God. Express it verbally; let everyone around you know that you are depending on God. Let it never be said that you did anything on your own. With such dependence we’ll always go to God in prayer.
We also grow in grace as we ensure that every level of grace that we have is maximally utilised. If you waste one level of grace you cannot grow beyond that level. Why will God add more to you if you have not utilised the previous; it will obviously be wasted too. Get busy at your current level of grace and watch yourself grow.
PRAYER:
Lord I need more of your grace over my life in everything I do. I depend solely upon you in everything and for everything.
LEARN MORE: Proverbs 3:5-6, Hebrews 4:16
Friday 22nd July, 2022
GROWING IN LOVE
Text: “And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you.” 1 Thessalonians 3:12
The greatest expression of God at work in a man is the rate at which the love of God is expressed through such a man. Christianity is actually the expression of the divine nature through a mortal man. This is an experience that should keep growing and expanding in the life of a believer.
The phrase “Increase and abound” in our anchor scripture simply talks about “growth.” Every divine virtue at work in a believer has the capacity to grow. The more this virtue grows in us the more the beauty of our lives is expressed all around us.
As we grow in love the more our lives becomes a force of attraction. We can literally begin to draw others to God by the fragrance of our lives. Let me give you a couple of signs that you are growing in love:
I. There will be a passion in you to reach out to people around you to be a positive influence on their lives. There will always be a desire in you to add value to other people.
II. There will be the ability to let go easily and freely over every offence.
III. You have a heart of compassion for the plight of people around you. If you are so preoccupied by what you are going through and hardly notice others it’s a sign of selfishness.
IV. You have come to place value on people and to see God in them in everything. This will be revealed in how you talk to them and how you respond to them.
The opposite of love is actually selfishness. It will be difficult to influence anyone positively this way.
PRAYER:
Lord I declare that your kind of love is finding expression in my life. My life has become an oasis of love.
LEARN MORE: 1 Corinthians 13:1-8
Thursday 21st July, 2022
SPIRITUAL GROWTH 2
Text: “But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.” Ephesians 4:15
What is the ultimate purpose of growing spiritually; what will be the yardstick for knowing that I’m growing spiritually? This is what we intend to answer today as we take our lessons in growth.
The ultimate goal of growing spiritually is to grow into Christ. In other words growing up spiritually will mean that we are growing up spiritually to be exactly like Jesus. The yardstick therefore for knowing if we are growing spiritually or not is to see to what extent is my life conformed to the image of Christ. It’s possible to be growing in titles and activities in a local church but that must not be equated for spiritual growth. It’s possible to attend all the discipleship class of your church and be qualified to be ordained as a pastor or deacon; that does not automatically translate to spiritual growth. This is why when an individual misbehave in a local church we are surprised because with all the titles they carry the quality of their lives could not match.
When a child grows physically there are certain things we expect to see happen. We expect the child to stop crying unnecessarily. We expect the Child to learn how to be patient when food is not yet ready. When a believer is growing spiritually into Christ it’s expected also that they respond to life exactly like Jesus would have done it. A spiritually growing believer will see life from the perspective of Jesus and not from a carnal perspective. A spiritually growing believer will always ask the question “What would Jesus have done in this situation”, this is a major sign of spiritual growth. One major sign of growing into Christ is that we have a strong passion to live as his extension on the earth. In words, in deeds, in Character, in pursuits you want to be like him. His passion becomes our passion.
CONFESSION:
I’m growing spiritually and becoming like Jesus in everything and in every way.
LEARN MORE: Romans 8:29, Ephesians 4:11-14
Wednesday 20th July, 2022
SPIRITUAL GROWTH 1
Text: “As new born babes desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.” 1 Peter 2:2
In a couple of days we’ll take time to look closely at the subject of growth.
The birth of a child is one of the precious moments of life in a new family. But as we all know the birth is just an introduction into life. This new individual has to grow up to behave and do things like a full human being. This is also true of our relationship with God. Just as we grow physically we are also required to grow spiritually. Just as a child is dependent and irresponsible so also is a spiritually immature believer. There is little we can commit to a child so also someone that refuse to grow spiritually.
The process of growth is actually more demanding than the process of birth. Giving birth takes just a day but growth continues for years. This is also true for spiritual growth. We answered the alter call in one day, but spiritual growth continues for life. The unfortunate thing is that many of us are not growing at all spiritually. This is why for so many years we are in church but Christ is not yet formed in us.
Growth is a function of feeding, not just any type of finding but feeding right. So also spiritually we must feed right to grow right. There must be a regular intake of a right revelation of God’s word. An undiluted word of God. Healthy growth is a function of healthy and balanced feeding, so also spiritually. Don’t listen only to only one form of teaching. Be a balanced Christian.
Spiritual growth is not a function of age. A Fifty years old man can be five years old spiritually. It’s not a function of how long you have been in church but how much God’s word has gained control of your life.
POWER POINT:
If you are not growing spiritually you are dying spiritually. There are no middle grounds.
LEARN MORE: Hebrews 5:11-14, Acts 20:32
Tuesday 19th July, 2022
LEAVING ALL BEHIND
Text: “By faith Abraham when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.” Hebrews 11:8
Faith for so many of us is just a means of getting a new car, getting the biggest car in town, getting someone to marry etc. If you look closely at the life of the patriarchs of faith you will see that faith is far bigger than that. Faith is more of the ability to follow God without any reservation. Another word for faith is abandoning your life to God and his word.
Abraham was an old man. He had lived with his kindred for decades; now God was asking him to leave the familiar environment and the convenience of his community. He was going to leave all this behind for a journey to a place he was not even sure of. This is an example of leaving all behind to reach for the best that God has to offer. He must have believed that God cannot mismanage his life. He must have realised that whatever God has in store ahead was far bigger and better than all he has seen so far in life.
At certain times in our lives we may have to leave certain things behind to reach for God’s ultimate plan for our lives. This is the greatest walk of faith any of us could engage in. This is a journey that takes us from the known to the unknown. The best of God for our lives are actually in places that we presently may consider as the unknown. We must therefore be ready for such moments where God will require that we leave certain things behind to move by faith into his original intents for our lives from the foundation of the earth. If your concept about God is all about getting shoes, cloths and make ups from him your walk with God will be childish and very shallow. We need to move to higher realms of faith where we wait to see the direction of the Spirit and we move there by faith. The wife of Lot became a pillar of salt because she could not leave all behind; she was so used to life is Sodom. Let go today!
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I leave behind everything that is no longer in agreement with God’s plans and purpose for me.
LEARN MORE: Genesis 12:1-7
Monday 18th July, 2022
IT’S NOT LATE YET
Text: “Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.” John 11:21
Jesus was told that Lazarus was sick and for some reason he did not get there until the man had died. When he eventually arrived there the sister spoke to him “If you had come earlier my brother would not have died.” (Paraphrase). She was more or less saying Jesus you came too late. Jesus explained to them that he will rise again. The sister assumed that Jesus was referring to the resurrection of the last day.
The response of Jesus to all this was completely different from human thinking. He arrived late based on time; but he was not late in divine calculation. He explained to them “I am the resurrection and the life...” The number of days the man had died was not a barrier to him. It was humanly impossible based on the analysis of the Sisters but as far as Jesus was concerned “This is sickness is not unto death...” He had spoken that word earlier and it must come to pass.
As far as God is concerned nothing is too late in our lives. Age may be saying it’s over with us; but God is saying it’s not over yet. Saying it’s too late is more or less writing off the possibility of anything good coming out of that situation? God does not write anything off in our lives. He promised to give us a new beginning. With God there can be a new beginning for anything and anyone.
There is someone reading this today the past events of your life is telling you that nothing good can come out of your life again; but it’s a lie of the devil. It’s not late for you yet; if you’ll genuinely yield your life to God today he will give you a brand new beginning. Situations are turning around in your favour from today.
PRAYER:
Father thank you because it’s not too late for me yet. There is a new beginning taking place in my life.
LEARN MORE: Isa 43:19
Sunday 17th July, 2022
OPENESS OF HEART
Text: “Lydia…Whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.” Acts 16:14
The word of God is designed to accomplish certain things in our lives. There should be a change and transformations taking place as we interact with the word of God. The extent to which this will take place will depend on the extent to which our hearts are open to receive God’s word and to make changes in our lives.
The word of God will challenge our thoughts and change set patterns in our lives. Most times what God’s word will ask us to do will not be popular and widely accepted. The word of God will teach, reproof, correct and direct. If our hearts are not open it won’t happen.
Openness of heart is expressed in the following ways:
1. You have a teachable spirit. You are always eager to learn and always open to receive more of what God has in store.
2. You are not rigid on opinions; you are flexible with God.
3. You don’t mind asking questions from people that may even be younger or less placed than you in life.
4. You don’t try in any way to make excuses for anything once the word of God convicts you of it.
5. The word of God holds the final authority in your life.
6. You are ready to submit to whatever it says. Every form of argument is stopped.
If we are not open to God’s word its effects will be minimal or completely absent in our lives. God and his word are one and the extent to which we open our hearts to the word is a direct indication of how open we are to God. God is on the look out for such people whose hearts are completely yielded to him.
PRAYER:
Lord I declare that my heart is continually opened to receive your word and to be changed by it.
LEARN MORE: James 1:21
Saturday 16th July, 2022
CONSULTING THE AUTHOR
Text: “All scripture is given by Inspiration of God...” 2 Timothy 3:16
Every book we have ever read is an expression of the thoughts and the intentions of an author. It will be absolutely impossible to understand a book without seeing it from the perspective of the author. If we look casually at the word of God it may seems that men authored it; but its clear from the word of God that men were only prompted or moved by someone to write. The words these men wrote emanated from someone. Men like Moses, Peter, Paul and the rest were mere pencils in the hand of the creator.
Please read this scripture carefully “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” 2 Peter 1:21. Its therefore clear that the Holy Spirit is the author of the word of God. If we are going to get the best out of God’s word, we must consciously consult the author. Only him knows the mind of God and what God wants to communicate to us per time.
Jesus clearly told the disciples “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth…” John 16:12-13. This makes it absolutely necessary to consult the author. He’s our guide and our teacher. He wants to be actively involved as we go through the word. He wants to help us see what God is saying per time. The scripture also talks about the “…Words which the Holy Ghost teacheth…” 1 Cor 2:13. God also declared “…I will pour out my Spirit unto you, I will make my words known unto you.” Proverbs 1:23b.
Each time you read your Bible or read a scripture related material like this one ask the Holy Spirit to teach you. By the infilling of the Spirit we are living temples of the Holy Ghost; we must therefore be conscious of his presence and engage him.
PRAYER:
Holy Spirit you are my guide and my teacher. I open my heart to receive from you today.
LEARN MORE: John 14:26, 1 Cor 2:9-13
Friday 15th July, 2022
READING PRAYERFULLY
Text: “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy word.” Psalm 119:18
The word of God is not an intellectual material or else everyone will understand it. The human senses are never enough to comprehend all that God wants to communicate to us. There is an attitude and a disposition that will ensure that we get the best from the word of God. Its common to get discouraged if after reading God’s word for a while and it seems we are not really getting anything out of it.
Reading the word of God with a prayerful heart will go a long way to ensure that we get the best out of God’s word. This was why David prayed the prayer in our opening verse today. He wasn’t blind physically but he realized that his inners eyes needed to open to what God is saying. This is a prayer we also need to pray each time we relate with God’s word. Abundance of reading does not necessarily mean abundance of revelation.
God’s word has to become relevant and applicable to us as individuals. This becomes possible as we open our hearts to God in prayer. Prayer is not just a means to get God to do things in our lives but also a means to open us up and make us receptive to divine instructions emanating from the word of God as we read it.
Reading God’s word prayerfully takes us beyond the casual approach that gets no result. The impact of the word of God will be grossly absent with a casual approach. We must therefore read with a sense of purpose and a mission minded approach. Anyone can casually pick up an academic text and comprehend it but its not so with a divine material like the Bible. The words and every discuss are carefully packaged by God to minister not just to the intellectual soul but the human spirit.
PRAYER:
Lord open the eyes of my understanding as I read and relate with your word on a daily basis.
LEARN MOREMORE: Ephesians 1:17-19R
Thursday 14th July, 2022
FED BY THE WORD
Text: “Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.” 1 Timothy 4:13
One major indispensable part of living is feeding. It’s a major part of every living thing. There is absolutely no way we can stay alive without feeding on a daily basis. Even if you don’t like eating, you’ll still do it daily no matter how small. Just as we physically depend on food for strength, growth and sustainability so we need the word of God to remain spiritually strong and relevant. Once the place of the word is missing in our lives spiritual weakness will begin to set in gradually. It usually does not happen at once; this is why it may not be noticed on time.
I want to spend some days to help you to understand how to get the best out of the word of God and be robustly fed by the word.
There must be a daily reading and studying of the word of God. This is where the journey begins from. One of the things God’s word does is to build us up and prepare us for the day of challenge. The day of challenge usually will not give us a notice. Its therefore important to stay prepared and equipped to face whatever comes our way in life. Its important we pick a portion of scriptures that we’ll read for a period. Its usually not right to read haphazardly.
As we sit down daily to read and study the word of God it may not look as if anything serious is taking place. But we must realise that the word of God is a spiritual material that keeps working as we apply our hearts to it. When a seed is sown in the ground it may not necessarily grow and produce fruits the same day. But as long as the seed remains in the soil it will eventually grow out and go through several stages of growth and a full harvest for the farmer. “Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart.” Prov 4:21
PRAYER:
Lord I receive the grace and the discipline to stay with your word on a daily basis.
LEARN MORE: Proverbs 4:20-22, 1 Peter 2:2R
Wednesday 13th July, 2022
DIVINE CROSS-EXAMINATION
Text: “Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; Cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I’m about; see for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong- then guide me on the road to eternal life.” Psalm 139:23-24 (Message Bible)
I saw this version of Psalm 139:23-24 recently and it really struck a chord in me. It’s so clear and graphic. It’s a picture of a man that was so open to God and was ready to make necessary changes in his life. We can easily deceive ourselves and make excuses for different wrongs in our lives. There could be certain wrong things we have done over the years that we have justified so much that it does not bother us again. It will take a divine cross-examination to expose those areas of our lives. We can be “smart” to hide things away from people around us; but we can certainly hide nothing away from God. David said “Thou knowest my down sitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.” Psalm 139:2
This divine cross-examination may take place through people that God has placed around and over us. Its easy to pretend and camouflage when we are with strangers but when we are with people close to us, they will see us as we truly are. We must therefore be humble enough when God use them to point to us areas of our lives that need adjustments. If you are not humble you will take offence and sabotage the process that is designed to bring out the best in you.
Let me remind you that the eyes of God are everywhere. If he has a number for every strand of hair on our heads then nothing is hidden from him. David clearly understood this. He was not necessarily a “perfect” person but he was open before God. It was this openness that made him a man after God’s own heart. He was open to divine rebuke and correction over his life. Can you be open to God today?
PRAYER:
Lord open my eyes to know what I should be busy doing with my life. Help me not to waste my life in unfruitful venture.
LEARN MMOREORE: Prov 24:30-34R
Tuesday 12th July, 2022
LIFE AND PEACE
Text: “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” Romans 8:6
We have a couple of scripture that teaches us on how to produce life in our lives. Life connotes development, advancement, productivity and growth. Life is a direct opposite of everything that death represent. Where life is gone death sets in. where life is introduced death is humiliated. Each one of us have the responsibility to ensure that life is at work in every area of our lives. We are not talking about been alive. We can be alive and still be experiencing death in our relationships, business, and academics e.t.c. This is why so many lives are frustrated.
The first of these scriptures is our anchor scripture today. Once we become spiritually minded we begin to produce life in every area of our lives. When we are spiritually minded we approach life purely from God’s perspective. Such a life is bound to experience divine enabling for development, advancement, productivity and growth. Take for example if we are spiritually minded concerning marriage it will help us to handle challenges and whatever comes our way and at the end of the day we get stronger. A couple that agrees with the word of God and conducts their lives based on it will never experience break-up. The challenges of life will rather make them stronger.
We also produce life as we learn to speak words of faith over our lives and that which concerns us. Every time we speak words that are contrary to scriptures we are literally releasing death over ourselves. Every word we speak either produce life or death, depending on what we are saying.
God has set before us life or death; we have the right to choose what we want. But am sure you’ll choose life. Your life will experience development, advancement, productivity and growth in Jesus name. As we set our minds on the word and on the Holy Spirt there will be so much peace in our lives too.
CONFESSION:
The life of God is working in me. I’m productive, creative and resourceful.
LEARN MORE: Duet 30:19, Prov 18:21R
Monday 11th July, 2022
SPIRITUAL MIRROR 3
Text: “But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty... James 1:25
Let’s explore again what the Holy Spirit will be saying to us today. One vital reality about the mirror is that it does not discriminate. It does not any way accept some faces and reject some other ones. The scripture says “Whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty….” This is good news. Whosoever includes everybody. It’s equally available and applicable for anyone and everyone that will look closely at it.
I’m sure you know also that no one can look into the mirror on your behalf. If there is an adjustment you need to make on your face you will have to look into the mirror by yourself and not delegate another person’s face. The process of looking into the word of God to see God’s perspective of our lives is a personal responsibility.
At the beginning of this lesson we stated clearly that one vital role of the mirror is to make adjustments. This is also true of God’s word. As we look closely at God’s word, we’ll see areas of our character, attitude, choices etc that we may need to make adjustments. Spiritual growth for a believer is a function of making adjustments. We grow as we make changes. David said “Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; Cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I’m about; see for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong- then guide me on the road to eternal life.” Psalm 139:23-24 (Message Bible). Please read this verse closely. If we truly open up our hearts to God’s word it will investigate us and cross-examine us. Not for the purpose of condemning us but to guide us to make required adjustments in our lives that will bring out the best in us. The woman that was caught in adultery was brought to Jesus the word-incarnate for cross-examination. Jesus did not condemn her; he simply empowered her to go and sin no more.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I overcome every work of the devil around my life today. I take what is mine.
LEARN MORE: 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, Ephesians 6:10-18R
Sunday 10th July, 2022
SPIRITUAL MIRROR 2
Text: “But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in all his deed. James 1:25
At every point in time we are either looking at the natural mirror or the spiritual mirror. The natural mirror simply refers to the natural perspective of life and its events. If we look at life solely from the natural mirror, we’ll be more fearful and discouraged with life. This is why people get depressed and some even commit suicide. The natural mirror or perspective had shown them a picture of hopelessness and despair. Paul said “While we look not at the things which are seen (in the natural mirror), but at the things which are not seen (but found in the spiritual mirror) …”2 Cor 4:18
I want us to look at the concluding part of 2 Cor 4:18 closely. It says “…For the things which are seen (In the natural mirror) are temporal; but the things which are not seen (But found in the spiritual mirror) are eternal.” I have added the emphasis to help you see what the word of God is actually saying. When the natural mirror tells you that things are hopeless, we must consciously look beyond that mirror and see exactly what God’s perspective is saying. Whatever you see in the natural mirror is TEMPORAL; its subject to change. The change will however come as we look into the spiritual mirror. To look means to focus our attention on. Whatever you focus on will be magnified in your life.
James 1:25 says “But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer…” As we look into the mirror of God’s word, we must keep on looking at it. Our attention must be fixed on it no matter what we see in the natural mirror. There must be a continuing and not just a casual approach. As we put to work what we see in the spiritual mirror our blessings will be established.
PRAYER:
Lord I declare that my eyes are fixed on that which you have said and proclaimed concerning my life.
LEARN MORE: James 1:22-25R
Saturday 9th July, 2022
SPIRITUAL MIRROR 1
Text: “For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass (mirror).” James 1:23
In order for us to understand the place of the word of God in our lives several symbols were used all over scripture to help our understanding. Symbols like hammer, lamp, water, mirror etc. are used to paint the pictures for us.
The word of God from our opening verse is a spiritual glass or mirror. Virtually all of us use mirror daily. It has become a natural part of us. Ladies have it handy in their bags virtually everywhere they go. I strongly believe that’s how God wants us to relate with his word daily. Something we carry in our hearts everywhere we go and we refer to on a continuous basis.
The mirror serves two major purpose:
1. It helps us to see what we look like.
2. It helps us to make adjustments where required.
This is also a picture of the role of the word of God in our lives. The word of God shows us our real picture from God’s perspective. No matter what we situation look like in the natural the word of God as a spiritual mirror shows us what we look like from God’s perspective. Abraham saw himself initially as childless but God saw him as a father of many nations. Moses saw himself from the natural mirror or perspective as someone that was slow of speech and could not talk. God saw him as a god unto Pharaoh.
You can’t do great things in life if all you see and know about yourself are natural limitations. You can’t go beyond what you see and say about yourself. We must look intently at the spiritual mirror and accept the divine perspectives over our lives.
DECLARATION:
I accept the picture that God’s word paint about me. Whatever God’s word say about me is what is real and final.
LEARNLEARN MORE: James 1:23-25, 2 Cor 3:18R
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Friday 8th July, 2022
DIVINE INFLUENCE
Text: ““...For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and WALK IN THEM...” 2 Corinthians 6:16
It’s good to have you again today studying God’s word together. I strongly believe that these words will make an eternal difference in your life and create in you a sense of purpose and direction on a daily basis.
From our opening verse there are two things that God has promised to do in our lives. The first one that we studied yesterday is to dwell in us. The second is as important as the first. God is not coming to dwell in us for the fun of it. He came to “WALK” in us. In other words, he has come to carry out his operations in us and through us. He has come to not just dwell inside us but to be an influence inside us propelling us towards his plan and purpose for our lives.
The most authentic proof of his presence is actually the influence he exerts on our lives from within. It must be clear to everyone that knows us that God dwells in us; not just by saying it but by living it.
His influence propels us to live right. It will no longer be convenient for us to live in sin. When we have done something wrong, we’ll be quick to make it right with God and get back on track. There will be an uneasiness inside our spirit when we have sinned. Not to condemn us but to get us back to God. The divine influence will create in us a thirst and a hunger for God continually.
His influence will create in us an eagerness to service God and make contributions to the growth of his kingdom. We’ll not be convenient just seating down and doing nothing in the house of God. Titus 2:14 says “Who gave himself for us, that he might purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” Zeal is a self-propelling force within an individual. That’s what the influence does.
CONFESSION:
God dwells in me. He’s working in me and producing the right desires.
LEARN MORE: Phil 2:13
Thursday 7th July, 2022
DIVINE PRESENCE
Text: “...For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I WILL DWELL IN THEM, and walk in them...” 2 Corinthians 6:16
The scripture in our opening verse today clearly summarize for us the vital union that exist between every believer and God. Under the old covenant the Ark of the Covenant was the symbol of God’s presence. Wherever the ark is found God’s presence is also found there. The temple under the old covenant was a place where the people go to encounter God’s presence.
There is a complete change of this pattern under the new covenant that is based on better promises. Now we are the temple of the living God; we literally carry God to every where we go. An encounter with us should actually be an encounter with God. God sad “…I will dwell in them…” God did not come and go; he came to DWELL inside us.
As we go about our lives on a daily basis we must function from this perspective. God is not far away from us; he lives inside us. The ultimate essence of reading the word of God and prayer is to create in us a greater awareness and consciousness of his presence in our lives. It’s a consciousness that gives us a solid foundation for handling the complexities of life. Once that consciousness is missing fear and doubts will set into our lives.
David said “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me…” (Psalm 23:4). He was a man that faced battles at every stage of his life. King Saul wanted to kill him by all means. Goliath would have made a mess of him if not for divine presence. His own son plotted his defeat. But he had victory at every stage. One of the secrets is that he was conscious of divine presence. He was conscious of it and was bold to express his confidence in God’s presence. He DWELLS in you. Be bold about it!
CONFESSION:
God dwells in me. I carry him everywhere I go. My victory in life is settled.
LEARN MORE: 1SAM 17:41-47
Wednesday 6th July, 2022
EXPLOITS OF PRAISE 2
Text: “...The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the Lion…he will deliver me out of the hand of the Philistine...” 1 Samuel 17:37
As soon as David heard the report of King Saul he did not get into any debate on the size of Goliath. David began to magnify the size of his God.
David began to describe the possibilities of God.
David began to recollect what God had done before. 1 Sam 17:34-36
David also began to describe what God will do in this present circumstances. 1 Sam 17:37, 45-47
David described God as a deliverer.
David began to extol the possibility of the name of the Lord.
It’s important for us to note that David was not singing at this moment. He was merely having a conversation but it was a praise moment. Right in the front of the entire army of Israel David was making God bigger than the circumstances of life. Praise is a lifestyle of making God bigger than the circumstances of life. Many times we sing praise on Sunday in Church but spend the rest of the week murmuring and complaining in traffic, in the office, in the market. This is why we seems powerless and helpless in the face of circumstances. This is something that happens in our day to day conversations.
The power of praise is released when we praise God in the face of contrary circumstances. When praise proceeds from a heart with understanding of the ability of God there will always be divine interventions. Praise is declaring what God has done, what God is doing and what God will do right in the face of contrary circumstances. Many people find it easy to sing about God but hardly talk about him in their day to day conversation. Let your mouth be filled with his praise.
PRAYER:
The Spirit of God has produced peculiarity in my life. Uncommon results are coming forth in my life.
LEARN MORE: Titus 2:14
Tuesday 5th July, 2022
EXPLOITS OF PRAISE 1
Text: “I will bless the Lord at all times, his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” Psalm 34:1
The focus of our lesson today is learning how to make God bigger than the circumstances of life.
Each time we talk about praise the first character that should come to our minds is David. He had a life full of praise and a life full of victory. David said “I will bless the Lord at all times, his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” Psalm 34:1.
David wasn’t really a perfect person but he knew how to get God involved in his life. David had moments when he was depressed. He had gone through a major loss in his life that all he could do was to cry and cry. David had to make a conscious decision to focus on God over and over again. A life of praise doesn’t start from singing. It starts from the understanding of the possibilities of God and the greatness of God. Praise begins from an inward meditation on the goodness of God that ultimately finds an outflow from our mouths.
Many times praise is not just what you sing about but what we talk about. Many times we sing praise out of a religious exercise and not necessarily what is rooted in our hearts. Exploits of praise is a product of a conviction in the heart that knows that God is faithful, dependable and reliable no matter the size of our circumstances. David was right before Goliath. This was a challenge that the entire army of Israel could not handle. King Saul and his men began to describe the size of the challenge. They began to describe how impossible the problem was. King Saul Said “And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and HE A MAN OF WAR FROM HIS YOUTH.” 1 Sam 17:33. King Saul was magnifying the size of Goliath. What you magnify will dominate you. We’ll continue tomorrow.
DECLARATION:
I have been called out of darkness into God’s marvellous light. The light of God in me is shinning.
LEARN MORE: Isaiah 60:1-2
Monday 4th July, 2022
SUPERNATURAL CONCEPTION 4
Text: “And the angel answered and said unto her, the Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the highest shall overshadow thee..." Luke 1:35
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE INFLUENCE OF THE SPIRIT IS ABSENT?
I trust God that the word of God will create in you an insatiable hunger for the influence of the Holy Spirit in your life.
1. We'll become helpless in the face of contrary circumstances. The Holy Spirit is our number one help in life. Until we know him and he's practically at work in us we'll not know true help. Even in the midst of human help you can still feel helpless when the Spirit of God is not there. King Saul had all the men and the instruments of battle but could still not face the enemy. He can help us in anything and in everything.
2. Cluelessness will set in. When we are desperately in need of direction it will just not be there. This was the state of King Saul and his men. He resulted to hiding because he didn't know what to do. The Bible says "The men of Ephraim, though armed with bows, turned back on the day of battle." Psalm 78:9 NIV. The physical weapons does not guarantee victory until the Spirit of God is involved.
3. There will be elements of emptiness inside us just as it was at the beginning of creation before the Spirit of God set in at the command of God's word. It’s possible to have every human comfort and the best of human relationships and still feel empty.
We all have a responsibility to allow and encourage the influence of the Spirit over our lives. We have that power to either allow or hinder the operations of the Spirit in our lives.
CONFESSION:
The Spirit of God has taken over the control of my life. There is no more weakness and emptiness in my life.
LEARN MORE: 1 Samuel 16:13-14
Sunday 3rd July, 2022
SUPERNATURAL CONCEPTION 3
Text: “And the angel answered and said unto her, the Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the highest shall overshadow thee..." Luke 1:35
One of the things we said in our last lesson is that your life and all that has to do with you must be under the heavy influence of the Holy Spirit. This is obviously how Mary brought forth supernaturally. This is the same way that we shall also bring forth in every area of our lives. Today we shall take our time to explore this in greater ways as the Holy Ghost will help us.
If you are going to conceive supernaturally the Spirit of God must overshadow you. He must overshadow your businesses, your academics, your career etc. The vital question we need to ask is what exactly does it mean for the Holy Ghost to overshadow a man? This is simply talking of the influence of the Holy Spirit.
The influence of the Holy Spirit can increase from one degree to another in our lives. The influence of the Holy Spirit can also reduce on the lives of an individual until what the Bible calls "Ichabod." This means the glory has departed. King Saul completely lost the influence of the Spirit and he could no longer face the enemy. He eventually died a shameful death. 1 Samuel 16:14 "Now the Spirit of the Lord has departed from Saul..." This was why he could not bring forth in the battle against Goliath. He became so helpless and clueless. Just in verse 13 of the same 1 Samuel 16 David had just received the overshadowing of the Spirit. The Bible says "...From that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David..." This was why David could bring forth in this unexpected circumstances. His age and level of experience could not match up to what he did. This was the same thing King Saul and the entire army of Israel could not do for 40 days and 40 nights. David came on the scene and did it cheaply. This also will become the experiences of your life.
DECLARATION OF FAITH:
I declare today that the Holy Spirit has taken over every aspect of my life. I’m functioning by the Spirit.
LEARN MORE: 1 Samuel 16:13
Saturday 2nd July, 2022
SUPERNATURAL CONCEPTION 2
Text: “And the angel answered and said unto her, the Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the highest shall overshadow thee..." Luke 1:35
The obvious lesson from our teaching yesterday is that we can bring forth in unexpected places and circumstances. Let’s do a breakdown of the lessons the Spirit of God is communicating with us.
This is what the Spirit of God is saying today.
1. The circumstances of life should never become a reason not to move forward in life. As serious as they may be they are not good reason to stop you.
2. What you lack naturally can be supernaturally provided in ways that are beyond human imagination.
3. Where everyone is saying there is a casting down you can experience a lifting up.
4. Where others says nothing is working can become your place of breakthrough.
Supernatural conception will require the following!
1. You must see the possibilities of God in everything. The realm of God is a realm of unexplainable possibilities. Life is a product of conscious decisions. In the midst of contrary reports we must see the possibilities of God. Luke 1:37
2. Your life and all that has to do with you must be under the heavy influence of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God is the conveyor of the possibilities of God. Without the Holy Spirit we shall be full of the sense of lack and weakness. The Spirit of God brings strength into our spirit. Luke 1:35
3. You must consciously submit to the authority of God's word over your life. Whatever God’s word says is final and possible. Luke 1:38
DECLARATION OF FAITH:
I declare that this is my season of bringing forth.
LEARN MORE: Isaiah 32:15, Matthew 19:26
Friday 1st July, 2022
SUPERNATURAL CONCEPTION 1
Text: “...Seeing I know not a man..." Luke 1:34
I want us to begin our lesson by clarifying that our focus in the lesson is not just about giving birth to children. That may be someone's application but not really the focus. The truth of scriptures are interrelated. From the account of Mary there is a fundamental lesson that is applicable to other areas of life. Mary asked an important question. How shall this come to pass since I know not a man? Every time we question the possibility of God's counsels the response will be the same. She was told this will be supernatural. Luke 1:35
"...Seeing I know not a man..." (Luke 1:34) could come in different forms and shades. Seeing I have no contact, Seeing I have no money, Seeing I have no relatives, Seeing I have no education, Seeing I have no......This can be in different forms. The absence of human input can become a barrier to our journey in life. The lack of money has stopped several people from moving ahead in life. The obvious circumstances of life has become the stumbling block to so many promising future. However such circumstances has never been a barrier to God. God many times will go beyond such needs to bring forth his purpose
Joseph got to the throne with no relative or an organization to plead his case. He had no CV to apply for a job not to talk of becoming the 2nd in command in the land. Isaac was about to relocate to a greener pasture. The place he was doing his farming business was in serious famine. Despite the obvious circumstances he sowed and reaped a hundred fold increase. David did not in any way look like a king material. The selection process excluded him completely. Human recommendation wasn't what he needed but a divine recommendation. These are few examples to show us that we can bring forth in unwanted, unfriendly and scarce circumstances.
PRAYER:
The supernatural has taken over the affairs of my life. I am bringing forth in unexpected circumstances.
LEARN MORE: Ephesians 3:2
Thursday 30th June, 2022
THE RIGHT ADVISE
Text: “Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with scoffers.” Psalm 1:1 (NLT)
Just earlier today someone shared her story with me of how she got into a wrong relationship out of the advice of her friends; not really because she wanted to. At that point in her life she knew it was not a right thing to do. She specifically told me that she took the step just to satisfy her friends; but thank God along the line she learned her lessons and came out of it.
At one time or the other in life someone will come along the line to offer us their advice. Whatever advice we take will either affect us positively or negatively. This is why we must be spiritually sharp enough to know that the advice is a right one.
1. The step or decision someone is asking you to take must be consistent with the revealed word of God. The word of God is the will of God. Whatever is not consistent with God’s word can never be God. This will require that each one of us must personally know God’s word.
2. The advice must be such that will bring glory and honour to the name of the Lord. This should be the ultimate goal our lives. Once this becomes our goal then it will be easy to shift a right advice from a wrong one.
3. Whatever is not of eternal value is eternally useless. The worth of anything that we are doing must be measured in terms of eternity. If it has no relevance in eternity then it might not just be something worth doing.
4. Will this make my life a testimony and a worthy example for other believers to follow? We don’t just live for ourselves; we live to mirror Christ to other people and everything that we do is done with that goal. Please use these to weigh every advice.
PRAYER:
I declare that the Spirit of God is at work in me. He’s helping me to see clearly what other cannot see.
LEARN MORE: Prov 1:8-16
Wednesday 29th June, 2022
SEE DIFFERENTLY
Text: “Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover WE SAW the children of Anak there.” Numbers 13:28
What you see is what you get. What you constantly focus on will eventually become a reality in your life. If you are not careful life will always paint a wrong picture for you. This is why we must learn to see exactly from God’s perspective on every issue of life.
The twelve spies that were sent to check out the land of Canaan all saw the same thing. The land was full of milk and honey; but at the same time the land giants; the Anak, the Amelekites, the Hittites, the Jebusites etc. Physically these were the kind of people that were in that land. God was expecting these people to see beyond the physical challenges that existed in that land. If notice carefully in this account the realities of the giants became bigger to them than the milk and honey that was available in that land. based on what they were seeing they came to a conclusion “....We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.” This conclusion was based solely on what they saw with their physical eyes.
God wants us to see beyond the physical sight. We must see into the realm of the Spirit. We must see cleanly what God had made available to us. We must see beyond the immediate challenges in our environment. We must see clearly what God is doing and what he can do.
Joshua and Caled saw differently. They went beyond the physical sight to see the possibilities of God in that situation. What they saw became their declaration. Whatever you are talking about is what you are seeing. The mouth gives expression to what the “eyes” is seeing. If you are seeing failure; your mouth will express it. If you are seeing victory your mouth will also declare it. What you see is what you get; choose to see differently. Sight is purely an individual responsibility.
CONFESSION:
I see possibilities; I see victory on every side. I see greatness in my life. I see promotions.
LEARN MORE: Jer 1:11-12
Tuesday 28th June, 2022
LAW OF DIFFERENCE
Text: “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.” Psalm 139:14
God is a God of difference. He’s not a one-sided God. He created male and female; difference. He created the day and the night; difference. He created the heat and the cold; difference. There is so much virtue that will flow in our lives as we understand this.
God made each one of us so uniquely different from every other person on the face of the earth. God’s wisdom is so infinite that he made sure that no two persons on the face of the earth have the same DNA composition. Even the most identical twins are only so in their skin; every other thing about them is different.
God has packaged in each one of us a difference that is not found in any other person so that each one of us will be eternally needed and relevant to the operations of this universe. If you don’t understand your difference there will always be this insatiable desire to be like someone else. This will also create in you a deep sense of loss in life because you will forever be searching for what is not missing; but waiting inside you to discover and nurture. Appreciate your difference; celebrate your difference. Thank God for your difference and develop your difference.
Life will expose us to different situations to prepare us for unique destinies. This is why what you are going through will be different from what others are going through. Don’t bother to ask yourself “why me”. It’s because it’s you that God wants to do something great with. Life will also take us through different routes because we have different destinations and hence different destinies. If we all follow the same route we’ll all end up in the same place. Difference is the spice of life. If you follow a very popular path in life you will miss your destiny. Wow! I love this.
PRAYER:
Father thank you for making me so different. Thank you for my difference will bring you glory.
LEARN MORE: Ps 139:13-17
Monday 27th June, 2022
NEW IDENTITY
Text: “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light.” Ephesians 5:8
Getting born again is not just about answering the altar call. It has far more reaching implications in the life of a believer. The new identity of a believer is carefully and clearly written all over the epistles. God expects us to walk, talk and live our lives in the realities of our present new identity.
If you read carefully our anchor scriptures it shows us our old identity; “For ye were sometimes darkness....” This is the identity of every unbeliever. Then the scripture went on to say “...But now...” A change has taken place. This is not a change that takes place after we have fasted and pray for a long time or other spiritual rituals. This took place immediately we made Jesus the Lord of our lives. This is a present reality for us as believers. We are not praying for it; it’s who we are presently. The NIV version says “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.” Look at it again “...Once darkness, BUT NOW you are LIGHT...” So we can boldly declare I AM LIGHT. We are no longer darkness. Nothing represents darkness around our lives. We are purely light in the Lord. God expects us to walk in the consciousness of this new identity.
We have so many other scriptures like this that shows clearly the new identity of a believer. Romans 5:19 says “For as by one man’s (Adam) disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience one (Jesus) shall many be made righteous.” Adam made us sinners; Christ made us righteous. So we are no longer sinners but the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. If you don’t accept this new identity you will never live at the full capacity of a believer. The number one job of a believer is to believe the word of God and exalt it above everything else. Don’t allow anything else to define you outside the word.
PRAYER:
Father thank you for my new identity in Christ. Thank you for all you have made me in Christ.
LEARN MORE: 2 Cor 5:17, 21
Sunday 26th June, 2022
DANGERS OF EXCUSE
Text: “And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.”Exodus 4:10
I don’t have enough money. Nobody will help me. I did not finish from school. It is too difficult for me. These are excuses you must have heard before or you must have said something similar yourself. Excuses are usually reason that we give for not doing what we are required to do. Excuses are as old as the Bible; men of all ages have made them. One thing is sure excuses will excuse you out of destiny. The genuineness of your excuse is irrelevant. The purpose of God will be defeated when we make excuses. There will always be reasons why something can never be done.
Moses gave God the excuse that he was slow of speech and unqualified to face Pharaoh. God did not accept any of that. Gideon gave the excuse that his family was the poorest in Manasseh and he was the least in the poorest family. As far as he was concerned someone like him cannot fight the midianites. Each of these men was trying to lecture God on what they thought he did not know.
As far as God is concerned no excuse is good enough to stop the fulfilment of God’s purpose for our lives. We must appreciate that our lives are raw materials and God expects us to take the raw materials he has given us to make something great out of it. We make so many excuses because we expect to start the purpose of God with finished products. Start with what you have and start where you are. God’s purpose for our lives has the potential to grow and multiply. If you don’t stop the excuse it will stop the purpose of God for your life. EXCUSES ARE EVIDENCE OF MENTAL LAZINESS.
THINK ABOUT THIS:
Excuses are the tools that men with no purpose in view use in building for themselves a great monument of nothing.
LEARN MORE: Judges 6:11-16
Saturday25th June, 2022
RETAIN GRACE AND ATTRACT FAVOUR
Text: “And Joseph found grace in his sight... And he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.” Genesis 39:4
Joseph story inspires me a lot. I have learned so much lessons from his life. He had one of the most terrible experiences of life. He was thrown into the pit to die. His coat of many colours was taken away from him. That was his most treasured possession. He went from series of misfortune to another. He had no education, neither was he given a chance to learn a trade.
If you study his life closely you will notice that the only thing that was available for Joseph was the grace and the favour of God. If this is all you have in life you have everything. If you have everything and you don’t have the grace and favour of God you have nothing.
Joseph understood clearly that if he was going to end up great in life he must:
1. Retain the grace of God.
2. Attract the favour of God.
This is what he tried to do when he refused the advances of his master’s wife. He knew that sin will constitute a barrier to the flow of grace and favour on his life. This is why even though he lost everything he still had everything. It was just a matter of time; his place in destiny was secured back. When the grace of God is at work our losses will turn to gain. The stumbling blocks will become stepping stones. Weaknesses will give way for strength.
Sin is one major thing that will rob you of the grace of God on your life. Samson was robbed of the grace of God by sin. He thought it was his strength that made him to triumph. When we live right we create more room for the grace of God to be at work in our lives.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I separate myself from everything and everyone that will rob me of the grace and the favour of God.
LEARN MORE: Rom 6:1-14
Friday 24th June, 2022
POWER OF CONSCIENCE
Text: “And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last....”John 8:9
This group of men had caught a woman right in the act of adultery. Acting on the content of the law, they dragged the woman to Jesus to receive her judgment. Then Jesus went on to ask anyone who has never sinned before to be the first person to cast a stone at the woman. At the end of the day the men left one after the other.
One good thing about these men was that they still had a functioning conscience. These men were convicted by their conscience. Their conscience helped them to appreciate their own state. It was not as if someone came to expose their problem to them. It was their conscience that did it. The conscience is an inner guard, an inner police man that puts a check and a restriction on a man. To live above sin we need a conscience that is tender and sensitive. Constant exposure to sin could harden the conscience. This brings us to a point where we begin to look at certain things as normal even though God disapproves of them.
The scriptures describe a state in which the conscience is defiled. This is a terrible state that any of us cannot afford to get to. The conscience begins to approve and endorse wrong thing. A conscience seared with hot iron is one that does not even listen again. In this state people prefer to say and hear lies rather than the truth (Titus 1:15, 1 Tim 4:2).
A pure conscience will put a check and a restriction on our lives. With this we speak truth to ourselves. I’m sure that it was the pure conscience of Joseph that helped him to run away from his master’s wife even though nobody was with them.
PRAYER:
Lord help me by your Spirit to have a conscience that is void of offence. That it may approve things that are pure.
LEARN MORE: Acts 24:16, Heb 9:14
Thursday 23rd June, 2022
SEED POTENTIAL
Text: “And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.” Gen 1:12
At the beginning of creation God did not create a plantation of trees. What he simply did was to cause the ground to bring forth grass, herbs and trees that had seeds in them. This explains for us a fundamental principle about life that we must all understand.
Everything starts with a seed. After the initial creation of those trees from the ground God never went through the same process again. The process of making more trees will have to come through the seeds. The same thing happened to man. God formed man from the soil but never went back to the soil. Inherent in this one man- Adam was the seed of the whole humanity.
From the seed of one man came over seven billion people on the face of the earth today. On one tree are seeds. Inside each seed is another tree. On each tree are seeds. Inside each seeds is a tree. The process can continue infinitesimal. The worth and the potential of a seed cannot be over emphasised.
Embedded in a seed is life producing potential to reproduce what produced it in the first place. The worth of a seed is never determined by its size. The great Oak trees are made from very tiny seeds. The largest plantations began from a seed. The great forests of this world began from a seed.
Each one of us is a warehouse of seeds. God has packaged so much within us to be all we are created to be on the face of the earth. What you can do and become cannot be limited. Deploy yourself, engage yourself, release yourself and you will realise that you can do so much. What you have and can do may be small now, so also is every seed initially, but once the seed is engaged in the soil it multiplies.
PROPHECY:
The seeds of God in you will multiply to an unusual proportion. Whatever is small today will grow to become a forest of miracles.
LEARN MORE: Isaiah 32:15, 60:22
Wednesday 22nd June, 2022
HANDLING DEFECTS
Text: “And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue” Exodus 4:10
God appeared to Moses in a supernatural way to commission him for a great assignment. Moses began to give God all the reasons why he was the most unqualified person for this job. Naturally speaking the excuse was genuine. What Moses did not realise was that it was God that made him in the first place and knew exactly his frame. As far as God was concerned the excuses that Moses was giving were not good enough to disqualify him. Before God called him the provisions were already made to handle the lapses.
I want you to notice that after Moses gave God the excuse that he was not eloquent and slow of speech, God did not perform a miracle to make him an orator or a fast talker. If that was necessary for him to fulfil his destiny God would have given it to him personally.
Whatever we don’t have should never be an excuse not to become all you were supposed to be. Whatever you have is all you need to fulfil destiny. What you have may not be much, but it’s enough for your journey in life.
Moses had a rod and in that rod was the entire miracle that was needed in Egypt to set the people of God free. What God did was to help Moses to appreciate the relevance of what he was carrying. The unfortunate thing is that we can focus on what we don’t have while we neglect what we do have.
God also helped him to appreciate that he had people around him that will help him in areas of weakness to fulfil destiny. If you ignore people that God has placed in your life you will miss out on what God has packaged in their lives for your advantage.
There are no defects that should hinder God’s plans and purpose for your life. Many times God selects us because of the defects so that we don’t have to depend on ourselves but on his ability at work in us.
CONFESSION:
All I need in life I already have. God has packaged in me all the resources I require for life and destiny. There is no disadvantage in my life.
LEARN MORE: 2 Pet 1:3
Tuesday 21st June, 2022
PROPHECY ABANDONED
Text: “But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to gaza...” Judges 16:21
Prophecy in our context today simply refers to words that God has spoken over our lives. This is a foretelling of what God has planned and programmed for our lives. I strongly believe that as we walk with God there will be an unfolding of his plan and program for our lives. This is so important because it defines for us the uniqueness of our journey in life. We cannot afford to run on the track of others for the rest of our lives. We must discover our own track and begin to run our individual race. If you run well on a wrong track nobody will crown you. Each one of us has a responsibility to see the fulfilment of God’s program for our lives. Prophecies don’t fulfil themselves; it takes the conscious and practical involvement of an individual to see the fulfilment of God’s program for their lives.
Prophecies are abandoned on three major levels:
1. Not knowing what the prophecy is all about – The revelation of God’s program for our lives is a product of personal walk with God. There is no way we can fulfil what we don’t even know exist. This may require that we seek God intensively on a personal level to secure his plans for our lives.
2. Folding our hands to do nothing about the fulfilment of what God has said concerning us. God spoke to Abraham but the man also had to take steps in the direction of what God said to him. If he had stayed where he was prophecy would have been abandoned.
3. Doing things that are clearly contrary to the fulfilment of prophecies – This was clearly demonstrated in the life of Samson. God’s plans were unfolded for him right from the womb. It was also clearly defined what he should never do. He took all that for granted until the prophecies on his life were abandoned.
PRAYER:
Lord open my eyes and ears to know exactly what you plan for me in life and grant me grace to walk in them.
LEARN MORE: Prov 3:5-6, Jer 29:11-13
Monday 20th June, 2022
STANDARD OF THE SPIRIT
Text: “...When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against them” Isa 59:19
My assignment today is to inspire you afresh to stay conscious of God’s impenetrable defense around your life. You are too defended to be assaulted.
The battles of life that come against us are primarily spiritual. There are contentions on our lives every day that are not visible to the physical eyes. This optical limitation is not a reason for us to be victims in life. We also have a defense that is not visible to the physical eyes which is far more real than whatever the enemy can bring up against us. The Spirit of God raises a standard against every challenge that comes our way. A standard here simply means a defense, a barrier, something far stronger than what is coming against us. The Spirit of God has all it takes to confront whatever level of opposition that faces us.
The servant of Elisha woke up one morning and he saw that they were surrounded by the armies of the Syrians. The King of Syria rose up against Elisha with a flood of horses, chariots, and a great host. The servant of Elisha was so afraid and cried to meet his master. He was that fearful because he did not realize the existence of the “standard of the Spirit”. Elisha on the other hand was so relaxed because he was conscious of what was going on in the realm of the Spirit which the ordinary human eyes could not see. In response to the prayer of Elisha the eyes of the young servant was opened to see that Elisha was surrounded with horses and chariots of fire. This is a manifestation of the “standard of the Spirit”. This is a supernatural arrangement to deal with whatever challenge THAT comes our way in life.
Every time you are faced with such opposition in life, declared God’s word over yourself and take charge in prayer. The Spirit of God will raise a standard.
PRAYER:
Thank you Lord for the standard of the Spirit available for us in life. The enemies are rendered useless.
LEARN MORE: 2 King 6:8-18
Sunday 19th June, 2022
LOOSED FOR DESTINY
Text: “And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed and in his right mind: and they were afraid.” Mark 5:15
My sincere desire and prayer for you today is that nothing will hold you down anymore. That you will be empowered afresh to become all you were created to be. I want you to clearly understand that nothing, no adversary of life is powerful enough to hold you down. Christ in our lives is the difference maker. We cannot have Christ and still be held down by the forces of life.
This man in our anchor scriptures todays was completely under satanic control. His life was a complete wreck. He was useless to himself, useless to his family and useless to the society. He was so violent that chains could not hold him down. We must understand that external restrictions are not enough to fulfill destiny. It takes a transformation within. His condition was so bad that abnormal things became normal to him. It was normal for him to sleep in tombs.
Strangely enough as soon as he saw Jesus something changed within him. He ran to worship Jesus. What fetters and chains could not do an encounter with Jesus did. The satanic influences on his life were destroyed and he was loosed to fulfill destiny.
The transformations in his life were so feasible that people gathered together to see what had taken place his life. His mind was fully restored to become all he was created to be. From that point on he became an evangelist. He became useful to himself and to people around him. I strongly believe that someone’s right mind is being restored right now. It may require that you share this article with someone that needs it. Because Jesus lives in us we are loosed already to fulfill destiny. I will see you in your destiny.
CONFESSION:
I am loosed to fulfill destiny. Nothing is holding me down; I am free from every entrapment.
LEARN MORE: Mark 5:2-20, John 8:36
Saturday 18th June, 2022
AVOID CONDEMNATION
Text: “She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee; go and sin no more.” John 8:11
This woman was caught in the very act of adultery. As far as the law was concerned she was to be condemned to death. The response of Jesus clearly showed us what the effect of the new covenant was going to be. Jesus was the word of God incarnate; Jesus was God manifest in human flesh. He and his father were one. What Jesus did was exactly what the father would have done in the same similar situation.
The word of God is not given for our condemnation but rather for our correction and restoration. Condemnation is a satanic weapon that destroys us without giving us the opportunity to rise up again. Correction is a divine means of getting us out of sin and restoring us back in God.
One major lie of the devil is to tell you that your sin is beyond forgiveness. The devil may even tell you that you are too bad to change. These are manifestations of condemnation.
Did you notice in our anchor scripture that as sinless as Jesus was he did not condemn the woman? That does not suggest that he condone the sin. Jesus simply forgave the woman and empowered her to go and sin no more. Power was always released whenever Jesus spoke, either to a person or an object. This suggests to us too that we don’t have any right under heaven to condemn anyone. We may offer correction in love, but not to condemn. We are supposed to commend people to God not to condemn them. If God will mark iniquities no one will stand. The group of men that brought this woman to Jesus were convinced by their own conscience.
A sense of condemnation will render our faith ineffective in God. It will reduce your ability to operate in the fullness of God for your life. The blood of Jesus washed away your sins, they don’t exist again.
PRAYER:
Lord I lay at your feet every stone of condemnation thrown at me. I enter into the fullness of forgiveness provided for me by the blood of Jesus.
LEARN MORE: John 3:17, Rom 8:1-2
Friday 17th June, 2022
RECEIVING FORGIVENESS
Text: “If thou, Lord shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.” Ps 130:3-4
The greatest good news about life is that there is forgiveness in God. In spite of our sinfulness and frailties. We have an assurance and promise of forgiveness in God. Forgiveness is freely offered to us in Christ. When we came to him to receive him as our Lord and saviour we are completely, totally and absolutely forgiven. The forgiveness is such that the record of the sin does not exist again. The blood of Jesus was not given to “cover” our sins, but to wash them away. David prophetically said “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgression from us (Ps 103:12). The blood of Jesus is pure, potent and powerful enough to deal with any level of sins in our lives. When the blood of Jesus is at work God promised “And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.” Heb 8:12; 10:17
If you find yourself entangled in one form of sin today its important you quickly get yourself out of it. God is not offering us forgiveness so that we can stay in the sin, but rather so that we can come out of it. The purpose of receiving forgiveness will be defeated if we still remain in the sin.
Reasons why you must receive God’s forgiveness and come out of that sin include the following:
1. Sin damages our saltiness and reduces our effectiveness in God. The testimonies of our lives are destroyed by a life of sin. God can use anyone but the degree of usage will depend on the degree of purity.
2. Sin opens the door to the devil to kill, steal and destroy. The longer the door is allowed to stay opened the more devastating the work of the devil becomes.
3. Your prosperity in God has a direct link with your purity in God (Prov 28:13). Receive God’s forgiveness today and be released from the weight and the burden of sin.
PRAYER:
Lord I ask for your forgiveness today over every form of sinfulness in my life. I receive your forgiveness.
LEARN MORE: Isa 1:18, 2 Tim 2:20-21, 1 John 1:9
Thursday 16th June, 2022
PRESSING TOWARDS THE MARK
Text: “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Philipians 3:14
In every competition no one is crowned except they get to the finish line. The prize is only meant for those that complete the race. It does not matter how fast the athlete ran he must make it to the finish line. There is a prize – a glory reserved for every one that makes it to the mark of the high calling in Christ Jesus.
Pressing towards the mark simply refers to “paying the price to get the prize”. Nothing will happen just by a wish, there is an effort required to attain at God’s ultimate standards for our lives. People that do nothing will actually amount to nothing. We are constantly been bombarded by the standard of this world trying to shape us to its mould. If you don’t press towards the mark of the high calling in Christ Jesus you will just find yourself been conformed to the patterns and standards of this world. It’s so easy to do what everybody is doing and compromise our standards. We must press past human opinions and philosophies.
David had to press towards the mark of getting Goliath defeated. King Saul and his brothers gave him all the reasons in the world why Goliath is an impossible case. They had a wrong opinion about David – they were looking at David from the perspective of a small shepherd boy. David pressed by holding on to his conviction about God. He was so clear about it that Goliath was an uncircumcised Philistine that must be defeated.
If we are going to become all we are created to be we must take a risk of our lives just as David did. We cannot become anything significant if we remain in our comfort zones. The ship cannot see the shore if it does not leave the harbour. The woman with the issue of blood pressed her way into her miracle. She did not allow the multitude to discourage her. Her eyes were set on what she wanted and she went home with her miracle. This is your season of possibilities, press into it.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I press towards the mark of the high calling in Christ Jesus. I press by faith into the fulfilment of God’s counsels for my life.
LEARN MORE: Ps 27:4, 8, 13
Wednesday 15th June, 2022
MARK OF THE HIGH CALLING
Text: “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Philipians 3:14
The “mark” in our anchor scriptures today talks about the height, the benchmark, the standard that God has set for us in life. This explains to us that there is a particular height that God has defined for us in life to reach. This also talks about the standard that God has already set for by which every other thing in our lives is measured. The world has its own standards and means of measuring things. The calling of God on our lives which we discussed a couple of days ago gave us a “mark”. We can look at this subject today from a general perspective and from individual’s perspective.
In a general sense Christ is our “mark”; his life is the definition of God’s standard for our lives. His life is the height to which our growth must follow. Whatever does not describe Christ is not good for us. Whatever was not found in Christ is also foreign to us. There is therefore no reason why we should accommodate, accept or celebrate whatever was not found in Christ. The world’s standards may accept it as normal, but for us it’s abnormal. Failure, sickness, stagnation and the like are foreign to us as believers. There is nothing normal about them. They are abnormal. Since they cannot be found in Christ, they should not be found in our lives. If any of them ever happened to you it’s just a temporary occurrence and not a permanent state of your life. The only things that are not possible in our lives are things that were not possible with Christ. He is our standard.
From the individual’s perspective there is a “mark” of life that God has earmarked for each one of us. There is no basis for competition or comparison in life. What made someone else a success is not meant to define you as a failure. God has a mark for each one of us that defines who we are, what we look like and what we do. What other people expects of you is not necessarily what defines your success, but what God expects. This should be your greatest concern.
CONFESSION:
Christ is my standard in life. His life is my life. Whatever was possible with Him is possible with me too.
LEARN MORE: Col 3:1-5
Tuesday 14th June, 2022
LEAVE THE PAST BEHIND
Text: “...Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.” Phil 3:13
Living in the past is like trying to maintain a relationship with a dead person by keeping their corpse in your bedroom. There is no amount of communication that makes sense again with them. They are gone and gone forever. The past is gone. Whatever happened in the past could become a stumbling block for us today if we refuse to let go of it.
The heart breaks, the disappointments and the losses of the past should be left in the past. If you have survived them then it means that today of your life is what matter now.
The sins and the mistakes of the past are forgiven in Christ. His blood was all that was needed to wash them off. As far as God is concerned once a man is born again the past is completely dealt with. The Bible tells us that our sins and iniquities he will remember no more. The blood of Jesus paid for our sins, there is no point trying to pay again for it by staying guilty.
The disappointment of the past does not define the possibilities of today. The past could develop a mental stronghold for us that keep holding us back from moving forward in life. If we are not careful we can develop a mind-set that keeps expecting what happened in the past to keep happening again. Expectations become realities. So many people are in self-imposed prisons in their minds. Break that prison gate now and set yourself free.
Leave the hurts and the disappointments behind and reach forth to the new things God is doing in your life today. I see God doing a new thing in your life today, I see God sending your way new opportunities and fresh open doors. Let the doors of your expectations be opened again.
CONFESSION:
The past has no hold on my life again. I am completely free from the hurts and the disappointments.
LEARN MORE: Isaiah 43:19, Hebrew 8:12
Monday 13th June, 2022
EVERYBODY IS DOING IT!
Text: “But Daniel purposed in his heart not to Defile himself with the portion of the King’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank....” Dan 1:8
In the days of Daniel the King selected this group of boys to be given the portion of the King. Somehow it would have been accepted by everybody that each of them should eat the portion of the King. Daniel realised that even though everybody was eating it was not a good reason for him to eat it. Daniel understood that he had a covenant on his life that was different from every other person.
Everybody is doing it is a major excuse that prompts so many people in living in a particular way. This is actually an irresponsible response to life. Each one is responsible for their actions. We don’t really have anyone to blame for doing what we do. Each one of us will stand before God to give an account for our lives. Whatever we do is because we choose to do it that way.
Daniel made a personal decision not to defile himself irrespective of how many people was doing it. This is a decision we should also make. The number of people doing what is wrong does not make it right. When it comes to the things of God majority does not carry the vote. God alone by himself is a majority.
Once major sign of maturity is the ability to take a decision and stand by it. The influence of society and the environment should never dictate how we live and conduct ourselves. Our lives will be so haphazard if we are controlled by what the majority accepts and endorse. God can trust us and use us to change the society when we can stand all alone with him. As believers the word of God is our yardstick in determining what is right or wrong. This is why we must be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.
DECLARATION:
I will stand with God on all issues of life. The culture and the society will not influence me contrary to God.
LEARN MORE: Rom 12:1-2, Col 1:9-11
Sunday 12th June, 2022
DIVINE SUPPORT
Text: “...From whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.”Ps 121:1-2
Joseph was in a completely strange land. He did not have any form of human connection. His brothers did not even know exactly where he was. Potiphar was not the original buyer. He was sold to Potiphar by the initial people who purchased him. Joseph must have been so broke financially that there was no way he could have been able to afford the service of a lawyer to plead his case. The only thing that made the difference in his life was divine support. It was stated clearly in his story that “the Lord was with Joseph...” Gen 39:2, 21. This was the secret behind his victory.
It does not matter who and what is against you as long as you have God’s support you will make it.
David was a man that would have been completely destroyed if not for divine support. It was possible for him to secure human support because he already had divine support. If the whole world is supporting you and God is against you, you are still on ground zero. He was anointed to become a King purely because God wanted him. Nobody thought he could ever be selected, not even the prophet. His battle against Goliath was absolutely the product of divine support. His brothers never thought he would be able to do anything. A cold war broke out between David and King Saul, there were attempts to kill him, but divine support spared him. At a point in his life God had to gather thousands of men who were ready to fight and turn the throne from King Saul to David. It was purely a divine arrangement.
God has promised us his support. We can count on it as we set out on our journey daily. Crave for his support in everything you do. If you are not sure of his support on anything don’t set out yet until you have an assurance within you that he is going ahead of you.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I declare that there is divine support on my life.
LEARN MORE: 1 Chronicles 12:20-40, Isa 41:10-13
Saturday 11th June, 2022
ABANDONED BY MEN
Text: “Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close.” Ps 27:10 (NLT)
We all grew up in one form of human family or another. This is where we all receive the initial support that we require to move up in life. In well structured families these supports remain available one way or another all our lives. The support could be moral, financial, spiritual etc. Joseph also had such a support at the initial stage of his life, along the line this support was withdrawn from him. He was abandoned by his brothers who would have supplied the greatest support he needed to move into God’s dreams for his life. He was sold into the house of Potiphar to serve as a servant, he was fortunate enough to have some levels of support from his master. The events unfolded in the house of Potiphar that landed him in trouble. This support again was withdrawn. He was abandoned by his master in the Prison.
These were different levels of been abandoned by men in the life of Joseph. As the story revealed even though he was abandoned by men he was not abandoned by God. We must never confuse the two together. Though human supports were gone divine support was intact. This was all Joseph needed to become God’s dream for him. As long as God’s support is still available He will ensure that what we need is supplied from unexpected places. Who would have thought that Joseph will meet in the Prison someone who will introduce him to the throne?
This is what David was talking about in our anchor scripture today. The best of human relationships are channels and not source. When a channel is blocked the source remains forever. God is our only source. Get your eyes fixed on God daily. He will never leave you nor forsake you.
PRAYER:
Thank you Lord because you are my inexhaustible source. My eyes are fixed on you this year. I repent of every way I might have depended on men in the past.
LEARN MORE: Ps 121:1-2
Friday 10th June, 2022
NEVER ASHAMED
Text: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believed.....” Romans 1:16
A shame driven life is a life in which you are not proud of certain aspects of your life. Living this way produces weakness in our lives and ineffectiveness in functioning at the highest level of life that God designed for us. The direct opposite of been ashamed is been confident about life and about yourself.
I want to share with you today some things you must never be ashamed of.
1. Never be ashamed of your union with Christ – If you are ashamed of this you have automatically reduce your effectiveness as a believer. How will you communicate what you are not proud of to someone else? The gospel of Christ is the greatest privilege of life. If you are saved it means divinity has come to take residence in your life. It means that the power of God has been given to you to become everything you were created to be. Why will you be ashamed of this? What you have in Christ is the answer and the cure to every human problem.
2. Never be ashamed of your difference – God is a God of difference. He made each one of us unique and different. If he wanted you to be like someone else he would have made you exactly like them. He made you different so that you can fulfil his unique plan and purpose for your life. Similarities create conflicts, while difference creates significance. One of the greatest breakthroughs in forensic science is based on the difference created by God in each one of us. This is why thumb prints can be used to locate people. Please celebrate your difference. You may not be able to do what someone else is doing. But you can do something that others cannot do. Discover your difference, celebrate it and develop it. Other people will be drawn to you.
PRAYER:
Thank you Lord for making me so different. Thank you for the uniqueness in my life.
LEARN MORE: Ps 139:13-18
Thursday 9th June, 2022
RECOGNISING OPPORTUNITIES
Text: “... And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, that he may see...” 2 King 6:17
There are two things we cannot afford to mix together; it is clear that God will create opportunities for us, but it’s a different thing for us to recognise the opportunities. It’s God’s promise to open rivers in high places and fountains in the midst of the valleys. However its human responsibility to recognise and take advantage of the opportunities.
Most of the time opportunities will come disguised as work. If you are a lazy person you will miss out on it. Opportunities will also appear insignificant initially. It may not look like what you were praying for. We must understand that the biggest trees are grown from the smallest seeds. We don’t judge the potential of a seed by its size. The opportunity we are talking about may not come as a big business somewhere. It could just be a little open door to sell somewhere and make money. The beauty about all this is that a tiny door that opens today can lead to a bigger door. If you don’t go through the tiny door you will also miss the bigger door.
The opportunities that come to people in life will also be a function of how prepared the individuals are for the opportunities. It therefore means that instead of just waiting for opportunities we should rather get ourselves prepared for them. Success is when opportunities meet preparations. Opportunities you are not prepared for will slip through your hand. That you are grown up may not necessarily mean that you are ready for a relationship. Buy books, work on yourself and be ready for that special person God will bring your way.
Recognizing opportunities will also require that we sharpen our spiritual sensitivity. Ask God to open your eyes that you may see beyond the obvious.
PRAYER:
Lord open my eyes to see, open my ears to hear and open my mind to perceive opportunities.
LEARN MORE: Eph 1:15-18
Wednesday 8th June, 2022
A LIFE OF OPPORTUNITIES
Text: “I will open rivers in high places and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.” Isa 41:18
I strongly believe that God has designed a life of opportunities for us. The plan and the will of God is to open up opportunities for you in unexpected places. God will place you in strategic places to do a work of destiny in your life. God will cause you to meet people that will make an eternal difference in your life. These are prophetic words for someone who will chose to receive and believe them. I want to ask you to renew your expectations about life daily. I have seen God open doors in unexpected places for people before. I have seen God made ways where there was never a way before. I have seen hopeless situations turned around for people. God is set to do it again in your life. For me having this devotional in your hand is a major door of opportunity for me.
When all the doors seems closed suddenly God will open doors for you where you never thought was possible. You have a life that cannot be stranded; there will always be a way out. There will be rivers in high places for you. There will be fountains in the midst of the valleys.
God is set to do something new and remarkable in your life. This is your moment of destiny. I strongly believe in my spirit that it’s a time we cannot afford to take for granted. If you have never been serious with God before this is a time to buckle up and invest yourself in God. The things of God are not for the cold hearted believers. If you take God for granted you will miss out on so many things that are in store for you in life. The opportunities will not come announcing themselves as one. We must recognise opportunities. There is more to your life. You have not seen the best of your days yet. This will be a season in which doors will open, relationships will be born, businesses will open, and great ministries will start. Please tap into your own portion.
CONFESSION:
This is a season of opportunities for me. Doors will open for me in unexpected places.
LEARN MORE: Isa 43:19, 1 Corinthians 10:13
Tuesday 7th June, 2022
ABOVE THE HILLS
Text: “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hilssls; and all nations shall flow into it.” Isa 2:2
This scripture applies directly to each one of us as believers. The phrase “The Lord’s house” is referring to the Church of Christ. This is not referring to the physical building we call Church. The Church is comprised of Christ as the head while each one of us as believers are the body of Christ. Each one of us should experience the following:
1. Established in the top of the mountains.
2. Exalted above the hills.
The phrase “hills” refers to the human institutions that dominate everywhere. God’s plan is that each one of us will grow so much in our areas of calling that we’ll be exalted above the “hills”. The smallest of us all is supposed to become a strong nation. This should challenge your thinking to see beyond where you are and what you have done so far in life. We cannot rest on our oars yet, there is still so much to do and accomplish in God. Wherever you are found, in business, career, academics, civil service, public service there should be a glorious distinction around your life.
Whatever God wants us to be he has also packaged in our spirit all it will require to be that. We are not struggling to be. This is a truth each one of us must know and be established in, just as we discussed a couple of days ago.
Exalted above the hills talks about excellence and distinction in all that we do. Let that be your watchword in life.
CONFESSION:
Packaged in my spirit is distinction and excellence. I am exalted above the hills. Everything I do is growing above the hills.
LEARN MORE: Prov 22:29
Monday 6th June, 2022
HIGH PLACES
Text: “He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet, and setteth me upon my high places.” Psalm 18:33
Let’s begin today by saying that there are “low places” of life. This is a description of a life that is far below what God planned and intended for us. The “low places” is also a description of a life that robs us of the glory of God. Everything about your life should bring glory and honour to God. People around you should look at your life and thank God for the things they see in your life.
Whatever is contrary to the glory of God in our lives is an experience of the “low places”. By the authority in the name of Jesus I decree your relocation from the “low places” to the “high places.”
We were born for the high places. I want you to note that the word “place” in our anchor scripture is pluralised. “Places” means every area of our lives. That is God’s intention for us. Your high place is the description of having the best of God and becoming the best of God in every area of our lives. I believe that life is progressive and in phases, but at the same time I also believe that at whatever phase we are right now we should be the best at that phase. As other phase of life unfolds we should also be the best at that phase. Don’t postpone the best days of your life until when you get married. Even as a single guy or lady walk upon you high places at this stage of your life. Don’t wait until you graduate from school; walk on your high places right now. Be the best and have the best of God right now at this stage of your life. I see God setting you upon your high places this month. You will have the best and become the best this month.
The description of your life this month and beyond will be an exact description of the glory of God. Don’t allow anything to hold you down; you were born for the “high places.”
PRAYER:
I declare that my feet are set upon my high places in every area of my life this month. Every journey to the low places is forbidden this month.
LEARN MORE: Isa 60:1-2
Sunday 5th June, 2022
ESTABLISHED IN TRUTH
Text: “Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.” 2 Pet 1:12
The Devil operates and thrives in an arena where darkness dominates. Darkness here is an expression of ignorance. The devil does not mind seeing you come to church as long as you stay ignorant of the things of God. The scriptures talks about the “...The rulers of the darkness of this world...” As a believer you cannot afford to live your life in ignorance of spiritual things.
We must be established in the truth of God’s word in order for us to have a triumphant life. The level of triumph in our lives will be determined by our depth in the truth. Having a big Bible is not the same as knowing what is written in it. In the conflict of life what prevails is not the word written black and white in the Bible but the one written on the tablets of our hearts.
To be established in the truth means the following:
1. We already know the truth. You cannot be established in what you don’t know. How can you use what you don’t know exist. We can have money in our wallet and still stay hungry if you don’t know that the money is there.
2. The truth must have become a personal conviction in our lives. Not just because we heard it said in Church. It has to be something we cannot doubt again even when all we see around us is contrary to what the truth says.
3. The word of God is the truth. Everything else is a fact. The medical report is a fact, not the truth. That someone is jobless today is a fact not the truth. Established in the truth means you can separate the fact from the truth. If you are not established in the truth the lies of the devil will get you.
CONFESSION:
I will not consider the circumstances of life. I will focus on the truth of God’s word and be established in it.
LEARN MORE: John 8:32; 17:17, Rom 4:17-21
Saturday 4th June, 2022
CALLED OF GOD
Text: “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.” 2 Timothy 1:9
What an awesome scripture we have here. Every word here is loaded. We’ll just attempt today to look at few issues here. God has saved us. Not because we requested for it, it was purely a divine decision. The whole arrangement of redemption was God’s decision even before the world began. We are saved not by our efforts, there was nothing in the natural we could have done to merit salvation. Salvation was based on divine purpose and grace given to us in Christ Jesus. Thank God we are saved; in spite of how sinful we were He saved us according to his purpose and grace.
Salvation is actually the first expression of the purpose of God for man. When a man receives the message of the gospel and they are saved they automatically enter into a sphere of life in which the purpose of God can come to pass in their lives. What an awesome privilege we have. Each one of us as believers has the greatest privilege of all humanity to fulfil the purpose of God for our lives. .
Did you notice again in our anchor scripture that we are called of God? This is actually our central focus for today. Been called of God is not reserved only for the Apostles, Prophets and Bishops. Each one of us as believers has a holy calling on our lives. You are a special breed. God placed something unique and awesome in your life. Your life should never end up ordinary like someone who is not saved. We are called of God to make a difference in this world and to leave footprints in the sand of life. My prayer for you is that this month will be a unique month for you in every way.
CONFESSION:
I have a holy calling on my life. I was called and equipped to make a difference in this world.
LEARN MORE: 1 Pet 2:9
Friday 3rd June, 2022
STRENGTH FOR THE JOURNEY
Text: “If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.” Prov 24:10
From our previous studies in Inspiration we learned that life is a journey and not necessarily a destination. The journey of a year or a month will end and another one starts. We are not just talking of a physical journey that requires physical strength to handle it. We are talking of an invisible journey that requires inner strength to go through. The journey of life place demands on our lives that may be life threatening. We need inner strength to handle them and forge ahead in life.
“...Your strength is small” In our anchor scripture talks about failure to handle the challenges that comes our way. Breaking down under the weight of the challenges of life. Everyone goes through one form of challenge or another. The ability to stand up to them is what matters. It’s not really the enormity of the challenges that defeats us but the smallness of our inner strength. The stronger we become the more equipped we are to face whatever comes our way.
The inner strength is built in proportion to the word of God made available to it. The more we starve our spirit man of the word of God the weaker it becomes in handling life. When we are weak within we’ll find ourselves getting easily discouraged. This may also result in physical weakness. A Yoruba adage says “It takes inner strength to sustain the outer strength.
We take on strength for the journey of life as we become conscious of who we are and what we carry. We are joint heirs with Christ. We are so connected to him in an inseparable union. He is the vine we are the branches. It therefore means that we are not handling anything on our own. We must also understand that the greater one dwells within us. We are never alone. A sense of being alone produces weakness in a man.
PRAYER:
I decree strength in my inner man to face every challenge this month and to go over the walls.
LEARN MORE: Ps 18:29-32, Eph 3:16
Thursday 2nd June, 2022
WISE DECISIONS
Text: “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” Psalms 119:105
I want to repeat this statement again today. It’s a deliberate attempt to help you to appreciate how important decisions are. “Decisions determine direction and direction determine destination.” God has made us free moral agents in order for us to be able to make decisions in life. We are free to make decisions but we are slaves to its consequence.
God has made all the provisions we need in order for us to be able to make wise decisions in life. He has given us his word to be a compass that points us in the right direction we should follow in life. God’s word is simply God’s decisions written down. When we choose to follow his word on any issue we’ll automatically be taking wise decisions. Any step taken outside the word of God will be a wrong decision.
God has also placed within us His Spirit. He dwells within us to prompt us in the right direction that we should go. If we truly submit to the leadership of the Spirit in our lives so many wrong decision will be avoided.
I want to encourage you to make a fresh commitment to be guided and led by the Spirit in this new month. He will guide you to make wise decision that will take you in the right direction and destination in life. In every step you want to take acknowledge God in it and don’t lean on your own understanding.
One major wise decision we can all make in life is to build our lives on the word of God. That is the only foundation that can withstand the storms of life. Build your entire life on God’s eternal word and it will enrich your life.
PRAYER:
The Spirit of God is working in me to make the take right decisions.
LEARN MORE: Matt 7:24-25, Rom 8:14
Wednesday 1st June, 2022
GUIDED WITH DISCRETION
Text: “A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth; he will guide his affairs with discretion.” Psalm 112:5
When a man or woman lacks discretion they will make a mess of God’s investment in their lives. Opportunities and privileges are drawn into the mud when a man lacks discretion. The relevance of discretion is that you don’t rush to take a step or say something.
Discretion is the quality of being circumspect. Circumspect refers to the ability to spot and recognise details before jumping to a conclusion. Discretion is being able to see beyond what is obvious. Similar words to circumspect include cautious, prudent and thoughtful. Discretion helps us to place the right value on situations before drawing conclusions on them. Discretion is also the ability to make wise choices and decisions. This is the ingredient that life is made of. Decisions determine direction and direction determine destination or destiny. What you put into a pot of soup determines the taste it gives you. Your life can never get better than the quality of choices and decisions that we make on a daily basis. The prodigal son made two decisions that produced two end results in his life.
1. He took a decision to leave home – He took his inheritance and wasted it on riotous living. This produced poverty for him. He lost all the glory around his life.
2. He buried his shame and made a decision to go back home – With this decision his life was restored and the glory of God came back on his life.
These were two decisions with two end results made by the same person. Allow your affairs to be guided with discretion this month. Don’t just do things that look right or feel right. Do things that will take you in the direction of God’s plans for your life.
PRAYER:
Lord fill my heart with fresh wisdom to take the right steps this month and to go in the right direction.
LEARN MORE: Ps 32:8; 37:23
Tuesday 31st May, 2022
THE RIGHT TO PRAY
Text: “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace,that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16
Prayer is one cardinal responsibility of a believer. Many of us believe in prayer but very few truly pray. As a pastor I know quite a number of people who hardly pray on their own. Mostly because they feel inadequate or unworthy to pray. Even when they manage to pray they don’t really have confidence in what they are doing. As believers we have every right to pray. This right is not based on our “performance,” It’s not based on our righteousness. We don’t have a personal righteousness to stand on.
We have the right to pray because God called us to pray. It’s not a decision we forced on God. Of his own prerogative he invited us to pray (Jeremiah 33:3). Prayer is actually a means of having fellowship with the Lord and expressing our confidence in him. God wants to hear us; he wants to relate with us on a daily basis. God has the pleasure of helping us out in our times of need so he’s always waiting for us to call upon him. He created us for that continuous fellowship and communion.
The blood of Jesus gave us the right to come boldly to God in prayer. By the blood of Jesus we are already standing in the place of acceptance. The blood of Jesus qualified us. By the blood of Jesus we are made right with God. By his blood there is no record of sin counted against us in the place of prayer. His blood cleanses us from all unrighteousness as we come with a repentant heart if we have done anything wrong. The name of Jesus is our access code in prayer. It’s the password to every blessing that is reserved for us. Jesus gave us his name and the father will always hear. When we pray in his name we are actually praying in his place. We can always come with this boldness.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I lay hold on every provision of redemption today. I receive help as I go out today.
LEARN MORE: John 14:13-14; 16:23, Eph 2:18; 3:12
Monday 30th May, 2022
COMFORTED BY THE SPIRIT
Text: “But the comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name....” John 14:26
Job had a terrible experience in his life. He lost all his children in one day and eventually became terribly sick. It was such a devastating experience for him. He had friends around him that would have spoken words of comfort over him; rather they were busy debating on what was responsible for his calamity. He could not get the required comfort from this people. Somehow in the midst of that challenge he had a comfort that was far beyond what his wife or friends could offer. That comfort did not come from man it was divine. It’s unexplainable how he was still encouraged in the midst of that challenge.
David also had a similar experience. He lost his family and his properties. He began to weep profusely along with his men who also threatened to stone him. He wept to the point where he had no more strength to weep. Obviously no one was available to give him the required comfort. But thank God along the line he had a flow of comfort that was divine. With that comfort he had the strength and courage to ask God questions and to pursue the enemy until he recovered all that was missing.
The comfort of the Holy Spirit is available for us in the midst of the challenges of life. When men are far away the Holy Spirit is right inside us to offer the required comfort that we need. If you depend on human comfort you may have to wait for some time or not even get it at all. Even when we get it the supply may not meet up with the depth of the hurt. It’s only the Holy Spirit who has access to our innermost being. He’s the only one in the best position to comfort us when our hearts are broken and heavy. We should live our lives more dependent on the Holy Spirit and less dependent on men. The Holy Spirit is the only one that can be there for you 24/7.
CONFESSION:
The comfort of the Holy Spirit is available and at work in me in every conflict of life. I am helped always.
LEARN MORE: 1 Sam 30:4-8, Ps 46:1-5
Sunday 29th May, 2022
WORD THERAPY
Text: “...But thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shall have good success.” Joshua 1:8
The word of God written inside the Bible will not really make any difference in our lives until it leaves the pages of scripture to take charge and control of a man’s life. The word of God will produce result only to the extent to which we have allowed it to take charge of our lives. It’s not just enough to read it or hear it; it has to become a way of thinking and a way of life for it to produce results.
Meditation is a very crucial process by which the word of God takes over our thinking and over our mouth. There are no two ways about it. What we set our minds on is what eventually dominates us and controls our lives. Meditation simply means to set the mind on something. Thinking about an issue over and over again is what mediation is all about.
At every point in time the mind is always dwelling on something; positive or negative. It’s possible that we set our minds on challenges or the words of an adversary. This is the reason why so many people are confused, depressed and hopeless about life. Their minds have been taken over by the negative stuff around them. Whatever dominates your mind will rule your life.
The word of God also dominates us as we set our hearts on it. It will then become a way of thinking and a way of living. That is the ultimate goal of the written word of God. When this happen the word of God will keep you away from sin and also guide you in making decisions in life. It will also be a source of comfort for you in the face of life challenges.
DECLARATION OF FAITH:
My mind is set on the word of God. My mind is taken over by the light of God’s word. I’m flooded with truth and righteousness in my spirit by his word.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 119:11,105,130
Saturday 28th May, 2022
AT YOUR LEVEL
Text: “And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability...” Matthew 25:15
God has endowed every one of us in different areas of life and at different levels. We don’t all have the same dimension of opportunity in life. Because of this God does not in any way expect all of us to produce results on the same level and at the same rate. Success for us as individuals will be determined by the level at which we have been placed and the opportunity that has been made available to us.
This picture is clearly painted for us in our opening verse. The three (3) men were given different level of talents. At the return of their master each one of them was required to give an account based on what they were given. Each one of us is responsible to function maximally at whatever level God has placed us. We are never in a competition; each person is required to function based on what they have been given.
If for example you discover that God has given you the ability to sing don’t wait until you can sing at the same level with Don Moen or Sinach. Why not begin to function at the current level of endowment that you have. As you begin to produce results at your current level then the hand of God will come on your life to function at higher levels. The commitment and faithfulness at the present level is what will determine our growth to higher levels. Many of us has remained at the same level for so long or even depreciating because we are really not doing anything tangible with the level that God has placed us. If you don’t take advantage of the “small breaks” the “big breaks” may never come.
God is expecting us to “trade” with what he gave us. “Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same...” (Matt 25:16). Don’t ask for more when you have not used what you already have.
DECLARATION:
From today I will begin to function maximally with what God has given me at my current level.
LEARN MORE: Matthew 25:14-30
Friday 27th May, 2022
Friday 27th May, 2022
CALLED OUT
Text: “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 marvellous light.” 1 Peter 2:9
Darkness in scripture is a description of a life that is under the influence of the devil and the operations of the ungodly world. For everyone who is not yet saved their lives are under the influence and the control of darkness. Darkness also represent a life that is confused and without direction. Such was the life we all had before salvation.
But very importantly we have been called out of such a life. The control and the influence of darkness have cease to exist over our lives. If you are not conscious of this you may just find yourself wallowing in the same mud with people whose natural habitat is darkness. I’m sure you know that light does not keep company with darkness in any way. We have been called out of it. We can’t sit around it and enjoy the company of darkness anymore. The superiority of light over darkness is obvious and distinct. It’s not about trying to proof a point. It’s simply about shinning as light that God has made us.
Gross darkness is covering the people today. We are not expected to partake of the works of darkness in our environment. We have been called out of it. If we attempt to fellowship with darkness it means we have to put off our light; which also implies that we have put off the glory of God in our lives. Darkness is so prevalent in the world that we have to be deliberate about shinning forth our lights for everyone around us to see. If you work in an office let your light shine enough for everyone to see; don’t try to hide it in any way or else darkness will overtake the office. Be bold about your convictions in God. Be bold to declare what you know is right and godly.
DECLARATION:
I have been called out of darkness into God’s marvellous light. The light of God in me is shinning.
*LEARN MORE: Isa 60:1-2
Thursday 26th May, 2022
Thursday 26th May, 2022
DIVINE ACCESS
Text: “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus...” Hebrews 10:19
By the blood of Jesus we have access into all that God has prepared and reserved for us. The blood of Jesus is our access. The holiest of all in the Old Testament represent a place where the highest form of divine transaction took place between a mortal man and divinity. At that time only the high priest had access to this awesome privilege. But now by the shedding of the blood of Jesus we all have an unhindered access into the very presence of God. The high priest only had access once in a year. But now we have an access that is continuous, daily and forever. This gives us an unhindered access to God anytime, any day and anywhere. We don’t have to get to the Church building before we can meet with God. God is equally available and accessible anywhere we find ourselves. I don’t have to go to a special place or go on pilgrimage to encounter God. You can have an encounter with God in your room as much as you will do in Jerusalem. I don’t have to see a pastor before God will answer my prayer. (That does not mean you don’t have to see your pastor if the need arise). The point we are making is we all have access by the blood of Jesus.
This is also an access into an inheritance that no parent could have given us. No matter how disadvantaged you think you are in terms of natural descent the new birth experience brought you into an untold inheritance. We have access to all the blessings of God in Christ Jesus. Nothing really is too good for us not to have.
I want to conclude by saying that this access we be on no use if we don’t take advantage of it. We must become bold about it. Don’t approach life any more from the stand point of timidity. Timidity will rob you of all that God has made available for us. Boldly enter!
CONFESSION:
I boldly enter into the blessings of God for my life. By the blood of Jesus I step into my inheritance in God.
LEARN MORE: Rom 5:1-2
Wednesday 25th May, 2022
Wednesday 25th May, 2022
HEARING GOD
Text: “To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: ...And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice” John 10:3-4
Let’s close this study on God’s guidance by looking at the subject of hearing God again. Hearing God speak to you on various issues of your life is one of the greatest privileges of been a Christian. We must understand that Christianity is not a mere religion of rules and regulations but essentially a relationship between a father and his Children. The beauty and privileges of Christianity will be far from us if we cannot hear God on various aspects of our lives.
We must understand that every one of us as believers have the right to hear God. We also have the ability to hear God. However this ability must be developed and exercised.
The question is how do we hear God? Maybe I should ask you how you came to recognise the voice of your parents or your spouse. Am sure the answer will be because you have spent so much time with them that after a while you can pick their voice even in the dark. So also the more we spend time with God privately the more we’ll begin to pick his voice.
Hearing God also becomes clearer as we spend time reading and knowing his word. The voice of God reaches us through the pages of scripture. The more we submit to the written word the more we can hear the voice of God on issues that are not directly written in scriptures.
Hearing God will also be enhanced as we develop a quiet spirit in our day to day life and we learn to practice the presence of God anywhere we are.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus my inner ears are developed to hear the voice of God. My ears are deaf to the voice of the stranger.
LEARN MORE: Isa 50:4-5, Jn 10:27
Tuesday 24th May, 2022
Tuesday 24th May, 2022
MASTER GUIDE
Text: “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” Rom 8:14
The Spirit of God is our master guide in life. He was given by the father to principally teach and guide us in life. The rate of success in life will depend on the extent to which we are guided.
The accuracy of the steps we take will save us from wasting time, energy and our resources. The more errors we make in life the more our lives tend towards failure. The more accurate we are the more successful we become. The human mind has its limitations which makes our decisions vulnerable. It’s so important therefore to depend on someone who knows all things. The Spirit of God knows exactly what is in the mind of God. He has a direct access to God’s counsels for our lives. He’s therefore in the best position to guide us in life. He knows the details of what will happen every day of this year.
We receive the guidance of the Spirit as we receive his person and we learn to develop an intimate relationship with him. Guidance is borne out of closeness. An attitude of submission to the will of the father also helps us to connect with the guidance of the Spirit. It’s extremely difficult to access God’s guidance when we are arrogant and unyielding to his corrections.
We must understand that the Spirit of God will not necessarily lead us in the direction of our plans but rather in the direction of God’s ultimate plans and purpose for our lives. This is why most times where he leads us may not be where we would have naturally wanted to go. If we insist on doing things our own way it will be difficult to enjoy the ministry of the master guide. Always remember that God knows what is best for you. He knows who is best for you
PRAYER:
The Spirit of God is at work in me ordering my steps. I submit myself completely to the leading of the Spirit.
LEARN MORE: Ps 37:23-24
Monday 23rd May, 2022
Monday 23rd May, 2022
CONSIDER THE END
Text: “Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, my counsel will stand and I will do all my pleasure.“ Isa 46:10
It’s possible that we look at different areas of our lives and see consequences of wrong decisions we took in the past. We can also know individuals that were wrecked as a result of wrong steps they had taken. I personally know families that were thrown into trouble as a result of a wrong decision by the father of the house. Every step we take in life has serious consequences in our lives. This is why we must understand the rudiment of God’s leading in our lives.
Most of the time our decisions are based on an immediate need or pressure on us. Humanly speaking our knowledge is limited. Our knowledge is confined to the immediate and obvious. But we must understand that God looks at issues not just based on now but on the end. God sees the end from the beginning. Something might be rosy today but the end may not be. A man that is so nice today may turn to a monster tomorrow. God is looking at ten, twenty, thirty years from now.
Please read this carefully “Not all that glitters is gold and not all that is gold glitters”. It will be a mistake taking decisions solely based on how things look like outwardly. Every time you have a decision to make pause and ask yourself; what will the end be?
Lot was given a privilege to choose a portion of land ahead of Abraham his uncle, his choice was based on what he could see naturally. He ended up in Sodom and Gomorrah. That was a step into destruction. Abraham’s portion was not too good outwardly but ended as the best place. May your eyes not deceive you. Don’t resist God’s leading; it’s for your good. May your eyes be open not just to see the beginning but what the end looks like.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus you will not take the wrong steps in life. The Spirit of God will have his way in your life.
LEARN MORE: Gen 13:5-13, Prov 14:12
Sunday 22nd May, 2022
Sunday 22nd May, 2022
KNOWING THE UNKNOWN
Text: “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities; for we know not what we should pray for as we ought:but the Spirit himself maketh intercession for us ….And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God”. Rom 8:26-27
Success in life depends so much on accuracy, precision, knowing exactly what to do and knowing where to go. But you will agree with me that with all the school we have gone to there are still so much we don’t know. There is so much failure in life because most people live their lives in the realm of trial and error.
We must also understand that there is nothing hidden in the realm of the Spirit. Everything about your life is as clear as the noon day in the realm of the Spirit (Ps 139:12). The things that are hidden are open to God.
As a believer God does not want us to operate our lives in the realm of the unknown. This is why he has provided for us a means of connecting directly with him in the Spirit. Every time we pray in an unknown language we are actually dealing with things in the realm of the Spirit that our natural minds are not aware of. We can even download ideas, concepts, creativity that has never been seen before as we pray consistently in the Spirit. We can also access God’s direction for our lives this way. You’ll just find yourself knowing things that other people don’t know. It’s possible to even begin to see vision of things to come.
As you connect with the unknown your life becomes extraordinary and outstanding. This will enable us to connect with what eyes has not seen before nor ears heard before.
CONFESSION:
I function in the realm of the Spirit. Nothing is hidden in my life. I know exactly what to do in every issue of life.
LEARN MORE: 1 Corinth 2:9-12
Saturday 21st May, 2022
Saturday 21st May, 2022
CONNECTING TO DIVINE SIGNALS
Text: “The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly.”Prov 20:27
Wherever you are right now reading this material or listening to the audio there are hundreds of radio stations also present in the same place. You may not see them physically but their wavelengths are right there where you are. If you need to receive any of their signals all you need to do is to get a transmitter radio and you will be hearing them live and direct. For you to listen to a particular station you have to tune the radio to its particular frequency. If you are not hearing a particular station it’s simply because you are not tuned to its frequency even though they are transmitting. This is also true of receiving divine signals from God. God is always trying to reach us but most of the time we are never tuned to his frequency.
Connecting to divine signals takes place in our recreated human Spirit. The Spirit of God lives in vital union with our recreated human spirit. This is where the work of divine direction goes on. The extent to which we are able to connect to divine signals will depend on the extent to which our human spirits are trained and developed. The spirit of man is referred to as the “candle” of the Lord. Illumination takes place in our spirit. The Spirit of God “lights” our “candle” inside to give us a check, a nudge, a restraint, a witness or even a voice right within us. The more our spirit is developed the more we can become sensitive to this.
The spirit is developed as we spend quality time meditation on the word of God. The word of God builds us from the inside. The spirit man is also built as we consistently pray in the spirit. These are things no one can do for you. Each one of us must do this to connect with divine signals.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I declare that my ears are open to hear clearly what the Spirit of God is saying per time.
LEARN MORE: Acts 20:32, Jude 20
Friday 20th May, 2022
Friday 20th May, 2022
THE RIGHT PLACE 2
Text: “And the Lord appeared unto him. And said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of.” Gen 26:2
If you look closely at the story of Abraham you will notice that Abraham and Lot had their fortune in the land of Egypt (Gen 13:1-2). It was after this experience that Isaac was born. It’s so natural for a son to want to go to a place where the father made it. This was the exact scenario that Isaac found himself. He wanted to move down to Egypt to escape from the famine in the land of the Philistines. Genesis 26:1-2 says “And there was famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech King of the Philistine unto Gerar. And the Lord appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of.” The question on my mind was, why was Abraham allowed to go there and his son was not allowed? The answer is simply God has the right place for each one of us.
The right place for Abraham was not the right place for Isaac. If you look at it closely where God asked Isaac to stay was a place that nothing will grow naturally because there was no rain. But because he was in the right place that God placed him he became extremely prosperous and successful. It was all because he had God’s manifest presence. If he had moved to Egypt he would have been operating under the omnipresence nature of God which wouldn’t have made any difference for him. The other Philistines envied him because they only had the omnipresence of God and not his manifest presence. It’s dangerous to operate in a place that God has not placed us.
God’s guidance makes a lot of difference in life. We must be humble enough to allow God to show us the right place. He will show up for us there. Where he leads us is where his grace keeps us.
PRAYER:
Lord help me to follow the right path in everything I do in life. Paths that will lead to my blessings.
LEARN MORE : Gen 26:11-14
Thursday 19th May, 2022
Thursday 19th May, 2022
THE RIGHT PLACE 1
Text: “And the Lord appeared unto him. And said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of.” Gen 26:2
There is a big difference between the omnipresence nature of God and the manifest presence of God. Knowing the difference will make a major difference in our lives. God’s omnipresence simply means that God is everywhere. Wherever you go God is there. But this is not enough to function in life. What we actually need to function in life is the manifest presence of God in our lives. The manifest presence talks about the tangible and practical manifestation of divine presence. This is exactly what Moses was referring to when he prayed and insisted that God’s presence must go with them.
There were two references to divine presence in the book of Psalms. The first one is in the One hundred and thirty nine Psalm “Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence...If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there. If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.” Vs 7-8. This is what we refer to as the omnipresence of God. The second reference to divine presence is in the twenty third Psalms, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”Vs 4. This is obviously what is called the manifest presence of God. The manifest presence of God gives us an assurance that God is with us and will act on our behalf.
The point of our lesson today is for us is to understand that God’s manifest presence is only guaranteed when we function at the right place where God has placed us in life. God is everywhere but God does not manifest everywhere. God manifested for Isaac because he was in the right place.
PRAYER:
Lord I ask that my steps are ordered in life to function and dwell only in the right place of your right hand.
LEARN MORE: Ex 33: 14-16
Wednesday 18th May, 2022
Wednesday 18th May, 2022
GOD WILL SHOW YOU
Text: “Now the Lord has said unto Abraham, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee.“Gen 12:1
Abraham is a typical example of someone in scriptures who enjoyed divine guidance in his life. If you look at his life closely you will notice why it was possible for him to enjoy that privilege from God. He was man that was open to God’s leading. Divine plans were more important to him than personal plans. As soon as God was ready to change his location he was also ready to follow without any objection. We can only enjoy divine guidance to the extent to which we are ready to follow.
God wanted to bring Abraham to a new and a higher experience of life. God was ready to bring him to the fulfilment of a covenant. God spoke to him to leave where he was to a place that he will show him. The writer to the Hebrew explained to us that Abraham did not even know where he was going (Heb 11:8). I strongly believe that God is willing to do the same in our lives today. He wants to show us the next phase of our lives. He wants to show us where our blessings are waiting. He wants to show us the future. We don’t have to depend on anyone to access that. When it comes to the issues of our lives each one should have a first-hand knowledge of what God wants to do in our lives. He can show us about the details of the relationship we are getting into. He can show us details of the business proposals that we have. He can show us the best strategies to anything we are doing. I want to encourage you to believe God for this.
We can initiate this divine showing as we call upon God in prayer. It’s a divine promise and we have the right to ask for it. “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and SHEW thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” Jeremiah 33:3.
PRAYER:
Lord according to your word show me the path of life. Show me great and mighty things.
LEARN MORE:* Ps 16:11, John 16:13-15
Tuesday 17th May, 2022
Tuesday 17th May, 2022
ACKNOWLEDGE GOD’S WISDOM
Text: “If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, them must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct.” Ecc 10:10
The wisdom of God produces in man a sense of direction. Knowing exactly what to do. Knowing what to say and knowing where to go. The wisdom of God cannot be at work in you and you’ll be confused at the same time. The wisdom of God is at work potentially in the life of every believer. For it to become a functional force in our lives we must be conscious of it and acknowledge it in our lives.
We must understand very clearly that Christ in us is the wisdom of God personified. In Christ are hid the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Christ is made unto us wisdom. Christ was the embodiment of the wisdom of God. This was why in every situation Jesus was never confused. He always knew what to do. The same dimension of wisdom is also at work in our lives as believers. Deposited in our recreated human spirit is the wisdom of God. This is a fundamental truth we must acknowledge in other to walk in God’s direction for our lives.
The word of God also plays a vital role in working in divine wisdom for direction in our lives. The word of God is the wisdom of God in print. We must also recognise and acknowledge the word of God as the wisdom of God made available for us. Each time we read and hear the word of God we must appreciate that we are interacting with the wisdom of God. The value we place on God’s word determines the virtues that flow to us from it.
To acknowledge means to know something, to admit it and to declare it so. This must become real to you. Let it become your way of thinking and seeing yourself. The wisdom of God is at work in you and the wisdom of God is available to you through the word of God. Developing this confidence is fundamental to walking in God’s direction. Divine direction is not based on our prowess but on divine wisdom. Please acknowledge God’s wisdom.
THANKSGIVING:
Thank you Lord for your wisdom that is at work in me and available for me.
LEARN MORE: 1 Cor 1:30
Monday 16th May, 2022
Monday 16th May, 2022
ACKNOWLEDGE GOD’S DIRECTION
Text: “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Prov 3:6
One common phrase that people use is “I am confused” you must have said it before or hear someone saying it. This is a phrase you have to learn never to say again. It’s a confession of inability and weakness. You may feel that you are confused but you must not say so. We are not supposed to agree with our feelings but with God’s eternal word. The foundation for a believer is the word of God and not our feelings. We walk by faith and not by sight.
Please understand that the word of your mouth gives direction to your life. The word of your mouth is an expression of your confidence and faith in God or lack of it. is an acknowledgment of your feelings and not an acknowledgment of the ability of God and the possibility that exist in God.
A confusing situation should not make you a confused person. Don’t use the situation to describe your person. Even if you are faced with a confusing situation don’t agree with the confusion, agree with God. Acknowledge what his word says in that situation. “There is no situation that you are faced with but such as is common to man, in that situation God is faithful who will not allow you to be confused, but will give you direction in the same situation” 1 Corinthians 10:13 (Paraphrase)
It’s better to say “I am never confused”. There is a way out in this situation. Once you start saying that you are giving voice to God’s word and it will be confirmed for you. God said as we speak in his ears so will he do. As you speak that way your spirit man also takes instructions from you. The search begins in your spirit man as you begin to speak right.
CONFESSION:
There is direction in my spirit. I know exactly what to do in every situation of life. I am never confused. My spirit is man is enlightened to see clearly
LEARN MORE: Num 14:28, Eph 1:17-18
Sunday 15th May, 2022
Sunday 15th May, 2022
KNOWING GOD’S DIRECTION
Text: “To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.” John 10:3*
I strongly believe that one of the most important subjects in God’s word is the subject of God’s direction for our lives. If not for space I would have given you all the verses of scriptures that are related to God’s direction for our lives. Even though this is so important in our lives, it also an area in which we all have challenges. We would spend some days on this subject and I trust the Holy Spirit to teach you by himself.
Knowing God’s direction from our lives as believers begins from an understanding that each one of us as believers have the right and the capacity to hear God and connect to what God is saying per time concerning our lives. Once you don’t understand this it will be a struggle connecting to God’s direction for our lives. We must also realise that every of God’s dealings for our lives is a walk of faith. We must agree with God’s word on this issue.
From our anchor scriptures today Jesus clearly said “...The sheep hear his voice...for they know not the voice of strangers...” can we receive that word by faith. According to Jesus it should not be a struggle to hear God’s voice and direction for our lives. The word of God must become personal to us. Next time you are faced with an issue that requires direction acknowledge this truth of God’s word. When it comes to receiving from God it begins from agreeing with his word. Don’t try to figure out how it will happen. Just stand on God’s word. I want to encourage you to take your time to read every subsequent article in the remaining part of this month.
CONFESSION:
By faith I declare my heart is open and receptive to what God is saying per time. My inners ears are closed to the voice of strangers.
LEARN MORE: Eph 1:16-19
Lord grant everyone reading this devotional specific directions for their lives.*
Saturday 14th May, 2022
Saturday 14th May, 2022
RENEWING THE MIND 4
Text: “O how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.” Ps 119:97
The truth is that virtually every thought that ever passed through your mind came from a source. It could have been something we did without even knowing. Every book, novel or magazine you read will leave a particular thought pattern on you. The movies we watch and the music we listen to will also create a mind set in you.
We adopt the patterns of this world as we relate with materials that are worldly. The plain truth is that most of the music from the entertainment world is designed to make us think in a particular way.
The mind is renewed as we relate with the thoughts of God on the pages of scripture. The word of God is the thoughts of God in print. If you want to know how God thinks on a particular issue then check the pages of scripture.
Renewing the mind does not come automatic, we have to consciously, continually and deliberately relate with the bible and bible related materials, like this one in your hand.
Meditation is the act of setting our minds on scripture. Allowing it to saturate our minds. The more we interact with scripture and submit to whatever it says the more our minds are renewed to think and behave like God.
This is something each one of us must do. It’s a non-transferable responsibility. It’s not something you can wish to happen or pray through to happen. Renewing the mind does not come by praying. It’s possible to pray so much and still misbehave so much when the mind is not renewed.
The word of God creates in us God’s thought pattern. It gives us a standard by which we measure whatever we hear or whatever thoughts come into our minds.
There is never an end to this process of renewing the mind; as long as we are living there will always be a need to renew our minds on an issue.
PRAYER:
Lord help me by your Spirit to accept the responsibility of spending time in your word.
LEARN MORE: Ps 1:1-3
Friday 13th May, 2022
Friday 13th May, 2022
RENEWING THE MIND 3
Text: “Throw off your old evil nature and your former way of life, which is rotten through and through, full of lust and deception. Instead, there must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitude.” Eph 4:22-23 (NLT)*
I strongly believe that these words will revolutionize someone’s life. By the time God is through with you, you’ll be a surprise to yourself. So much beauty will come out of your life.
The point blank truth is that as long as our way of thinking is wrong our lives too will be wrong. We can never live beyond the thinking pattern we have developed over the years.
The best way to develop a successful life is to learn how to think exactly like God. When we think like God we’ll behave like God and see results like him.
I grew up as a young teenager reading a particular romantic magazine, at a point I discovered that I was unconsciously trying to carry out some of the things I read in the magazine. It polluted my mind and gave me a complete wrong mindset. At that stage of my life as a believer I discovered I was struggling to live right.
Thank God I received help on time. I heard Dr David Oyedepo Said “You cannot feed your mind on junk and expect to be a treasure”. That word gave me the way out. I realised from then on I had to be selective about what I read and watch. It did not happen overnight, but one step after another I began to consume God’s word veraciously. It became the joy and the rejoicing of my heart. I read every available Christian material I could get. In those days I received Joyce Meyer magazine every month for about two years. It completely changed my thought pattern. I still recollect she said in one of those magazines “Where the mind goes, the man will automatically follow”.
What we set our minds on will determine the course of our lives. Please read on tomorrow.
CONFESSION:
My mind is pure. My mind is free of everything that is wrong. God’s word is taking charge of my thoughts.
LEARN MORE: Eph 4:24
Thursday 12th May, 2022
Thursday 12th May, 2022
RENEWING THE MIND 2
Text: “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Rom 12:2
From our anchor scripture it’s clear that the only way that we’ll not be conformed to this world is if there is a transformation taking place within us. This transformation takes place through the process of renewing of our minds. The contents of our minds is what determines the course of our lives. It’s one thing for our spirit man to be born again and regenerated but a different thing entirely for the mind to be changed. Salvation is instant but changing the mind is a process. This is why each one of us must be consciously engaged in getting our minds renewed.
Why is this so important? We all grew up in different cultures, different family backgrounds. If we see a man that grew in a family setting where the father always beat the mother, he may also have a mindset that there is nothing wrong beating a woman just to teach her a lesson. This man will have to renew his mind and begin to think differently. The ultimate purpose of renewing the mind is to bring us to the point where we see life and issues purely from God’s perspective.
Renewing the mind is aimed at developing God’s mindset on all issues. Please understand that as long as a man’s thinking is wrong his life will be wrong. A man cannot change until his mindset changes. In so many cases we have adopted the prevalent mindsets in our environment without even knowing. This is why renewing the mind is absolutely necessary. Renewing the mind is the process of exchanging our old thoughts for new godly thoughts. Exchanging our thoughts with God’s thoughts. Adopting God’s mindset on all issues. When this happens we’ll begin to function at God’s perfect will for our lives.
CONFESSION:
God’s thoughts are taking over my mind. I think like God on all issues. I see life purely from God’s perspective.
LEARN MORE: Eph 4:23
Wednesday 11th May, 2022
Wednesday 11th May, 2022
RENEWING THE MIND 1
Text: “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Rom 12:2
It’s clear that this scripture above was not written to unbelievers. It was addressed to believers. From the content of the message it’s obvious that it’s possible to come to Church and be so active there while your life is still conformed to this world.
We must understand that the pattern of this world is completely different from the godly pattern that God expects from us. As long as we are conformed to this world we cannot function at the highest level that God has ordained for us. To conform means doing things exactly like the world will do it. Running your business like unbelievers will do it. Relating with your spouse like unbelievers will do etc. Dressing seductively like they will do. The New Living Translation says “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world…”
Like we said earlier if your life is conformed to this world it will limit your capacity to be all you were meant to be. It reduces the rate at which you can connect with God’s perfect will for your life. From the words of Jesus we are in this world but we don’t belong to this world. We function by a different set of rules and patterns. The word of God is the guaiding principle of our lives. The popularity of anything is never a proof of God’s approval.
As we round up today I want you to realize that whatever God is asking you to do is ultimately meant for your good. If we choose to live otherwise God has nothing to lose but we’ll miss so much in God. We’ll continue tomorrow.
CONFESSION:
I am not of this world. I have a pattern of life that is completely different from that of this world. I function at a higher level of life.
LEARN MORE:John 17:14-16
Tuesday 10th May, 2022
Tuesday 10th May, 2022
LOCATING SUCCESS
Text: “He hath made everything beautiful in his time; also he hath set the world in their heart...”Ecc 3:11
Success is not the native of a particular city or country. It’s not an American or an European. There is no city or country that does not have its own list of failures.
Success is fundamentally a product of who we are and not where we are. Success is not a function of the type of business you are doing but the kind of person that you are. If you look at success from the external perspective the search for it will never end. It’s not a function of government polices but a function of what is packaged in each one of us. Don’t look for success in a place or vocation; look for it in yourself. Success is located inside you. God has packaged in you potentials and resources that you require to make a success of your life.
This perspective to success will help you not to blame anyone for the state of your life and to be fully responsible for the happenings in your life. By the help of the Holy Spirit we can discover all the things God has made available for our success in life. Joseph was maltreated for so many years of his life. He was a servant and then ended in the prison without committing an offence. If his life and success were dependent on his family and environment he would have ended up as a failure. He came out of the prison principally because he discovered the gift of God in him. It was this same gift that took him to the throne. If he had been waiting for his family to help him out he would have died in the prison. Take responsibility for your life. Don’t wait for anyone. Locate the things God has packaged in you. Several people will come along the way in life to contribute to our lives, but ultimately what will make you a success is within you. The issues of life comes from your heart.
PRAYER:
Thank you Lord for the divine resources you have placed inside me. Thank you for equipping me for success in life.
LEARN MORE: Prov 4:23
Monday 9th May, 2022
Monday 9th May, 2022
Text: “...For a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” Lk 12:15
The life of a Christian is not defined by this world’s standards. We are in this world but we don’t function by the rules of this world. The life of a Christian is defined by the word of God. This is the only way we can find joy and fulfilment in our sojourn on earth or else we’ll just find ourselves in a rat race that will never end.
A successful life is not defined by material things. Even though we have need of these things they don’t satisfy the deepest need of the human heart. We all need a shelter, we need clothing, and we need mobility. Having them is just a means of survival but not a yardstick of a successful life. We’ve had cases over the years of world class celebrities who had all that money could afford but still killed themselves as a result of the emptiness of their hearts. A successful life is defined by God’s purpose for an individual. A product is only successful to the extent to which it fulfils the purpose for its existence. It’s possible to have so much money and still be far away from the fulfilment of God’s purpose for our lives. Let’s state it very clearly success is purpose determined. Success is the progressive pursuit and attainment of God’s ordained purpose for an individual. The implication of this is that each one of us is born with purpose. God had a purpose for each one of us before we were born. Our birth was deliberate and intentional. It’s never a coincidence that you were born. Each one of us has the responsibility in God to discover the purpose of God for our lives. This is what will define success for you. Discovering God’s purpose will require that we walk intimately with the Spirit of God. He’s God’s agent of bringing us to revelations and insights of what God has in store for our lives.
CONFESSION:
The purpose of God is coming to pass in my life. The Spirit of God is working in me daily.
LEARN MORE: Jer 1:5, I Cor 2:9-12
Sunday 8th May, 2022
Sunday 8th May, 2022
NEED OF PATIENCE
Text: “For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.” Heb 10:36
Patience is a major requirement of life that is needed to enter into the fullness of God’s program for our lives. If you read our anchor scripture carefully you will notice that its stated that we need patience. Just as you need air to survive so also you need patience to navigate the various phases and stages of life.
The concept of time intervals in nature tells us that it takes time for certain things to happen. No matter how much you wish and pray for it to happen the stipulated time must follow its due course. The scriptures says “...Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.” (James 5:7). A farmer will have to keep going to the farm for several months and in some cases years before the desired harvest can be ready. He has to keep going there to weed and do other necessary practice. If the farmer stops doing that the harvest can be lost. The gestation period for a baby to be ready to be born is nine months. It will be unrealistic for a pregnant woman to start praying that it should be five or six months. Each of these two scenarios will require patience or else the process will be aborted.
We must know the difference between what requires speed and what requires patience. Confusing the two can be frustrating. A newly married woman may need speed to get pregnant, but will need patience for the baby to mature and be born. Patience allows for maturity and the fullness of what God wants to do in our lives. Patience is not a passive posture, but rather an attitude that keeps doing the right thing until we see God’s counsels come to pass in our lives. It’s an attitude that never gives up.
CONFESSION:
Patience it’s at work in my spirit. I know the difference between what requires speed and what requires patience.
LEARN MORE James 1:2-4
Saturday 7th May, 2022
Saturday 7th May, 2022
PRACTICE OF SIN
Text: “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary the one to the other; so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.”Gal 5:17
The penalty of sin has been paid; the power of sin has been broken. The challenge with all of us is that the flesh wants to be in control. The flesh wants to walk against what we know is right and godly. The flesh is constantly at war with the spirit. When the flesh is allowed to rule then the practice of sin sets in.
This is where our personal responsibility comes in. If sin will not lord itself over us then we must take some definite steps. The first of them is to stop every excuse for sin in our lives. Some will say “everybody is doing it”, it may sound logical, but that kind of thinking will keep sin alive in your life. We are not supposed to follow everybody; we are supposed to look up to Christ as our perfect example.
Secondly we must make choices that are consistent with godly living. I heard a statement years back that really helped me to live right, it says “You cannot feed your mind on junk and expect to be a treasure”. What you watch, what you listen to have a major impact on your life as a believer. Some have become addicted to immoral thoughts and practice as a result of wrong films and music they have been exposed to.
Thirdly, we must ensure that our source of advice in life is right. The kind of environment we spend our time matters. If you spend your time with ungodly friends and influences it will be easier for sin to gain control over your life. David said “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful”. Psalm 1:1
Lastly don’t cover sin in your life. Expose it to God in prayer and bring it under the blood of Jesus.
CONFESSION:
Grace is at work in me to make godly choices. No more excuses for sin in my life.
LEARN MORE: Prov 28:13, 1 John 1:8-10
Friday 6th May, 2022
Friday 6th May, 2022
POWER OF SIN
Text: “For sin shall not have dominion over you; for ye are not under the law, but under grace.” Rom 6:14
The sacrifice of Christ on the cross did not only pay the penalty of sin but also delivered us from the dominion of sin. The power of sin has been broken. We don’t have to live as slaves any more under its control and influence. The word of God becomes a reality in our lives as we align our thoughts and confession with the word.
From our anchor scripture it has been declared and settled that “sin shall not have dominion over you...” There shouldn’t be any debate at all whether or not we can live above sin or not. The word of God has settled it for us. So if you are still thinking that there are some things that are beyond you and you cannot stop doing them; then that is a lie of the devil which you must reject. If you are born again the power of sin is broken already on your life. Can you stop that argument and just submit to the authority of the word of God over your life.
Living above sin begins from the understanding that the penalty has been settled already, then we must also understand that the power or dominion of sin has been broken over our lives. If you don’t understand and accept this truth sin will take advantage of you. It will be so easy to allow and give excuses for sin in our lives. Don’t ever accept the lie of the devil that no one can live above sin. If you accept that lie you will live as a victim all your life.
Under the law the people were given set of rules to follow but they were not empowered from within to keep them. But for us today we are under grace. Grace is divine enablement. Grace is not an excuse to sin but an enablement not to sin. Walk in the light you have received today and let grace find expression in your life.
CONFESSION:
The power of sin has been broken over my life. I am not a victim to sin, but a victor over sin. The grace of God is at work in me.
LEARN MORE: John 1:16, Titus 2:11-12
Thursday 5th May, 2022
Thursday 5th May, 2022
PENALTY OF SIN
Text: “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” 2 Cor 5:21
The penalty of sin is so clear in scripture. The soul that sins must die (Ezk 18:20), Apostle Paul also stated that the wages of sin is death. Every one of us was concluded to be under sin. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. For man to be free from sin the penalty must be paid in full. There was no way any of us could have paid that penalty. This was why Jesus had to come. He literally took upon himself our sins.
Jesus never committed sin, but he became sin. He took our place. He became what we were. Our sins were laid upon him. In the mind of God the penalty for our sins has been fully paid. Jesus literally took our place so that we can take his place. He became us so that we can become him. This is the beauty of salvation. The righteousness of God is something none of us could have attained on our own efforts. Now that Jesus has paid the penalty we are made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. This is not based on what we did; it’s purely based on what Jesus did.
As Jesus was hanging on the cross it’s concluded we were the ones on the cross. When he was buried we were buried together. We also rose up from the grave together. The penalty has been fully paid; there is no more condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. We can walk free of every satanic guilt over our lives. If you have received Jesus as your Lord and savior the handwriting of ordinances that were against you are already wiped off by the blood of Jesus. This is the ultimate price that was paid for our sins. Now we can stand in the court room of heaven bearing on our foreheads “debt paid in full.” We stand in the presence of God as if it was Jesus standing. God sees Christ in us.
DECLARATION:
The penalty for my sin has been settled. Jesus settled it all. I am completely free.
LEARN MORE: Rom 6:1-5; 8:1
Wednesday 4th May, 2022
Wednesday 4th May, 2022
PEOPLE YOU SHOULD DISAPPOINT 3
Text: “Go from the presence of a foolish man, when thou perceivest not in him the lips of knowledge.” Prov 14:7
People who are not adding value to your life but rather draining you of every virtue in your life - One major determinant in what becomes of you in life are the company that you keep. The people you spend time with have a major contribution in your life. Most of the time this goes on unnoticed. Every friendship you keep will either add value to you or deplete you of virtues. There are two types of people in life “Very Important Personalities” (VIP). These are people that make so much contribution in your life. When you spend time with them they make you better. You become wiser and more spiritual as you relate and interact withem.
The second types of people are “Very Draining Personalities.” (VDP). They will drain the life of God out of you. Such people are more carnal than spiritual. You don’t need such people around you. As much as you can you must reduce the amount of time you spend with such people. They will finish you. These are people you have to disappoint. If such people wants to cling to you and spend time with you it must be tactfully and wisely avoided, not out of pride but out of putting value on your precious time. Watch closely your circle of friendship. It plays a vital role in your life. Friendship is by choice and not by force. It’s better to have few friends that make meaningful contributions in your life than to have a battalion of friends that are not adding value to your life. Life is too precious to spend with people who have no vision and no passion to be all God wants them to be; except God assigned you to make an impact on such people. That is the only platform on which we can spend time with such people.
PRAYER:
Lord I declare that I am free from every wrong influence around my life. I declare my independence from very draining people.
LEARN MORE: 1 Cor 15:33
Tuesday 3rd May, 2022
Tuesday 3rd May, 2022
PEOPLE YOU SHOULD DISAPPOINT 2
Text: “And she caught him by his garment, saying, lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out.” Gen 39:12
People that want you to be loyal to them at the expense of your relationship with God – Thank God for great people that God has placed in our path in life. Thank God for great parents, uncles, guardians, teachers, siblings etc. But none of them is great enough to become a semi-god in our lives. There is an allegiance to God that none of these people is qualified to have. It’s never rudeness when we help people around us to know that we have a commitment to God that can never be compromised.
The wife of Joseph’s master wanted to have a sexual relationship with Joseph. The woman must have been taking good care of him; giving him the best food in the house. But Joseph knew that he cannot be loyal to her at the expense of his relationship with God. Joseph knew that it was better to lose the favour of the man than to lose the favour of God. That would have been suicidal. He ended up disappointing the woman. He had to suffer for a while because of this. He was in prison for over two years because of an offence he did not commit. If you are afraid of what a mortal man will do to you it may cause you to dance to their tune while your relationship with God is suffering. The writer to the Hebrew said “...For he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we can boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” (Heb 13:5-6). The fear of man brings a man into bondage.
The three Hebrew boys were threatened to become loyal to the king more than they were to God or else they will die. This is usually the trend. A boyfriend says if you don’t sleep with me I will not marry you. An employer says you must go out with me to get the job. If you don’t disappoint such people they will destroy your destiny.
DECLARATION:
No mortal man will take the place of God in my life. No man will be more important than God for me.
LEARN MORE: Dan 3:15-30
Monday 2nd May, 2022
Monday 2nd May, 2022
PEOPLE YOU SHOULD DISAPPOINT 1
Text: “And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight him: for thou art but a youth....” 1 Sam 17:33
People that don’t expect any good thing to come out of your life - This could be a relative, an employer, a spouse or a friend. This set of people must have seen us fail or they knew the history surrounding our birth. Such individuals may have a very low expectation of you. The first way to disappoint such people is to make sure that their doomed prophecy about your life does not become your own personal expectation about your life. Their low expectation of you will become a fulfilled prophecy if we accept it and begin to dwell upon it. The words of a mortal man are never the final authority over your life. Don’t ever accept a human opinion as final over your life.
The brothers of Joseph were surprised to their bones when they discovered their low expectation of Joseph had been disappointed. They suddenly saw Joseph from the throne they had never thought he could get to.
The family of David too had a very low expectation of him. Even his own father never thought he could be qualified to serve as a King over Israel. He had been a shepherd boy all his life and this people were not expecting anything better to come out of his life.
The circumstances of your birth and the challenges of the past does not determine how far you can go in life except you allow it. The word of God is the final authority over your life. I want to encourage you today to see your life purely from God’s perspective. The word of God must be the expectation of your life. Agree with God in your life and not with the opinions of men. Human opinion of you will limit you. Raise the bars of your life and reach for the best of God in your life.
CONFESSION:
Great things are coming forth out of my life. The word of God is the final authority over my life.
LEARN MORE: Prov 23:7, 2 Corinth 10:5-6
Sunday 1st May, 2022
Sunday 1st May, 2022
MOUTH NAVIGATION
Text: “What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.” Psalm 34:12-13
Welcome to a new month. Let’s begin the month talking about your words. The words of our mouth play a major role in our lives. It’s a major place where the outcomes of our lives are determined. If the word of our mouth goes wrong then our life will automatically follow. We are either justified or condemned by the words of our mouths.
From our anchor evil speaking simply refers to every word that does not agree with the word of God. It’s so important for us to realise that every word that we speak counts.
The benefits of speaking right are clearly stated in our anchor scriptures for today.
1. Enjoy the best out of life.
2. Seeing many days.
3. Seeing the goodness of life.
These benefits are worth the efforts of training ourselves to speak right. Speaking evil and guile will cost you more than you can ever imagine in life.
The little rudder of a ship determines the direction of the ship. As big as the ship is the little member or part controls it. This is also true with the words of our mouths. It controls our entire life. This is what we refer to as mouth navigation.
Its important that we start to navigate our lives every day right from the first time you leave the bed in the morning. Speak to your body, speak to your children, speak to your business, speak to your academics, speak to your future. Even if nothing is happening around your life something must be happening in your mouth. Wherever you want your life to go start going there with your mouth today. Before your leg moves your mouth must move first. If your mouth is quiet your leg also will be stalked.
CONFESSION:
My life is moving upward and forward. The grace of God is working in me to become all I was born to become. Everything is working right in my life.
LEARN MORE: James 3:2-13
Saturday 30th April, 2022
AN EMPTY MAN 2
Text: “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matt 5:3
An “empty man” from our study yesterday also means someone who is not satisfied yet with the present level of relationship with God. It’s a craving for more of God. The more of God we know the more of him we have and become. We can never have too much of God but we can have too little of him. The more of him you have the more you’ll realise that you need. The more of him that we know the more room is created in our hearts to know him more. It’s an endless cycle.
David had such a deep and insatiable craving for God. This was why he stood so much far above the circumstances of life. He had so much challenges in his life but at the same time he had so much of God that he could not be defeated. Listen to David “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.” Psalm 42:1. He was not just craving for what God will give he was craving for more of God himself. He was satisfied with having more of God. The beauty of this is that the more of God you have the more of everything else you possess. The more of God that we have the more of his grace will find expression in our lives. The more of God that we have the more of his purpose for our lives is expressed through us. If you are too full of yourself you will miss out on your real worth and value. This will rob you of the grace of God to become all you were designed to be.
Psalm 63:1 David said “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee; my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee...” Please crave for more of God in your life. There is still so much available for us in God. We are not there yet.
PRAYER:
Lord I want more of you. I empty myself of everything that may be occupying your place in my life. I declare today that my heart is fully available for you.
LEARN MORE: James 4:6
Friday 29th April, 2022
Friday 29th April, 2022
AN EMPTY MAN 1
Text: “This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.” Ps 34:6
I was so blessed reading this account of David and I want to share it with you today. David referred to himself as “...this poor man...” How on earth was he a poor man? Religion will read this and say “why should anyone be rich since David was a poor man.” As usual religion is a shallow and incomplete understanding of God’s word.
By all standards David was a rich man. He was the great King over Israel. He single handily provided for the building of the temple. He was never a poor man. The expression of being a poor man is an expression that describes an attitude or a state of his heart. Jesus said “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matt 5:3. A “poor man” here describes a man that has emptied himself of himself. A man who has created enough room in himself for God to fill. When we are full of our self we leave no room for God to occupy in our lives. If you still feel you know how to run your life then you are full of yourself. Such an attitude leaves God handicapped over our lives.
God wants to fill us with his wisdom, grace, ideas and all the virtues we require to make a success of our sojourn on earth. If you are full then you cannot be filled. David was a man that was sold out to God. He was so dependent on God that he will pray three times a day and praise God seven times a day. His expectations were solely from God. He had come to a point in his life that he realised that except God builds a life it’s a waste of time trying to do so. Empty yourself of pride and ego; it will rob you of God’s ultimate plan for your life. Let there be more room in your life for God to occupy
PRAYER:
Lord take the place that is yours in my life. I declare that my spirit, soul and body are your habitation. Work in me and work through me to the glory of your name.
LEARN MORE: Ps 127:1-2
Thursday 28th April, 2022
Thursday 28th April, 2022
EGYPT MINDED
EGYPT MINDED
Text: “Is not the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.” Ex 14:12*
The Israelites were in Egypt for over four hundred and thirty years. It was a great deliverance for them to have come out of the grip of Pharaoh. It was not an easy task. Pharaoh did everything possible to stop them from going. It took the miraculous hand of God to bring them out. As soon as they got their freedom and were in the wilderness they began to complain and murmur. They actually said it was better to have been left in Egypt just because they encountered some challenges.
I want you to read this very carefully. This people had been free physically speaking from Egypt, but they were not free mentally. Their bodies were out of Egypt but their minds were still there. God was trying to move them forward but they were moving backwards in their minds. They had stayed so long in Egypt that it had conditioned their minds. This is also the same challenge that believers face. We have been so accustomed to the world and its ways of doing things that it keeps controlling our lives even now that we have been saved from sin.
This is exactly what Apostle Paul was talking about when he said we should not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds. We are in the world but not of the world. Our way of thinking and reasoning must be completely different from that of this world. This is the only way our lives will be different from that of this world. One major purpose of having the word of God is that it helps us to begin to think differently in line with God’s will and desires for our lives. The world and its ways are a type of Egypt. It has nothing good to offer you.
CONFESSION:
I don’t belong to this world anymore. My spirit, soul and body are delivered from the pattern of the world.
LEARN MORE: Rom 12:1-2
Counselling: wa.me/+2347037412372
Wednesday 27th April, 2022
Wednesday 27th April, 2022
GOD’S TEMPLE
Text: “...Ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”2 Corinth 6:16
This is one of the most powerful statements in scriptures. God is making an irrevocable commitment on our lives. We are God’s temple. We carry God everywhere we go. Whatever we do God is involved. Wherever we are found God is there. God dwells in us, he’s not on and off. He stays permanently within us by His Spirit. The phrase “walk in them” means I will carry out my operations through them.
This is why we cannot fail in life. His presence in us equips us to be whatever God ordain us for. On the job, in our academics, in our marriage we are made for life. Divinity dwells within us; impossibility is strange to the life God has given us.
This has to become our consciousness and confession. It has nothing to do with how you feel or how situations look around you. We’ll see the power of God revealed in us and through us as we operate from this truth. We are God’s headquarter on the earth, when men need God they will look for us, when there is a problem at work we’ll be the ones to solve it. When there is confusion around we’ll be the source of direction, all because we carry God.
God cannot dwell in you and demons dwell in you at the same time. His presence in you delivers you from all satanic oppression. You must carry a superiority complex over the devil. He’s not above you, but under your feet because God dwells in you. We are not just looking for God; he actually lives in us. When you relate with life this way you’ll have more confidence about God and about yourself. Your search is over God lives in you.
CONFESSION:
I am God’s headquarters. I carry God everywhere I go. I am made for life. I am a solution carrier. I carry divine abilities and resources everywhere I go.
LEARN MORE: Col 1:27, 1 John 4:4
Tuesday 26th April, 2022
Tuesday 26th April, 2022
LIFE OPPORTUNITIES
Text: “And they said unto him, we have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretation belong to God? Tell me them, I pray you.” Gen 40:8
Most of the time life unfolds for us in the form of small opportunities that comes our way on a daily basis. If you are the type that has your eyes on very big miracles in life you will miss out on your best moments in life. Even as we expect the big miracles we must take note of the opportunities that God brings our way on a daily basis. One lesson I have learned about life is that when a little door open for you today don’t take it for granted. It may look like just a little opening; but behind it may be several larger doors. Every little door that opens today will lead to bigger doors tomorrow. One customer that you treat right in your shop may invite several other customers that will link you up to several other customers.
We need to have the eyes of our hearts flooded with light so that we can take advantage of such opportunities in life. About ten years ago I saw an opportunity to write and share the articles with my Church members. It was such a blessing to so many of them. Thank God I took that opportunity. Now that little opportunity is growing daily. Here we are in 2022 and several thousands of people have been blessed by this. As you are reading this several other thousands of people are also reading it on their phones or in the book form.
Don’t wait for the conditions to be completely right. Take advantage of the opportunities you have today. Joseph had the privilege of interpreting dreams for the servants he met in the prison. He took advantage of that little opportunity and over two years later that opportunity opened a greater door of the throne to him. The opportunities of today may look very small but don’t despise it.
PRAYER:
Lord I declare that my eyes are clearly open to the opportunities around my life today. I receive grace to take advantage of opportunities today
LEARN MORE: Zec 4:10
Monday 25th April, 2022
Monday 25th April, 2022
BUILT ON THE ROCK
Text: “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man which built his house upon a rock.” Matt 7:24
Hearing and knowing the word of God will not have any meaning in our lives if we don’t live by the instructions and demands of God’s word. The person who hears and knows the word and does not do it is not different from someone who has never heard the word of God before. It’s not just the hearing and the knowing that changes our lives; but much more the doing of the word of God. It’s not hearers that are blessed but the doers of the word.
A man who hears God’s word and lives by it is compared to a wise man that builds his house upon the rock. Your life is either built on the rock or on the sand. The strength and the durability of your life depend on where it’s built. The word “house” here could refer to any area of our lives. One thing that is inevitable in life is the rain, the wind and the storm. This is a description of various degrees of challenges in life. It’s not a must that you should fall. All that matters is for us to have our lives built upon the rock that remains intact.
God himself is the rock of ages. We are not talking about a physical rock. He is immovable. Everything moves at his command. When we live by his word our lives and destinies are founded on the rock that remains forever. The “rain” may be heavy, the “wind” and the “storm” may be fierce but if you have built yourself on God your “house” will stand.
There is really no point going to a church and carrying a big Bible if you will not live by the instructions that we receive. It’s on the basis of the instructions that our lives are secured from the challenges of life. Living by the instructions of God’s word is not difficult if our hearts are open and willing. The grace to do so has been made available in Christ. The consequence of living outside the instructions of God’s word is more than any of us could afford. Let your life be planted on the rock of ages. When the storms come the rock will hold you in place.
PRAYER:
Lord I receive grace not to be bitter. I receive grace to let go of offences.
LEARN MORE: Ps 18:1-3
Sunday 24th April, 2022
Sunday 24th April, 2022
PLANTED BY THE RIVERS
Text: “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not whither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper” Psalm 1:3
I want to encourage you to read the two previous verses before our anchor scriptures today. This particular one we quoted is a continuation of the two previous verses. It will not be right to consider that scripture in isolation without looking at what the previous two verses are saying.
We have so much to gain when we align ourselves to the demands of scriptures. The word of God is the divine manual for a glorious life. Blessed is the man that does not live in the counsels of the ungodly, nor stand in the way of sinners nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord and in that law he meditates day and night. These are divine instructions and prescriptions over our lives. There is no point going to see a Physician if his prescriptions will make no sense to us. Just imagine how many times you have seen a physician and took the prescriptions very serious. Taking the drugs day and night. God’s word prescribes for us to meditate in the word of God day and night. It’s so clear what God is asking us to do for a glorious and a victorious life. The unfortunate thing is most people want a magical approach to their lives.
When we take God’s prescriptions our lives are planted by the river side.
There will be a constant supply of the Spirit to move us forward in life. The fruits of our lives will come out at the right season. Our leaf will never whither and whatsoever we do shall prosper. Instead of wondering how you will prosper why not just stay by the river side. Stay with the word of God and stay in the word.
PRAYER:
Lord I receive grace to live by the prescriptions of your word. I declare that my life is planted by the rivers of water.
LEARN MORE: Jos 1:8, 1 Tim 4:15
Saturday 23rd April, 2022
WORD OF TESTIMONY
Text: “And they overcame him by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” Rev 12:11
Every time you hear the word testimony what comes to your mind is maybe coming to Church to share a testimony of what God has done. This kind of testimony is usually shared after a breakthrough or some miracles have taken place in our lives. If you read our anchor scripture for today you will notice that the use of the word testimony is quite different from what I explained earlier.
Read carefully what it says”…They overcame …by the word of their testimony…” It means that this testimony is not something you share after you overcome; it’s shared in order to overcome. It’s a prerequisite for overcoming. This is not a testimony you wait to get to Church before you share. It’s a testimony you share everywhere and anywhere. It doesn’t wait till Sunday service or the next meeting in Church. It’s shared in your bathroom, it’s shared in your car, and it’s shared in your office. It’s shared everywhere you go on a daily basis.
The word of our testimony simply refers to the words of a man that is spoken in agreement of what God has already done. Even though we don’t see it yet but we begin to speak in agreement to what God has said concerning the issue. Let’s assume that you are about to embark on a journey, the word of your testimony at that moment will be “He has given his angels charge over me, to keep me in all my ways.” If you have a decision to make the word of your testimony will be “the wisdom of God is working in me, I am led by the Spirit on this issue.” If you are sick in your body the word of your testimony will be “He took my infirmities and bore my sicknesses.” Even when the symptoms are real your word of testimony remains the same. That is how to overcome.
CONFESSION:
I am free; Christ made me free. No more chains on me.
LEARN MORE PS91:11-12, 1Pet 2:24
Friday 22nd April, 2022
Friday 22nd April, 2022
FAITH UNDER ATTACK
Text: “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.” Dan 3:17
The number one target of the devil in any life is our faith. Each time you are confronted with an issue in your life your faith is under attack. The devil does not mind allowing you to go to church and do all the necessary spiritual activities as long as he can succeed in keeping your faith very weak and ineffective. The strength of our faith is the strength of our lives.
The signs that your faith is under attack will include the following:
1. When we begin to doubt the faithfulness of God over our lives. This will weaken your resolve to hold on to God.
2. When the words of our mouths becomes more of murmuring and complaining rather than giving glory to God in the midst of that challenge we are facing.
3. When you find yourself talking more of the problem than you talk about the possibility that exist in God. This is a clear indication that your focus is more on the problem.
The three (3) Hebrew boys came under a severe attack on their faith. The enemy was ready to reduce all they believed to ashes. Thank God these boys understood what was going on. They stood their ground and their faith prevailed. When you faith fails your life fails and the enemy will rejoice over you. I want to encourage you to work on your faith and watch over your faith. The measure of your faith is the measure of your life.
No matter what you do don’t give up on your faith; don’t give up on God’s counsels for your life. I spoke with a friend recently; she was married for eleven (11) years before she had a baby. All efforts to have a baby failed. She did several IVF but all failed. There were several attempts to get her to consider diabolical means but she stood her ground. According to her she refused to give up on her faith. I have seen similar testimonies over the years.
DECLARATION:
I will not give up on God. I will not give up on his counsels for my life.
LEARN MORE: Rom 4:17-21
Thursday 21st April, 2022
DIVINE APPOINTMENT
Text: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”Jer 1:5 (NIV)
One of the most celebrated moments in life is when someone gets their first appointment in life or when we get an appointment into better jobs. There is so much lobbying going in the political arena for political appointments. Most of the celebrated testimonies in our Churches are testimonies of great appointments. Thousands of youths and fresh graduates gather in big establishments each time there is a call for job applicants. Thank God for amassing appointments but they all have their limitations. There is no appointment that is designed forever. Political appointments are just for the period that the government in power is in office. Once their tenure ends the appointment ends. There is so much disappointment in life because we put so much hope and confidence in temporary appointments.
I want to challenge you today to look beyond this temporary mundane appointments that many are dying to get and many are frustrated with. There is a divine appointment on your life. God had a unique and specific plan for our lives before the foundation of this world. From our anchor scripture God told Jeremiah he appointed him before he was formed in the womb. About eighteen years ago I got to my office where I was working in Lagos Nigeria very early in the morning. The trend then was working in a firm and after a while starts looking for another firm with bigger salary and pay. I heard the Spirit of God said to me “I did not create you to go about looking for a job; I have a job already in you.” I got so excited in my spirit. The job that God had in me is what brought me to writing and sharing this with you. God has an appointment in each one of us. That does not mean you should leave your paid employment but then we must begin to seek God’s mandate on our lives.
We can be relieved from a human appointment but divine appointment remains with us forever. Your greatest fulfilment in life will come from discovering what God has deposited in your life and begin to work it out. It will remain dormant if you don’t work on it.
CONFESSION:
I am divinely appointed. I am divinely endowed.
LEARN MORE: Ex 31:1-6
Wednesday 20th April, 2022
LIES ABOUT YOU
Text: “That she called unto the men of her house, and spake unto them, saying, See, he hath brought in an Hebrew unto us to mock us; he came in unto me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice.” Gen 39:14
I want to give a paraphrase of Isaiah 54:17 for you today “No lies formed against you will prosper; every tongue of lies against you shall not prosper...” it’s not a new thing for someone to fabricate lies against an innocent soul. Joseph had a firsthand experience of this. It was such a blatant lie. The unfortunate thing about it was that everyone believed the lie. There was no way he could have proved that he did not do it. His master’s wife accused him of attempt rape on her.
When such a lie is fabricated against you the first thing you need to do is to make sure your conscience is clear. Once that has been established then you need not care what is been said against you. We must also realize that ultimately it’s not human judgment that counts but God’s judgment. Everyone that heard the woman’s lies would have judged Joseph wrongly. He was unjustly thrown in the prison for what he never did. At the end of the day it was God’s judgment that prevailed.
One of the things that lies against us can do is to rob us of our self-worth and confidence. It’s an attempt of the enemy to deflate us from within. This is actually the best time to raise our head high and increase our confidence in God and his ability in us. Joseph remained excited even in the prison. His countenance remained as bright as ever. David said “...Though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.”
Before Jesus was crucified the Jew accused him of so many things that never happened. Jesus did not lose sight of the joy that was set before. He despised all the allegations and contradictions until he saw the travail of his soul. Keep your focus on God’s plan and purpose for your life and refuse to be distracted. The enemy wants to break your focus; don’t allow it.
CONFESSION:
The Lord is with me. I will not fear what men will do.
LEARN MORE : Heb 13:5-6
Tuesday 19th April, 2022
Tuesday 19th April, 2022
THE PHASES OF LIFE 3
Text: “And he said unto him, My grace is sufficient for thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will i rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2 Corinth 12:9
As we move from one phase of life to another we must embrace certain fundamental truths that will enable us to handle the various challenges that comes our way in life. The truths of God’s word are our shield and buckler. If you are not armed with the truths of God’s word then you will be exposed and vulnerable to the various challenges.
Truth 1: The grace of God will be sufficient for you – We may come across situations that look bigger, stronger and heavier that what we can handle. In such moments we can depend on the grace of God to sustain us. Don’t ever lose sight of the grace of God. If you try to face the challenges by yourself they will weigh you down. Always connect and depend on the grace of God. We can have as much as the grace of God that we require for whatever challenge life presents to us. The grace of God can never be exhausted.
Truth 2: The greater one that dwells in us is greater than any challenge life may present to us – The ability of God is at work in you to handle whatever comes your way. You are never alone by yourself. The capacity of Christ is at work in you.
Truth 3: The faithfulness of God is ever sure - No matter what you face let your conclusion be that God is faithful. This was how Sarah was able to rise above her challenge.
Truth 4: No matter what you face don’t ever give up on God and don’t give up on yourself. This phase will soon pass away. Weeping may endure for the night but joy will come in the morning.
PRAYER:
Lord I declare that you are faithful in every situation of life. I declare that your ability is at work in me.
LEARN MORE: 1 John 4:4, Heb 11:11
Monday 18th April, 2022
Monday 18th April, 2022
THE PHASES OF LIFE 2
Text: “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” Ecc 3:1
When a child refuse to leave the phase of been in the womb the child will eventually die. Because that phase will no longer be safe. The womb will no longer be able to support the growth of the child. Once the Child is born the Child can now grow and go to school and learn.
However we must understand that an introduction into a new and higher phase of life is also an introduction into a higher level of responsibilities. This is exactly how life plays out. For example moving from a single person to a married person will place a greater responsibility on the individual. It’s usually a thing of joy to get married but we must also be ready to handle the demands that come along with it.
The wisdom of all these is that we can get ourselves fully prepared for the next phase in our current phase of life. Don’t be in a hurry to rush out of a phase into another phase you are not prepared for. This present phase of life gives us all the opportunity to prepare and get ready for the next phase. Joseph found himself in the house of Potiphar and from there he moved to the prison. Each of these unpalatable places were the phases that prepared him for his ultimate role in the palace. If he had messed up in those two places he would not have been able to function in the palace. If you are still single this is the best phase to prepare for the phase of getting married and raising a family. If you are in school don’t waste this phase, it will determine the remaining phase of your life. The beauty of the stay of a Child in the womb is that in an ideal situation by the time the nine months is over the Child is fully prepared to face the challenges in the next phase. Tomorrow we’ll look at how to face the challenges in the new phase of life.
PRAYER:
Lord I receive grace to make the best use of this present phase of my life and to be fully prepared to for the next phase of God’s program for me.
LEARN MORE: Eph 5:15-17
Sunday 17th April, 2022
Sunday 17th April, 2022
THE PHASES OF LIFE 1
Text: “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” Ecc 3:1
Life is in seasons. This is what our anchor scripture is talking about. An understanding of this will help us to have a grip of ourselves and the changing nature of life. Seasons are also what we refer to as the phases of life. There is no season/phase of life that will remain forever. One phase will always give way for another phase. This is how life is designed to function.
A child stays in the womb for nine months. The womb is a phase in the life of the child. The womb is a safe place to stay only for nine months. Once this nine months are over it will no longer be safe for the child to remain in that phase of life. Life is actually easy for the child in the womb. The child has no need to take immunisation in the womb. The child in the womb does not need to cry and wait for the mother to come and feed him or her, the feeding is automatic. All the child does in the womb is to feed and grow. But the womb is not a place to stay forever, it’s not a residence, it’s a passage. The capacity to grow is limited in the womb. We cannot say that since life is easy in the womb the child should stay there forever. The capacity to grow is limited in the womb. If the child will experience all that God has prepared in life the child will have to leave the womb and be introduced into real life. Outside the womb there is an unlimited capacity to grow and explore all that life can offer.
Everything we have said about the phase of a child in the womb is also true about life. If we are going to become all that God wants us to become we must move from one phase of life to another. We cannot afford to get too used to a phase that we remain there forever. The phase of school must give way for the phase of getting a job. The phase of looking up to someone for your sustenance must give way for the phase of working and earning a living for yourself. Whether we like it or not a phase will always come to an end and we must be ready to move to the next phase of life.
PRAYER:
Thank you Lord for the present phase of my life. Thank you for higher grounds you have for me.
LEARN MORE: Eph 5:15-17
Saturday 16th April, 2022
Saturday 16th April, 2022
LIFE INVESTMENTS
Text: “While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” Gen 8:22
One major concept about life is investment. Investment is literally defined as a placement of capital in expectation of deriving income or profit from its use. This is doing something to get a profit out of it. Running a business to make profit out of it. Investing your time and energy in an office for the purpose of getting a salary at the end of the month. Students invest their time, energy and resources in school to get a degree. These and many more are different forms of investments in life. We hardly do any of these to get nothing out of it. A student is not in school because he loves the teacher. The investment of sleepless nights is to get an education.
It’s important for us to realise that all of life is an investment. There is nothing that we do in life that is in vain. Something definite will come out of it. Doing nothing with our lives is also an investment that will yield returns in a multiplied manner. Doing nothing will yield a return of nothing in a multiplied form.
The quality of our investments in life is determined by the quality of the returns that we get out of it. If you invest your money in a business that did not yield any return it’s obvious that it’s a waste of time and resources. Unfortunately that is what most of us are doing with our lives. We keep investing our resources and time on things and places that are not yielding anything positive for us. It’s actually a blindfolding of the devil to keep investing our lives in things that are not taking our lives forward.
The overall outcome of our lives will be a return of the investment of our time, energy and resources. We can never get out of life more than we have put into it. Watch your life closely and make the right investments.
PRAYER:
Lord I receive grace and wisdom to make the right investments of my time, energy and resources. I declare an end to every wrong investments in my life.
LEARN MORE: Gal 6:7-9
Friday 15th April, 2022
Friday 15th April, 2022
INCUBATION PROCESS
Text: “But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” James 1:4
I can still recollect the story of a young undergraduate lady several years ago. She was living with her married elder Sister. She had helped her elder Sister to raise her children. At the time I spoke with her she felt that the elder Sister never appreciated what she was doing, she felt so bitter and wanted to leave the place. My counsel to her was to remain in that house until she graduates from the university and she’s free to get a job and pursue her own life. I felt she was in that house and that situation to learn, grow and get incubated for where she was going in life. I attended an only boy’s boarding school. In those days there were junior boys assigned to the senior prefects. The boys were completely responsible for taking care of the senior boys. I was privileged to serve two consecutive college captains (Head Boys). I will wash and iron their cloths. Collect their food and take care of their rooms. These were all life incubation processes for me. This is not something we run away from, but embrace to bring out the best in our lives.
Joseph was the favourite child of his Father. At a tender age he had a revelation of God’s ultimate destiny for his life. But he needed to be incubated and developed for his ultimate role in life. The house of Potiphar and the prison were used to incubate him for where he was going. Life incubation is simply preparation time for God’s ultimate roles for our lives.
The incubation process requires patience. We all want everything fast but life does not really play out that way. If you are going to develop a great career it will require that you begin from a low cadre where you are incubated to understand the rudiments of the career. This applies to business and other areas of life.
PRAYER:
Lord please expose me early to incubation processes of my destiny and grant me grace and patience to fully go through the process.
LEARN MORE: James 1:2-4, Hebrews 6:12
Thursday 14th April, 2022
THE INCUBATOR
Text: “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into diverse temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.” James 1:2-3
The womb of a woman is a natural incubator where the child is formed until birth. The shell of an egg is the incubator that houses the chick until full maturity. The soil is the incubator through which a seed develops to become a plant that produces fruits. The incubator is usually a dark place that provides the right environment for the development of the seeds; either of human or any other form of seeds. The incubator is never a destination but a transport that introduces the seed to a higher level of living. The incubator does not keep the seed forever. It’s usually a phase that does not last forever.
Sometimes the “dark” places of life serve as life incubators. What we mean by “dark” places are challenges and experiences that are not conducive for us. At one time or the other in life we may find ourselves in such experiences. The understanding we must have about such experiences is that they are not meant to remain forever. It’s just a passage and not a residence. A child does not live in the womb, it only passes through the womb. The “dark” places of life are not meant to confine us but to develop us. The purpose of the incubator is not to confine but to develop. When a child leaves the womb – incubator too early it’s called abortion or premature birth. Either of the two is dangerous. We all need the life incubator to some degree to develop our character and to bring out the best in us. The challenges of life are not to stop you but to develop you. When we run away from the challenges we may end up aborting the glory that God wants to bring out of that experience. Next time you see such experiences welcome it as a time for development; it will work out for your good.
CONFESSION:
No matter what I go through I count it all joy. Every challenge of life is working together for my good.
Wednesday 12th April, 2022
Wednesday 12th April, 2022
GETTING OVER ANGER
Text: “Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry – but don’t use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don’t stay angry. Don’t go to bed angry. Don’t give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life.” Eph 4:26-27 Message Bible
Anger is common to every human being. We all get angry to one extent or another. Anger is a way of expressing dissatisfaction over an issue. It could also be a way of expressing disapproval over an injustice. According to our anchor scripture it’s okay to get angry provided it does not go beyond a certain limit.
The first thing you will notice is that once anger becomes a means of revenge it will turn out to become something harmful and destructive. It usually prompts us to do things that are irrational. At the end of the day we’ll end up saying things that we’ll regret of.
Going to bed still angry and mad at an individual is dangerous because we have given it enough room to turn to something else. It will attract wrong thoughts.
Staying angry is opening the door to the Devil to play over our hearts to perpetuate evil. Anger is a good breeding ground for evil when we live it unchecked. As soon as you get angry you must also begin to reverse the trend. You have to get over it on time or else it will get over you.
Getting over anger becomes possible when we choose to offer the offender unconditional forgiveness. When we choose to walk in God’s kind of love. This will insulate our hearts from destructive tendencies.
Uncontrolled anger will lead to hatred and bitterness. They will cause more harm than good in our lives.
1 John 3:14-15 says “…He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.” It’s not until you carry a gun and shot someone that you become a murderer, once you hate an individual and refuse to forgive them you are already one. In your heart you have done it already.
CONFESSION:
My heart is filled with love. Insulated from bitterness.
LEARN MORE: Eph 4:30-32
Tuesday 12th April, 2022
BLESS YOUR HEARERS 2
Text: “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace to the hearers.” Ephesians 4:29
We are all ministers in our sphere of influence. Once you have one or two persons that you speak to every day, you already have the privilege to minister to them. It could be your children. It could be your classmates. We have people hearing us daily. The words of your mouth must be good. How do we define what is good or not. Simple, it must be scripturally-inclined. It must be able to pass the litmus test of the word of God. This is the best way to make the word of your mouth powerful and useful in edifying other people.
Norman Vincent Peale said some years ago that “Christians ought to be in the business of building people up, because there are so many people today already in the demolition business”. We build up lives or demolish them by our words. No matter what you do and where you are found God is counting on you there to encourage and build lives there. You are the minister in that place ministering grace to your hearers. We live in a world that is full of negative news every day.
Discouragement in the air. The hearts of men are failing daily for fear of the unknown. We have a unique advantage today to reach out to people in our environment. If you allow the word of God to get hold of your heart and mouth a powerful ministry can begin from your life where you are located. You don’t need a pulpit to start a ministry; all you need is your mouth that is trained to minister grace to everyone that comes your way.
“Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift.” Eph 4:29 MSG. I want you to read this particular version again. Become extremely responsible with your words. Don’t allow your feelings to control what you say; that will be a display of immaturity. Become matured enough to say the right thing irrespective of your feelings.
PRAYER:
Lord my mouth is available to minister grace to my hearers. Build someone up through me today.
LEARN MORE 2Cor 3:6
Monday 11th April, 2022
Monday 11th April, 2022
BLESS YOUR HEARERS 1
Text: “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace to the hearers.” Ephesians 4:29
The phrase “corrupt communication” here simply refers to foul and abusive language (NLT). The New International version calls it “unwholesome talk”. This simply describes words that should never come out of our mouths. The NIV puts it this way “Do not let unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen”.
The type of words we speak has a direct impact on the lives of people around us. It could be a spouse, a child, an employee, a friend, a congregation etc. The words of our mouths are either building people up or tearing them down. I strongly believe that God has placed those people on our path in life so that we can be a positive influence on their lives. Most influence in conveyed by words. There are children who are destroyed emotionally based on words spoken to them by parents or guardians. In so many cases those words remain with the children for life. There are teachers who have planted seeds of failure in the hearts of innocent students.
The impact of your life will be a function of words you have adopted in life. If your mode of words are derived from worldly music or worldly influence it will be difficult to impact lives with it. Every word we speak must carry an element of grace with it. Words that discourages, devalues are toxic to human souls.
The words of your mouth are a reflection of your spiritual maturity. A child is recognised by childish words. Let your words be great in God and be a positive influence on people around you. Let your words come unto the control of God’s word and the Holy Spirit.
PRAYER:
Lord teach my mouth to speak words of grace and honour. My words will build and edify lives.
LEARN MORE: 1 Cor 13:11, Col 4:6
Sunday 10th April, 2022
PROSPERITY REDEFINED
Text: “And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man, and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.” Gen 39:2
The only way we could have described Joseph as a prosperous man from human perspective was when his father made for him the cloth of many colours. He was gorgeously arrayed. But eventually he was sold into slavery and became a servant in the house of the Egyptian. At this point he was no longer wearing a designer cloth. Eventually he found himself in the prison; the scripture said he was still a prosperous man (Gen 39:23).
From this it seems to me that being a prosperous man is not just about riding the latest car in town. It’s not necessarily living in a mansion. Joseph had none of that. In the prison he must have been wearing prisoner cloths. The point is this: Joseph was not carrying plenty of money but he was carrying plenty of God. He had so much of God at work for him. This was why he could stand out in whatever state of life he found himself.
When a man carries divine presence he carries everything. He may not have the goods of this world presently but it’s a matter of time, it will follow. Carrying divine presence means having the capacity to have every other thing. Even if you have so much money and you don’t have divine presence there will still be so much missing in your life. How do you describe someone that had so much money and influence but still committed suicide out of frustration? Certainly that was not a prosperous man. Joseph was in prison but he was joyful, he had no fears. He had a deep assurance of God’s involvement. Our greatest pursuit in life should therefore be the pursuit of divine presence. It will mark you out in the business world. Your career will take on a new look. Prosperity is more of capacity than possession
.
CONFESSION:
I am prosperous in life. I have God’s presence all over me. I have the capacity to attract all I need in life.
LEARN MORE : Job 36:11, Ps 35:37
Saturday 9th April, 2022
Saturday 9th April, 2022
DEAD TO SIN
Text: “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” Rom 6:1-2
Recently I had a discussion with a young lady who felt that she could go to God as many times as possible to ask for forgiveness of sin. From her perspective God knew she is human, and that she will always commit sin. This may sound logical and religious. But an understanding of the redemptive work of Christ on the cross will not accept this.
It is true that God will forgive as many times as possible. But that should never be an excuse for sin. When a man or woman is born again the power of sin is broken on their lives. If this is not so then why will Jesus go to the cross to pay so much price for our sins? The substitutionary work of Christ on the cross was a perfect one, not only was our sins washed away but also the root of sin was dealt with.
Romans six is such a powerful scripture that every believer should know. It explains to us how the root of sin was dealt with by the sacrifice of Christ. We cannot continue in sin and expect the grace of God to abound. It therefore means that if we’ll accept the truth of God’s word we can live above sin.
Our old man of sin has been crucified with Christ on the cross, the body (Origin) of sin has been destroyed, so that henceforth we’ll no longer be servants to sin (Romans 6:6). We are dead to sin but alive unto God. This is how God expects us to see ourselves today. Don’t see yourself as a victim of sin but as a victor over it. Sin should no more have dominion over you. The grace of God has been imparted into your spirit to live above it. Rom 6:14
CONFESSION:
The power of sin is broken on my life. I’m dead to sin and no longer in bondage to sin.
LEARN MORE: Gal 2:20, Rom 6 Please read all.
Friday 8th April, 2022
WEAPON OF WORDS
Text: “This day will the Lord deliver thee into my hand: and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee...” 1 Sam 17:46
In spiritual warfare words are major weapons of war. Just as we fight with guns and arrows in physical battles so also we use words in the realm of the Spirit.
The account of David and Goliath gives us a typical example of this. Goliath came with the best weapons available in those days. He was fully armed from head to toe. In spite of it he was defeated. King Saul also tried to convince David that what he needed were physical weapons that he himself could not use.
David understood spiritual warfare. He knew that this was a battle of words. The children of Israel were hiding away when they heard the fearful words spoken by Goliath.
What we say in the face of contrary situations is a major weapon. Our words are either working for us or working against us. We must train ourselves over and over again to make sure that we speak words that will work for us; Words that God can confirm to establish our victory and dominion on the earth. David literally confronted Goliath with words. He opened his mouth to establish his victory.
There were two major words that David declared:
1. He declared with his mouth the covenant he had with God. He declared that he was circumcised; this was a declaration of God’s commitment on him. David knew who he was in God.
2. He declared the established outcome and defeat of the enemy. He declared his authority on Goliath even though he had no physical weapons.
POWER POINT:
Our words are either working for us or working against us.
LEARN MORE: Num 14:28, Prov 18:21
Thursday 7th April, 2022
Thursday 7th April, 2022
WRONG IMAGINATIONS 2
Text: “For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.” Col 1:9
Casting down imaginations is not something we do in the energy of the flesh. God has given us spiritual weapons by which we can deal with wrong imaginations. The first thing we need to do is to understand that wrong imaginations are against the knowledge of God and the only way we can deal with them is to be adequately armed with the knowledge of God in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.
The knowledge of God’s word becomes a standard through which we can determine if what is going on within us is right or wrong. It will be easy to accept any thought introduced into our minds when we don’t have anything to compare it with. The Devil came to Jesus in the temptation with a lot of suggestions, but Jesus had a full knowledge of God. He casted down all the suggestions by what was written. It will be easy for the Devil to confuse you if you are ignorant of what God says about you. I have failed before, but I have never seen myself as a failure. I am a success from head to toe. This is true about you too.
We can also cast down imaginations by dealing with them in prayer. Any time you find yourself entertaining wrong thoughts quickly open your mouth in prayer to cancel and nullify those imaginations. The name of Jesus can deal with anything.
The thoughts of a man are like the film of a camera. When it becomes an imagination then we are developing the film to give us the actual picture in real life. Take charge of your mind and it will take charge of life for you. It will help you to imagine things that are true and worthy of praise. We must also consciously avoid whatever predisposes us to wrong imaginations.
CONFESSION:
There is a transformation taking place in my life daily. God’s word is taking charge of my spirit daily.
LEARN MORE: Phil 4:8
Wednesday 6th April, 2022
Wednesday 6th April, 2022
WRONG IMAGINATIONS
Text: “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” 2 Corinth 10:5
One major function of our minds is imaginations. The act of image formation within a man. This is so powerful because we can create an image of ourselves either positively or negatively. Imaginations are more or less the blueprint of our lives. Whatever takes over our imaginations will eventually take over our lives. Imagination is giving substance and possibility to something that was initially a thought or an idea.
This could become destructive when we allow negative imaginations to take root within us. An unchecked imagination is like a hen sitting on the eggs. It might look initially that the hen is wasting time. But day by day the chicks are being developed until the eggs cracks and the chicks comes out. The imaginations of today will eventually become an experience tomorrow.
Casting down imaginations means getting rid of wrong imaginations. An imagination is wrong when it opposes the eternal will of God in his word.
Examples of imaginations to be casted down.
1. An imagination that paints you as a failure. This is against the knowledge of God. An event of life does not make you a failure. Each one of us was born with success already within us.
2. An imagination that tells you that you are good for nothing. Such an imagination limits our capacity and our resolve to do great things in life. In Christ we are good for everything.
3. An imagination that makes you see yourself as a worthless sinner. Once a man is in Christ the man is no longer a sinner. He is now the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I pull down every imagination standing against the knowledge of God within me.
LEARN MORE: Phil 4:13, 2 Corinth 5:21
Tuesday 5th April, 2022
INWARD VICTORY
Text: “But the men that went up with him said, we be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.” Num 13:31
Most of the children of Israel that left Egypt did not get to the Promised Land. It was such an unfortunate thing. It was not Pharaoh that stopped them; it was not the red sea that swallowed them up. It was easy for God to deal with that for them. At the end of the day it was a barrier within these people that stopped them from getting into the promised.
Dealing with external forces is not even as important as dealing with internal forces. The scripture refers to this as “…Imaginations, and every high thing that exalted itself against the knowledge of God…” 2 Cor 10:5. This is actually where the greatest challenges are found. Thoughts and imaginations that opposes divine counsels within a man.
It was not the enemy that hindered them but their wrong imaginations of their worth and value. The ten spies had a wrong personal disposition to life. They were more enemy-minded than they were God-minded. The greatest limitations in life are not the ones without but the ones within us. What you are not within it will be difficult to become without.
Wherever you want to go in life, whatever you want to accomplish in life we must first of all undergo the journey within our hearts and accomplish the feats within us. Whatever will take place in our outer life must first of all take place within us. What you don’t become within you cannot become without.
An outward journey begins from an inward journey. This people lost the battle even before it began. They already lost within. Deal with yourself on the inside. Don’t allow wrong thoughts to go unchallenged. When you have a sense of victory inside it will manifest outwardly.
CONFESSION:
I see myself going up in life and doing great things. I’m rising above every external barrier.
LEARN MORE: Num 13:30-33
Monday 4th April, 2022
GREATER THAN PHAROAH
Text: “The Lord shall fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” Exodus 14:14
Pharaoh was such a powerful King on the face of the earth in his days. He had an absolute grip on the children of Israel. They were held down by the most powerful force on earth. As powerful as Pharaoh was dealing with him was not a big deal to God. There is no human figure that can stop the purpose and plans of God for our lives. Whoever says we’ll not go will have to go for us. The judgement of Pharaoh is also reserved for any one that puts barrier in the path of God’s plans and purpose for our lives.
The red sea was literally an impossible case as far as the children of Israel were concerned. They had never seen such a barrier before. From the natural eyes this will be their end. Again the God of all flesh parted the red sea. God is committed to complete whatever good work he has started in our lives. He does not live anything half done. Whatever “red sea” is on your way I see them parting ways right now. I speak over every impossible case around your life to be supernaturally reversed in your favour. God is bigger than anything that comes your way.
The walls of Jericho also came down crumbling down at God’s presence. In his presence barriers are broken. Obstacles are shattered. We have nothing to fear because the ancient of days is on our side.
Go into your office with the consciousness of Jehovah God on your side. Go into the interview and presentations like Moses facing the red sea, there must be a way out for you. In God nothing can stop the fulfilment of God’s plans and purpose for our lives. Whatever is written concerning us from the foundation of the earth must come to pass. There is no force on earth that can stop divine. The Pharaohs of this life cannot stop us. They will rather go for us.
PRAYER:
Lord I stand on your word today and I declare that nothing and no one will stop my progress.
LEARN MORE 14:1-31
Sunday 3rd April, 2022
Sunday 3rd April, 2022
GREATER THAN GOLIATH
Text: “This day will the Lord deliver thee (Goliath) into mine hand; and I will smite thee...” 1 Sam 17:46
David was the youngest of all his siblings. He was quite young, skinny and inexperienced. As far as we know in scripture he had never been to war before. The only thing he had done before was take care of his father’s sheep. Why in the world will he ever think of facing a giant like Goliath who had been a warrior right from his youth? Compared with Goliath the man David was not a match.
As David was going to face Goliath he knew that the size of Goliath was nothing compared to the size of the God of Israel. David was therefore not facing the giant based on his own size but rather on the size of his God. He knew that God was far bigger than the weapons of Goliath.
When you are faced with financial challenges. When your wages are too small to meet your needs keep your eyes on the sufficiency of God. We can take giant steps in life, not based on our bank account but rather on heavens supplies. At the point when I started publishing and giving out “inspiration” out free, if I had considered my salary with the other expenses I had to meet I would never have started. By the grace of God this is the 9th year of printing and sharing it free.
I would have asked you to imagine how big God is, but I know that our human minds are too small to comprehend that. God is bigger than the biggest, greater than the greatest. There is nothing bigger than him. He is so big that he fills the heavens and the earth. Just imagine how small your challenges are compared to the size of our God. What will it cost God to handle the issues of your life? He can pay for anything. He can help you on any issue. Trust him.
PRAYER:
Thank you Lord because you are bigger than the challenges of life. With you I am big enough to handle whatever comes my way.
LEARN MORE: 1 John 4:4
Saturday 2nd April, 2022
Saturday 2nd April, 2022
DIVINE PRECISION
Text: “I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear. I judge: and my judgment is just...” John 5:30
The life of Jesus was so precise. He did things that were completely out of this world. The secret of his exploits is hidden in the scripture above. Every step he took was accurate. Some of them were not logical but they produced outstanding results on the earth. This was basically because every step he took were inspired by the father God. He did nothing by himself.
When he waited for four days until Lazarus died it was because that was the instructions the father gave him. When he made mud and placed on the eyes of a blind man, this was what the father was saying at that point in time. It may be argued that these were absurd, but they produced outstanding results.
Jesus knew what others did not know, he saw what others did not see. He heard what others did not hear. This was why he took step that others would not have taken. He had results that others never could have seen.
The law of precision states that “the more precise and detailed we are about life the greater the chances of success in life. The less precise we are about life the greater the chances of failure”. We all need God-inspired precision to make the best of our lives. If Jesus needed it we need it much more.
This will require an absolute dependence on the all-knowing and the all wise God. He knows things that are far beyond human comprehension. Thank God for all that we know already but we must understand that what we don’t know yet is far more than what we know. There are million ways of doing what we are doing to get greater results. This is what is made available for us in God.
CONFESSION:
I have precision in life. I know what others don’t know, I can see and hear what others cannot see or hear. I have great results in life.
LEARN MORE: 1 Corinth 2:9-14
Friday 1st April, 2022
EARNEST HEED
Text: “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them sleep.” Hebrews 2:1
I want to specially welcome you to the month of April. The year is going gradually and I strongly believe that God’s counsels for your life is unfolding gradually. It took me some time to begin the writing of this edition of the devotional. I wanted to be really clear on what direction I should follow. This is the 9th year of this publication and I will be doing a recap of some of the lessons we have learned from January 2013. Truth doesn’t grow old with time; it’s eternal. Instead of growing old truths will produce more results in our lives as we give closer attention them. In this edition light will break forth in your life
The basis for our journey in this edition is clearly explained in our opening verse today. There is always a need to go over the things we have learned overtime and pay more attention to them. The reasons is clear from the scripture; so that they will not slip away from us. There is a tendency for truths to slip away from us if we become negligent about them.
To give more earnest heed simply means pay more attention to them. It’s usual for attention to grow cold or sluggish over time. Sometimes we are erroneously in search of new truths when the previous ones have not really produce to its maximum in our lives. The revelation of God’s word can produces to different degree depending on our depth of understanding of the same truth. 30-fold, 60-fold, 100-fold and even more as we give closer attention to the same truth.
Common English Bible says “This is why it’s necessary for us to pay more attention to what we have heard, or else we may drift away from it.” Let me remind you as we close today that truths are eternal and ever relevant.
PRAYER: Lord i declare the light of your word will break forth this month
LEARN MORE Matt13:18 - 23
Thursday 31st March, 2022
LIFE EXPOSURES 2
Text: “And Joseph was brought to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hand of the Ishmeelites.” Gen 39:1
Let's close March with this. I’m learning so much from this. Just felt we should explore it for the second day. There are so many people who are convenient with where they are and what they have always done. Such an attitude will not take a man too far in life. That attitude will only keep you where you are and in what you have always done.
To go beyond where you are, you must be exposed to something different from what you have always known. If you will ever experience greatness you must be exposed to extreme discipline and responsibilities. Its possible you will have to work with a boss that pays so much attention to details. It might be someone that keeps to time. If you have not been exposed to such a life before you might look at your boss as someone difficult. But you need that exposure not for the sake of your boss but for the sake of your own life and destiny.
Joseph embraced his new exposure with the right attitude. Even when he was wrongly treated he still had the right attitude. The exposures of life are actually something that will reveal areas you need to work on and improve on. If you are the type that is arrogant you will resist whatever God wants to bring out of this new exposures you are experiencing.
Things like marriage will expose you to the weakness and flaws of another person. If you are not ready to grow and be matured you may never be able to handle such weaknesses and flaws. This is the reason why many marriages don’t last because such individuals are not ready to make necessary adjustments.
CONFESSION:
I’m growing and getting better on a daily basis. My attitude is positive and receptive.
LEARN MORE: James 1:4; 4:7-8
Wednesday 30th March, 2022
LIFE EXPOSURES 1
Text: “And Joseph was brought to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hand of the Ishmeelites.” Gen 39:1
We are taking our lesson today from the story of Joseph. It’s such an inspiring life. If you read closely the end of the story of Joseph he narrated to his brothers that his coming to Egypt was a divine arrangement even though his coming was out of human hatred.
Let’s look at the beginning of his life and then connect it to some other things that happened later in his life. He was the beloved of his father. His father took so much care of him; he had the best of cloths or toys perhaps. This alone must have prompted some jealousy from his brothers. He must have been someone that was exempted from the daily house chores of sweeping the house, washing of plates and clearing the grass. Along the line he had a dream he was going to become a leader over every other person. If Joseph had stayed at home with his father there was no way he would have become all he was supposed to become in life.
He needed an exposure that was different from the exposure he had in his father’s house. He needed to be exposed to a life of responsibilities and not a life of ease. People become great by accepting responsibilities and not by playing around. All he was doing in his father’s house was to play around and eat as much as he wanted. Now in Potiphar’s house his food was regulated and he had scheduled responsibilities daily. He was exposed to interpreting dreams in the prison which may not have been possible in his father’s house. It was that interpretation of dreams that took him to the palace. May you be exposed on time to things you need to go up.
PRAYER:
Lord expose me on time to responsibilities that will bring out the best in me and develop me on time.
Tuesday 29th March, 2022
Tuesday 29th March, 2022
EXPERIENCE OR EXPECTATION
Text: “But He knoweth the way that I take, when he hath tried me, I will come forth as gold” Job 23:10
The lesson for today is summarized this way “Don’t talk about what you are experiencing, talk about what you are expecting.” Job was going through the most difficult season of his life. In the midst of it he began to talk about what he was expecting. His experience was that of death, tragedy and sickness. His expectation was “….I will come forth as gold.”
If all you are talking about is what is going on at work, what the doctor said and how things are not working in the country then you have confined yourself to the wheel chair of life. You need to rise up and walk away from that wheel chair. It won’t take you far in life.
Don’t forget that what you constantly talk about will build a monument in your life and dominate you. The direction of your mouth is the direction of your life. If the words of your mouth are not under control then your life is out of control. The experiences of life can be so overwhelming that they occupy virtually every conversation that we make. This must not be allowed to happen.
The unfortunate thing about life is that we can have so many negative experiences that completely drown our expectations about life. Some have been disappointed so many times that they don’t even want to try again. If we refuse to hope again, try again, believe again, trust again and expect again then we have resigned to fate instead of engaging faith.
Expectations keep us alive, hopeful and joyful about life. No matter what you have experienced in the past start talking about your expectations. People around you may not agree; they don’t have to. It’s your life. If your expectations are in line with the word of God and in line with divine purpose it will not be cut short.
PRAYER:
Thank you Lord because there is a hope and a future for me. Great things are ahead of me.
LEARN MORE: Prov 23:18, Jer 29:11
Monday 28th March, 2022
Monday 28th March, 2022
WHERE YOU ARE GOING
Text: “And it was by faith that Joseph, when he was about to die; confidently spoke of God’s bringing the people of Israel out of Egypt. He was so sure of it that he commanded them to carry his bones with them when they left.” Heb 11:22
We are all at different places and phases of our lives. Many of us are still far away from where we are going. For some it could be an unpleasant place or phase. For some it’s a dream place or phase. Whichever it is for you there are still higher places and phases that God has programmed for our lives. We must therefore not be confined to where we are today.
The emphasis of our lesson today is to learn “Not just to talk of where we are but where we are going.” In God where you are going is bigger, brighter and better. A life of faith does not wait for things to happen before talking about it. Faith actually talks about it in advance.
Joseph was so sure that Egypt was not the final destination of God’s people. The scripture did not say in any way that Joseph had a vision or a dream this time. He just knew that God had something bigger, brighter and better for his people. He spoke by faith where they were going. It took them hundreds of years to see the fulfilment of this but it eventually came to pass. From that little business you have today start declaring how it will become a major supermarket in town. From this little vision that God gave you see yourself going all over the world.
Inspiration daily devotional is going all over the world; entering into palaces and changing lives everywhere. Presently we are at some places and at a phase. But we are going bigger, brighter and better. Its important that you also begin to declare where you are going in life. Don’t be limited in your mind to where you are today. Reach out for more.
SONG:
I’m going higher 2 x. For the Lord is on the throne. I’m going higher 2x etc.
LEARN MORE: Prov 4:18
Sunday 27th March, 2022
Sunday 27th March, 2022
WHAT GOD IS DOING
Text: “And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.” Job 19:26
Let’s start today’s lesson by saying “don’t talk about what the enemy is doing; talk about what God is doing.” It’s always easier to see what the enemy is doing more than what God is doing. As believers we must be able to draw the distinct line between this two. Most Christian lives are focused more on what the enemy is doing other than what God is doing. Most people talk about the enemy more than they talk about God.
If you read our opening scripture carefully you’ll notice that Job was more or less talking about what God is doing in the midst of his challenges. Job knew that the “worms” were working adversely on his body but he also knew that God was working. His emphasis was actually on seeing God in the midst of it all. This is why he said in Job 23:10 “...I shall come forth as gold.”
Our emphasis today is for us to recognise that God is at work in our lives. He’s not on break or at a loss of what to do concerning the various issues of our lives.
Someone may be asking how will I know what God is doing in my life. Whatever his word says he will do is what God is doing. Let’s look at a couple of examples.
1. He’s giving his angels charge over you.
2. He’s making a way where there seems to be no way.
3. He’s turning our mourning into dancing.
4. He’s increasing us on every side.
5. He’s doing a new thing.
6. He’s leading us in the path of righteousness.
7. He’s healing you of all diseases.
All God is asking us to do is to agree with him by faith and begin to declare by faith what he’s doing in our lives. Even when you don’t see anything physical around you we can hold on to his eternal word. Stop talking about what the economy is doing and start talking of what God is doing.
CONFESSION:
There is an increase taking place in my life on a daily basis. New things that eyes have never seen before are taking place in my life.
LEARN MORE: Ps 115:14. Isa 43:19
Saturday 26th March, 2022
Saturday 26th March, 2022
DISTINGUISHED IN LIFE
Text: “And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king enquired of them, he found them ten times better...” Dan 1:20
I strongly believe that one major end that God has determined for our lives is that we’ll become distinguished in whatever area of life we find ourselves. You will find this common trend in the life of every one that walked with God in the bible. It seems to me that this is the automatic end of everyone that walked with God.
To be distinguished means to be exceptional. It means to rise to the peak of what God called us to do and be the best we were created to be.
Abraham became for us a model of a life of faith. That is a name we must always refer to any time the subject of faith is mentioned. We cannot really learn faith until we have studied the life of Abraham. When it comes to living a life of faith Abraham was distinguished.
Joseph was extremely hated by his brothers all because he had a dream of doing something great with his life. Despite all the ill treatment he went through he ended up distinguished in life. He became the second in command in a strange land. He got a political post he never contested for.
David was distinguished among all his brethren. He was the least qualified in terms of physique among his brothers, but the hand of God distinguished him.
Daniel became ten times better than all his colleagues. There was an unmistakable hand of God on his life.
If you look closely at all these lives you’ll notice that each of them had an intimate walk with God. They were not casual with God. They were open and proud about their relationship with God. These people obeyed God in very extreme conditions.
I see you distinguished in life, standing out everywhere you go.
PRAYER:
Lord help me to walk closely with you more than ever before. I declare that my commitment to you is total and final.
LEARN MORE: Gen 41:37-44, Duet 28:1-2
Friday 25th March, 2022
Friday 25th March, 2022
WHAT GOD IS SAYING 1
Text: “Run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her, Is it well with thee? Is it well with thy husband? Is it well with the child? And she answered, it is well.”2 Kings 4:26
The story of this woman in our opening scripture today is one of the most powerful demonstrations of a faith response to a challenge. This woman had waited for years to have this child. This was the only child and at this point the child had grown up. Unfortunately one day the child developed a severe headache and was rushed to the mother. After several hours of the mother watching his son in pain the child died. This should have been a devastation experience for this woman. This was not something she was told happened. She witnessed it by herself. The natural response would have been to start crying and everyone around trying to calm her down.
The first thing this woman did was to run towards her solution. She knew there was help in God. She went out in search of the man of God that will connect her with the answer.
The man of God sent a message to her to find out from her what happened. She completely took her focus away from what she was seeing to what God is saying. The scripture says “Say to the righteous it is well...” Instead of responding in fear and anxiety she declared “...It is well.” She did not say what she was seeing; she declared what God was saying.
It’s so important for us to be able to differentiate between what we are seeing and what God is saying. What we are seeing is temporal while what God is saying is eternal. It will be a big problem if what you are seeing is bigger than what God is saying. What you see in your dreams should not be greater than what God is saying. The summary of our lesson today is “Don’t talk about what you are seeing; talk about what God is saying.”
DECLARATION:
God is saying my path is a shinning one. I’m shinning brighter and brighter every day of this year.
LEARN MORE: Prov 4:18, Isa 3:10
Thursday 24th March, 2022
Thursday 24th March, 2022
HE GREATER ONE IN YOU
Text: “Ye are of God, little
children, and have overcome them; because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” 1 John 4:4
We must recognise that there is someone in this world who is constantly working against God’s eternal purpose in our lives. The Devil himself is the person in this world. If that is all you know then your knowledge is incomplete. That will not be enough to stop the Devil from carrying on his job of killing, stealing and destroying.
The greater truth is that there is someone too who lives in us working out the details of our lives and destiny. It’s so important for us to recognise that the person in us is far greater that the devil in the world. The challenge with us is that we seem to see the Devil bigger. We tend to be more conscious of what the devil is doing than what God is doing within us.
God is within us according to scriptures and it has to become our consciousness.
The reality of God-the greater one in us becomes effectual as we become conscious of it. What you don’t know you cannot take advantage of.
God dwells in us by his Spirit to change us from glory to glory. Wherever we are in life his presence in us is meant to take us beyond that level. Life should get better for us and not otherwise because the greater one dwells in us.
As God dwells in us he carries out his operations in us and through us to be all we were created to be and to impart our world positively. When people meet you they should experience God because his presence in you has left so much influence on you that flows to others.
Go about your business today with the mind-set of a God-carrier.
PRAYER:
Father thank you for the impact of your word over everyone that went through this material this month.
Wednesday 23rd March, 2022
Wednesday 23rd March, 2022
SOMETHING MISSING
Text: “And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And when he had these things, he was very sorrowful, for he was very rich.” Luke 18:18, 23
This man in our opening scripture today was obviously a “successful” man. He was a man a man of authority and had so much resources and influence in his community. One could have concluded from the standard of this world that he’s a man that has no need of anything. He must have been living in the best house in that community and riding a very good car if he was living today. Most people will say that if they have what this man had life is complete.
But from the account of this man he knew something was missing in his life. If it was something money or position could get he would have gotten it. He came to Jesus to ask for what he must do to have eternal life. He must have realised that having eternal life was far more important than the riches of this world put together. There is a vacuum in the human heart that more money, position and prestige cannot satisfy. The life of God in man is what fills the emptiness of our hearts. The life of God is found in Christ Jesus. If Christ is missing in a man’s heart the man is eternally bankrupt.
There is a big difference between having religion and having eternal life. It’s possible you are very active in your Church. This is not about been in Church but been in Christ. It’s Christ in a man that impacts eternal life into us. This is a relationship based experience. This man lacked a relationship with God. When a man receives Jesus as Lord and saviour and they are born again they receive eternal life. I want to ask are you born again. Are you saved? Ask Jesus to come into your heart today and be the Lord of your life. Open your mouth and pray.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus we decree massive salvation of souls all over this land today. The power of sin is broken over sinners in this land today.
LEARN MORE: John 3:1-3, 16
Tuesday 22nd March, 2022
HEART TEST
_Text: “You should remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandment or not.” Deut 8:2 (LVB)
This opening scripture clearly tell us that there is a test that God will take each one of us through in life. This test is required because things cannot be taken at face value. This is not an audition of who can preach the most in our midst, neither is it the test of the sweetest voice around. This is a heart test. This test will involve the following:
1. Test of the content of your heart.
2. Test of the state of your heart.
3. Test of the motive of your heart.
This test will come to all of us at different times and situations in our lives. God wants to be sure if we are truly serving him or we are interested in what he offers us. God wants to be sure if we are either using him or loving him. Most prayer points are prayers of using God and not prayers of loving God.
God led his people through a particular route over a certain period of time. The purpose of this was to test their heart. It was not to punish them per se but to test the sincerity of their commitment. Where we are right now in our lives could be a test of our loyalty to God. So many people don’t walk with God for so long because their commitment is only motivated by carnal things. So many get offended for so many reasons that should rather spur them to a greater commitment to God. We have so many gifted people with zero patience. Patience is a major function of a heart that is truly yielded to God. Different scenarios will happen to test what exactly is in your heart. May you pass.
PRAYER:
Lord help me that my heart may be true and worthy of carrying divine virtue.
LEARN MORE Lk 15:8
Monday 21st March, 2022
DOING RIGHTEOUSNESS
Text: “Little Children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.” 1 John 3:7
The life of a believer is a life of righteousness. This is the life that God has called us into. This is one major reason why Jesus went to the cross.
There are two major sides to the life of righteousness. It’s more or less two sides of a coin: We have the positional righteousness and the practical righteousness. The positional righteousness has nothing to do with what we do; it has all to do with what Jesus did on the cross and then credited to our account. Jesus became sin for us and then made us the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Cor 5:21). There is nothing we could have done to achieve this on our own. It was purely the work of grace. This is what positional righteousness is all about. This is basically the nature of God imparted into our recreated human spirit. The positional righteousness empowers us for the practical righteousness.
Now let’s talk about practical righteousness. This is what our lesson is all about today. A mango tree has the nature of a mango. But this is not enough; there must be a proof that this is actually a mango tree. The only way this can be proved is when the nature that we cannot see with our eyes produces the mango fruit that everyone can see. The fruit is the proof of the nature. This is also true of our life of righteousness. We have the nature of righteousness which must be proved with the fruit of righteousness. The fruit of righteousness is what we call practical righteousness. Doing righteousness is putting into practical display the life of God in our recreated spirit. When you relate with people around you they cannot see the nature of righteousness that you claim to have; they want to see the fruit of it. Been righteous is not enough; do it.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus my life is bearing the fruit of righteousness. I am living right and doing right.
LEARN MORE Isa 61:3, Phil 1:11
Sunday 20th March, 2022
Sunday 20th March, 2022
DIVINE CONNECTIVITY
Text: “Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me.” Ps 51:11
One of the greatest achievements of the modern age is the internet which has given rise to so many things. The advent of the mobile phone has really changed the face of humanity. Now we can stay in one part of the world and be connected in a split second to any part of the world. So much attention is given to staying connected to loved ones around the world. Just go on the street and you’ll see how much people are glued to their mobile phones. People go to great extents to make sure their mobile phones are working and connected. I woke up one morning and there was no connection on my phone. I needed to get connected to people who were waiting to receive the mobile version of this devotional. I had to travel from my community to another community just to get connected to people. This is the extent to which we go to stay connected. Only God knows how much we spend just to subscribe to the internet to stay connected.
If we go to this extent to stay connected to mortal men how much more should we stay connected to God. Getting cut off from a business partner or a prospective customer could be a major headache for a business person. But think about getting cut off from God; this was the concern of David in our opening scripture. The greatest and the most important connectivity in life is divine connectivity; staying connected to God. We are connected to God as we spend time in his word and we take out time daily to commune with God in prayer. We also stay connected as we maintain an attitude of fellowship with the Holy Spirit all through the course of our day. When we stay connected divine wisdom will flow into our lives. There will be direction in our spirit on various issues of our lives.
CONFESSION:
I’m divinely connected. I’m sensitive and active in the Spirit. There is a constant flow of the Spirit in me.
LEARN MORE: Eph 5:17-21, Jude 20
Saturday 19th March, 2022
Saturday 19th March, 2022
TEMPORARY OPINION
Text: “Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.” Job 8:7
The present state of your life and the present circumstances around your life will naturally paint a picture of your life. This will also create an opinion of you in the hearts of people that know you. Whatever opinion life has created about you should never be a permanent one. As far as God is concerned the present state and circumstances of your life is a temporary opinion. A temporary state should never become a permanent mindset or else we may find ourselves tied down to a life of defeat and mediocrity.
Abraham was childless for several years of his life. It took so long that it was as if it will never change. That temporary challenge eventually gave way. Joseph temporarily was a no body. He was a servant and then found himself as a prisoner. Except you allow it the present negative state will never be a permanent state.
If you are sick today it will not be a permanent state. The great healer is still at work. He took your infirmities and bore them on the cross. Your healing is here. Even as you are reading this the healing virtues are flowing all over you. the reading of God’s word brings life and health to us. Just imagine the opinion of men concerning the woman with the issue of blood for twelve years. That temporary opinion eventually changed.
The state of been a prisoner changed for Joseph. He went on to the palace. Everything changed for him. The difference was so much that if you were not told there was no way to have known that he was once in the prison. He went from a “hopeless” bachelor to a married man without any proposal or paying dowry. I decree such a supernatural change over your life today. The mighty hand of God will change your position positively. You may look small, ordinary and insignificant today; but this is a temporary state. Get excited about God and about your change coming.
PRAYER:
Thank you Lord for where I’m today. Thank you for the greater heights and the changes ahead of me.
LEARN MORE: Job 14:14, 2 Cor 4:18
Friday 18th March, 2022
Friday 18th March, 2022
GIVEN US
Text: “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue.” 2 Peter 1:3
At different times in our lives we have been given precious and wonderful gifts. We all look forward to such gifts at different times in our lives. These are most times gifts that will not last forever. After a while the gifts will lose value and become obsolete. If we place so much value on earthly and temporary things how much more should we place value on eternal things that God has given us.
Our opening scripture explains to us that God has given us all that pertain to life and godliness. In other words everything I need in life has been given to me. In other words we don’t lack anything. If you look at your life from the natural perspective it may sounds like a fairy tale. The best way to handle our lives is to completely agree with God even when nothing around us seems to support what God’s word is showing. The circumstances of our lives are bound to change in conformity to the revelation of God’s word that we see.
Life is primarily spiritual. It’s therefore important for us to see ourselves first of all in the reality of what God’s word says before it will become a tangible reality in our lives. Everything you need for life and godliness is already made available. This simply means that nothing is missing in my life. This will go a long way to help us not to live as victims. We don’t have to lives our lives depending on human systems that cannot fully satisfy.
Let’s close by highlighting a couple of things that God has given us:
He has given us his wisdom
He has given us his grace
He has given us his life
He has given us his Spirit
As we pursue the knowledge of God the things that God has given us become realities in our lives.
CONFESSION:
I’m not a victim. Nothing is missing in my life.
LEARN MORE: John 1:16, 1 Cor 1:3
Thursday 17th March, 2022
Thursday 17th March, 2022
VESSELS OF GOLD
Text: “But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth, and some to honour, and some to dishonour.” 2 Tim 2:20
A vessel is simply an instrument of service. The quality of a vessel usually will determine what it’s used for. Our opening scripture talks of vessel of wood, vessels of earth (soil), vessels of silver and vessels of gold. Even though they are all vessels they are made of different materials and qualities. This is simply the reason why some are for dishonour while some are for honour.
Let’s say clearly that what your life will be used for will be determined by the material you are made of. Gold is the material with the highest quality and also the vessel that will be used for the highest purpose. God wants each one of us to be vessels of gold. Each one of us will be of the highest quality and purpose.
The quality of our lives will be determined by our degree of purity. The purer we become the more gold-like we become. 2 Tim 2:21 says “If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good works.” Purity means undiluted, unadulterated and unpolluted.
Functioning as vessels of gold will require that we allow God to work in us and on us. The extent to which he has access to us will determine our purity and subsequently our quality. Gold is actually purified in fire. When we apply our hearts to the word of God it purges and purifies our hearts. Our hearts are actually the vessel we are talking about. A pure heart will carry divine virtues and be used of God in a mighty way. If a man will purge himself of this he will be a vessel unto honour, qualified for the master’s use and prepared unto every good work.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus my heart is free of every form of impurity. I declare that my life is unadulterated.
LEARN MORE: Prov 25:4, 2 Cor 7:1
Wednesday 16th March, 2022
Wednesday 16th March, 2022
GOD’S FOUNDATION
Text: “Nevertheless the foundation of God stands sure...Let everyone that name the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” 2 Tim 2:19
The word foundation in our opening scriptures connotes standards. Different communities and societies have different standards. The world has its own unique standards. A standard simply means the yardsticks by which we measure behaviours, practices and what we believe as right or wrong. The life we lives purely on the basis of standards that we have adopted.
Our opening scriptures tell us cleanly that the foundation of God stands sure. “Sure” means it has not changed and cannot change. The change in societies does not change it. Moving from one country to another does not change this standard. Moving from one Church to another has no effect on this standard.
The Spirit of God actually used the word foundation in order to convey for us an understanding that this is where God wants us to build our lives. If your life is not built on this foundation then we are building a life that is not “sure”. “Sure” also means secured. Building our lives on this foundation is what insures our lives and destinies.
The seal on this foundation is that everyone that names the name of Christ must depart from iniquity. There is no excuse that is good for it. There is no practice of your village that can alter it. There is no explanation that is good to change it. Each one of us must make deliberate efforts to depart from iniquity or else it will stay with you forever. A life of iniquity is not good for you. It’s a life that will hinder what God wants to bring forth out of your life. It will erode your values and render you too cheap for the enemy to handle. We all need to insure our lives and destinies on this God’s eternal foundation. It’s sure.
PRAYER:
I declare that every aspect of my life is built on the ‘sure’ foundation. My life is sure, my future is sure.
LEARN MORE: Heb 12:14
Tuesday 15th March, 2022
Tuesday 15th March, 2022
MADE US FREE
Text: “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of slavery.” Gal 5:1
This is one specific stand we must all make as believers. I want you to note carefully what this scripture says “...Christ hath made us free...” This did not even say that “...Christ will make us free...” There is a big difference between the two phrases. It’s not something that will happen in the future but something that has taken place already. What we do in prayer is to enforce the reality of our freedom.
We can declare that we are free from every entanglement of the devil. Free from the entanglement of the past. We can shout it on the roof top that we are free. We can be bold enough to tell everyone that knows us that we are free. No more chains on us.
Let’s look at some of the things we are free from:
1. Free from the power of sin – Sin has no more control over our lives. We are no longer a slave to the dictates and desires of the flesh. We are empowered by the Spirit of God to live above sin.
2. Free from the dominion of darkness – We are delivered from the kingdom of darkness and translated into the kingdom of light.
3. Free from past mistakes – The prodigal son came back to his father and the father gave him a slippers which literally means to leave the past behind and walk into the future. Stop looking at the rear mirror and look ahead into what God has in store for you.
4. Free from the opinions of men – Our ultimate identity in life is found in Christ and not necessarily in the opinions of men. Therefore we can live our lives pleasing God and not men.
5. Free from the limitations of life – The limitations of our birth or family background has no more hold on our lives. We are free from every existing curse.
CONFESSION:
I am free; completely free. The past has no more hold on my life. The limitation of my background has no hold on my life. Jesus made me free.
LEARN MORE: Rom 8:13, Gal 3:13-14, Col 1:13
Monday 14th March, 2022
Monday 14th March, 2022
STAND FAST
Text: “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of slavery.” Gal 5:1
Stand fast simply means stand firm. It’s another way of saying be resolute. We can also refer to it as taking a stand in God. If you don’t take a stand something will take you off your feet. God has done so much for us. The sacrifice of Christ on the cross made so much available to us. If all these will become a reality in our lives we must take a stand of faith in them. When it seems life is blowing us in contrary directions we must take a stand of faith. If we don’t take a stand in God the counsel of the enemy will stand in our lives.
I have seen so many people deceived and destroyed by so called prophecies that have no basis on the word of God. The word of God is the final authority on our lives as believers. Even dreams are not final; if you don’t take a stand of faith you will never be stable.
Let’s look at a couple of stands that you must take:
1. Take a stand that you are a new creation – There should never be a doubt in you of the reality of your new status in Christ.
2. Take a stand that you are completely forgiven – The blood of Jesus procured forgiveness for you. God has no record of sin against you.
3. Take a stand that no matter what happen it will work out together for your good – This will give you a lot of stability and confidence to face life.
4. Take a stand that God loves you completely and freely – The unreliable love of man should never give us a misunderstanding of the love of God. God loves you extremely.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I take a stand of faith today to fulfil God’s purpose and plans for my life. I take a stand to experience only what God says about me.
LEARN MORE: Rom 8:28, 2 Cor 5:17
Sunday 13th March, 2022
Sunday 13th March, 2022
NOT ENTANGLED AGAIN
Text: “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of slavery.” Gal 5:1
If you don’t take a stand of faith then you will find yourself under the influence and control of things that you were supposed to be in charge of. Adam and Eve lost their ground to the deception of the enemy. They were mandated to take charge and be in dominion. The enemy came with his lies and deception. Just as they could not take a stand and lost it to the devil so also we’ll lose what’s rightfully ours if we don’t stand firm in the liberty wherein Christ has made us free. Entangled again talks about been free from something and allowing it to get hold of our lives again.
We can all look at specific areas of our lives where God has set us free. We must ensure therefore that we do not allow the subtle deception of the devil to get us back into that bondage.
Yoke of slavery is the outcome of satanic deception. If you believe and accept what the enemy is saying above what God’s word is saying you will be trapped in the yoke of slavery. If you believe your dreams more than you believe God it will get you into bondage. Whatever anyone is saying or seeing concerning you must be subjected to the word of God.
Someone was told that his wedding day has been marked with blood and that there will be trouble that day. The wedding was about to be cancelled just a week to the wedding. I got angry in my spirit when I was told because as far as scriptures are concerned everyday has its own unique evil; its individuals that will redeem their own day from evil (Eph 5:16). Moreover the blood of Jesus is a greater blood that has marked us for exemption. We stood on this word together in prayer and thank God they went on with the wedding. The wedding was successful and nothing evil happened. Refuse to be entangled again.
DECLARATION:
I stand on the authority of God’s word. I refuse to be entangled in the yoke of slavery.
LEARN MORE: Gal 6:17, Rev 12:11
Saturday 12th March, 2022
Saturday 12th March, 2022
VALUABLE
Text: “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life...” 1 John 5:11
There are different things in life that gives people a sense of value. The family background gives some people their sense of value. Some derive their sense of value from the school they attended. Some get it from the type of cloth they wear or the country where they live. So many don’t even have anything to draw their sense of value from. They feel so useless and unworthy.
The truth you must understand is that even if you have so much of this world’s goods it’s a false sense of value because they are not permanent. So many lives are devastated and thrown to a state of loss when those worldly goods are gone.
The greatest sense of value in your life as a believer is from someone eternal and something eternal. Whatever is subject to change will give you a false sense of value. God did not design us to live our lives dependent on the values of this world. The values of this world are shallow and temporary.
The value of a believer is dependent on the divine package in our recreated spirit. Our value is not dependent on our “container” but on our “content”. The colour of your skin, the length of your legs or the pointed nature of your nose has nothing to do with your value required for destiny. God has packaged in your spirit his own very life. Whether you are born in the palace or in the ghetto does not matter. Packaged in your spirit is the very life of the eternal God. God has also packaged in you his eternal Spirit. He dwells in us to make us a success in life. This should be your greatest sense of confidence in life. The life of God and the Spirit of God in you makes you valuable. This is why your life must add value to humanity.
CONFESSION:
I’m valuable. The life of God dwells in me. The Spirit of God lives in me to make me a success.
LEARN MORE: Eph 4:24
Friday 11th March, 2022
Friday 11th March, 2022
ON THE CANDLESTICK
Text: “Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.” Matthew 5:15
The scriptures clearly define us as the light of the world. This is the divine mandate on our lives. This is the position that redemption has placed us. However the extent to which we function and reflect this light will depend on where we are placed. From our anchor scripture it’s clear that we are either under the bushel or on the candlestick.
The bushel is like a bowl that covers the reflection of the light of the candle. This is more a reflection of the life of a believer that is not making any impact in our world. When people around you don’t even know that you are a believer then you are under the bushel. When you are shy about talking to your friends about Jesus then the bushel has taken over your light. This is a complete abuse of divine investment on your life as a believer. This is not where God wants us to be. If you are making compromises around unbelievers and they find it easy to ask you for a date then the bushel is having effect on your life.
On the candlestick is where you belong. This is where your life becomes useful and radiant for others around you to see. It must be clear to everyone around you that you are born again and that the Spirit of God dwells in you. The candle is placed on the candlestick so that it can give light for everyone to see. Once it’s on the candlestick everyone can see and enjoy its effect. On the candlestick is the reflection of a believer that is not hidden; your life and confession matches with scriptures. People around you can testify of the positive impact you life has been to them. Your life has been of tremendous spiritual blessing to people around you.
Let’s ask ourselves this honest question; Am I under the bushel or on the candlestick? As long as you are under the bushel God’s investment on your life will be a complete waste.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I declare that my life is placed on the candlestick. My light shines to bring others to the light.
LEARN MORE: Eph 5:8
Thursday 10th March, 2022
Thursday 10th March, 2022
SPEAKING AGAINST GOD
Text: “Yea , they spake against God; they said can God furnish a table in the wilderness.” Psalm 78:19
I want you to realise that it’s possible to go to church every day carrying a big Bible and still be speaking against God. It could be that we are presently doing that in our lives without knowing.
Speaking against God in our context is not about saying that God does not exist or that you don’t believe in God. It actually refers to what we say about the day to day challenges of life that we face. The Israelites were faced with the challenge of what to eat in the wilderness and began to say all manner of negative words. Someone called me on phone recently; she had gone for a medical test that confirmed a particular ailment. Her first words to me were “I am finished”, that statement looked innocent and casual, but that is speaking against God. It was an indirect way of saying God cannot handle this.
Every time we speak in fear as a result of a challenge or a disappointment around our lives, we are speaking against God. If you go in for an exam and the questions were so difficult, don’t ever say nobody will pass this exam. It’s a way of concluding that God cannot handle this, this is speaking against God.
We must come to terms with the possibilities that exist in God. He is the God of all flesh. There is nothing too hard for him to do. If you sit down and start talking of how you have prayed for so long and nothing has happened, you are indirectly speaking against God.
If we read the account of the Israelites further we’ll notice that God got angry with them. God wants us to trust him. He’s bigger than whatever we face.
PRAYER:
Lord I repent of every way I have spoken against you in the past. I receive your forgiveness today. I declare that you are faithful over my life.
Wednesday 9th March, 2022
Wednesday 9th March, 2022
A RESPONSIBLE LIFE
Text: “...How can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God….” Genesis 39:9
A responsible life is a life that is accountable. An unaccountable life is an irresponsible life. If you have a feeling that you can go anywhere, do whatever you like then you must be living a miserable life? Such a life will not command great success. There must be someone somewhere who can ask you questions about your life and look straight in your eyes to tell you the truth. This is the role parents, pastors, , spouse, teachers, guardians etc. are meant to play in our lives.
Most importantly we must be accountable to God. We must have a sense that God is watching us and conscious of every step that we take in life. It’s possible you find yourself in an environment that is ungodly and sin-friendly; it will become easy to flow with the trend. But you must never forget that one day we’ll all stand before God to give an account of our lives. Then every man will receive his reward according to their deeds.
Joseph found himself in a strange land, far away from parents and siblings. It could have been easy to bow to the pressure to sin. His words were “….how can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God? Gen 39:9. He was accountable to God. This was why God was convenient in selecting him as a ruler over Egypt. It takes a man or woman that is responsible to carry divine assignments.
It’s such a powerful virtue to be responsible and dependable. God and even men are on the search for such men. The three Hebrew boys also refused to bow to the strange image of the King because they knew God was watching them. Don’t join the flow, refuse to be conformed to the pattern of this world, it will not take you far in life. Irresponsibility will prevent you from experiencing the best that God has in store for you. Please by all means be responsible.
PRAYER:
Lord I ask for grace to be responsible and accountable. Help me to be someone that others can depend on.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 139:1-13, 23-24
Tuesday 8th March, 2022
Tuesday 8th March, 2022
MISSION MINDED
Text: “And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper.” Gen 39:3
Let’s learn again today from the account of Joseph. Joseph was sold into slavery. He was very far away from home. Nobody knew him. He was not really under the supervision of anyone. He could have used that as an excuse to misbehave, after all nobody will know. He was all alone with the master’s wife at home. Joseph was in Egypt with a sense of a mission. He knew he was in that strange land for a God assigned mission. This was why every assignment he was given were done with that mind-set. He served Potiphar diligently and faithfully. He became a leader in the prison because he did things differently.
It’s possible that the circumstances of life right now is not exactly what you dreamt about or you are not where you had always wanted to be, don’t despair. All you need to do is to refuse to let go of your sense of mission. Keep the reality of your destiny in front of you every day. If you refuse to give up life will eventually yield itself to you. Walk into your office everyday with the clarity of your mission. Go to school every day armed with the attitude of someone going somewhere great.
Being mission minded means you’ll be willing to do things differently. Make sacrifices that others are not willing to make. It will also imply that you are ready to stand alone on scriptural standards, irrespective of the general opinion of men. A man on a mission goes an extra mile in all things. They don’t settle for the average, they pursue the best until it becomes a reality in their lives. Handle every assignment you are given as life determinant.
At the end of it all Joseph became an extreme success. That will be your experience also in Jesus name.
CONFESSION:
I am a man on a mission. There are great accomplishments on my way in life. I refuse to be distracted.
Monday 7th March, 2022
Monday 7th March, 2022
NEVER DISADVANTAGED
Text: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”Rom 8:28
Everything was designed to hurt him. He was hated passionately, thrown in the pit to die. Eventually he was sold into slavery and then found himself in the prison. These were circumstances of life that were meant to destroy Joseph and stop the fulfilment of God’s plans and purpose for his life. None of those experiences could stop God’s program for his life. Everything that was meant to hurt him God worked it out for his good. The things that were meant to be stumbling blocks became a stepping stone.
Don’t ever accept the ill treatment of men or the negative circumstances of life as a reason to fail. The worst circumstances of life can be used by God to bring forth his plans and purpose for our lives. Christ in us takes us away from the disadvantaged side of life. We have an advantage over every issue of life. We are the most privileged on the face of the heart. The term “less privileged” does not apply to any member of the household of faith.
It’s possible that you did things that were terribly wrong as an unbeliever. The devil might want to use that to exclude you from the possibilities of enjoying the best of God. In Christ old things are passed away and all things as become new. The past does not define you; it’s Christ in you that define you today. There is no longer any condemnation on your life. Rom 8:1. If you recollect the story of the prodigal son; he completely wasted the opportunity his father gave him, but when he repented his father treated him as if he never did anything wrong. You are never disadvantaged; all things are working together for your good.
POWER POINT:
Everything that was meant to hurt him God worked it out for his good. The things that were meant to be stumbling blocks became a stepping stone.
LEARN MORE: Genesis 50:20
Sunday 6th March, 2022
Sunday 6th March, 2022
HEAVENLY ACCOUNT
Text: “Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.”Phil 4:17
If you walk into any bank in your country to make withdraws one of the first thing that the cashier will check is if you have any bank account there or not. Then it will also be confirmed if you have money deposited into your account or not. There can never be withdrawals without a deposit. Nobody will allow you to withdraw from another person’s deposit.
There is also a heavenly bank account from which any of us can make withdraws from depending on the deposits we have made into our heavenly account.
So many of us don’t even have any deposit to draw from. Unlike the earthly banks we don’t carry physical cash to the bank of heaven.
Deposits are made in our heavenly accounts as we make doing good a way of life. We must go out of our ways to reach out to people around us. We actually make deposits in our heavenly accounts as we make deposits in men. Every act of love and kindness is filling our heavenly account with deposits (1 Tim 6:17-19).
The beauty about this is that in the day of challenge we can always make withdrawals from our account. What we get from our accounts is not just money. We get divine interventions in our health, our academics, businesses and career. Hezekiah was told that he should prepare to die because he was very sick. What he simply did was to remind God of all the deposits he had made for years. From that deposit he withdrew an extra fifteen more years.
Get conscious of making deposits in your heavenly account. Every opportunity to be a blessing is an opportunity to increase your heavenly account from where you can eventually draw out from.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I receive grace to be highly involved in filling up my heavenly account.
LEARN MORE: 2 King 20:1-7, 1 Tim 6:17-19
Saturday 5th March, 2022
Saturday 5th March, 2022
TRAPPED BY WORDS
Text: “But the men that went up with him said, we be not able to go up against the people: for they are stronger than we” Num 13:31
If you study carefully the story of the ten spies that gave evil report of what they saw in the Promised Land you’ll discover that at the end of the day it was their words that became their trap. The words they spoke worked against them. What God did was simply to confirm what they said.
Today we’ll look at a couple of rules that should guide our words, so that our words can always work for us.
1. Don’t speak according to your size; speak according to the size of your God.
2. Don’t speak how big the problems are; speak about how big the promises of God are.
3. Don’t speak about what the enemy is doing; speak about what God is doing.
4. Don’t speak about where you are; speak about where you are going.
5. Don’t speak about what you are experiencing; speak about what you are expecting.
6. Don’t speak about what you are seeing; speak about what God is saying.
7. Don’t talk about the enemy; talk about God.
These major differences are clearly seeing in what the ten spies said and what Caleb and his colleague said. If we allow these rules to guide our words we’ll find ourselves always speaking words of faith, words of power and words of possibilities. Just imagine if God confirms every word you have ever spoken what your life will look like. If you realise it or not that is exactly what is happening in your life right now.
God is making a way for you where there seems to be no way. All things are working together for your good. God is saying I will do a new thing in your life. God is saying I will never leave you nor forsake you. God is saying my grace is sufficient for you. His word says by the stripes of Jesus you are healed. These are words that should occupy your mouth. We’ll study more on this in later days.
CONFESSION:
All things are working for my good. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places, I have a goodly heritage.
LEARN MORE: Num 14:28-29
Friday 4th March, 2022
Friday 4th March, 2022
DIVINE NETWORKING
Text: “For at that time day by day there came to David to help him, until it was a great host, like the host of God.” 1 Chron 12:22
David was anointed to become a king over Israel right from a tender age. He really did not have any resources by himself to get to that throne. There were so many hurdles to cross to get to that throne. What God did was to organise men in thousands that literally helped David to get to where he was going. These men came with weapons, resources, food materials, expertise and all that was required to establish God’s counsels for David.
This did not happen by chance. God organised this men to be available. This is also what God wants to do with our lives. There are people he had lined up in our path in life to get us to where we are going. The journey becomes easier and faster when we encounter such divine networking.
The mother of Moses dropped him by the sea side. By divine networking the daughter of Pharaoh picked him up and then employed the mother to take care of him. This didn’t happen by chance; God orchestrated everything. He knows who to place right where you’re going. This means in your life, there shouldn’t be unpleasant surprises; He’s the first and the last, and He’s organized everything from start to finish. Make a choice to go only in the direction He’s already charted for you. Some people go in the direction they created for themselves, and this is dangerous. In that path, there’s a lot of trouble, struggling and hardship. In God’s path, however, there’s no darkness. Everything is already prearranged according to the timing of His Spirit to be right there at the time you require it. This divine networking occurs as we learn to pray consistently in the Spirit. Men and resources are been moved in our favour.
PRAYER:
Thank you Lord for opportunities you have created on my path in life. Thank you for networking my life. Thank you for the gift of men.
LEARN MORE: 1 Chron 12:20-40, Exo 2:1-10
Thursday 3rd March, 2022
Thursday 3rd March, 2022
LIMITATIONS WITHIN
Text: “But the men that went up with him said, we be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than us.” Num 13:31
Most of the children of Israel that left Egypt did not get to the Promised Land. It was such an unfortunate thing. It was not Pharaoh that stopped them; it was not the red sea that swallowed them up. It was easy for God to deal with that for them. At the end of the day it was a barrier within these people that stopped them from getting into the promised land.
Dealing with external forces is not even as important as dealing with internal forces. The scripture refers to this as “…Imaginations, and every high thing that exalted itself against the knowledge of God…” 2 Cor 10:5. This is actually where the greatest challenges are found. Thoughts and imaginations that opposes divine counsels within a man.
It was not the enemy that hindered them but their wrong imaginations of their worth and value. The ten spies had a wrong personal disposition to life. They were more enemy-minded than they were God-minded. The greatest limitations in life are not the ones without but the ones within us. What you are not within it will be difficult to become without.
Wherever you want to go in life, whatever you want to accomplish in life we must first of all undergo the journey within our hearts and accomplish the feats within us. Whatever will take place in our outer life must first of all take place within us. What you don’t become within you cannot become without.
An outward journey begins from an inward journey. This people lost the battle even before it began. They already lost within. Deal with yourself on the inside. Don’t allow wrong thoughts to go unchallenged.
CONFESSION:
I see myself going up in life and doing great things. I see the possibilities of God in my life.
LEARN MORE: Num 13:30-33
Wednesday 2nd March, 2022
Wednesday 2nd March, 2022
GOD TALKING 2
Text: “Again he said unto me, Prophecy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones hear the word of the Lord.” Ezekiel 37:4
God has spoken but we must declare what he has spoken to see the reality of what he has spoken. God brought Ezekiel to the valley of dry bones. The situation was naturally hopeless. As terrible as the situation was God did not say anything directly to the dry bones. It was Ezekiel that was required to speak over the dry bones. If Ezekiel had kept quiet nothing would have happened. Ezekiel said “So I prophesied as I was commanded, and as I prophesied…” Ezekiel 37:7. Things began to happen and take shape as Ezekiel began to speak over the dry bones. God will not bypass you to change your situation; he will require that you take responsibility and then allow him to speak through you over the situation.
From our lesson yesterday I’m sure you have a clear picture of what the Spirit of God is communicating to us. We all have the responsibility to stand in the place of God to declare his counsels over whatever situation we are facing. The word of God declared by faith in the mouth a believer is God talking.
How do we ensure that God is constantly speaking through us over situations?
1. Get filled more with the revelation of God’s word. When your heart is full of his word it will find expressions through your mouth when challenges shows up. Col 3:16
2. Be open to the promptings of the Spirit to speak specific Rhema word over contrary circumstances.
3. Start saying what God has said as a way of life even if there are no challenges. (Jos 1:8. Heb 13:5-6)
DECLARATION:
God is constantly talking through me. The words of my mouth are conveyors of divine verdict. I speak forth possibilities.
LEARN MORE: Mark 11:23
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Tuesday 1st March, 2022
Tuesday 1st March, 2022
GOD TALKING 1
Text: “This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee… (Read on).” 1 Sam 17:46
We are learning again today from the life of David. His life has been a major focus of our lessons in this devotional. For forty days and forty nights Goliath kept talking and harassing King Saul and his men but God was so quiet looking. Why was God not talking when the enemy was talking? Why was God quiet when his people were been harassed? The answers to this questions is the focus of our lessons today. David eventually showed up on the scene and got the victory by speaking to Goliath. It wasn’t God who came down directly from heaven to speak to Goliath. But we must realize that as David was talking to Goliath it was God indirectly talking. Let’s hear David “This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee...” 1 Sam 17:46
When a man is quiet over a situation then God also is quiet. God’s talking is actually done through a man. The word of faith coming from the lips of a believer is God talking. We are not just talking of mechanical and powerless talking. We are talking about words that proceed from a heart that is full of the revelation of God’s word. When the heart is empty the mouth also will be empty.
Praying about a situation is never enough; we must also step out to speak over the situation. King Saul and his men must have been hiding and praying that God shows up in their situation. Most times what God has done and concluded through prayer will require that a man also step out to start talking over the situation. God will not confirm his word written in the Bible over your life but his word in the Bible that we speak out and declare by faith and as prompted by the Spirit. (Mark 16:20). Most times when we are waiting for God to do something God himself is waiting for us to take a step of faith. Steps of faith begins with word declarations.
PRAYER:
Your word fills my heart Lord and flows from my lips daily.
LEARN MORE: Joshua 1:8
Monday 28th February, 2022
Monday 28th February, 2022
RIGHT IMITATION
Text: “That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promise.” Heb 6:12
There will always be someone who had gone ahead of you to do the things you want to do. It’s scriptural for us to follow such individuals. These are people that are so clear to us that through faith and patience they inherited the promises. We are not talking about people who have gotten to where they got to by crooked means.
In August 2005 God said to me “the making of a man is a process, it takes place as a man follows those who are already made; therein lies your making in life, you can never be smarter than that”.
While we are working on ourselves and discovering God’s unique place for our lives, we can imitate others positively.
What are we to imitate?
1. Imitate a lifestyle of absolute commitment to God.
2. Imitate a life that is purpose driven.
3. Imitate a life that is focused on changing lives and establishing destinies.
4. Imitate a life of faith that does not give up on anything.
5. Imitate a life of tireless input to grow and improve in our individual’s areas of calling.
6. Imitate a life driven by God based characters and not just mere charisma.
7. Imitate a selfless life that is always looking for an opportunity to serve.
Look out for people that exhibit any of these and begin to pattern your life after them. In this sense the imitation will be right. If you have people around you that exhibit the opposite of this virtues avoid them because life is contagious. If you spend time with them you’ll end up learning their ways.
PRAYER:
Lord help me to imitate the right people and to be purpose driven in life.
LEARN MORE: Phil 4:9
Sunday 27th February, 2022
Sunday 27th February, 2022
HOLY AND ACCEPTABLE
Text: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”Rom 12:1
In the Old Testament animals were offered unto God as sacrifices. But they were offered dead. Once they are offered the person offering them gives them over to God. God does not require those sacrifices again. Jesus has been offered once for all to God on our behalf. What God requires today is that each one of us offer ourselves to him today as living sacrifices.
We are offering ourselves to be used of God as vessels unto honour. Qualified for the master’s use. God can use anything, but the degree of usage will be determined by the quality of our vessels.
Holiness is a must if we are going to carry divine virtues into our generation. God is still on the lookout for men and women like Joseph and Daniel who will not allow the temporary pleasures of this world to stain their garments. Sin reduces our capacity to function in God’s determined end for our lives. The purposes of God are frustrated on the altar of impurity. Samson was anointed to the teeth right from the womb. It was purely a matter of divine placement, but for him to keep carrying that unction he had to live holy. We cannot continue in sin and ask the grace of God to abound. Sin frustrates the grace of God. None of us can function outside the grace of God. Grace is our secret access to life. We are saved by it and we also become everything else by it.
This is a life that is acceptable to God. We can come to God with all our sinfulness. But once we have come we must be cleaned up and go on to sin no more.
PRAYER:
Lord thank you for the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus. I declare that sin shall no longer have dominion over me.
LEARN MORE: John 8:1-11, Rom 6:1-14
Saturday 26th February, 2022
Saturday 26th February, 2022
DISTINGUISHED IN LIFE
Text: “And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king enquired of them, he found them ten times better...” Dan 1:20
I strongly believe that one major end that God has determined for our lives is that we’ll become distinguished in whatever area of life we find ourselves. You will find this common trend in the life of every one that walked with God in the bible. It seems to me that this is the automatic end of everyone that walked with God.
To be distinguished means to be exceptional. It means to rise to the peak of what God called us to do and be the best we were created to be.
Abraham became for us a model of a life of faith. That is a name we must always refer to any time the subject of faith is mentioned. We cannot really learn faith until we have studied the life of Abraham. When it comes to living a life of faith Abraham was distinguished.
Joseph was extremely hated by his brothers all because he had a dream of doing something great with his life. Despite all the ill treatment he went through he ended up distinguished in life. He became the second in command in a strange land. He got a political post he never contested for.
David was distinguished among all his brethren. He was the least qualified in terms of physique among his brothers, but the hand of God distinguished him.
Daniel became ten times better than all his colleagues. There was an unmistakable hand of God on his life.
If you look closely at all these lives you’ll notice that each of them had an intimate walk with God. They were not casual with God. They were open and proud about their relationship with God. These people obeyed God in very extreme conditions.
I see you distinguished in life, standing out everywhere you go.
PRAYER:
Lord help me to walk closely with you more than ever before. I declare that my commitment to you is total and final.
LEARN MORE: Gen 41:37-44, Duet 28:1-2
Friday 25th February, 2022
Friday 25th February, 2022
CULTURED LIFE
Text: “Blessed are thou. O land, when thy King is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness.” Ecc 10:17
In societies where the royal family is highly valued and respected there are some established way of life that everyone expects of the King, the Queen and even the princes and princesses. Right from birth they are trained and cultured to behave in a particular way. They are trained to dress in a particular way and carry themselves in a particular way. There are places they don’t go to. All these are because they occupy a leadership position that must be above reproach.
I strongly believe that as believers we are made as kings and priests, the influence of God’s word and the outworking of the Holy Spirit in our lives should “culture” our lives. We are not talking about a
“restricted” life, but rather a life in which you are built and positioned to live a life that is respected and above reproach. A life in which you can be a positive influence on others.
1. There are places you should not be found. The scripture talks about sitting in the seat of the scornful. Wherever your integrity will be questioned is a wrong place to be.
2. There are relationships you should never attempt to enter. It will be completely out of place if you are dating an unbeliever. What agreement has light with Darkness? How can Christ fellowship with Belial. What an odd combination.
3. There is a way you shouldn’t dress. Your dressing speaks volumes about you. It will be difficult to see that you are representing Christ when your sensitive parts are exposed.
4. There are things you wouldn’t do not because they are wrong per se, but because you are royalty.
CONFESSION:
I live a life of royalty. I am disciplined.
LEARN MORE:1 Corinth 6:12, 2 Corinth 6:14-18
Thursday 24th February, 2022
Thursday 24th February, 2022
END DETERMINED
Text: “Declaring the end from the beginning...” Isa 46:10 (Read all)
God has determined the end of your life even before it began. God operates by first of all determining the end and then come to the beginning to work towards the end he had determined. This determined end is also what we refer to as God’s ultimate purpose for our lives. In other for us to arrive at his determined end for our lives God did the following:
1. He actually supervised our making in our mother’s womb. He had to shape us is such a way that will fit in to his determined end for our lives. He made sure that he packaged into us every material and potential we’ll require to achieve his ultimate end for our lives.
2. He actually decided the womb that carried us. He knew that our parents had the right genetic combination that we’ll need to be what he wanted us to be. We were fearfully and wonderfully made using the combination of our parents. Even children that were products of rape were divinely put together for a determined end. The process was a mistake, but the child was not.
3. God made sure we were born in the right village, town or city. It may not be the best place you would have decided to be born. The reality is that nobody on the face of the earth was consulted to decide where they will be born. It therefore means that in your place of birth are lessons and ingredients that you will require for your ultimate end in life.
Let’s conclude today by saying that each one of us is perfect for God’s ultimate end for our lives. We must cooperate with God to see his determined end for our lives come to pass. Every step we take in God’s purpose will take us towards his determined end for our lives.
CONFESSION:
My life is divinely orchestrated. I function daily in God’s purpose for my life.
LEARN MORE: Ps 139:13-18, Jer 29:11
Online Counselling: +2347037412372
Wednesday 23rd February, 2022
Wednesday 23rd February, 2022
BE DIFFERENT
Text: “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you” 2 Corinth 6:17
Standing in life and becoming all we are required to be will be extremely difficult if you have to blend with your environment. There is an ungodly demand on our lives today that will automatically hinder the purpose of God for our lives if we blend with it.
You cannot be a part of a problem you are meant to solve. Wherever we find ourselves in life we are meant to represent God there, we are supposed to stand out there and be someone that can point others to God. A decision to be different in a positive sense is a decision to be used of God in that sphere of influence that you find yourself.
Your value system must be different. What seems important to you must be different from the unbelieving world. If that is not the case you’ll realize that your choices and decisions will be exactly like unbelievers around you.
Your goals and pursuits in life must be different. For so many people their highest goals are just to feed themselves and dress smarter in the latest fashion in town. Your goals in life should include discovering God’s purpose for your life and walking in the centre of God’s will for your life. Living your life this way will mark you for great things in life.
You must be different in your commitment to God. For so many commitments to God is shallow and partial. Most commitments to God are for selfish reasons. Daniel made a commitment to God that was total and final. There was no way he could have survived without praying to God. The three Hebrew boys were ready to die for what they believed.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I declare my freedom from everything that is unclean.
LEARN MORE: Dan 1:8, Dan 6:6-10
Tuesday 22nd February, 2022
Tuesday 22nd February, 2022
FATE OR FAITH 2
Text: “Go, and say to Hezekiah, thus saith the LORD...I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years.” Isa 38:5
The circumstances of life can change. We don’t have to accept the verdict of men as final. We are not victims but victors over life. We have a say over life. God’s word is our say over life. We can change situations to conform to the eternal revealed will of God for our lives. Each one of us has a role to play in becoming all God wants us to become. Don’t just fold you arms in surrender. It can never be over with you. The Jews were in Egypt for so many years. But it was not over with them. How long you have had the challenge is not a problem to God provided you will agree with him and take a stand of faith and not a stand of fate.
Hezekiah was told by God he was going to die. He could have just given up to God; I can do nothing about it. But he realised it was up to him too. Whatever we permit on earth, heaven permits. Whatever we refuse on earth heaven refuse also. He turned his face to the wall and made a case with God. God sent his prophet to get back to him to tell him fifteen more years had been added to him. This is a clear indication that we don’t have to live our lives by fate but by faith. Fate accepts whatever happens as final, Faith changes whatever happens to what it should be. Fate paralyses while faith motivates.
We are not told how old Jabez was when he called upon God. But he realised that though it was not his fault that he was called “sorrow”, he knew he could change the situation. If he had kept quiet he would have remained like that forever.
In these two cases the men called upon God. They made a demand on heaven on the change they desired and God responded.
PROPHECY:
I see a major change taking place in your life in the next seven days. I see a major door of favour opening for you. I see you doing things that would have taken you seven years to do.
LEARN MORE: 1 Chron 4:9-10, Isa 38:1-5
Online Counselling: +2347037412372
Monday 21st February, 2022
Monday 21st February, 2022
FATE OR FAITH
Text: “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven .” Matt 16:19
I want to ask you to make a decision today to live your life by fate or by faith. The difference between the two is as heaven is higher than the earth.
Fate is an attitude that says “whatever will be, will be”. It’s an attitude that gives up the control of life to circumstances. Sometimes we even make it look so religious; if God wants me to be healed I will be healed, if God wants me to get married I will be married. That sounds religious but it’s not a perfect revelation of scripture. It’s established already in scripture that the will of God is that we prosper and be in health. Having this kind of mind-set is leaving our lives to chances. Fate is leaving our lives to chances. It’s a display of a shallow understanding of the ways of God. Can you imagine Moses saying to the Israelites “If God wants us to leave Egypt he will go and talk to Pharaoh for us”? They would have all died in Egypt. After God had called Moses it was up to him to face Pharaoh and use the rod he was given. God has given us his word and his promises; it’s no longer up to God, but up to what we do with what he has given us.
Living by faith is a life of active partnership with God. Agreeing with God to see the required changes we desire in life. God has handed over to us the keys of the kingdom. What we permit on earth is what heaven permits, what we refuse on earth are what heaven refuses. Abraham did not just fold his arms waiting for his child to come. He was strong in faith, he was busy declaring God’s word and giving glory to God.
Get active with God you have a right to stop the devil in his tracks; his time is over around your life. I see your baby coming forth; I enforce the release of your miracle.
CONFESSION:
With God in me my life is under control. My miracles are released today. Good things are lined up for me.
LEARN MORE: Job 22:28-29, 1 John 3:8
Sunday 20th February, 2022
Sunday 20th February, 2022
ZERO LIFE 2
Text: “And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.” 1 Corinth 13:3
What is the essence of doing so much, making so much sacrifice and at the end of it all there is no reward for it. That is what our anchor scripture today is saying. “It profitheth me nothing” in the KJV language. When these virtues are displayed they are done merely for the outward display. They can only attract rewards when they are borne out of a heart of love – which is the highest form of character.
Character is the inward disposition of an individual. This is the real person that shows up under pressure. A man can pretend for so long just to attract the applause of men, but his real character is what he does under pressure. A man’s character is how he responds under provocation. If we can maintain the same posture when we want to impress others and when under pressure then a great character is in the making.
The only thing that makes our efforts of highest quality is when they are done out of love. This is the only thing that will never fail; anything else can fail or end (1 Cor 13:8). God is asking us today to do an audit of our lives in the light of scriptures to be sure that we are not just wasting our efforts with no eternal value. Whatever is done with no eternal value is useless.
Love is never envious of other people’s achievement or prominence; it recognises the hand of God on other people and celebrates God with them and for them. An attitude of rudeness towards other people is completely stepping out of love – it’s a display of a very shallow character. Self-seeking tendencies are traits of a life that is character deficient. People of great character see beyond their own immediate needs. People of great character are extremely humble; you can read it in their words and actions.
PRAYER:
Lord my heart is open to walk in love. I will serve you profitably with proofs to show for it.
LEARN MORE: 1 Corinth 13:4-5, 1 John 4:7-12
Saturday 19th February, 2022
Saturday 19th February, 2022
ZERO LIFE
Text: “And though I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.” 1 Corinth 13:2
Recently the Spirit of God impressed upon me this word “Zeal without character is zero”. Zeal is something that is outwardly displayed; everybody can see that you have desire for the things of God. With zeal you can move mountains, but all that without character is zero. The Bible calls it “nothing”.
Gift of prophecy talks about the ability to speak forth the word of God powerfully, with the manifestations of speaking specifically to the issues of life. Understanding all mysteries like Daniel is something everybody will desire to have in display in their life. Daniel literally became a mystery to the king and the people. Having all knowledge means you can quote the bible front and backward. You have read all major books written by the best authors in the body of Christ. Having all faith means you can dare the impossible and achieve the unimaginable.
From our anchor scripture if you can do all these and you don’t have love, it’s a complete waste. This is the evaluation of a life that has no character. It does not matter what people say about you or how many hands are clapping for you, it’s zero. Nothing means zero. It does not impress God in any way. It does not demand heaven’s reward.
Love is the highest display of character. This is a description of the ability to walk in patience towards other people. Love is learning to treat people the way God will treat them. Love is having the capacity to absorb the insult of men without reacting to them in the same way....! These traits make you something.
PRAYER:
Lord open the eyes of my understanding today to walk in the reality of what I just learnt.
LEARN MORE: 1 Cor 13:1- 8
Friday 18th February, 2022
Friday 18th February, 2022
TRAINING GROUND 3
Text: “And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and looked upon them, and, behold they were sad.” Gen 40:6
We could have said that it was easy for Joseph to go through those experiences because he knew this was training for him. Nobody told him it was training. It was completely an informal training. He just did what was right to do. The training that prepares us for destiny may not necessarily come formal with time of resumption, exam time tables and day of graduation. If this was the case it will be easy for everyone to recognise it and stay through it. This is where the challenge is. The training for destiny comes unannounced. We are exposed to people and various circumstances that are meant to train us and prepare us for our destiny.
The following attitudes will help us to make the most of every opportunity for training.
1. Don’t take for granted the privileges you have today. In every privilege is a seed of a tomorrow. Where you are is the best place to start the journey to where you are going. The days of little beginnings are the bedrock for a greater tomorrow God has prepared for us.
2. Learn to treat people right in your path in life. The servants that Joseph met in the prison were the ones that introduced him to Pharoah. Joseph could have said this are mere servant, what can they offer? He was so kind with them. He understood the importance of relationships. Someone that has no relationship with man that he could see will also miss out so much with God.
3. Be willing to serve and make your contribution anywhere and in any circumstance. It could just be that someone that will introduce you to the next level of your life is around.
PRAYER:
Lord open my eyes to recognise the training moments.
LEARN MORE: Zech 4:10, 1 John 4:20
Thursday 17th February, 2022
Thursday 17th February, 2022
TRAINING GROUND 2
Text: “And the Lord was with Joseph....and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.” Gen 39:2
We’ll continue today from where we stopped yesterday. Joseph went through a proper and complete training as a result of all the experiences he went through.
In the house of Potiphar he went through the training of how to manage the business of another man. He became like the administrator (overseer) in that house. This was the first time any assignment will be committed into his hand. He did his assignments so well that the master commended him for it. He also learnt in the house of Potiphar how to separate frivolous pleasure from destiny.
He was unjustly thrown in the prison and even there his training in administration continued there. God used these circumstances to train him for his destiny. Because his movement was restricted in the prison he learnt solitude with God and in that process he realised he could interpret dreams. There was no account of ever interpreting dreams until he got to the prison. It was this same gift he discovered in the prison that took him to the throne. He also met the man who introduced him to Pharaoh in the prison.
If you study the life of Joseph carefully you’ll notice that the same job of administration that he did in Potiphar’s house and in the prison is the same thing he did eventually as a second in command in the Palace. He simply did it at another high level.
The truth is that your life will become exactly five or ten years from now what you are presently doing with your life. The “present” of your life is your training time. If you are wasting today waiting for the big break to come you will suddenly realise that the big break never showed up because you are not prepared for it.
PRAYER:
Lord help me by your Spirit to be prepared for what you have prepared for me in life. Help me never to miss any training required for the top.
LEARN MORE: Gen 39:4, 1 Corinth 9:24-27
Online Counselling: +2347037412372
Wednesday 16th February, 2022
Wednesday 16th February, 2022
TRAINING GROUND 1
Text: “Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.” Gen 37:3
The story of Joseph is one of the most inspiring stories for me in the bible. Each time I meditate on his story I seem to learn something new. God has taught me so much from his life.
He went through different levels of challenges in his life. But if you look closely you’ll notice that each of those experiences culminated into what he eventually became in the King’s palace. Each experience was a training ground for him. He was actually a well beloved child by his father. He was more or less a spoilt child.
Everything he needed was made available by his father. Eventually he had a glimpse into God’s ultimate program and purpose for his life. For this to ever come through he needed to live the comfort zone of his biological father. He had to be exposed to situations and circumstances that will develop him on the inside and sharpen his skills to function in the high places. If he had grown up in his father’s house wearing the cloth of many colours he could never have been able to get to the greatest height he got to.
There is someone reading this today, you may not be working where you have always wanted to work, but can you see where you are as a training ground. It’s common for God to first of all expose us to what looks like where we are going, so that by the time we get there we’ll be fully prepared. No matter how much you pray and fast it will still be required that you get trained and prepared for where you are going. This may require that you serve under someone, work for some time with a firm or company, the remuneration may not be perfect, but if you do it right it will prepare you. The current state or station of your life is a training ground. Just as a footballer goes to the field every morning to train go out each day with the same mind-set.
CONFESSION:
God is working in me, preparing me for his ultimate destiny for my life. No challenge is a waste.
LEARN MORE: Gen 14:14
Tuesday 15th February, 2022
Tuesday 15th February, 2022
MOUTH RUDDER
Text: “...Take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise, the tongue...” James 3:4-5 NIV
The rudder or the stirring plays a vital role. It’s very small compared to the size of the ship but plays a vital role. The account in our opening scripture is comparing the human tongue as the rudder. Words plays vital role in our lives. No matter how fierce the storm is the captain of the ship must never lose control of the rudder. With the rudder he gains stability. In the storm of life we must never lose control of our words. It’s the rudder that controls everything.
One major lesson I have learnt in life and still learning
Is that “No matter what is wrong with your life don’t ever be wrong with your words.”
It is so easy to begin to murmur and complain when we are faced with the circumstances of life. The words of our mouth are a major tool in bringing our lives into alignment with God’s ultimate purpose and plans for our lives.
2 Kings 4 describes the story of a Shunammite woman whose only son had died. Naturally speaking the child was gone. It could have been so easy for the woman to start crying and accusing God of what happened. Her approach was “something has gone wrong, but i will not be wrong with my words.” Verse 26 says “Run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her, is it well with thee? Is it well with thy husband? Is it well with the child? And she answered, it is well.” It’s obvious that it was not well. All she did was refuse to allow what was wrong around her to also influence her words.
Keeping your mouth with right words is keeping your life. A right word gives orderliness to your life. “Don’t talk about what is wrong with you, talk about what is right with you.”
PRAYER:
Lord i receive grace to speak in line with your counsels for my life and not in line with the circumstances.
LEARN MORE: Prov 6:2, Prov 21:23
Monday 14th February, 2022
Monday 14th February, 2022
ANGELS WORKING 3
Text: “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” Heb 13:2
One major reason why we share God’s word is to provoke our expectations and our faith as to what God wants to confirm in our lives. When we respond to God’s word in faith in total agreement, we’ll see his word confirmed in our lives.
We’ll conclude our study on angels by looking at a couple of other angelic interventions in scriptures. We are painting the picture of what should happen in your life.
The promise of having a child was hanging on the life of Abraham and Sarah for about 24 years until one day that three men show up at their door steps. Abraham was so hospitable to them. He did not turn them away like some of us would do. He never knew they were angels disguised as men. At their return they declared and enforced the fulfilment God’s word spoken so many years ago. If you are the type that is self-serving and pre-occupied with yourself you’ll miss out on angels disguised as humans. You must learn to honour people on your way in life, because an angel may appear that way one day.
The servant of Abraham was sent on an assignment to get a wife for Isaac. He needed to get it done on time, so his master prayed for an angel to go ahead of him to get it done on time. With angelic interventions our search and journey in life can be fast track.
The Jews were in the wilderness not knowing exactly their way. God sent an angel ahead of them to take them to where he had prepared for them. There is a prepared place for everyone in life; in your prepared place are blessing and miracles waiting for you.
I prophecy over you today that the angels will help you to your prepared place in life.
CONFESSION:
I function in my prepared place in life. Everything I need in life is coming my way speedily.
LEARN MORE: Gen 18:1-10, Gen 24:7, 40, Ex 23:20
Sunday 13th February, 2022
Sunday 13th February, 2022
ANGELS WORKING 2
Text: “Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.” Psalm 103:20
In the account of Daniel and the three Hebrew boys you will notice something common in the angelic intervention that they enjoyed. Dan 3:28 says “...the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, hath sent his angel...” Dan 6:22 also emphasised the same thing “...My God hath sent his angel...” Did you notice that it was not Daniel or the three Hebrew boys that called the name of the angel to come? We don’t have any business calling the names of angels. That may get you into errors. It was God that sent them.
Did you notice again that in each of the cases it was just one angel? Only one is enough to fight any battle for you. We have innumerable company of angels. We have as much as we need for every battle of life. Whether it’s one that works for you or plenty of them are purely God’s discretion.
The question is how do we engage angels to work on our behalf? Angels respond majorly to the word of God. They are deployed in response to God’s word that we declare. Psalm 103:20 says “Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.” Angels actually respond to words. What the three Hebrew boys did was to declare with their words the ability of God to deliver. It was those words that the angels hearkened unto. To “hearken” means to “respond”. Angels respond to the display of confidence in the ability of God and the integrity of his word.
We can also engage angels by sending them forth in the name of Jesus. Everything in heaven, on the earth and underneath the earth responds to the name of Jesus. We can send them to rescue someone, we can send them to bring customers. We can send them to watch over our children as they go to school. Don’t forget that they are serving you, not you serving them.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus we send forth angels today to fight for us and bring blessings our way.
LEARN MORE: Dan 3:16-18, Phil 2:9-11
Saturday 12th February, 2022
Saturday 12th February, 2022
ANGELS WORKING 1
Text: “My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions mouths, that they have not hurt me...” Dan 6:22a
One major provisions of been born in Zion is the privilege of having Angels minister to us. In Zion are innumerable company of Angels (Heb 12:22). Innumerable means uncountable.
Don’t forget that we said being in Zion is being in the secret place of the most high. That applies to us everywhere we find ourselves, not only when we come to church. The Angels of God encamp around us, they are keeping surveillance around our lives 24/7. God gives them charge over us to keep us in all our ways. This is a great security we have in our journeys, in our homes and everywhere we find ourselves.
About twenty years ago I was involved in a ghastly motor accident along with my elder brother and my elder Sister with her little daughter at that time. The car was a complete wreck, how we came out of it alive was a total mystery. The only explanation for it was that the angels took charge over us. The angelic intervention was so real that it took us months before we mentioned it to our parents, because there was no trace of it on us.
The Angels literally shut the mouth of the Lions against Daniel. It was not because the Lions were so nice or had been fed so much the previous night. It suggests to me it’s possible the Lions even tried, but their mouths were shut. The three Hebrew boys were also delivered from the fiery furnace by angelic intervention. Dan 3:28
I strongly believe in the ministering assignment of the Angels. I want to ask you to also believe in it. They are all around. They are not visible but their intervention can be felt on the earth.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus Angels are deployed all around me and in all my ways today.
LEARN MORE: Ps 91:10-12, Heb 1:13-14
Friday 11th February, 2022
Friday 11th February, 2022
BORN IN ZION 2
Text: “And of Zion it shall be said, This and that man was born in her: and the highest himself shall establish her.” Psalm 87:5
When a man is in Christ the man is born in Zion. Zion is actually the description of being in Christ. David prophetically describes it as the “...Secret place of the most high...”Psalm 91:1. In this secret place we are kept under the shadow of the almighty.
As a citizen of Zion glorious things are spoken of us. (Psalm 87:3). There are so much blessings and promises that we are entitled to as citizens of Zion. We are blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places. Included in these blessing are every other blessings that we require in life. Just imagine any blessings you desire, they are included in the spiritual blessings. Spiritual blessings are the highest forms of blessings and the lesser is included in the greater.
In Zion we are partakers of the divine nature. Coded in our spirit is the exact nature of God. We were designed to function exactly like God and experience life at the peak. Available for us here are exceedingly great and precious promises. Nothing in this world can compare with what is available for us in Zion.
Instead of becoming so proud of been an English man, a French man, a Yoruba man or an Igbo man, be proud that you are a Zion man. Be proud that you are a man or woman in Christ. In Zion you are exempted from the corruption that is in this world through lust.
My prayer and desire for you is that you will no longer see yourself according to the standards of this world. You will begin to see yourself as heaven’s representative here. We are here in this world but not of this world. We are here but we are not here. May your eyes of understanding be opened to understand this.
CONFESSION:
We are partakers of the divine nature. We function in the promises and the blessings of God.
LEARN MORE: 2 Pet 1:3-4
Thursday 10th February, 2022
Thursday 10th February, 2022
BORN IN ZION
Text: “But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels.” Heb 12:22
So many of us are so proud of where we were born. In the western part of my country Nigeria there is a special name given to people that are born abroad. Everyone that hears the name and understands the language automatically knows that the person was born abroad. I just wonder why that is necessary. There is no award attached to that.
If we could be proud of been born in a particular place how much more should we be proud that we are born in the city of God; the heavenly Jerusalem. According to scriptures the whole resources of God are located in Zion. This is not an earthly town with a Geographical address.
Everyone that is born again is born in Zion. This is far more important to whatever earthly city you were born. Even if where you were born does not exist on the map all the same you have an origin that is far better than the richest city in the whole world. We are told that Abraham was actually looking for this city, that had foundation, whose builder and maker is God. He was not just going to Canaan, he knew there was something better than this world could offer any man (Heb 11:9-10). This was not a physical city, but a heavenly one.
In Zion there are innumerable company of angels watching over us. In Zion the spirit of just men are monitoring our sojourn on the earth, we also have them as a pattern to know how to go about our lives here on earth. Their pattern of faith and the victory they experienced is a motivation for us today. In Zion the blood of Jesus is speaking loudly on our lives. That blood is an impenetrable force around us. Don’t be shy to tell everyone you know “I am from Zion.”
CONFESSION:
I am born in Zion. My origin is in God. I function from a realm that is above this world.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 87:1-7
Wednesday 9th February, 2022
Wednesday 9th February, 2022
ESTABLISHED ON THE THRONE
Text: “And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:6
When an earthly King is enthroned it has nothing to do with the type of chair he sits. He may have a particular seat that is called the throne, but we must realise that even when he travels far away from where the physical seat is located, the man is still enthroned.
The throne is not just a chair, it’s an authority conferred on a man. He exercises that authority wherever he goes. We are enthroned together with Christ. Jesus came to the world as the Lamb of God to be slain for our sins. After his resurrection he ascended up to be sited at the right hand of the father as Kings of kings. He is no longer on the cross but on the throne. The cross was not an end in itself but a means to an end. The ultimate purpose for the cross was to give us access to the throne.
The scripture clearly reveals that as he is so are we in this world. We are enthroned as Kings and priest on the earth today. The authority of Christ is invested on our lives today. We function by the authority invested in the name of Jesus. In that name everything and everyone bows. He gave us his name as our staff of authority. The name of Jesus is everything to us.
When you walk in for a business transaction function from the throne. When you are going for a job interview function from the throne. When you are faced with the issues of life don’t respond like a victim, respond like someone in absolute command. Enthroned people don’t panic, they simply issue command. Nothing can work against you. You are in command. Please don’t fold your arms in surrender; it can never be over with you.
PRAYER:
Thank you Lord for the cross of Christ that gave me access to the throne. Thank you for the authority of Christ invested in my life.
LEARN MORE: Phil 2:9-11, 1 John 4:17
Tuesday 8th February, 2022
Tuesday 8th February, 2022
MADE US SIT!
Text: “And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:6
The word “us” was repeated twice in this Bible verse. This clearly reveals that this scripture is referring to us, as many of us that are born again.
Everything that Christ did and went through was actually done on our behalf. As far as God is concerned we were involved along with Christ. We were crucified with him, we were buried with him. When he rose up from the grave we rose up together. (Gal 2:20, Rom 6:4)
In the scripture above you’ll notice again that the word “together” was mentioned twice. Jesus did nothing alone; he did all together with us.
Jesus is seated, he is no longer fighting. He went down to hell to fight the battle once and for all. He took the keys from the Devil. Now he’s operating from the seat of glory, the seat of dominion. He’s completely functioning from the point of rest.
We are seated together with him. We should also approach life from the point of rest and assurance. We are no longer fighting to win. We have won already. All we should be doing is enforcing the reality of Christ’s victory on the cross. If there is a fight to be engaged in at all it’s the fight of faith. This simply means enforcing the reality of our place in Christ from the place of rest. We won the fight before it began.
Made to sit together with Christ far above principalities and powers. We are far above whatever the devil could ever put together against us. We are far above failure, far above sickness and disease. We have gone far beyond the circumstances of this world. I want to encourage you today to think and talk this way. Nothing is beyond you in life. You’re sited in power with Christ. We are settled in the place of rest.
CONFESSION:
I am far above the circumstances of this world. I occupy the same seat with Christ in the heavens.
LEARN MORE: Eph 1:20-21
Monday 7th February, 2022
Monday 7th February, 2022
JUSTIFIED IN HIS NAME
Text: “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.” 1 Corinth 6:11
The level of confidence we have as believers has a lot to do with our understanding of what Jesus did for us. His sacrifice means so much that it will take the whole eternity to explore them. The higher our level of confidence the greater our ability to confront the issues of life. The devastating effect of religion is that it gives us an impression that we have to keep struggling to make God accepts us. Human effort can never please God. No amount of rituals can appease God.
Justified means that we are discharged and acquitted from all charges in the past and in the future. It literally means there has never been a record of wrong doings against. We no longer have any record of sin. If you don’t see yourself this way the devil will always have something against you. Please read the following scriptures with me “And by him (Jesus) all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. Acts 13:39.
Did you notice that the scripture we just quoted above said “...All that believe are JUSTIFIED FROM ALL THINGS...” Please think about it for a moment. God is not holding anything against you again. The worst sins were taken care of by the blood of Jesus. The efficacy of the blood of Jesus is more powerful than the worst sin of humanity.
Please declare with me “I am washed, I am sanctified, I am justified.” This is a complete package to make us all we were born to be. Now we are free to fulfil purpose and walk in God’s best for our lives. The Devil has no more grounds to operate around your life.
CONFESSION:
I am justified from all things. There are no more sins in my record. My record is full of the goodness of Jesus.
LEARN MORE: Rom
Sunday 6th February, 2022
Sunday 6th February, 2022
SANCTIFIED BY GOD AND FOR GOD
Text: “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.” 1 Corinth 6:11
The second emphasis in the scripture above talks about been sanctified. This scripture also explains to us one major thing that has taken place in our lives by coming to Christ. We are sanctified. It is done already.
To be sanctified means to be set apart. In this case we are set apart to God and for God. In the Old Testament vessels of worship were anointed with oil as a way of sanctifying them for the service and use in the temple. Once they are sanctified this way they can no longer be used for any other purpose other than the purpose of which they were sanctified. Aaron was also sanctified this way (Leviticus 8:10-12). The people and the vessels were separated unto God this way.
Set apart unto God means that your life can no longer be used for any other purpose other than God’s purpose. We are set apart for holy purposes. We are set apart from the sea of humanity to be carriers of divine virtues and assignments.
There are two forms of sanctification as it relates to the new creation. There is a sanctification that is progressive as we expose our hearts to God’s word. The word of God purifies our hearts and sets it apart for God (John 17:17). What we are dealing with today is actually the second form which is done already. All that is required is for each one of us to come to its understanding and begin to walk in the reality of it. The progressive sanctification is possible only because the instantaneous one has taken place. Heb 10:10 says “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
CONFESSION:
I carry divine virtues within me. I am on God’s assignment on the earth. God’s purpose is been established on the earth through me
LEARN MORE: Heb 10:14
Saturday 5th February, 2022
Saturday 5th February, 2022
WASHED BY GOD
Text: “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.” 1 Corinth 6:11
The two previous verses before the verse quoted above explains to us a list of vices that are ungodly and unacceptable to God. If you read these scriptures closely you’ll notice that it was not the description of the life of a believer. It was the life we lived before we met Christ. Now that we are born again the bible says “We are washed, sanctified and justified...”
Our focus is on the “...WASHED...”, from here you will notice that it’s not something that will happen in the future. “...WASHED...” means already done. If you eat with a set of plates in your house and you take them to the water tap for washing, once you are through with the process do you expect to still find the dirt on the plates?
Absolutely no. We were washed by the blood of Jesus. It was a washing that took place in our spirit. The power and the effects of sin were completely taken off our spirit.
Salvation is not a product of how much effort we exerted. It’s based on the complete work of Christ on the cross. Titus 3:5 says “He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” (NIV)
There is no amount of water that can wash a man clean from sin. Sin is not an outward thing but an inner one. The blood of Jesus has completely washed us clean. One major problem with the Pharisees was that they were only concerned with been clean outwardly. So many things were done religiously to make man clean and acceptable to God. This was grossly inadequate. But in Christ we are washed clean.
CONFESSION:
I am washed clean by the blood of Jesus. My spirit is free from the power and effects of sin. I am clean.
LEARN MORE: Matt 23:27-28, Heb 9:13-14
Friday 4th February, 2022
Friday 4th February, 2022
YOU ARE NOT YOUR OWN
Text: “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own” 1 Corinth 6:19
God created everybody on the face of the earth but he does not claim ownership over everybody. After the fall of man in Eden the right of God’s ownership was given to the Devil. Man literally became subject to him and a slave to sin.
Jesus came as the second Adam to completely reverse what was done after the fall of man. His blood was the ultimate price that was paid to redeem us back to God. 1 Corinth 6:20 says “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
The scripture stated clearly that “...You are not your own”. In order words we don’t own ourselves. God owns us. He has a right over our lives. The Devil and everything that represent him has no more rights over our lives. God’s stamp of ownership is on our lives by the presence of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives.
This is so beautiful because if we are left to ourselves we’ll destroy ourselves. The best way we can make the most of our lives is to allow God to completely take his rightful place in our lives. We cannot live anymore as owners of ourselves. We’re claiming ownership over ourselves if we still do whatever we want and go wherever we want. It will be difficult to walk in God’s perfect will for our lives this way. Allow God to have his way and you’ll have your way too in life.
Glorify God in your body and spirit which are God’s. When this happens we’ll allow God to display and express his glory in us and through us. The glory of God will then flow in us and through us for the whole world to see.
CONFESSION:
I belong to God; he paid the price for my freedom. My spirit and body are available for him to use.
LEARN MORE: 2 Corinth 5:15
Thursday 3rd February, 2022
Thursday 3rd February, 2022
MEMBERS OF CHRIST
Text: “Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.” 1 Corinth 12:27
So many people belong to different clubs, community based associations and professional groups which they are very proud of. So much time, energy and resources are spent to stay loyal to these groups. The underline motive behind such loyalty is the benefits that people derive from such groups.
None of these diverse groups can compare with the value and benefits of belonging to the body of Christ. We are members of the most powerful group on the face of the earth. Our greatest pride and confidence should be that we are members of Christ.
We partake of the benefits of this body by understanding what Christ stood for. The scripture explains clearly to us that Christ was the image of the invisible God. Christ was the full expression of God on the earth. The fullness of God was domiciled in him. Jesus declared to his disciples he that has seen him has seen the father. He was God in the human flesh. We have the fullness of God in us as members of his body.
The scripture also reveals to us that the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are found in Christ. This talk about the firsthand and the most authentic information that is required to succeed and function in life is found in Christ. This is also available to us as members of Christ. Everything you need to function and succeed in life is available to you as a member of Christ.
We must become so proud and excited about our membership of the body of Christ. That is the highest, greatest and the most influential group we can belong to.
CONFESSION:
As a member of Christ I have the fullness of God in me. The wisdom, knowledge and resources found in Christ are also available to me.
LEARN MORE: Col 1:19, Col 2:2-3, 9
Wednesday 2nd February, 2022
Wednesday 2nd February, 2022
THE FIRSTBORN 2
Text: “And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.” Colossians 1:18
The subject of Jesus Christ being the firstborn is repeated in this scripture above just as we mentioned yesterday. His life is a practical example for us of what our lives should be. The anchor scripture yesterday talks about being conformed to the image of Christ.
The image of Christ is supposed to be our image today. Whatever is found in Christ is found in us. Whatever Christ is known for is what we should be known for. We have taken his identity. The sacrifice of Christ on the cross is such that he took our place so that we can take his place. He therefore becomes the head while we are the body. The head and the body are inseparable. Whatever runs in the head is what is found in the body. If the head is going somewhere the entire body automatically follows. Where the head is found is where the body will be found. Where Christ is we are.
This is so significant because as believers we don’t have a life that is separate from Christ; we are joined in vital union. We should not have anything less than what he had. Our experiences should exactly be like his own. Whatever was not found in Christ is illegal in our lives. Failure was not found in Christ, it should never be found in us. If it ever happened to us it’s just an event, it can never be final, and it should never define us. Jesus was never stranded, there was always a way out for him. He had answers to the most difficult questions of life.
His image is your image; his identity is your own. How I pray that you will see yourself exactly like Christ is. He is the firstborn in our family, the family of God.
CONFESSION:
My life is exactly like the life of Christ. His identity has become my identity.
LEARN MORE: Col 1:15
Tuesday 1st February, 2022
Tuesday 1st February, 2022
THE FIRSTBORN 1
Text: “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” Romans 8:29
The phrase “...Many Brethren” in the scripture above refers to the entire members of the body of Christ. Every child of God is included. Just as we have the first, second or third born in a family so also Jesus is recognized as the firstborn among many brethren. The bible did not tell us who is second, third or fourth born. All we know is that Jesus is the first. Every other person after Jesus are simply brethren.
The implications of this are so much. That is the focus of this devotional today. The firstborn simply means the prototype, the example, the pattern. Jesus came first in the new creation to help us know what our lives should be like. He came to demonstrate for us what is possible and obtainable for us as believers. Whatever was possible with Jesus is possible with us also. Whatever he could do we can also do. Whatever he had we could also have.
He was absolutely in command of the circumstances of life. He had challenges, the Pharisees and the Sadducees did everything possible to destroy him but he did not go down for it. He emerged a victor over every scheme of the enemy. The elements of life reared their heads at him but he was in charge. The wind and the waves obey him.
Jesus came to bring us into the same experience. In practical terms we can walk in dominion, victory, success and triumph. As he is so are we in this world. We are the extension of his life on earth.
I decree over you that in this new month you will walk in dominion, you will experience absolute victory over every challenge of life.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I decree and declare that the victory of Jesus is finding expression in my life.
LEARN MORE: 1 John 4:17
Monday 31st January, 2022
Monday 31st January, 2022
CIRCUMCISED FOCUS 2
Text: “My soul, wait thou only upon God, for my expectations is from him.” Psalm 62:5
Let’s hear the words of David again: He’s a typical example of a man with a circumcised focus in life. Psalm 20:7 “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.
When a man becomes the sole focus of your life you can never rise beyond such individuals. Whatever such people did not do will remain undone in your life. Where their help stops is where your journey ends. God will use a man but does not expect us to put our trust in a man. When you put your confidence in man it will block your focus on God and prevents you from seeing clearly what God is doing and provided. It usually results in heartbreaks when expectations are disappointed. Unnecessary demand can be placed on us that is contrary to our peace and faith. It attracts divine judgment. God doesn’t share his glory with any man. Jeremiah 17:5-6
Circumcised focus implies there are people, places and pursuits we must cut off. At a young age I had to cut off certain magazines and novels to help me focus on God. There are films you must cut off to see clearly God’s visions for your life. No man has the capacity to become your source in life. The best of men are a channel and not a source. Don’t waste your focus on them. Whatever you focus on will dominate your life and determine the outcome of your life. The size of the challenges of life can never compare to the size of your God. The size of your problems cannot compare with the reality of his promise over your life. Whatever you focus on you give life to. Your focus is a life giving process. The focus of your mind will determine the direction of your life.
God gave us his word to become the central focus of our lives. It has to become the centre stage of our convictions, confidence and commitments (Prov 4:20-22, Isa 26:3). God’s word will circumcise your focus in life. It will help you to define, refine and realign our focus.
2022 CONFESSION
I set my focus on God. I refuse to see the shadows.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 34:5, Matthew 6:22
Sunday 30th January, 2022
Sunday 30th January, 2022
CIRCUMCISED FOCUS 1
Text: “I will lift up my eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1-2
This scripture is a major secret behind the extraordinary victory in the life of David. There is a popular saying that if you look at the sun you cannot see the shadow. We must be able to define, refine and realign our focus in life. “I will lift up my eyes unto….”simply means focus or source of expectations in life. If your focus in life is wrong then your life will also go in the wrong direction. If your source of expectations in life is limited so also the extent to which you can go in life will also be limited. Whatever defines your source of expectations will also determine how far you can go in life.
Circumcised focus simply means the ability to cut off dependence on sources that are a distractions in life.
Circumcised focus also means the ability to focus on what has eternal value and contributing to God’s ultimate destiny for our lives
Circumcised focus means cutting off every allegiance or trust in people and places that have taken over God’s place in our lives.
There are people, places and pursuits that have literally taken God’s place over so many lives. For some the challenges of life have completely taken over their lives. King Saul and his men were so focused on the size of Goliath that they could not even move an inch. They were so focused on the wrong thing that they lost sight of God. When you focus on what is wrong you will lose sight of what is right. If you focus on trivialities you will lose sight of what is important.
We must make God and his word the central focus of our lives. We must be honest with ourselves to really see what has taken over our focus in life.
2022 CONFESSION:
Lord I declare that you are my everything. You are my strength and anchor in the midst of the storms.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 34:4-8, Isaiah 40:29-31
Saturday 29th January, 2022
Saturday 29th January, 2022
SETTLED IN GOD’S FINAL SAY
Text: “Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not?” Phil 4:17
Only God has the final say on your life and not a mortal man no matter how powerful they are. The Spirit of God is taking us in this direction today. You have to understand this and be settled conveniently in it. It will give you rest from so much anxiety. In the journey of life you will come across certain people whose words will mean so much to you. It could be the words of an elderly sibling, the words of our parents, the words of a college professor, the words of a senior colleague at work or the words of a physician. The list can go on and on. As important and relevant their words could be their words are not final over our lives except it’s in agreement with God’s eternal counsels for our lives.
We must be able to differentiate between what God is saying and what a man is saying. God can speak through a man but that doesn’t necessarily mean everyone speaking is speaking the mind of God concerning our lives. You will live under the control and manipulations of men if you don’t understand this difference. Anyone is free to say whatever they want but you are also free to determine what you accept.
The Physicians had spoken over the woman with the issue of blood. For twelve long years they had managed her condition and she wasn’t getting better. Their final word would have been incurable, hopeless and terminal. They were experts and could have spoken based on their limited medical knowledge. In the midst of this negative conclusions this woman still had a ray of hope. She heard of Jesus and came behind him in the press. She knew deep in her heart that only God has the final say.
There is no hopelessness in God. Anything or anyone that speaks hopelessness is not from God. There is no defeat in God. It may be rough and it may be tough but we are more than a conqueror. That’s God’s final say over our lives.
2021 CONFESSION:
I choose to believe God. I choose to agree with his final word over my life. I’m a success, I’m the best of my kind God ever made and I have his grace at work in me.
LEARN MORE: Rom 8:35-29
Friday 28th January, 2022
Friday 28th January, 2022
Friday 28th January, 2022
SETTLED IN GOD’S FORGIVENESS
Text: “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.” Eph 1:7
One of the major strategy of the devil is to keep us guilty of sins and mistakes of the past. This will prevent our faith from growing and becoming stable in God. The power of God’s forgiveness is stronger than our sins. As a believer God is not looking for my mistakes. My sins are completely forgiven. The debts of my past has been settled. Every one of us must settled down in this settled counsel of God for our lives. If this is not settled in your life then your faith in God will remain week.
The life of a believer should be governed by the word of God and not what our feelings suggests. There are times you will feel saved and other times you will feel condemned. As long as we keep doubting the certainty of God’s forgiveness we’ll not be able to fully express our full fledge rights in Christ. God’s forgiveness isn’t based on how we feel but what his word said. Not only has God forgiven us he also promised not to remember our sins again. They no longer exist in his record. Men may have it in their record but not God’s record. Here is what God said “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.” Heb 8:12
David at a point in his life committed adultery and murder. He cried to God for mercy and forgiveness then he received it. Let’s hear his personal understanding of God’s forgiveness. “Blessed the Lord, O my soul and forget not his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities.” Psalm 103:2-3. In another place he said “If you Lord will mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with you, that you may be feared. Psalm 130:3-4. When we come with a broken heart in repentance God will always forgive us.
2022 CONFESSION:
There is no longer any record of sin against me. The blood of Jesus purchased my forgiveness. I’m free from guilt.
LEARN MORE: 1 John 1:9-10
Thursday 27th January, 2022
Thursday 27th January, 2022
NEVER A VICTIM MINDSET
Text: “And Caleb still the people before Moses, and said. Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.” Numbers 13:30
Today God sent me to let you know that you are not a victim but a victor in life. This is another fundamental reality of the life of a new creation. He’s never a victim but a victor over every life situation. Before any battle ever shows up we are already declared as a victor. From the book of Genesis to revelation just mention anyone who had challenges in life; you will notice that they all ended victorious as they stayed connected to God and his ward over their lives. Abraham ended as a victor, Joseph ended as a victor, Jabez ended as a victor, Job ended as a victor. The list can go on and on.
There is a group of people who ended up defeated in the Bible and this was basically because they had a victim mentality to life. They completely neglected the possibility of God in their lives and forsook his counsels. The magnitude of their challenges overwhelmed them.
The victim mind-set makes the enemy bigger that the power of God. They saw themselves defeated even before the battle began. The ten men that were sent to spy the Promised Land said “…We be not able to go up against the people; for they stronger than we.” (Numbers 13:31). This is exactly the language of victims. The language of Caleb was different; he knew they were victors. It was settled from the foundation of the earth. Caleb could remember the victories of the past and knew that this won’t be an exemptions.
God sent me to remind you as you step out today that you are not a victim but a victor. The victory of Christ on the cross has been credited to your account. You can make withdraws from that deposit of victory every day. 2022 will be a year of victories for you all the way.
2022 CONFESSION:
The victory of Christ is my victory. My victory is completely settled from the foundation on the earth. I’m never a victim but a victor.
LEARN MORE: Rom 8:37, 1 John 5:4
Wednesday 26th January, 2022
Wednesday 26th January, 2022
SETTLED IN DIVINE PROVISIONS
Text: “According as his divine power hath given unto us ALL THINGS that pertain unto life and godliness….” 2 Peter 1:3
In the days of slavery in Egypt the task masters will ask the Jews to make bricks without giving the raw materials that was required to produce them. This is actually a vivid picture of wickedness. It’s absolutely wrong to demand for what you did not provide for. This became absolutely impossible. It will always be a struggle when demands are made without the corresponding provisions to make it a reality.
However this is not how God operates. Whatever God demands he provides for. The demand is actually because the provisions had been made. Jesus spoke of a fig tree that the owner was expecting to find fruits on it because all that was needed for the tree to produce is already provided. The concern of Jesus was that this tree wasted divine provisions. “Finally, he said to his gardener, I’ve waited three years, and there hasn’t been a single fig! Cut it down its just taking up space in the garden.” Luke 13:7 NLT.
One major barrier to a fruitful life is having a sense of lack, a sense of inadequacy. A sense of I don’t have what it takes. This attitude to life will hinder our productivity and the ability to rise in God’s purpose. It’s very clear from scriptures that God has provided all that we require for life and godliness. 2 Peter 1:3 says “According as his divine power hath given unto ALL THINGS that pertain unto life and godliness…” As far as redemption is concerned we have all it takes to live right and become all that God has ordained for our lives. We must settle in this divine reality. Unlike the task masters God has given us every raw material we need to function in the centre of his will. We must accept this truth by faith and settle in it. God sent Moses to the Pharaoh and gave him the rod. God has given us his word, his Spirit, the name of Jesus and his grace. These are heaven’s provision for our triumph on the earth. We can no longer claim we have nothing. Take advantage of them
2022 CONFESSION:
I’m not empty. I have been equipped by God for my journey of purpose. I have all it takes to go through 2022.
LEARN MORE: Exodus 1:1-11; 4:17
Tuesday 25th January, 2022
Tuesday 25th January, 2022
SETTLED IN THE ABILITY OF GOD
Text: “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Col 1:9
Moses was commissioned by God to go back to Egypt for the liberty of his people. He was going to face the most powerful king on the earth. All of a sudden Moses remembered all his weaknesses. It became more obvious to him that day that he wasn’t good in talking. His weaknesses were obvious and real. He did not hesitate to cry to God for a replacement. However Moses was never expected to do anything in his own strength and ability. The human ability will always run short of divine assignment.
God had to help Moses to understand that he wasn’t going in his own strength but in the ability of God. God had to assure him of his presence. He was going to Egypt in the ability of God.
This is something fundamental that must be settled in our lives. The ability of God is at work in us. Christ in us is the ability of God. We must become overwhelmingly conscious of this truth. Pau talking said “I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me. Phil 4:13.” Whatever God is calling us to do is actually something he wants to do through us by his wisdom, strength and grace.
His strength has become our strength. His wisdom has become our wisdom. His grace has become our grace. This is a fundamental truth you must accept and celebrate in your life. Nothing should make you doubt this basic truth about who you are and what you have. We are sufficient in his sufficiency. When we settle in this truth we’ll no longer look down on ourselves but look up to him that is at work in us. This is how we are designed to function; looking unto him the author and finisher of our faith.
2022 CONFESSION:
The ability of God is at work in my spirit. I’m not helpless. God’s wisdom has become my wisdom and his strength is at work in me all through 2022.
LEARN MORE: Ephesians 4:24
Monday 24th January, 2022
Monday 24th January, 2022
SETTLED IN PURPOSE
Text: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28
There are certain areas of your life that must be settled for life. They are things you should never doubt again. You have come to the point where you are fully persuaded concerning those areas of your life (Romans 4:21). As the Spirit of God helps us we are going to spend a couple of days looking a different areas of your life that are settled for life in God’s word.
You should be settled in the reality that you are not a mistake and that there is a definite purpose for your life. You may not have the details on your fingertips but you must settle in the truth that God has a purpose for your life. God did not make any mistake about you. You were perfectly and wonderfully made to function in a specific area of life.
Men that became mighty and served their generation were men of purpose. This is the life we are born into. A life of purpose and precision. There is a difference in your spirit that makes you fit for what God has ordained for your life. When you settle in this truth you will cease from the comparison game, thank God for others but thank God for you too.
Once you have settle down in this understanding then begin to take step to discover the uniqueness and the specificity of God’s purpose for your life. As we walk closely with the Spirit of God he will open our eyes of understanding to know what we are designed for. The next thing is to begin to develop what we discover. God’s purpose is unveiled phase by phase. The more we develop the more we’ll discover. Then we can begin to deploy what we are developing to touch lives and serve humanity. Go out every day with a sense of purpose. Relate with people in your sphere of influence with a deep sense of purpose.
2022 CONFESSION:
The purpose of God for my life is settled. I’m not a mistake. I’m here on purpose and for a purpose
.
LEARN MORE: Jer 1:4-10
Sunday 23rd January, 2022
Sunday 23rd January, 2022
SETTLED FOR LIFE 2
TEXT: “Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.” 1 Sam 16:13
The throne wasn’t something David applied for or contested for. It was a divine agenda that must come to pass against all odds. As David was serving in the palace under King Saul he wasn’t serving as a “servant.” He was a King serving his way to the throne. He wasn’t serving like a servant who has no future or one looking for a means of livelihood. Where you are today and the current state of your life is just a pathway to serve to the ultimate throne God has set for you.
There is a divine agenda over your life that is already settled before the world began. God sent us here on the earth to discover and work out what has already been settled and concluded in the realm of the Spirit. We must also get to this point in our walk with God that we come to a place of awareness and assurance that certain issues of our lives are already settled for life waiting for the full manifestation. By this awareness we can begin to live in the reality of them even before they manifest physically.
The purpose of God’s word is to settle our tomorrow from our today. The assurance of tomorrow begins from the encounters of today. A life of uncertainty breeds fear and confusion. It make you to take irrational an uncoordinated steps in life. One of the most frustrating venture is to try to find something precious in darkness. Awareness, assurance and the convictions of God’s word brings stability into our lives. We need this stability in the face of contrary circumstances of life. We need this stability to have a consistent walk of faith with God. David was so secured in his God ordained identity that he knew that doing menial jobs in the palace does not change it. It was a matter of time for all this to be settled.
2022 CONFESSION:
My life is on divine agenda. I’m secured in the purpose of God for my life. I am established in purpose.
LEARN MORE: Romans 8:28, 38-3
Saturday 22nd January, 2022
Saturday 22nd January, 2022
SETTLED FOR LIFE 1
Text: “Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.” 1 Sam 16:13
The clear instruction that God gave Samuel was to go and anoint one of the sons of Jesses as a King to replace King Saul. (1 Sam 16:1). This was exactly what Samuel did when David was presented to him. David was just about the age of 17 at this point. We’ll also note that even after David was anointed King Saul was still on the throne. David never occupied the throne until he was exactly 30 years old. 2 Sam 5:4 “David was thirty years old when he became king….” The question is what was he when Samuel anointed him at 17? (1 Sam 16:13). He was already a King right from the point when he was anointed.
David did not physically occupy the throne at 17 but as far as God was concerned he was already on the throne. The lack of physical manifestation did not cancel the spiritual reality. Everything great that God will do on earth will usually find its root and expression in the Spirit first. From the point when he was anointed by Samuel the throne was already settled for life. Everything that happened after he was anointed was a journey that already took place and concluded by God. It took good 13 years to get him physically on the throne. But the throne was already settled long time ago. As far as God is concerned you don’t have to wait for the future to arrive before we see it. We can see it now and begin the journey into it. This was why David went into the palace to serve King Saul after he was already anointed. It sounds contradictory. There was nothing to fight for. King Saul was after his life but he never fought back because he knew that the throne was a settled issue. May you also come to this same point of awareness and assurance of what is settled.
2022 CONFESSION:
Lord I will trust in you with the whole of my heart. I choose to believe you above everything or anyone.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 125:1-2
Friday 21st January, 2022
Friday 21st January, 2022
STARTING EARLY
Text: “It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. Remember your creator in the days of your youth” Lam 3:27, Ecc 12:1
Nothing ever becomes great overnight. No one becomes a graduate overnight, no business that has global presence became so overnight. Everything great became so overtime and not overnight. If you are going to cultivate Cocoa plantation you must be patient to spend years before you reap the first fruit. Things that grow overnight and produce overnight usually don’t last more than one planting season.
The days of our youth is the best time to begin anything that will become significant. We don’t have time to waste in doing things that have no future or no connection with God’s agenda for our lives. The days of our youth is a virgin season when our minds are open, active and sharp to receive and implement all that God has ordained foe our lives. It’s true that a man can have an encounter with God at any age but it will be far better to begin early. With this we have enough time to explore and pursue all that God has ordained.
Joseph had a glimpse of God’s ultimate destination for his life from the early age of seventeen (17). From that age he became focused on where he was going. Life became tough for him but he did not lose sight of the dreams he had. He began the process of becoming a leader at every stage of his life. He took advantage of every opportunity to lead even without any compensation. He didn’t wait for circumstances to be right; it was the steps he took that made things right. Greatness and relevance can begin at this tender age as we accept responsibility on time. Right from now you can become the solution and the answer to the cry of many. It’s time to rise. It’s time to make your life count. Start it now.
2022 CONFESSION:
The purpose of God is finding early expressions in my life. My time will not be wasted.
LEARN MORE:* Genesis 37-39, Psalm 90:14
Lord we declare that your word through Inspiration is giving direction daily. Psalm 119:105
Thursday 20th January, 2022
Thursday 20th January, 2022
DIVINE STRENGTH
Text: “Through faith also Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child...” Hebrews 11:11
Pregnancy usually come with very unique demands on the woman. It comes with emotional, physiological and physical changes on the woman’s mind and body. It’s a period where a woman requires a lot of care and support. It takes a lot of strength for any woman to carry pregnancy. The burden of carrying a pregnancy increases with age. Medically women are not even advised to get pregnant at certain age. However we have a very unusual case in our opening text today. Sarah was already in her Nineties. Just imagine your mother or grandmother getting pregnant now, how does that picture look to you.
The conception and delivery of Sarah was certainly far beyond the human strength. She received a strength that was far beyond the natural. This is a dimension of strength that we all require to break barriers in life and do the impossible. This is the strength we require to go beyond what is naturally possible. If you are a student you need this divine strength to be able to study diligently and come out victorious. If you are in business you need this divine strength to stand market forces. This is the strength that is required to stand in the day of adversity (Prov 24:10).
How did Sarah receive this strength? It came by faith. Faith is confidence in the ability of God. Faith is confidence in God’s infallible word. The word of God declared to us that to them that have no might God increases strength. We can stand on this word and expect to see it become a reality in every aspect of our lives. We can have strength to whatever degree that we desire it.
Let’s close with another account in the gospels. This man had been crippled all his life but by faith he was made strong. The faith connection is so important in walking in divine strength. “And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong…” Acts 3:16
2022 CONFESION:
Divine strength is at work in me to walk in miracles. I receive divine strength to do the impossible in 2022.
LEARN MORE: Isa 40:29-41
Wednesday 19th January, 2022
Wednesday 19th January, 2022
DEALING WITH HOPELESSNESS
Text: “…For I am too old to have an husband…” Ruth 1:12
This morning just before I began to type this I had a conversation with a young man who felt that it was better to die than to live. This was certainly as a result of negative life experiences. We have all gone through similar experiences before and many are currently going through diverse experiences. In most cases it’s not really so much what we go through that is the issue but the attack on hope. Where hope is gone faith cannot thrive. The negative experiences of the past has a way of casting shadow on the possibilities of today. Hope is a major fabric that holds life together.
The woman in our opening verse had lost the most precious people in her life. Her husband was dead and her two (2) sons that should have been a source of consolation were already dead too. As far as she was concerned there was nothing else to look forward to. Reluctantly she allowed Ruth to follow her and as the story unfolded God turned situation around in her favour. Please read entire book of Ruth.
At one time or the other in our lives hopelessness will rear its head around our lives or someone close to us. This is why we must know how to adequately deal with it. Let’s look at a couple of steps that will allow us to deal with hopelessness.
1. Understand clearly that the circumstances of life does not change the faithfulness of God. Life is variable but God is constant. If we lose sight of his faithfulness then hopelessness will definitely set in.
2. The external condition must never be allowed to become an internal disposition. It will be a double tragedy to lose on the outside and then lose on in the inside too. When the storm is gone let your heart remain intact.
3. Everything may go wrong but don’t lose control of your words. The sailor must never let go of the rudder in the storm. With the rudder he maintains balance.
2022 CONFESSION:
My hope is alive and active. My hope is empowered by the Spirit all through the year 2022..
LEARN MORE: Job 14:7-9
Tuesday 18th January, 2022
Tuesday 18th January, 2022
THE BEAUTY OF LOSSES 3
Text: “And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends; also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.” Job 42:10
One of the greatest story of loss in scriptures is the story of Job. Very few people in life will go through this level of loss in one lifetime. It was too much a loss to experience.
He lost his children
He lost his business
He lost his health
He lost his properties
The loss was so devastating that the wife suggested that it would be better to die than to go through such a loss. There was more or less nothing to live for any more. This is usually the effect of going through such a loss; it comes with a sense of hopelessness and helplessness. Naomi also lost her husband and two (2) sons. This brought her to a deep state of hopelessness. She said “...My daughters, return to your parents’ homes, for I am too old to marry again…”Ruth 1:12 NLT. She had concluded that all hope was gone.
In the midst of his loss Job did not give up on God. He did not give up on the äliveness of God (Job 19:25). He understood that his loss did not cancel the faithfulness of God. He was so sure that his change will come. This is the same response that God expects us to have in the midst of our losses. Everything that Job lost was restored back to him in a double fold. He was also given long years to enjoy his restoration.
This is a prophetic word for someone reading this or listening to the audio version today. Something bigger and better than what you lost is coming your way. The restoration will be so much in comparison to what you lost in years past.
2022 CONFESSION:
The table is turning in my favour. Bigger and better.
LEARN MORE: Job 14:14; 19:25-26,
Lord we declare that your word through Inspiration will give direction to every student in possession of it. Psalm 119:105
Monday 17th January, 2022
Monday 17th January, 2022
THE BEAUTY OF LOSSES 2
Text: “And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stripped Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colour that was on him.” Genesis 37:23
Let me begin today by reminding you that what lies ahead of you is far bigger and better than what we lost. The best of God for our lives are never behind us but ahead of us. Thank God for what you have seen so far in life but what you have not seen is far beyond imagination. Eyes have not seen nor ears heard the things that God has prepared for them that love him (1 Cor 2:9).
Let’s explore a typical example in scripture that gives us the beauty of losses. You may need to read again the part one (1) of this lesson. Joseph lost his precious coat of many colours. He was wickedly striped of that precious possession. It must have been a devastating loss for him. We may think it’s just an ordinary cloth; that’s because we are not in his shoes. It’s he who wears the shoe that knows where it pains the most. The coat wasn’t just a piece of fabrics; it was a symbol of his father’s love. It was something that reminds him of how precious he was to his father. It was a cloth and at the same time a symbol of his identity. This must have been highly devastating for him.
So many years down the line God’s word clearly reveal to us that the loss of Joseph wasn’t the end of the story for him. He had restoration that was far bigger and better than what he lost. As long as we are in the will of God for our lives there will be definite restorations much more than we can ever imagine. Genesis 41: 42 said “And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck.” This was far beyond what he lost. He was completely dressed in royalty. As good as his former cloth of many colours was it wasn’t royal. Bigger and better is coming your way in 2022. Let’s conclude tomorrow.
2022 CONFESSION:
Bigger and better is my testimony in 2022. The story of my life is getting bigger and more glorious.
LEARN MORE: Prov 4:18, Psalm 115:14
Sunday 16th January, 2022
Sunday 16th January, 2022
THE BEAUTY OF LOSSES 1
Text: “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and kill, and to destroy; I am come to restore (Paraphrase).” John 10:10
This subject has been on my heart for days. I wasn’t really sure If I should share it or not. I was also not clear about how to start so that it won’t be misunderstood. But here I am writing. Certainty I have started somewhere. There are losses in life that can be highly devastating. Most especially when it’s the loss of a loved one or something so precious to us. Some have lost businesses before or a precious job. We cannot attempt to downplay the heartbreaks and pain that comes with such loses. However in the midst of our losses the word of God must become our way of escape, the wisdom of God’s word remains the response we should have no matter how devastating the loss was.
When the loss is a result of satanic manipulation then we must take a stand of faith to stop the enemy in its track. If the enemy is not stopped he may keep on his act of killing, stealing and destroying what is precious in our lives. We have that authority as believers to put an end to such losses. What you don’t want you don’t watch. What you don’t confront has the right to remain. The loss could also come as a result of negligence, incompetence or lack of spiritual sensitivity on our part. When this is the case we can humbly repent before God and then rise up from the ashes of the loss to take responsibility for our lives.
The beauty of losses is that it’s never the end of the road for us. It’s never a conclusion to God’s agenda for our lives. The beauty of losses is also that there could be a supernatural recovery in our lives in such a way that what is lost can be restored back in multiple folds. The beauty of loses is also that what God has ahead of us is far bigger and better than what we lost. This may be hard to comprehend in some cases of losses. This is actually because we have a finite mind. We cannot really figure out with our natural minds what God can bring out of our pain of loss that seems larger than life in the present. We’ll continue tomorrow. Love you!
2022 CONFESSION:
Supernatural recovery is taking place in my life. I’m getting bigger and better than what was lost.
LEARN MORE: Prov 6:31, Joel 2:25-32
Saturday 15th January, 2022
Saturday 15th January, 2022
PREPARED IN PRAYER 2
Text: “Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray…”Psalm 55:17
For many of us prayer is something we do on emergency basis. Something that is not really a priority until there is a desperate needs to be resolved immediately. This is certainly a wrong approach to prayer. It’s like the spare tyre of a car that is never remembered until there is a challenge. Some people also assume it’s only those who have problems that should be heavily involved in prayer. Just as we mentioned before in one of our lessons the reasons why battles are lost many times is because we were never prepared to handle them. Let’s state it again that prayer prepares the future for us and also prepares us for the future. It’s a two sided thing. If you are not serious with prayer you are not serious with your future.
Prayer should be something that is ceaseless in our lives. That’s why Apostle Paul said “Pray without ceasing. “1 Thess 5:17. We actually put orderliness in our future in the place of prayer. You don’t have to be married before you start to pray for your home or even pray for kids you’ll have. Challenges would have been resolved even before they show up. If you are still in school start praying about settling down after school. The unfortunate thing is that we run life majorly on emergency basis. WE PRAY NOT JUST BECAUSE WE HAVE PROBLEMS. WE PRAY BECAUSE WE HAVE A FUTURE WORTH REACHING OUT FOR. Think over this!
Long before David had challenges he had been equipped for those challenges. This wasn’t an emergency kind of prayer. They were prayer sessions that prepared him for every challenge he had. This means that prayer and fasting should be an integral part of our lives. Not something we do only when there is a problem. If you wait for a challenge to show up before praying and fasting it will be done most times out of fear and anxiety.
2022 CONFESSION:
2022 is a year of divine possibilities for me.
LEARN MORE: Luke 18:1
Friday 14th January, 2022
Friday 14th January, 2022
PREPARED IN PRAYER 1
Text: “Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.” Jer 29:12
We ended our lesson yesterday by considering ways we can prepare. Today we’ll follow up with a brief study on how to prepare in prayer. A wise man said the past is a memory and the future is a mystery. The best way to prepare for the future is to prepare in prayer. For every young person reading this material this is the best season of your life to prepare for the unknown future. Don’t ever make the mistake of leaving the future blank. In the place of prayer we bring orderliness and direction to the future.
There is really nothing in life that has a guarantee of a great future outside God. The best of careers and jobs have their own list of challenges. The best of our connections may not be there again tomorrow. The future is in God. He controls it. We must therefore build our confidence in someone that remains forever. Where we want to go he’s been there. What we want to do he has done it. He has the details of what your mind cannot figure out. We prepare the future as we face God in prayer. The life we live in the present must revolve around God. The challenge with most of us is that we spend most of the active seasons of our lives around a career and business with little or no time for God. The time we invest in God today is an investment for our future.
Time spent with God is time invested. From the age of eighteen (18), twenty (20) or twenty five (25) you can prepare for when you will be thirty (30) or forty (40).
When you really spend time with God in prayer men will look for you; opportunity will look for us. What others are looking for will be looking for you. The future will remain the same with all our anxiety and worry. It is better we prepare for it in prayer.
2022 CONFESSION:
In the name of Jesus I declare that there is clarity in my spirit to pick divine signals. I’m hearing God clearly and distinctly on every issue of my life.
LEARN MORE: Jer 29:11-14, Phil 4:6
Lord let your power accompany every Inspiration devotional book shared on campuses. Luke 5:17
Thursday 13th January, 2022
Thursday 13th January, 2022
WISDOM OF PREPARATION 3
Text: "By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark...” Heb 11:7
The days of preparation usually shows up any time you have to wait for something longer than you expected. Instead of getting worried and anxious get into the mode of preparation. An attitude of preparation is a major step of faith. Noah had never seen rain before but began to build the Ark several years ahead of the first rain (Heb 11:7). A single trusting God for marriage can begin to read every book on marriage and listen to messages to prepare for that journey.
In 1 Samuel 17 David was discouraged from going to face Goliath, then he narrated to them how he had faced the Lion and the Bear. His experience and victory behind the scene over the Lion and the Bear prepared him for victory at another level of exposure and reward. His victory over the animals became a reference point for his victory in the present challenge. When we respond to the challenges of life with the right attitude it will prepare us for higher levels of victory that matters most. David also told King Saul that he had never used the armour he was given before. This simply implies that he had prepared with the sling. This was good enough for God to use at this current level of challenge. Don’t despise what you currently have. If you can use it to produce results at this current level of your life God will use it to prepare you to produce results at a higher level of life years down the line.
We prepare in prayer. We prepare as we study God’s word and related materials. We prepare as we work on projects and assignments behind the scene unnoticed and even unrewarded sometimes. We prepare as we patiently endure the changes that life throws at us. We prepare as we handle difficult situations and people with the right attitude.
2022 CONFESSION:
The wisdom of God is working in me to prepare me for God’s ultimate destiny for me. I’m growing in the Spirit on a daily basis into divine plans..
LEARN MORE: 2 Chron 27:6, Prov 16:1
Lord for every student in possession of Inspiration devotional the HolyGhost will stir them up to read and be transformed. 2 Corinthians 3:18
Wednesday 12th January, 2022
Wednesday 12th January, 2022
WISDOM OF PREPARATION 2
Text: "And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb ...I went out after him...” 1 Sam 17:34-35
The brothers of David were busy in the house displaying seniority while someone was busy in the bush preparing for a throne he wasn’t even aware of. It doesn’t matter who is ahead of you or doing better than you today as long as you maintain an attitude of preparation your own opportunity will also come to meet you prepared. There are a couple of truths we must know about days or years of preparation. For someone reading this I want you to see 2022 as a year that God is preparing you for the rest of your life.
The Days of preparation are usually uncelebrated days that looks as if nothing significant is happening. This is why most times people despise this season and quit the preparation process. The time of Joseph in the prison was a preparation process for him. He interpreted dreams for the servants and wasn’t rewarded for it at that moment. That experience prepared him for his eventual opportunity. The days of preparation are usually days behind the scene that does not require too much public view. Too much attention will become a distraction to sabotage the process. Everyone who is on one stage of life today were once behind the scene. This is a time when character and resilience is built into our spirit.
The days or years of preparation differs from one person to another depending on what God is bringing each person into.
The days of preparation for a physician is not the same for a nurse even though they are both in the medical profession. I’m sure you can relate. The days it took for a Cocoa tree to prepare for fruits is not the same as Corn. This is one reason why you must be careful of who you are comparing yourself with.
2022 CONFESSION:
The Spirit of God is working in me to prepare me for divine opportunities this year. Everything about me is getting ready for my throne.
LEARN MORE: 2 Corinth 10:12
Tuesday 11th January, 2022
Tuesday 11th January, 2022
WISDOM OF PREPARATION 1
Text: "And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem…” 1 Sam 17:54
Everyone wants to shine. Everyone wants to come into the spotlight. Everyone wants to receive a standing ovation. We all love to be celebrated. We all love to be enthroned. All of these are wonderful and admirable but we must understand there is a process that leads to such experiences. David came to this point in his life that he experienced sudden elevation. He entered into victory that the entire army of Israel could not attempt. His elevation and victory wasn’t a coincidence. It was a product of years of preparation. His experience was that of opportunity having a collusion with a prepared man. Life will come with series and endless opportunities looking for a man that is prepared.
There was a need to enthrone someone to take over from King Saul. God sent Prophet Samuel to undergo the process. All the sons of Jesse in the house that day were presented but none was accepted. They looked physically qualified for the throne but were not internally prepared. God wasn’t just looking for who was qualified based on human parameters but rather someone who was internally prepared to take the opportunity. The experiences in the bush had prepared David to face Goliath.
It’s not enough to have a desire for something we must be adequately prepared for it. When you are not really prepared for something it won’t last in your life even if it’s forced on you. There are things that God has prepared looking for who is prepared for it. (Lord prepare me for what you have prepared for me). A prepared blessing must meet a prepared man or woman. When you are truly prepared for something it’s a matter of time it will locate you.
I trust God that you will allow God to prepare you by his word for all the blessing he has for you in 2022.
2022 CONFESSION:
The word of God is working in me to prepare me for all that God has ordained for me. I’m equipped by the Spirit.
LEARN MORE: Acts 20:32. 2 Tim 3:16-17
Monday 10th January, 2022
Monday 10th January, 2022
WISDOM OF PERSONAL FAITH
Text: "Then he touched their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it done to you.” Matthew 9:29
Every plant will have to develop its own personal roots. Plants don’t share roots. If the plant must grow it must have its own root. Where there is no root there can’t be growth. This is how life is designed to function for us. God expects us to have our individual root to have individual stability. You can’t depend on others for too long. A time will come that you have to stand on your feet.
In the final analysis no one is responsible for the outcome of your life. No one has the power to determine what happen to you. It’s your faith consent that determines everything. What you permit is heavenly permitted, what you refuse heaven refuse. It’s your faith that determines which of them is happening in your life.
The purpose of God is that each one of us individually will come to the knowledge of the son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. God’s ultimate goal is that we are no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men and cunning craftiness. This becomes a reality as we grow and exercise our individual faith in the power and the ability of God available to us.
You will live a very weak and beggarly life if you will have to depend on others for everything. The woman with the issue of blood had lived on the intervention of the physicians for twelve (12) solid years. There was no improvement until her faith came alive. Jesus said to her “Daughter, thy hath made thee whole; go in peace...” This is the wisdom of God to give us our personal victory in life without any external interference. Your individual faith gives you a voice of yes on the earth when everything else says no.
2022 CONFESSION:
I agree with God over my life. I stand with him alone.
LEARN MORE: Mark 5:25-34, Ephesians 4:13-14
Sunday 9th January, 2022
Sunday 9th January, 2022
WISDOM OF SIGHT
Text: "…Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and northward. For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it…” Genesis 13:14-15
This wisdom of sight is a major means that God uses to take a man from the present reality to a divine possibility that lies ahead. We must be able to see ahead in order to go ahead in life. Every one of us are limited to the limits of our sights. We are not referring to the physical sight because it’s limited to the obvious and the immediate. We are referring to the inner sight. God brought Abraham out to travel through the land in his mind. This was a spiritual process to bring him into an experience far bigger than where he was presently. He had to see beyond where he was to go beyond where he was. Refuse to be confined to your present reality. There is a life bigger than your present reality.
The wisdom of sight is all over scripture. Joseph had a dream where he saw exactly what will become of him in the future. It was a prophetic sight. It was an unfolding of divine plan for the future. He was so clear about it that he began to talk to his brothers about his future from his present reality. It took years but Joseph eventually became all that he saw. What he saw wasn’t borne out of selfish ambitions or childhood pipe dreams; it was divine revelation. This was why the circumstances of life could not stop it. The woman with the issue of blood had been in that state for twelve long years.
Naturally she should have given up on herself. But one day she saw clearly within herself that if she touched the helm of Jesus garment she shall be made whole. Long story made short she went home that day with her healing. As we make progress into the New Year allow the Spirit of God to paint pictures of divine possibilities in your spirit. Take note of them and document them.
2022 CONFESSION:
I see the goodness of God. I see God at work in my life in 2022. I see all round possibilities this year.
LEARN MORE: Genesis 37:6-10, Matthew 9:21-23
Saturday 8th January, 2022
Saturday 8th January, 2022
EXPLOITS OF CREATION 4
Text: “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the world of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.” Hebrews 11:3
One major lesson we have received so far is that the word of God is the core material that is required to bring to reality all that God has determined to do in our lives. .God works with his word and the more we receive and relate with his word the more we’ll be able to see the possibilities of God in our lives.
In the parable of the sower the seed that fell on good grounds produced in 100 fold, 60 fold and 30 fold. The degree of harvest wasn’t determined by the preacher. It was the same preacher with the same word but different quality of soil. The degree of harvest will be determined by our individual attitude and response to the word of God. I want to ask you to position yourself to produce a 100 fold harvest of the word in 2022. The value you place on God’s word will determine the virtue you will draw from it. Jesus was in a crowd with multitude of people touching him, suddenly he noticed that someone had drawn virtue from him. Many were touching but only one person drew virtue. It was simply a product of value placed. The woman with the issue blood came with a desire. She came determined not to return empty. This devotional is in the hand of thousands of people as you read but we’ll all end up with different levels of encounters depending on the value we place on God’s word.
1. Relate with God’s word with excitement and an expectant heart to receive from the Lord.
2. Be determined to live in obedience to whatever God’s word says.
3. Receive God’s word with a heart of faith.
4. Set your heart on the word of God and keep it flowing from your lips.
This basic steps will produce results in your life.
2022 CONFESSION:
God’s word is working and producing results in my life in a 100 fold.
LEARN MORE: Joshua 1:8, Prov 4:20-22, Luke 1:45
Friday 7th January, 2022
Friday 7th January, 2022
EXPLOITS OF CREATION 3
Text: “Forget the former things, do not dwell on the past. Isa 43:18 NIV
My attention was really drawn to this particular verse in our opening today. We looked at it yesterday but I strongly sense the Spirit of God wants us to stay longer on it. This is how to get the best out of God’s word. You can spend days, weeks or even months on a particular verse or book of the Bible. We spent the entire 2020 studying the life of Joseph on InspirationclassGlobal and the life of David in 2021.
Let’s look at different versions of this verse. Don’t forget we said the exploits of creation is God bringing forth something new in our lives out of nothing. This will be your testimony this year.
NLT “But forget all that – it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.”
CEV “Forget what happened long ago! Don’t think about the past.
GNT “Forget what happened in the past, and do not dwell on events from long ago.”
This does not suggest that we’ll suddenly have a memory loss of the past. That is something that may not happen in practical terms. This instruction is vital because the past has a way of standing between us and the ‘new’ that God wants to do in our lives today. How then do we effectively deal with the memory of the past?
1. Deeply appreciate God for the victories of the past. You can also appreciate God that the challenges of the past did not consume you.
2. Let the testimony of the past inspire you to reach out for more in God like in the case of David before Goliath.
3. Extract the lessons from the past that will be useful in the newness that God is bringing you into. Extract the lessons and forget the details.
2022 CONFESSION:
The past will not hold me down. I’m stepping to the newness of God. I step into the new in 2022.
LEARN MORE: 2 Cor 5:17
Thursday 6th January, 2022
Thursday 6th January, 2022
EXPLOITS OF CREATION 2
Text: “Behold I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth…”Isa 43:19
God is the God of the new. God does not live in the past. Whatever good thing we saw in the past was wonderful; God was involved but he does not live there. Let’s do a quick look at some very instructive scriptures. “Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.” Isa 43:18. Thank God for the old but we are not required to live there. Philippians 3:13b “...But one thing I do; Forgetting the past, and looking forward to what lies ahead.” NLT. The past has no future. God is in the business of doing something new. This is a major aspect of creation; coming into the newness of God’s possibilities.
Whatever God’s word says we can put our faith on the line to believe for it. The word of God is the will of God in print. Faith begins where the will of God is known. Every time we experience something new it rejuvenates us; it freshens our spirit to reach out for more in God. Make no mistake about it there is more in God. What you have seen so far cannot compare to what you are yet to see. This understanding will broaden the horizon of our expectations. God’s word says “Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations; spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes.” Isa 54:2. Don’t hold back your expectations of God’s possibilities. You can never expect too much from God. He’s never overwhelmed by our expectations. His word declared that “He’s able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think…”
I want you to consciously define and write down what the new will look like in your life in 2022. Don’t be vague about it. Let it be carefully written down where you can constantly see it. As you do so the Spirit of God will begin to brood over it just as he did at the beginning of creation to bring to pass what God had commanded.
2022 CONFESSION:
I’m not living in the past. God is doing something new and bigger in my life. The old is not holding me down any more.
LEARN MORE: Genesis 1:1-3, Ephesians 3:20
Wednesday 5th January, 2022
Wednesday 5th January, 2022
EXPLOITS OF CREATION 1
Text: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1
The book of Genesis is the book of creation. Its a book of beginnings. It outlined for us all that God did to bring into existence the world that we see today. I believe the beginning of a year like this is a good time to explore it again. A very fundamental lesson that is timeless from this account is our focus in today’s lesson.
The exploits of creation is that God brought into existence something material out of what is immaterial. The seen was made out of the unseen. The tangible was made out of the intangible. This establish for us a common principle by which God wants to bring to pass his ultimate purpose and plans for our lives. Let’s look closely at this from related scriptures: Hebrews 11:3 “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.” KJV. One version says “…And these things that are seen came into being out of those things which are unseen.” Another way to explain this is to say that the natural was made out of the spiritual.
The unseen, the immaterial, the spiritual here all refers to the word of God. The word of God is the immaterial that frames the world. If you will bring into reality the purpose of God for your life his word must become the highest priority of your life. Many times in life we feel so overwhelmed on what to do and how to go about our lives. God has given us all that we require in his word. His word is the “unseen” that creates what is seen. Everything you need is available in his word. Your healing is available, your purpose in life is in his word, and your victory is in his word. If you will truly get into his word you’ll find direction for 2022.
2022 CONFESSION:
The word of God is framing the purpose of God over my life. Divine purpose has become a reality in my life in 2022.
LEARN MORE: Heb 11:1-6
Tuesday 4th January, 2022
Tuesday 4th January, 2022
EXPLOITS; DEPTHS AND HEIGHTS 4
Text: “...But the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.” Dan 11:32
The ultimate goal of getting to know God and getting strong is to do exploits. This is the ultimate goal of God for our lives as believers. Every spiritual exercise must culminate in exploits or else it’s just a religious activity. When the plant is truly growing downwards it must also produce fruits upwards. The upward fruit is the proof of the downward roots.
The subject of exploits will be our central focus in InspirationClassGlobal in 2022. If you are not yet a part of it I want to encourage you to get in touch with me. By the time you are reading this article the online class on Whatsapp would have been running for two (2) years consecutively. We have twelve (12) modules that will run from January to December 2022.
Exploits is an expression of the acts of God finding expression in us and through us. The life of a believer should be characterised by exploits. When people see us they should see the practicality of God at work in our lives. In our personal walk with God, on our job, in our businesses, academics etc. we must prove that God is alive and working.
1. Exploits is attaining unimaginable heights beyond the imaginations of men.
2. Exploits is doing the impossible and becoming all that is written concerning our lives.
3. Exploits is discovering purpose and walking in the fullness of it from one level of glory to another.
4. Exploits is overcoming the limitations of life and every barrier placed on our path.
5. Exploits is serving God with all our spirit, soul and body and drawing others to salvation.
I sincerely pray and desire that this will be the story of your life in 2022.
2022 CONFESSION:
This is my season for more. This is my season of exploits. God is working mightily in me this year.
LEARN MORE: Acts 19:20
Monday 3rd January, 2022
Monday 3rd January, 2022
EXPLOITS; DEPTHS AND HEIGHTS 3
Text: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that housel and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.” Matthew 7:25
One major aspect of life are the rain, the floods and the winds. These are symbols for varied degrees of life’s challenges. They will come for different people in different shades and colours. The plans and the purpose of God is that no matter the degree of challenges that we face we shall be standing when all has passed away. Ultimately the floods, the rain and the winds will pass but many trees in the bush must have fallen and uprooted.
Falling and standing are all possibilities depending how well rooted the plant is. This is directly related to our individual walk with God. One major function of the root is to provide anchor and stability for the plant. As we grow deeper (Depth) in the knowledge of God for our lives it fortifies our anchor to be able to withstand the challenges of life.
“…The people that do know their God shall be strong…” (Dan 11:32b). God is taking us this year 2022 on a journey of getting strong that will last us the rest of our lives. I can still remember very clearly a particular season of my life as a teenager and my early twenties that the Holy Ghost took hold of my life. I became so engrossed seeking the knowledge of God; not because I wanted to preach or enter ministry. I just had an encounter that kept pulling me to the place of prayer and studying of the word of God. That experience has produced in me an unusual strength and grace to keep standing despite different dimensions of life’s challenges. If you give yourself to growing your root downwards in God you’ll become so strong in your spirit that no situation of life will get you off track the journey of destiny.
2022 CONFESSION:
My spiritual roots are getting deeper in God. There is strength in my spirit to stand the storms of life.
LEARN MORE: Ephesians 3:16, 6:10
Sunday 2nd January, 2022
Sunday 2nd January, 2022
EXPLOITS; DEPTHS AND HEIGHTS 2
Text: “And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downwards, and bear fruits upwards.” Isa 37:31
In elementary Agricultural science we learned that the plant is made up of the root system and the shoot system. The root system is that part that is usually hidden in the soil but plays a vital role in what we see in the shoot system above the soil. Whatever goes wrong in the root system will have a direct effect on what is seen above the soil. The root determines the anchor and the stability of the plant.
Shallow rooted plants usually don’t last long because the ability to withstand the storm is not there. The root system draws nutrients for the plant to produce well. This is directly related to our walk with God. We are expected to take root downwards in God and then bear fruits upwards. When a believer is not taking root downwards in depths then they become shallow in the things of God and easily blown away by the circumstances of life. The taller the plants wants to go the deeper the roots must also go.
Two scriptures describes a shallow rooted believer:
Ephesians 4:14 says “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.”
James 1:6-8 “…For he that waverth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”
Today again we see why we must grow in depth. We must take roots downwards so as to have stability in God and in our journey of purpose. This is a major work that must happen in our lives this year.
2022 CONFESSION:
My anchor is standing strong in 2022. No circumstances of life can get me off track. I’m stabilised in God.
LEARN MORE: Matthew 7:24-26
Saturday 1st January, 2022
Saturday 1st January, 2022
EXPLOITS; DEPTHS AND HEIGHTS 1
Text: “...But the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.” Dan 11:32
What an awesome privilege we have to witness the beginning of another year. God has been faithful over the years and I trust God that his faithfulness will be stronger over our lives in the year 2022. This year makes it the 9th year of printing and distribution of inspiration devotional. The first edition was in January 2013. Please join me to celebrate God who is the doer. For someone this will be the first time you are coming across this; you are welcome on-board.
We are starting this year with a word from the Lord for every one of us connected to the devotional. The Spirit of God spoke to me clearly that 2022 will be a year of Exploits; depths and heights for the devotional and everyone reading it. I will take a few days to explain this carefully. From our opening verse which is our anchor scripture for the year there are two basic revelation for us there. The first part talks about growing in depth; they that do know their God. There is an eternal need for us to grow deeper in our understanding of God. No matter how much of God we already know there is always room to know more.
The depths of God are unsearchable. We can never know too much of God. The more of him we know the better we become and the stronger we become. There should be an insatiable desire in your life to get to know God more and to be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. This is the first aspect of what God wants to do in our lives in 2022. He wants to reveal himself to us in deeper dimensions. He wants to open our eyes of understanding afresh.
There must be a longing and a desire in our hearts to reach out for more of God.
God has promised to satisfy every thirsty soul. I trust God that 2022 will be an unusual year for you. It will be a year that will be a reference point forever.
2022 CONFESSION:
2022 is already blessed for me. I’m growing deeper in God this year. Records will be broken this year.
LEARN MORE: Isa 37:31, 44:3, Rom 11:33
Friday 31st December, 2021
Friday 31st December, 2021
COMMON TO MAN
Text: “There is no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” 1 Cor 10:13
Let’s remind ourselves of this fundamental truth as we close for 2021. One major lie of the devil is to suggest to us that the challenges we have is insurmountable. He may even suggest to us that nobody has gone through this before. It’s a means to keep us in that challenge forever. The devil is a liar, his word will not prevail in our lives.
According to God’s word every temptation (challenge) in our lives is “common to man”. This literally means there is no big deal to it. The challenge is never beyond the range of what we can handle and what God can solve for us. Once we begin to see the challenge as a big deal, then we are saying we cannot handle it and it’s beyond God. There is nothing you go through that someone has not gone through worst situation and came out victorious.
We must come to a point in our lives that based on this scripture above there is no challenge of life that is final. There will always be a way of escape. There is no closed door that cannot be opened. Even when a door refused to open, God can open bigger and better ones. If the woman with the issue of blood can be healed so also we can receive our healing now. If Sarah as old as she was could get pregnant, how much more.
There is no circumstance of life that is final. For you as a child of God it will end in testimony. As bad as the case of Joseph was he ended on the throne. God made a way of escape for him. The challenge of Job was not the end of his story; he was able to handle it until his miracle came. 2021 is not the end of life; many more years are ahead.
CONFESSION:
There is a way of escape for me in life. There is no challenge of life that is final. My testimony is here.
LEARN MORE: Gen 50:18-21
Thursday 30th December, 2021
Thursday 30th December, 2021
YOU ARE NEEDED
Text: “Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharoah, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt” Ex 3:10
There was a desperate need for the Jews in the land of Egypt; Moses was located to go for their rescue. Nobody could step out to confront Goliath until David showed up. Naomi needed a caretaker and Ruth was an answer to that need. Moses, David, Ruth was on a special assignment to the people of God. The Jews would have been destroyed except for Esther. So Esther was their answer, their solution, their reward.
You see, everything God created is a reward to somebody. Think about this. It is very important that you grasp your significance and value.
Your entire life is absolutely needed by someone. Your patience is a reward for somebody who others would not tolerate. Your words will motivate someone incapable of seeing what you are seeing. Somebody desperately needs you today.
God planned you, and nobody else can be like you. Nobody else can do what you do. You are unlike anyone else on earth. Grasp this. God is not a photocopier. He is a creator.
You alone are absolutely perfect and genetically accurate for solving a problem on earth today.
Someone needs exactly what you have been given by God. Someone is hungry and thirst for your presence. Someone will perish unless you enter his life. Someone is literally dying, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually, waiting for you to come to his rescue. Someone has been praying at night that God would send you his way. Go about your business today with this mind-set that God has sent you on an assignment to your world. Think about meeting the needs of others, not only your own. YOU ARE NEEDED.
CONFESSION:
I have been sent to my world. My life is an answer to the cry of many. I have what is needed.
LEARN MORE: John 17:18
We declare that the teaching ministry of the Spirit will be at work over every copy of Inspiration devotional.
Wednesday 29th December, 2021
Wednesday 29th December, 2021
CALLED ALONE
Text: “Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.” Isa 51:2
The journey of life will be smoother and less stressful when we understand that the journey is an individual journey. God made us alone for a unique purpose and place in life. Even though we’ll walk along others and will require their input life still remains an individual race. If we understand this it means that the route that we’ll follow in life will be different. Obviously because where we are going in life is different. It will therefore be a big mistake if I insist in following the same route with my friends.
Things may happen faster for a colleague, which does not mean I’m out of the race. In the journey of life the race is not actually to the fastest. It’s possible to be the fastest on a wrong lane. The most important thing is that you are on the right lane that God wants you to be and you are going at the required speed that God determines for you alone.
The desire to see things happen in our lives in the same way it happened for someone else could be frustrating. We must be blessed in life but it does not have to happen exactly the same way it happened for someone that you know. God has a million ways of reaching out to us. We must be confident enough in God to allow him to work in our lives the way he has chosen to do it.
If you study carefully you’ll notice that the journey of Abraham was different from the journey of David, different from the journey of Job, different from the journey of Daniel. Each one of them was called alone. The bottom line is that they all ended in God’s ultimate purpose and plans for their lives.
PRAYER:
I receive grace to walk in God’s ordained plan and purpose for my life.
LEARN MORE: 2 Tim 4:7, Acts 13:36
Tuesday 28th December, 2021
Tuesday 28th December, 2021
SIGNIFICANCE OUT OF INSIGNIFICANCE 2
Text: “And he took the staff in his hand, and choose him five smooth stones out of the brook…and his sling was in his hand.” 1 Sam 17:40
The widow in 2 Kings 4:1-38 had a desperate need. The response of Elisha was strange. He asked the woman? What hast thou in the house?” The woman replied “..Thine handmaid hath not anything in the house, save a pot of oil.” This woman was expressing insignificance. According to the widow the pot of oil was nothing significant but that’s what she needed for her miracle to start. The insignificant is usually good enough for God to work with as long as we make it available for him.
David came almost barehanded to the battle ground. He wasn’t part of the army and wasn’t prepared for the battle. He had a slingshot that was completely insignificant compared to the armour of Goliath. King Saul and Eliab felt David was crazy. As the story concluded the insignificant slingshot of David became the significant weapon that brought down the head of Goliath. Lessons for us are below.
1. What you have and who you are is good enough to begin the journey of God’s purpose.
2. God will usually not start your life from what you are praying for or expecting in the future. He usually begins from what you currently have.
3. Starting small or working with small is usually a test of character that reveals the priority of your life.
4. Confidence in the ability of God is usually revealed in the face of insignificance than when it’s significant.
5. There is really nothing that is too small for God to work with. Jesus worked with the little lad’s fish and bread.
6. God will usually expect you to work with what is small and insignificant before he will expose you to greatness.
CONFESSION:
The insignificance in my life is giving way for significance.
LEARN MORE: Is 60:22
Monday 27th December, 2021
Monday 27th December, 2021
SIGNIFICANCE OUT OF INSIGNIFICANCE 1
Text: “And Moses answered and said, But behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice….And the Lord said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. “ Ex 4:2
I want us to study a trend that runs all through scripture. We are going to end our lesson with the story of David but I have to help you to follow a trend that is all through scripture. The understanding of scriptures becomes powerful and entrenching when you see the same pattern flow all through scriptures.
Think about the following!
1. The beginning of greatness is usually not great.
2. God does not really look for greatness to begin. He usually looks for that which has no form or comeliness.
3. If you are not willing to begin small you can never experience greatness.
4. No matter how much you pray God will usually begin the process of your miracle with what you presently have that you perhaps has not placed value on.
These are fundamental truths that flow all through scripture.
Moses was going to face the most power King on the earth in their time. He was returning as a convicted murderer. He also had an impediment or not able to speak well. This odds were all against him. He expressed his fears to God. I was thinking that God was going to perform a miracle so that he could be able to speak eloquently. But God did not do that. One of God’s response was “…What is that in thine hand? “He said, a rod.” Ex 4:2. It was just an ordinary and insignificant shepherd rod of Moses. This eventually became the rod of God in the hands of Moses. The insignificant rod of Moses became the significant rod of God, Ex 4:20. Every miracle that Moses did were done via the rod. Whatever we yield to God will become great. Let’s learn more tomorrow.
PRAYER:
Lord I yield everything to you. LEARN MORE: Isa 60:22
Lord we declare that your word through Inspiration will grow and prevail in every life that come in contact with it. Act 19:20
Sunday 26th December, 2021
Sunday 26th December, 2021
WHERE THE ENEMY BELONG
Text: “Pharaoh’s chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea, his chosen captains also are drown in the red sea.” Ex 15:4
My assignment today is to stir you up in the place of prayer to place the enemy where they belong. Prayer is an expression of our expectations in God. Where prayer is taken serious victory is guaranteed. An enemy is anyone or a system that has stood or still standing between us and our progress. The basis of our expectation is what we have seen God do in his word in the lives of others. We can also expect him to do the same in our lives.
Pharaoh vowed that the people of God will not go. Even after they left Egypt he still went after them. He was a number one enemy of the Jews. It was an obvious hatred. He wanted to keep them as slaves forever. From our opening verse you will see where Pharaoh ended. He ended in the red sea, this is where your enemy belong also. Haman also concluded that Mordecai must be hanged on a gallow; he ended on the gallow himself. This is where your enemies also belong.
On a general note wherever the enemy wants you to be is where they also belong. They will actually take your place. If they dig a pit for you they are the ones that will end up in the pit. If they conspire to get you sacked on your job they are the ones that will be sacked. Whatever evil they imagine against you will return on their head.
Let’s pray!
1. By the power of the Holy Ghost we declare that the red sea will open up and swallow anyone or anything that says there won’t be peace and celebrations in my family.
2. Every adversary are beaten down before our face. They shall not be able to rise again.
CONFESSION:
I declare that I have the victory over every adversary. The power of the enemy are under my feet.
LEARN MORE: Ps 89:23, Luke 10:19
Thank you Lord for changing lives through Inspiration in 2021. Psalm 92:1-2
Saturday 25th December, 2021
Saturday 25th December, 2021
SEALED BY THE SPIRIT
Text: “And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” Eph 4:30
The presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives has so much significance in the life of a believer. Apostle Paul writing to the Romans stated clearly that if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ that person does not belong to him.
The believer is sealed by the Spirit of God. When you buy a product in the market like a shirt, a shoe, a wristwatch etc they usually carry the seal of the manufacturer. The seal is also referred to as the logo or the stamp. The seal serves as the proof of ownership on the product. The Spirit of God is a proof of God’s ownership on our lives. This is why Apostle Paul declared “let no man trouble me, I bear in my body the mark of the Lord Jesus”. He was so sure that no one could harm him because of his connection with God.
Ephesians 1:13-14 also speaks clearly about this seal of the Spirit, it says “In who ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise. This is the earnest of our inheritance...” Verse 14 in the New Living Translation says “The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us everything he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people...” The promise of the Holy Spirit is the first and the most important of all the promises God made from Genesis to Revelation. Once we have the Holy Spirit it’s an assurance that every other promise is also available to us. The presence of the Spirit is also a proof that we have been purchased to belong to God. We are his people and the sheep of his pasture. Because of this our lives are secured in his plans.
CONFESSION:
God’s seal of ownership is on my life. My life is secured in his plans. My destiny is not at the mercy of circumstances. I am secured in the blood that purchased my redemption.
LEARN MORE: Rom 8:9, 1 Pet 1:18-19
Lord we ask that the transforming power of the Spirit will be at work through every copy of Inspiration devotional from January 2022. 2 Corith 3:18
Friday 24th December, 2021
Friday 24th December, 2021
FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
Text: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance; against such there is no law.” Gal 5:22
The measure and the quality of our Christian life are not determined by the rate of our attendance in Church. It’s not necessarily a function of how much miracles we have seen in the past or in the present. It’s neither a function of the size of our Bibles. Jesus clearly declared that by their “Fruits” you shall know them.
Every tree is known by its fruits. Merely looking at the leafs sometimes may be misleading, most especially for someone who is not used to the leaf. The fruits give us a clear indication of a tree. The mango tree cannot be mistaken for a cashew tree when we see the fruits.
This is how believers are supposed to be identified, by the fruit of the Spirit that is clearly seen in their lives. There is no reason why anyone should doubt if we are Christians or not. It should be so obvious. The fruit should be so visible in our lives that everyone that sees us is drawn to experience the same thing in their lives.
The fruits are a direct working of the Spirit of God within us in such a way that it flows from within us effortlessly. It’s not something we should struggle about. The mango tree should not be struggling to produce fruits. It’s a natural sequence. The Spirit of God has come to take resident in our lives; so that our lives will be a practical example of what the Christian life should be.
When the fruit of the Spirit shows up in our lives we’ll become a correct sign post to turn others to the Saviour and not away from him. Whether you realise it or not someone close to you is watching your life closely to see how you conduct your life. Since the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ he helps to produce in our lives the character of Christ.
CONFESSION:
My life is the correct reflection of the character of Christ. My Conduct is pointing others to the Saviour.
LEARN MORE: Matt 7:16- 20
Thursday 23rd December, 2021
Thursday 23rd December, 2021
IN THE SPIRIT
Text: “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet” Rev 1:10
It takes a man of the Spirit to access the voice of the Spirit. This voice is available to guide us in life, showing us what to do and where to go.
One common trait in the life of everyone that became great in God’s kingdom either in scripture or in our contemporary day is an unusual experience with the voice of the Spirit. At every cross road of life, when human help has failed us, when we require a way out we’ll always need that voice of the sweet Spirit of God showing us the way.
This will come either as a witness within our recreated human spirit or as a direct voice to us or as a revelation from scripture. Whichever way it will come we must cultivate an environment and attitude for this to happen. An attitude of been “in the spirit” is the attitude that opens us up to the voice of the Spirit. This is a positioning of our human spirit to receive from God. It’s an attitude of expectation in the Spirit. This can happen anywhere, either in the kitchen, in the traffic driving, in the shop or in your office. It does not matter who you are or where you are if you’ll maintain a glow of your spirit all the time the voice of the Spirit will reach out to you saying this is the way.
The act of constant meditation in the word of God, praying constantly in the Spirit and a lifestyle of praise will help you to always be “in the Spirit”. While in your office life up your hands there and bless the Lord. In the course of your day get your mind of scriptures.
Don’t wait until you get to Church before you can receive direction and instructions from the Spirit of God. It can happen anywhere, provided that you are open and expectant to receive from the Spirit of God.
PRAYER:
Lord by your Spirit help me to constantly pick your voice and direction for my life on a daily basis.
LEARN MORE: Rom 12:11, Isa 30:21
Wednesday 22nd December, 2021
Wednesday 22nd December, 2021
QUALIFIED BY GOD 2
Text: “Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.” 2 Cor 3:5 NIV
I want you to note the phrase that stands out in this scripture. Our competence comes from God!
There is a divine competence and adequacy that comes from God. We may look young, small. Inexperienced, unqualified (Give me more words) but as we come to God our competence and adequacy comes from God himself. We must also understand clearly that human effort and expertise alone are not enough to accomplish divine purpose. Apostle Paul was a trained lawyer in his days but he understood clearly that his qualification was from God. Most times what God will ask us to do will be far beyond our natural competence? This is why we must depend heavily on divine competence. By God’s competence at work in us we cannot fail. We can rise up to the occasion.
David wanted to take a step of faith to confront Goliath; King Saul and all his men around looked at the age and experience of David and felt he wasn’t the kind of person that could fight Goliath. It’s important to know that God doesn’t need anyone’s permission to move us into his purpose. People may think we are not quailed but God himself will qualify us by his Spirit. David was anointed by God for this battle; he was already qualified by God for the throne.
Refuse to be intimidated by human opinion. Refuse to accept the limitations that men place on you. Refuse to see any reason why you can’t be all that God wants you to become. Refuse to stop yourself; step into all that God has ordained for your life.
What God is asking you to do may look bigger than you but his ability is already at work in you to do it.
CONFESSION:
There is a divine competence at work in my spirit. I’m functioning by the ability of God.
LEARN MORE: 2 Cor 4:7
Tuesday 21st December, 2021
Tuesday 21st December, 2021
QUALIFIED BY GOD 1
Text: “Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.” 2 Cor 3:5 NIV
There is a common trend all over scripture. You will find out that everyone that were used mightily by God were naturally not quailed for what God asked them to do. Each of this men gave God reasons why they were not quailed for his assignment. The decision for them to be used of God was purely divine.
Moses “And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou thou hast spoken unto thy servant; but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.” Ex 4:10. Gideon “But Lord, Gideon replied, “How can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family.” Judges 6:15 NLT. Jeremiah “O sovereign LORD,”I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young.” Jere 1:6
We can see clearly that each of this men and several others did not have the physical qualification that would have been the yardstick for them to do great exploits in life.
I want you to note the following from each of this accounts: Physical impediments is never a hindrance to the purpose of God for our lives. If the power of God comes on our weakness it can become a mighty tool in the hands of God. The circumstances of your birth or the place of your birth is never a barrier to what God wants to do in your life. God can begin to use us mightily from a very tender age if we’ll yield ourselves completely to him. In God’s program the earlier the better.
This individuals were qualified by God to occupy his program for their lives in spite of their weakness and impediments.
PRAYER:
The ability of God is working in me and finding expressions. I’m functioning beyond myself.
LEARN MORE: Phil 4:13
Monday 20th December, 2021
Monday 20th December, 2021
ARMOUR OF GOD
Text: “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”Eph 6:11
The battles of life are essentially spiritual and we must learn to take on the armour of the Spirit to handle these challenges. As David was going to face Goliath King Saul gave him his own armour which were basically the spear, the shield and the cloth. But David knew that this was beyond a physical battle.
What Saul did by giving David physical weapons is also what we are doing when we try to fight the battles of life on our own.
Prayer is a platform that God has given us to take on the armour of the Spirit to deal with the issues on ground. With the armour of the Spirit we can pull down every stronghold of the enemy, we can deal with every barrier on our way.
Don’t forget that by strength shall no man prevail. There is a limit to which human strength can carry us. It’s therefore a waste of time to depend solely on your strength in getting ahead in life. Like David we must put off the weapons of human strength and take on the armour of the Spirit to get ahead in life.
Nothing works on mere human strength. As good and relevant human strength is, it has limitations because we have forces that are contending with us beyond the natural.
Don’t go out any day without your armour on. This is why we must spend some time every day in prayer so that we can be sure that we are not facing anything that day in our own strength.
With the armour of the Spirit no Goliath of life can stand your way. With the armour of the Spirit we can handle whatever comes our way. We don’t have to run away from whatever comes our way. King Saul actually ran away from Goliath because he had lost the presence of the Holy Spirit.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I pick up the armour of the Spirit today and I dislodge every challenge on my way today.
LEARN MORE: 1 Sam 2:9, 1 Sam 17:38-39
Sunday 19th December, 2021
Sunday 19th December, 2021
TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Text: “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you. “1 Corinth 3:16
If you have seen a man under the control of alcohol before you’ll understand the power of influence. The truth is that every human being is under an influence that he may be aware of or not. Something or someone is controlling your life.
Apart from alcohol many of us are under the influence of ungodly upbringing. So many were raised in an environment that has no regard for the things of God. So many of us are moulded by forms of entertainments that portray sin as normal and necessary part of life. This has become an unnoticed influence in our lives.
As believers we have the Spirit of God dwelling within us. We are his temple; this should become a consuming awareness for us. He dwells within us to become the greatest influence in our lives.
He influences us from within to produce the character of God in our lives. It becomes extremely difficult to live otherwise. When we allow this influence to take place we talk like God, we’ll respond to challenges like God. Fear, anxiety and timidity will find it difficult to stay around us.
The influence of the Holy Spirit within us also produces an extraordinary life. This helps us to discover God’s purpose and plans locked up within us. It will find expression in our lives to bless our world. Samson came under the influence of the Holy Spirit and he did things that were beyond this natural world. I see something major and significant happening through your life under the influence of the Holy Spirit..
CONFESSION:
I am under the influence of the Holy Spirit. He controls me. He produces in me the life and character of God.
LEARN MORE: Ezk 36:27
Saturday 18th December, 2021
Saturday 18th December, 2021
BREAD OF IDLENESS
Text: “She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.”Prov 31:27
The scripture above is part of the traits of a virtuous woman, but I strongly believe that it’s applicable to everybody. This is a trait that must be found in anyone that will end up successful in life.
Life will present to us many idle moments which we can either waste or take advantage of. As a medical Doctor you could find yourself sometimes waiting for your patients to show up. If you add up these moments you’ll realise that you have so much time you could either work with or waste. As a student you also spend so much time within lectures with nothing doing. Instead of getting involved in endless senseless discussions you can find a book that you can read. Travelling on a very long journey could be a good time to meditate on a particular scripture that will remain stamped in your spirit forever. It could also be a time to read a book. If you are a housewife take advantage of moments when your children are away in school.
Eating the bread of idleness means allowing time to get away from you without doing anything meaningful with it. There are people who work in establishments that give them so much freedom in the course of their day. This is actually a trap in disguise if the spare moments are not filled with something reasonable. Apart from the salary that you are paid where you are working what are you becoming in that process.
If you run a shop where you wait for customers to come read your Bible or read a book. By all means fill your time with something edifying and productive. One thing that helped me after I left secondary school as a teenager was to spend that time devouring by Bible. It really built me up. Please stop eating the bread of idleness, it will never satisfy you; it will produce a failure out of you.
CONFESSION:
My time is used wisely and productively. My time is used to the glory of God.
LEARN MORE: Eph 5:16-17
Friday 17th December, 2021
Friday 17th December, 2021
YOUR PLACE
Text: “As a bird that wanderth from her nest, so is a man that wanderth from his place.” Prov 27:8
God has an ordained place for each one of us in life. This could refer to several things for several people.
1. This could mean a specific area of calling that God has for us as individuals.
2. This could mean a specific business or vocation earmarked for an individual to pursue in life.
3. It could also refer to a particular geographical location that we are required to function from in life.
We have individuals in the Bible that were selected by God to function in a specific calling in life. Moses was selected to bring the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt. Joshua was selected to take them to the Promised Land flowing with milk and Honey. Joseph was selected to preserve his family. David was selected to defeat Goliath. The list can go on and on.
Isaac made some efforts to move out of the land of the Philistines because of the famine there. But God asked him to stay in the place. That was going to be his place of flourishing. He had wanted to move down to Egypt just as his father did.
The only place where we have a guarantee of God’s involvement is in our place. That is where God has made available all the resources we require to triumph.
It is dangerous for us to function outside our place in life. This is compared with a bird that wanders away from its nest. When this happens the bird is open to the attack of the hunter. The hunter is actually looking for a bird that is astray. The Devil is on the lookout for people he can devour. He will not find you in Jesus name.
God has also placed each one of us in a biological family or a Church family. There is a level of protection that God has made available for each one of us in those places. We become exposed and vulnerable when we stray away from such places.
PRAYER:
Lord order my steps to find my place and to abide in my place. Teach me Lord not to wander away from my place.
LEARN MORE: Jer 1:5, Rom 8:14
Thursday 16th December, 2021
Thursday 16th December, 2021
SELF-CONTROL
Text: “He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.” Prov 25:28
In the ancient times the major form of protections in cities are fortified walls. Wars were quite rampant in those days. One Kingdom is always fighting against another kingdom, which made the walls absolutely necessary. Once the walls are broken down, it becomes so easy for the intruding enemy to gain easy access.
The walls are for the following reasons:
1. To protect the territorial boundaries of the city.
2. To protect the intruders from gaining entrance.
A City with a broken down walls is open, vulnerable and exposed to everything that can go wrong. This is the exact description of a life that has no rule over his spirit. The word ‘rule’ here means self-control.
Lack of self-control could be expressed in various forms: This could express itself in lack of self-control over the use of our time. Time is precious; if we lose control over time we’ve lost control over life itself. Time management is life management. We don’t have all the time in the world to do everything. We only have enough time to do what is relevant and productive for us. But when we fail to do this we’ll end up spending our God given precious time on irrelevant and unproductive ventures.
Lack of self control could also be expressed in lack of control over our appetite, sleep, sexual drive and the rest. Whichever one it is, such a life is open, exposed and vulnerable to every wrong intruders.
Self-Control is an internal work of the Holy Spirit within us as we yield ourselves to his dealings and promptings within us. This will protect your life.
CONFESSION:
There is control over my spirit. I am internally controlled by the Holy Spirit. Intruders are helpless. I have control over my time, my appetite and my sexual drive.
LEARN MORE: Gal 5:22-23
Wednesday 15th December, 2021
Wednesday 15th December, 2021
POWER OF EXPECTATION
Text: “For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.” Prov 23:18
The Woman with the issue of blood was sick for so many years- twelve long years. She has done everything medically possible to get out of that situation. Every effort proved abortive. She had spent all she had on the problem. Instead of improving it was getting worse.
If you read the story carefully we’ll see that she did not really lost all hope of receiving an answer. She kept taking steps to get her problem resolved. When she heard of Jesus her expectation rose up again. If she had given up on her condition she would not have taken the steps she took. Expectation keeps your “antenna”, waiting to see your miracle show up. As long as you are breathing you cannot give up on what God says about you. If it is written in the word of God you must hold on to your expectation until it becomes a reality in your life. It took the woman with the issue of blood twelve year to come out of her situation. It was her expectation that kept her on. She might have died before meeting Jesus.
Job in the midst of his challenge said “…All the days of my appointed time will I hold on to my expectation, till my change come.”(Paraphrased) Job 14:14b. This man lost everything all in one day but he did not lose his expectations. When you lose your expectation you have lost the possibility of a favorable outcome. This was why the latter day of Job was better than his beginning. Everything he lost was restored twice back to him. I see a major restoration taking place in your life this month. Refuse to give up on God’s plan for your life. Expectations keep you on and open to what God is ready to bring forth in your life.
CONFESSION:
I will hold on to my expectations until God’s plans come to pass in my life. I will not give up on what God has said concerning me.
LEARN MORE: Mark 5:25-29, Romans 4:17-21
Tuesday 14th December, 2021
Tuesday 14th December, 2021
COUNSELS OF THE LORD
Text: “There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsels of the LORD that shall stand.” Prov 19:21
We all have plans, dreams and desires that we love to see come to pass in our lives. There is not wrong with all these. But at the same time we must be sure that whatever we desire plan, dream about and desire is in perfect harmony with God’s ultimate counsels for our lives.
The ultimate plan of God is to get us to the point where we are so close to him that we know exactly what his counsels are for our lives. Some of us are so close to our parents, spouse or even friends that we know exactly what they want and what they don’t want. Most of the time when we pursue things that are not within the confines of God’s counsels for our lives we begin to struggle to make things happen by ourselves. God’s counsels are already blessed and empowered to happen.
“...Nevertheless the counsels of the Lord that shall stand “means the following:
1. It is God’s counsels that has guarantee for a future.
2. It is God’s counsels that will endure and stand the test of time.
3. It is God’s counsels that will bring the highest fulfilment into our lives.
We may succeed in pursuing the devices of our hearts and get them but they will still leave us with a sense of emptiness within. God knows what is best for you in life. He knows the end of your life from the beginning. He has the master plan for our lives and should be the best person to channel the course of our lives in the right direction.
God’s counsels may not be popular but that is where you future lies. God’s counsels are the things that God programmed and prepared for you before time.
CONFESSION:
Lord I embrace your counsels for my life. I declare that your counsels are greater than all my plans.
LEARN MORE: Jer 29:11
Monday 13th December, 2021
Monday 13th December, 2021
PRODUCT OF PRIDE
Text: “When pride cometh, then cometh shame; but with the lowly is wisdom.” Prov 11:2
The whole sin of humanity began from the rebellious attitude of the Devil to exalt his throne above the throne of God. He began to have an over estimation of his place and worth. What he did not remember was that it was God who placed him where he was in the first place. He eventually lost his place to pride.
Pride is an over estimation of who we are, what we have and where we are. There is nothing we are that someone had not been before. There is nothing you have that someone has never had before. We are all recipients of the grace and mercy of God. If not for God’s grace what would have become of us. Apostle Paul did so much exploits even beyond the Apostles that were before him but he understood that it was all by the grace of God. He said “But by the grace of God I am what I am...but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me”1 Corinthians 15:10.
Pride has grievous consequences in our lives. God himself resists a proud man. He makes sure that nothing works right in such a life. Pride is a way of taking credit for the happenings in our lives and God is angry with such an attitude.
If a man refuses to humble himself he will end up humiliated. Daniel 5:20-21 says “But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him: And was driven from the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses...”. This continued until Nebuchadnezzar knew that God reigns in the affairs of men.
The product of pride is principally shame. God withdraws his glory and the man is left to himself. When we humble ourselves before God he gives us more grace to do more and to become more.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I enter into the fullness of every word that has been spoken over me this year.
LEARN MORE: James 4:6
Sunday 12th December, 2021
Sunday 12th December, 2021
ROLE OF TEACHERS
Text: “And have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, Nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me!” Prov 5:13
One of the people that has made irrevocable impact and contributions in our lives are teachers. We were exposed to them from a tender age. Apart from the home the next major impact on a child is the teachers. It’s always a challenge for parents to convince a child contrary to what a teacher said in school.
Teachers are instructors. They help us to find our bearing in life. The only person that has not had a contact with a teacher is possibly an illiterate who did not have any form of education; formal or informal. This is also true in spiritual things. One of the core ministry gifts in the body of Christ are teachers (Eph 4:11). These are spiritual leaders God has placed over us that help us to find our bearing in God. If you read the previous verses before our anchor scripture for today you will understand that there will be a major deviation from the path of life if we ignore the instructions and the reproof of the teachers that God has brought our way in life. If you recognise a teacher God has placed on your life spend time listening to them on their tapes or books. It will enrich your life. Prov 5:7-12
The Holy Spirit is the ultimate teacher, but he also reaches out to us through human vessels. Each time you read this material it is the voice of a teacher reaching out to you. I have seen cases where people come to Church week after week and do nothing about what they are taught. In so many cases you find people do the right opposite.
The voice of teachers starting from the Holy Spirit is meant to guide you in life. To help you avoid the pitfalls, to help you become all you were meant to be. I hope you’ll obey their voice.
PRAYER:
Lord I open my ears more than ever before to hear the voice of teachers you have used to teach me. I receive a heart of obedience.
LEARN MORE: Isa 30:21-22, John 14:26
Saturday 11th December, 2021
Saturday 11th December, 2021
THE SCHOOL OF LIFE
Text. "And have not obeyed the voice of my teacher, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me" Prov 5:13
Life in itself is a school. Many people have degrees and vocations but they are illiterates about life itself. The major issues about life are not necessary what you learned in school. Many people fail in life not because they did not learn well in school but did not learn about life itself. Every life experience is a learning experience. Every challenge of life has a hidden wisdom. Every experience of loss or disappointment have lessons embedded in them. Everyone you meet has a lesson to teach negative or positive.
You must go through life open minded to learn from every experience that comes your way. Every mistake you have ever made in life taught you a lesson you will need to apply the next time such issues come up again. Unfortunately many don't learn from their mistakes and keeps making the same mistakes over and over again.
Joseph had a dream at a very tender game of becoming a leader. He was also loved by his father. This attracted a lot of hatred for him. He was literally hated and maltreated. He had no formal training or vocation. The things he went through became his training ground. The things he went through literally prepared him for his ultimate Destiny. No experience of life is a waste if we learn to see it from the lenses of God's Destiny. The things Joseph went through were negative circumstances but at the same time they were learning experiences.
Prayer Lord help me by your Spirit to be open and sensitive to what life is teaching me per time.
LEARN MORE 2 Tim 3:16-17
Friday 10th December, 2021
Friday 10th December, 2021
GOD’S CORRECTION
Text: “My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction. For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.” Prov 3:11-12
One major responsibility of parents is to correct their children. Sometimes it involves some levels of being hard on the children. The mother of Ben Carson had to place some restrictions on him just to make sure he improved academically. Was it because he hated his son? Emphatically no! Those corrections of the mother made out of him the greatest Neurosurgeon.
Correction is actually a proof of love. This is also true of our relationship with God. He wants to correct us over and over again. So that the best can come out of our lives. Despising God’s correction is a wrong attitude to life. God will correct you on virtually every aspect of your life. We must be open and receptive to such corrections. If we are left to ourselves we’ll destroy ourselves. If a child is left alone he or she may never go to school, may never do assignments, and may never take bath for months. Correction is actually helping us to end up right in life. When a child despises correction the child is despising greatness. So also we are when we despise God’s correction. No one is too old to be corrected by God. If you are too old to be corrected then you are too old to be used of God.
God’s correction will come via his word as prompted by his Spirit from time to time and also through various authorities he has placed over us in life; Pastors, Parents, Teachers, Spouse etc.
God’s correction is not the same as condemnation. Correction is of God while condemnation is of the Devil. Welcome and embrace God’s correction, it’s for your own good. You are dangerous specie if no one can correct you. God’s correction for our lives will come from the teaching of God’s word and people he has placed over us in life. Embrace it as it comes!
PRAYER:
Lord I open my life to your correction. Re-order my steps from whatever I am doing wrong.
LEARN MORE: Job 5:17-18, Heb 12:5-11
Thursday 9th December, 2021
Thursday 9th December, 2021
THE RIGHT TIME 2
Text: “Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already.” John 11:17
Jesus was told that Lazarus was dead and he did not go to his rescue immediately. It makes no sense humanly speaking that he did not show up immediately. He waited until Lazarus died. This sounds like bad timing. When he eventually showed up the Sisters of Lazarus felt Jesus should have intervened earlier than now. They did not realise that whenever God shows up, it is always the right time. It is impossible for God to be late! We must understand that there is really nothing we can do to make God show up in certain areas of our lives when it’s not yet time.
While we wait for the fullness of time we must learn to trust God and get ourselves prepared for what God is about to do in our lives. God knows what is best for us and when the best time will be.
God’s time is not our time, but it is the right time.
Timing is a vision thing. The challenge with us is that we don’t see from God’s point of view. The God that lives above and beyond time is the one that understands the proper time for your breakthrough. The inability to wait for the right time has pushed so many people to take wrong steps they lived to regret all their lives. . Whenever God comes is the right time and the right season. When it’s time for Him to come through on your behalf nothing in the world will be able to stop the success that he has chosen for your life.
Time is a gift given to you by God for the purpose of preparation so that you can handle the success. Just as a child born prematurely struggles to survive so also it will be difficult to handle blessings you are not prepared for. Allow the waiting period to prepare you and mature you for what God has in store. I’ll see you in your destiny.
PRAYER:
Lord help me to be prepared and matured for your blessings. I position myself for blessings today.
LEARN MORE: Ecc 3:1-11, Gal 6:9
Wednesday 8th December, 2021
Wednesday 8th December, 2021
THE RIGHT TIME 1
Text: “But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law…...” Gal 4:4-5
The fullness of time simply means the right time. There is a right time for everything we do in life. God entered into our world in the person of Christ. It is interesting that Jesus Christ did not enter into the earth realm in a physical sense until it was time. He was desperately needed long before he was born. If we had been the judge of time, we would have sent him a lot sooner. The city of Sodom was so wicked and sinful that God could not even find a handful of righteous men there; humanly speaking that would have been the most appropriate time to send Jesus. (Gen 13:13). He did not come then because God’s concept of the appropriate time is different from our own. That we have a desperate need does not necessarily imply that it’s the right time.
It was obvious that Jesus was needed then. But God waited. There was a future time that would be more perfect than that time. When everything lined up perfectly, then he was sent into the world. The issues of life are only beautiful at the fullness of time. Things done at the wrong time will be void of the beauty they are supposed to have.
We must understand that if something did not happen today does not mean it won’t happen. It’s just not time! All of life confirms this fundamental truth. An embryo has to go through a nine-month gestation period in its mother’s womb before it can be born with the best possibilities of perfect health. It’s possible to have a baby five or six months, but it will be premature which will require extra care and treatment.
To everything there is a time. When your time comes, nothing can stop it. My prayer for you is that you’ll not miss your time. At the right time everything falls in place.
PRAYER:
Lord help me to be sensitive to your timing for me. I declare that I’m daily walking in God’s plan.
LEARN MORE: Matt 26:18-19
Tuesday 7th December, 2021
Tuesday 7th December, 2021
CONCEPT OF USEFULNESS 2
Text: “You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its flavor, with what will it be salted? It is then good for nothing….”Matt 5:13
The concept of usefulness is carefully expressed in the life and teachings of Jesus. Jesus declared “Ye are the salt...” The purpose of salt is not to decorate the kitchen table. No one buys what is useless. Once salt lose its saltiness it’s no longer useful. When usefulness is gone it will be “…Cast out and trodden under the feet of men.” Jesus got to a fig tree that was supposed to produce fruits but found nothing. The usefulness was in its fruitfulness and not in occupying space.”(Mark 11:12-25). Jesus actually cursed the tree. This is a divine response to uselessness. This should begin to help you to understand why you need to become useful and also begin to increase your level of usefulness.
When other people come in contact with you they should have virtues to draw from you. When people come in contact with you there should be an improvement in their lives one way or another. You should have developed so much value in yourself that your life literally add value to other people. Your presence makes the heart of the helpless people sing for joy. Job said “When the ear heard me, then it blessed me….Job 29:11.” When you are privileged to function in a place you don’t leave the same place the way you met it.
David left a legacy that is still a reference point in the nation of Israel today. David became so useful that even Jesus is called the son of David (Luke 18:38). Legacy is what you are remembered for long after you have left a scene or a platform. Legacy is not so much what you invest in yourself but what you invest in others. What you invest in yourself will die with you or go with you as soon as you exit a scene or a platform. But what you invest in others will remain with them as long as they live depending on the depth of the impact.
CONFESSION:
I have a generational impact. I’m adding value daily.
LEARN MORE: Job 29:1-20
Monday 6th December, 2021
Monday 6th December, 2021
CONCEPT OF USEFULNESS
Text: “...You must not go.” they urged. “If we have to turn and run – and even if half of us die – it will make no difference to Absolom’s troops; they will be looking only for you. You are worth ten thousand of us, and its better that you stay here in the city and send us help if we need it.” 2 Sam 18:3 NLT
The life of David is such an instructive life. We have so much to learn from his life. Every account of scripture is a direct message to us of what is possible in our lives. The lives of this individuals is set forth for us to know what God has ordained for us. The greatest testimony about a man is not what he says about himself but what God says and what people around him says. The first major testimony about the life of David is the one that God made about him and the second was what his people said about him.
God himself testified that David was a man after his own heart. What exactly will God say about you as a person? Whatever he says will be the truest description of your life.
The focus of our lesson is the testimony of what his people said concerning him. I hope you noticed what the people said “…You are worth ten thousand of us…” According to their estimate David was so much useful….much more that 10,000 people put together. This is one of the greatest height of usefulness any of us can attain unto in life. One of the things that brought David to this level of usefulness to his people was that at certain stage in his life certain men gathered unto him and by the help of David they all became mighty men (1 Sam 22:2). Men in distress, Men in debt, Men that were discontented. This men were about 400. David began to work on them until they became mighty men. 2 Sam 23:16.
Our usefulness increases as we become instruments in the hands of God to change lives. See you tomorrow.
PRAYER:
Lord I declare that my usefulness is increasing by the power of the Holy Ghost.
LEARN MORE: Job 29:1-20
Sunday 5th December, 2021
Sunday 5th December, 2021
GOD’S SIZE
Text: “This day will the Lord deliver thee (Goliath) into mine hand; and I will smite thee...”1 Sam 17:46
David was the youngest of all his siblings. He was quite young, skinny and inexperienced. As far as we know in scripture he had never been to war before. The only thing he had done before was take care of his father’s sheep. Why in the world will he ever think of facing a giant like Goliath who had been a warrior right from his youth? Compared with Goliath the man David was not a match.
As David was going to face Goliath he knew that the size of Goliath was nothing compared to the size of the God of Israel. David was therefore not facing the giant based on his own size but rather on the size of his God. He knew that God was far bigger than the weapons of Goliath.
When you are faced with financial challenges. When your wages are too small to meet your needs keep your eyes on the sufficiency of God. We can take giant steps in life, not based on our bank account but rather on heavens supplies. At the point when I started publishing and giving out “inspiration” out free, if I had considered my salary with the other expenses I had to meet I would never have started. By the grace of God this is almost the 9th year of printing and sharing it free.
I would have asked you to imagine how big God is, but I know that our human minds are too small to comprehend that. God is bigger than the biggest, greater than the greatest. There is nothing bigger than him. He is so big that he fills the heavens and the earth. Just imagine how small your challenges are compared to the size of our God. What will it cost God to handle the issues of your life? He can pay for anything. He can help you on any issue. Trust him.
PRAYER:
Thank you Lord because you are bigger than the challenges of life. With you I am big enough to handle whatever comes my way.
LEARN MORE: 1 John 4:4
Saturday 4th December, 2021
Saturday 4th December, 2021
THE FAITH LIFE
Text: “And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.” Num 13:30
Twelve spies were sent out to see the land of promise. From their report it was quite clear that giants were in that land. These were obvious facts that we can see on ground. The ten spies made the giants their focus and that was why they were swallowed in the wilderness.
The faith life is a life that sees beyond what is obvious to the natural life. Caleb and his colleague saw the same thing in the physical but refused to focus on that. They made God their focus. We walk by truth and not by facts. We walk by faith and not by sight- sensory perception.
The faith life is a life that sees God’s possibilities in every circumstances of life. The faith life refuses to allow the circumstances of life to dictate the direction of our existence. We become entrapped in the facts of life when they become more real to us more than what God had said to us. Whatever we focus on takes the center stage of our lives and then dictates the outcome of our lives.
The faith life sees God as more than enough in the most bankrupt situations of life. Even when we completely run out of strength and resources we understand the sufficiency that exists in God. There is really nothing we could have done or accomplish on our own, but because God is for us and with us we can break the records and accomplish the unimaginable.
The faith life takes steps in the direction of what God said. If God has promised you something he must have gone ahead to make the crooked places straight. He does not promise us what he cannot deliver. His promises are not based on our capacity but on his unlimited capacity.
CONFESSION:
I live a life of faith. I see God everywhere and in everything. I see possibilities in my life.
LEARN MORE: 2 Corinth 5:7, Heb 11:6
Friday 3rd December, 2021
Friday 3rd December, 2021
SERVING KINGS 2
Text: “And Saul said unto his servant, then get me a man who is an expert player, and make him come to me. Then one of the servants in answer said. I have seen a son of Jesse, the Bethlehemite, who is expert at playing…” 1 Sam 16: 17 – 19 (BBE)
From the story of David I noticed that after he was anointed to become a King in 1 Samuel 13:16 he was selected to come into the palace again to serve King Saul. This was even long before he defeated Goliath. This shows that Killing Goliath wasn’t the only criteria why God selected him. David was a die-hard servant. Those who eventually become kings are those who faithfully and committedly serve Kings.
The surest way to connect to relevant people is to be valuable. The proof that you are valuable is that people pursue you. There are things that you have that only the poor will look for you, there are things that you have that only the rich will look for you. There are certain dimensions of things you have that greatness will come looking for you. The quality of people looking for you is a reflection of the quality of value you represent. It’s one thing for you to be looking for Kings to favour you but another thing for kings to be looking for you because of the value you carry. Isa 60:3 “All nations will come to your light; mighty kings will come to see your radiance.” NLT
We can only receive the reward of kings when you serve kings. When a man truly and faithfully become valuable he will eventually serve kings. The quality of your life and the height of your rise in life will be determined by the quality of value that you offer. Your relevance in life is determined by the value you offer as demanded by this generation. When no one is seeking you and placing demand on what you represent it may be a report sheet for you that you are not really valuable. David wasn’t just anointed; He was an expert. We must become exceptional in whatever area of life God has placed us. You can’t serve kings with mediocrity. This generation is not patient with mediocrity. You must become exceptional.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I function with an exceptional spirit. There is a brightness of shinning taking place in my life.
LEARN MORE: Prov 22:29
Thursday 2nd December, 2021
Thursday 2nd December, 2021
SERVING KINGS 1
Text: “Then Samuel asked, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest.” Jesse replied. “But he’s out in the fields watching the sheep and goats.”…”Send for him at once……” 1 Sam 16:11
I want us to do a little explorative study of the life of David. You remember when it was required for a King to be selected over Israel and Prophet Samuel was sent to undergo the selection process. David wasn’t in the house. He was in the bush serving the need of his father. Those who were in the house who were physically qualified for that position were not selected. When God looks for Kings he does not check human pedigree or status; he looks for people who are already busy serving in the bush of obscurity. If you don’t serve well in the “bush” there is no guarantee that you will serve well in the “palace.”
David wasn’t looking for recognition.
David wasn’t looking for accolades.
David wasn’t looking for human applause.
Those who are crazy about recognition, accolades and human applause hardly get to the throne of divine significance. If you are going to serve Kings you must first of all master the art of serving from obscurity. This reminds us of Joseph also. He had to serve the servants in the prison without any compensation before he could serve Pharaoh in the palace. If you feel too big to serve in low places you will be too small to be relevant in high places.
If you will ever go up in the staircase of divine destiny you must go down the staircase first. Serving Kings is a description of coming into prominence or limelight. Serving Kings is where God expose you to platforms that are far bigger than what anyone ever experienced in your lineage.
PRAYER:
Lord I receive grace to serve. I receive deliverance from crave for recognition and accolades.
LEARN MORE: Luke 22:24-27
Wednesday 1st December, 2021
Wednesday 1st December, 2021
MIGHTY MAN OF VALOR
Text: “And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him (Gideon), and said unto him, the Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valor.” Judges 6:12
I’m sure God’s word has imparted you so much this month. Let’s close the month with this awesome lesson. Gideon had a unique divine visitation. The angel appeared to him and declared that he was a mighty man of valor. If you study the previous verse before this one above you’ll notice that Gideon was a farmer, he had never been to war before. This description would have been okay for someone like Goliath. Gideon was far from it. He could not figure out why he was referred to as a might man of valor.
If you read the passage on you’ll notice he actually protested why he was called that. The matter was even worse because his family was in a very bad shape. The most devastating experience of life is when we allow the circumstances of life to determine our self-image of ourselves. The damage in our environment should not become the damage of our souls. It becomes a big problem when the environment and the circumstances of our birth are damaged and then our souls are also damaged along.
God wanted to use Gideon in an extraordinary way, but he had to first of all deal with his self-perception of himself. It’s easy to believe that God is powerful, but it’s equally important for us to realize that God’s involvement in our lives makes us equally powerful.
The angel announced that God is with Gideon. The God factor neutralizes everything that might have been wrong in the past. Christ in us brings the reality of God into our lives. This brings us to an experience that is divine and heavenly. Whatever defines God is what defines us today. We can do the impossible and accomplish the unimaginable.
CONFESSION:
The life of God defines me today. The value on the blood of Jesus is what defines my value.
LEARN MORE: Phil 4:13,Eph 3:20
Tuesday 30th November, 2021
Tuesday 30th November, 2021
LARGENESS OF HEART
Text: “And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore.” 1 king 4:29
Did you notice the things that God gave Solomon? These are the raw materials from which everything else is made in life. Honestly if you have these you have everything else that life will ever require.
He had the privilege of asking for any other thing, but he knew that this was the most important. If you have that kind of opportunity what will you ask for? He did not ask for his enemies to die. If your enemies die and you still lack wisdom, you’ll still end up as a failure.Please go ahead and pray whatever prayer you want to pray but make sure this one too is included in your prayer.
Largeness of heart talks about capacity. Solomon was young but he needed a greater capacity to handle his assignment. When your heart is enlarged your capacity to do great things increases. It takes largeness of heart to do great business. What you require to handle a hundred thousand worth of business is not the same as what you require to run a one billion worth of business. Greater risk and pressure is involved. So also you’ll require a greater courage and confidence. This will happen as your heart is enlarged.
What you require to live as a single person is completely different from what you require as a married person.
The heart needs to be enlarged to be able to accommodate the differences that exist between you and your spouse. If you are narrow hearted you’ll see mistake in everything, you’ll find it difficult to forgive and let go of offences.
Most people fail in life not because they were not sincere but because their hearts were too narrow to handle what was committed to their hands.
PRAYER:
Lord enlarge my heart and capacity to do great things.
LEARN MORE: 1 King 3:7-13
Monday 29th November, 2021
Monday 29th November, 2021
LIGHT IN THE DARK PLACES
Text: “Have respect unto the covenant: for the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty...” Psalm 74:20
I want to help you today by the help of the Holy Spirit for you to clearly understand your place and all that God has invested in your life to function on his behalf on the earth. God has positioned each one of us in families, cities, and nations etc to enforce his will in those places. The word “earth” in our opening verse simply means world or nations. The dark places of the earth or nations are places where cruelty and wickedness have found prevalence. The dark places represent places governed by agents of darkness and the principalities of evil.
The first answer to the dark places is the word of God. God sent his word in the person of Jesus (Ps 107:20, John 1:14). God’s solution was packaged in the man, Christ Jesus, who came as the Saviour and Light of the world. After Jesus ascended to heaven he commissioned us, the Church, to continue the work he started. Jesus prolongs his days through us today (Isa 53:10). We are his seeds, and through us he heals, delivers, and saves today. We are His light in a dark world. Jesus said “...I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” (John 8:12). Then in Matthew 5:14, He said “Ye are the light of the world...”
We are the solution to the darkness of the world. We must be bold and confident about this. We have the answers to the cry of humanity. Multitudes are looking up to us. The dominion of light over darkness is instant and unquestionable. Don’t hide your light; let it shine for all men to see. Light is of no use when it’s covered and hidden. It becomes useful when it’s exposed. Matthew 5:16 says “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your father which is in heaven.” Good works are the things Christ does through us to affect and bless people in our sphere of contacts.
CONFESSION:
I’m the light of the world, and my light shines so bright to dispel every darkness where God has placed me.
LEARN MORE: Phil 2:15, Matthew 5:14-16
Sunday 28th November, 2021
Sunday 28th November, 2021
STANDING IN THE EVIL DAY
Text: “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” Ephesians 6:13
The evil day is when all hell breaks loose against you; it’s when the doctor suddenly announces that there is trouble in your body! The evil day is when challenges suddenly arise in your office or in your business. The evil day is an expression of the day of crisis. Many of us have come across such days and will still come across them in various forms. The ability to stand in that day is crucial to a believer. Anyone can be bold and cool when everything is working fine; but the true test of what you are made of is when a day like that shows up.
The ability to stand in the “evil day” will be determined by what we have programmed into our spirit over time. The standing in the “evil day” will come from our spirit. This is why, as a Christian, it’s so important that you learn the word of God in the days of peace; when everything is cool. Because you may never tell when you’ll need it.
Its not wise to wait until trouble strikes before you start praying and trying to act up your faith. Faith and desperation are two different things. In most cases when we meet an “evil day” unprepared we just push the panic button, out of desperation. If we don’t grow our faith ahead we will just end up panicking in the day of adversity. Faith is a response that comes from our spirit. A student does not prepare for an exam in the exam hall. He should have done that weeks and months ahead of the exam.
The ability to “stand” in the exam hall will be determined by the preparations he had done before entering the hall. So also is life. Unlike school exams life does not give us a timetable to know when the exams will show up. When you are faced with a challenge in your life rise up to it in the name of the Lord. Refuse to bow; STAND!
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I take a stand of victory against every onslaught of the enemy. I refuse to go down.
LEARN MORE: Eph 6:10-17, Col 3:16, 1 Peter 5:8-9
Saturday 27th November, 2021
Saturday 27th November, 2021
WORD HARVEST
Text: “A sower went to sow his seed...the seed is the word of God.” Luke 8:5,11
Jesus clearly explained to us in the parable of the sower that the seed is the word of God. This clearly shows us that words are seeds, and that what you sow is what you reap. If you sow the right words into your life and future, they’ll produce the right harvest.
Jesus said you shall have what you say (Mark 11:23).
You can’t keep speaking negatively and expect to have an excellent life. If you have seen where a house is been built before you will notice that the material used will determine the quality of the house that is built. A house built with grasses can never be as strong and beautiful as one built with bricks. Your words are important; the quality of your words will determine the quality of your life and your future. Your words are literally creating a future for you.
Proverbs 15:4 Says “A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit.” A wholesome tongue is one that speaks life, health, righteousness, possibilities and abundance. Perverseness, on the other hand, means crookedness; inconsistent and contrary words that deform and destroy the human spirit. Every time you speak words that are not consistent with the word of God it produces a damaging effect in our spirit. This is why you must consistently talk right. Speak forth the blessed word of God over your life and all that has to do with you. The harvest of those words sown overtime will be waiting for you in the future. Your words give direction to your life. Your life will go in the direction of what you are automatically saying. If your words are excellent your life will be excellent; if your words are positive or negative your life will go in the same direction. Your future will not be a coincidence; it will be a harvest of your words today. Speak only words that are consistent with a future you desire.
PRAYER:
My life is a product of God’s grace. Grace is working in me. My future is lined up with possibilities.
LEARN MORE: Prov 18:21, Col 4:6, James 3:2
Friday 26th November, 2021
Friday 26th November, 2021
LIVING FOR THE GOSPEL
Text: “...Hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation...and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.” 2 Cor 5:18-19
We have many today who flood into churches all over the world. Many will claim they have received Jesus as their Lord and saviour. But unfortunately many don’t have any passion for the gospel. The gospel of the Lord Jesus is not something we receive to keep but something we receive to demonstrate and share with others. Apostle Paul understood this very clearly; he said “...necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!” He was all out for the gospel. He lived to fulfil God’s dream of making the gospel known to the Gentiles.
Living for the gospel begins from making sure that the evidence of the gospel is clearly seen in our lives. Each one of us as believers is living epistles that should be known and read by all men in our sphere of contact. Without carrying the Bible an unbeliever around you should read the gospel in your life and conduct. It will be difficult to present something that has not changed your own life to another person. The evidence of the gospel must be clearly seen in your life. It was clear to everyone who knew Apostle Paul before of the changes that had taken place in his life.
On the other hand each one of us is an ambassador and a steward of the mysteries of Christ. We are sent to bring God’s word alive to those in our world, touching them with the love of Christ. Don’t be comfortable with ignoring the sinners around you; it’s not the will of God that anyone should perish. God wants them saved, and He’s counting on us for their salvation. Everyone that is not saved around you are without hope in this world and in the world to come. Such individual are separated from the promises of God. They are created by God but they don’t belong to him. God’s creation is not the same as God’s ownership. Please don’t be quiet reach out to them.
CONFESSION:
My life is an expression of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. My life is turning multitudes to God.
LEARN MORE: 2 Cor 3:2-3, Rom 10:13-14, 2 Peter 3:9
Thursday 25th November, 2021
Thursday 25th November, 2021
PURPOSE OF BIRTH
Text: Ephe 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
We said yesterday that birth simply means to bring forth something. The ultimate plan of God is that we bring forth his purpose for our lives. So the purpose of birth is to discover purpose and fulfil it. One of the greatest blessings you could ever experience in life is to discover God’s purpose for your life and fulfil it. God placed you on earth for a definite purpose. Jesus was on earth for a specific purpose and He was clear about it. He affirmed in John 10:10 “...I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. His whole life was about something; to save and give life to men.
A prophetic word concerning Jesus says “...Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me) to do thy will, O God.” Jesus lived and fulfilled the will of the father. Like him you were born for a purpose; you came to fulfil the will of the father. If you are born again, the will of the father and his purpose for your life shouldn’t be a mystery to you. We have the capacity as believers to know the mysteries of the kingdom (Luke 8:10). As you study the word of God and stay in fellowship with the Holy Spirit, God’s purpose for your life becomes clear to you. The will, nature, and purpose of God are revealed in his word. He also guides us to our divine purpose as we walk closely with him and do things that please him.
You were born for a reason. There is nothing accidental about your life. You were born for the glory of God. You were born to walk with him and bring him honour. God planned from the beginning that you should serve Him with your life, and walk worthy of him, pleasing Him in all things, and fruitful in every good work. We bring God pleasure as we fulfil his purpose for our lives. Men will see our good works and glorify our father in heaven.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus i receive grace to build and become all that God has designed for my life.
LEARN MORE: Matt 5:14-16, 1 Cor 2:9-11
Wednesday 24th November, 2021
Wednesday 24th November, 2021
BORN OF THE SPIRIT
Text: “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth; so is everyone that is born of the Spirit. “ John 3:8
Birth is a very important word in humanity. Every time you hear that word there is a picture of something been born. To born is to bring forth something that never existed before. “Born of the Spirit” describes the process of spiritual birth. There are two major forms of birth; the natural birth and the spiritual birth. John 3:6 says “That which is born of the flesh is flesh...” This is the natural birth. The later part says “...and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” This is the spiritual birth.
Everyone on the face of the earth are born naturally but not everyone is born spiritually. It therefore means that everyone not born of the Spirit is not yet alive spiritually. The scripture tells us that we are “...alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Rom 6:11.
The natural birth connects us to humanity while the spiritual birth connects us to divinity; we are connected to God. When a child is born naturally the child automatically carries the genotype of the parents. Whatever was wrong in the parents can also flow to the child through the bloodline. But thank God we have a greater bloodline; the blood of Jesus. By the spiritual birth we are connected to all that is right in God. Whatever was wrong through the natural bloodline has been made right through the Jesus bloodline.
The other phrase that is used to describe been born of the Spirit is “born of God”, 1 John 5:4 says “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world...” This was described earlier in 1 John 4:4 as “Ye are of God...” This simply means that we originate from God. We came out of God. We are complete; we are flawless; we are perfect. Everything that comes out of God is good. There is no way we can remain defeated and down in life. Your life is divine.
CONFESSION:
My life and everything about me is anchored in God. The life of God is flowing in me. My life is divine.
LEARN MORE: John 1:12-13
Tuesday 23rd November, 2021
Tuesday 23rd November, 2021
A POSITION OF REST
Text: “And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Eph 2:6
It’s my sincere prayer that the eyes of your understanding will be enlightened afresh as we go through our lesson for today. Every statement in our opening verse today is loaded. The scripture clearly explains the position of a believer. The life of a believer is purely a life of faith. We function primarily by receiving God’s word and endorsing it as so.
God had made us to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. It does not matter where you are sitting right now; on a bed, on a chair or wherever. That is a physical sitting, but in the realm of the Spirit we are seated with Christ in the heavenly places. I want you to note that sitting is a position of rest. If someone comes to fight you it will require that you stand up and fight. There is a big difference between sitting, walking and running. We are sitting; we are not fighting. The fight of faith that God requires from us is from a position of rest. We are not fighting to win; we have won already. What we do in spiritual warfare is to enforce the reality of our victory.
The heavenly place is the description of where we are seated. We are physically on the earth but we are seated in heaven. Heaven is a place of triumph; it’s a place where defeat does not exist. We don’t have to wait until we get to heaven to experience all that heaven represent. We are in heaven already; the experiences should start from now. The ultimate purpose of God is that his will be established on the earth just as it’s done in heaven. We are the agents through God works to establish heaven’s culture on the earth. It’s such an awesome privilege. As we share the gospel and live our lives in the gospel of Christ the dominion of heaven on earth is been established through us. I want to ask you to stop fighting and start resting; your battles are over. There is an eternal victory credited to your account at calvary. Please enjoy your victory today.
PRAYER:
I declare rest over my life today. I enter into God’s rest over my life today. Rest over all that has to do with me
LEARN MORE: Heb 4:6-9
Monday 22nd November, 2021
Monday 22nd November, 2021
HIS STRENGTH IN YOU
Text: “That he would grant you according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man.” Eph 3:16
For the purpose of this study let’s identify three (3) major types of strength. We have mental strength; this comes from rigorous study and academic pursuits. We have physical strength which is majorly enhanced by physical exercise and the rest. Thirdly we have inner strength. The most important of them all is the inner strength. It’s a strength that comes from within. The state of our recreated human spirit is what determines our inner strength.
The inner strength actually comes from the Spirit of God living inside us. He strengthens us from within; with this strength inside us we can stand up to anything and everything. It does not matter how physically or mentally strong you are if your inner strength fails everything else will fail. The most unfortunate thing about life is that we spend so much time and resources building our mental and physical strength and completely neglecting the inner strength.
Christ in us strengthens us. We must become very conscious of his presence in us. Apostle Paul said “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Phil 4:13. This consciousness of the indwelling Christ infuses strength inside a believer. God himself is our strength; a very present help in times of trouble. When everything else fails his strength in us will never fail.
The strength of the Lord inside us is pronounced as we wait on the Lord in a fast. This enhances our consciousness of his presence inside us. It also helps us to be free from whatever hinders the free flow of his strength in us. Let’s take advantage of his strength in us; be conscious of it. By human strength shall no man prevail. King Saul had so much of strength that comes from weapons of war but could still not fight the giant. David only came with God’s strength inside. He was so convinced and bold about the victory. Be conscious of this every day.
PRAYER:
The strength of the Lord is working inside me. I’m bold and courageous. I can handle whatever comes my way
LEARN MORE: Ps 27:1-2, Isa 40:29-31
Sunday 21st November, 2021
Sunday 21st November, 2021
HIS WISDOM IN YOU
Text: “...Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God...But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption.” 1 Cor 1:24, 30
Christianity is not about following a set of rules and regulations. It’s not even about changing our way of life. Changing a way of life does not necessarily translate to been a believer. Every religion of this world encourages change in behaviour one way or another. Christianity is solely defined by “...Christ in you...” Col 1:27. Nothing more and nothing less. It’s not been nice that makes someone a believer; it’s having Christ in us. When we receive Christ his presence in us produces every change we can think of. It’s a change from the inside out and not outside in.
Christ himself is the wisdom of God. The wisdom of God is personified in Christ. Christ is the embodiment of wisdom and knowledge. His presence in us is supposed to produce extraordinary living. We should never get to a point in our lives when we don’t know what else to do. The wisdom of God creates solutions and answers in the midst of life uncertainties. Every one of us must relate very closely with this truth as we navigate through the journey of life. This is why as a believer you should never say that you are confused; it’s contrary to the wisdom of God at work in you. I agree that there are times when you will feel confused; but we live by faith not by our feelings. We must learn never to agree with our feelings. The word of God is the eternal truth that we must agree with.
The wisdom of God inside us is expressed as we interact closely with the word of God. The word of God is the wisdom of God in the written form. As the word of God takes root in our hearts the wisdom of God will begin to find expression. Taking time to pray consistently in the Spirit will also enhance the flow of God’s wisdom in our lives. You don’t have to look far to connect to God’s wisdom. Wisdom is inside you.
CONFESSION:
I live by the word of God. I make the word of God the final authority over my life today and forever.
LEARN MORE: Col 2:3
Saturday 20th November, 2021
Saturday 20th November, 2021
HIS LIFE IN YOU
Text: “And this is the record, that God hath given us eternal life, and this life is in his son. He that hath the son hath life....” 1 John 5:11-12
A record is a documentation of series of events that took place. You don’t record what did not happen. God has given us eternal life. This is what the record of heaven says. It's not something that will happen when we get to heaven. We have eternal life already. I want you to note that eternal life is not the same as “long life” or life forever. Eternal life simply means the life of God. 1 John 5:13 says “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life...” “...THAT YE MAY KNOW...” Many of us don’t know; some are working very hard to have eternal life. There is nothing you can do in the natural to have eternal life. God has given us his very life. What an awesome privilege that we have. We can boldly say today that the life of God is in us. What we have is not just the human life; we have the God life; Partakers of the divine nature.
The life of God is superior to failure. The life is God is superior to sickness. The life of God is beyond every curse. It’s high time we become so conscious of the life of God inside us. We are not limited to the human life. We have a higher life available to us.
We function with the life of God as we consciously acknowledge the life of God in us and we begin to declare it so over our lives. I heard the testimony of a dear daughter of Zion. She became terribly sick; at a point she began to ask God to take her life. God spoke back to her that it was impossible for her to die. The Spirit of God ministered to her that she had declared life over herself for so long and that will not allow her to die. She was told that for her to die she will have to start declaring death over herself for a period. This is how it works. You have to start declaring life over your body, life over your family, life over your business etc.
PRAYER:
I declare in the name of Jesus that the life of God is working in me and functioning through me.
LEARN MORE: 2 Peter 1:3-4, 1 John 5:9-13
Friday 19th November, 2021
Friday 19th November, 2021
HANDLING SILENT YEARS 2
Text: “And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man, and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.” Gen 39:2
We’ll take our lesson deeper today. I strongly believe that these words will be life liberating for someone. In the silent years it was as if God was silent, but we must understand that God’s silence does not mean God’s absence. Even if you feel he’s not talking he’s working.
If you notice carefully for each of these men they had an unusual experience with God’s presence in those years. From our anchor scripture we can see clearly that though things had not worked exactly like Joseph had dreamed, God was still with him. The assurance of God’s presence was all that kept him all through those years. He never lost sight of that. Even though King Saul’s fury was kindled against David God’s presence was so much available for him. 1 Samuel 18:12 Says “And Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with him...”
The silent years are the years that God wants us to develop an intimacy and acquaintance with his presence. This is a time when we clearly understand God’s dealings with us individually. It’s also a time of life in which the motives of our hearts are revealed and purified. God wants to ascertain if we are just interested in what he gives us or in who he is.
Joseph went through the greatest tests of his life during this period. He was tested with little to see how he was going to handle it. He had the test of purity. In the prison he was tested on how to develop intimacy with God. It was actually in the prison that he discovered that he could interpret dreams. That was something he needed to get to the leadership position he dreamed about several years ago. We can conclude that the silent years were not wasted years; but rather an ingredient of a great destiny. Those years gives God the opportunity to work on us before he reveals us to our world.
CONFESSION:
God is at work in my life. He’s working out the details of my life. He’s directing my path into destiny.
LEARN MORE: Deut 8:2, Ps 66:10
Thursday 18th November, 2021
Thursday 18th November, 2021
HANDLING SILENT YEARS 1
Text: “Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.” Ps 66:12
God is bringing you to a wealthy place. All that you have gone through will not go in vain. I saw a pattern in scripture that inspired me a lot; I want to share it with you.
Joseph had a dream of becoming a great leader at about the age of seventeen. He went on to announce his dreams to his siblings and all hell broke loose on his life. He did not actually step into that dream until he was about the age of thirty. David was also anointed to become a king over Israel at about the same age with Joseph. He also did not become a king immediately. Before the age of thirty there was nothing so significant about the life and ministry of Jesus. We did not hear of any mighty miracles that he did.
Between the time that this people conceived God’s purpose for their lives and the time that they stepped into its fulfilment were silent years. There was really not so much to desire in those years. In the case of Joseph it was if God was even silent in those years. He did not have any other dream again other than the ones he had initially. The absence of fresh or new dreams did not suggest that God cancelled the initial one. It was still in force. One would have thought that David will assume the throne immediately; he went on to serve afterwards.
The silent years are actually the years when God builds character and tenacity in our lives to be able to become all we are created to be. God may look quiet but he’s actively involved in the lives of this people; orchestrating things for them. If we are introduced too early to God’s ultimate destiny we may not have the capacity to carry it. Instead of getting anxious and worried just get busy walking with God.
PRAYER:
Father thank you because you working behind the scenes of my life. Thank you for your involvement.
LEARN MORE: Job 14:14, Ps 27:13-14
Wednesday 17th November, 2021
Wednesday 17th November, 2021
RIGHT THINKING
Text: “...Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely...think on these things.”Phil 4:8
The thoughts of a man direct the steps of a man. The thought of a man is like the compass of his life. Where your mind goes your life will automatically follow. When your thinking is wrong your life will automatically be wrong. Romans 12:2 in EasyEnglish version says “Do not let yourselves be like the people who belong to this world. But instead, let God change how you think. Then you will become new people. You will be able to understand what God wants you to do. You will understand what is good. You will understand what makes God happy. And you will understand how to live completely as God wants you to live.”
Just imagine a list of the benefits of allowing God to change our thinking. List them out by yourself from the verse above. A change in a man’s life begins from a change in his thinking. Right thinking is a thinking that is in line with God’s eternal counsels for our lives. If a thought is not in line with scriptures then it’s wrong. The word of God is the standard of measurement of what is wrong or what is right. We must be careful not to just accept something because it’s popular and widely accepted.
When thoughts of failure comes deal with it. Don’t allow any wrong thoughts to stay on your for too long. The longer it stays the more it develops inside us. The mind is an incubation ground of the soul; this is why we must be careful of what we allow to stay in our minds. Consciously expose your mind to right books, messages etc that will produce the right thinking in your life. Take out your time to listen to people at a higher level of spiritual authority with proven testimonies. They will help you to come higher in your thoughts.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I pull down every wrong thought and imagination. The mind of Christ is working in me.
LEARN MORE: 2 Cor 10:4-5
Tuesday 16th November, 2021
Tuesday 16th November, 2021
GOOD THINGS IN YOU
Text: “That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.”Philemon 1:6
One major way that we can live our lives defeated, hopeless, fearful and helpless is to have a list of things that are wrong and bad in our lives. The enemy of our souls specialises in pointing those things out to us. He could be doing that through people around us. Sometimes parents or other forms of authority figures could be tools in the hand of the devil for that purpose. As believers we don’t grow spiritually by focusing on what is wrong in us. From our anchor scriptures we become effective people by focusing on what is good in us in Christ Jesus.
The communication of our faith simply means the expressions of our faith. Every time you come across people and interact with them your life should leave and indelible mark and impression on them. We are supposed to be positive influence in our sphere of contacts. But this will never happen if all you are seeing are your mistakes, errors and weaknesses. We are not saying you should deny the existence of any of them; but rather overcome them by focusing on what is good in you in Christ Jesus. This is the divine process.
“...Every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.” In Christ Jesus is our focus. Don’t judge yourself based on the natural. It’s a wrong estimation of your life. Stop estimating yourself based on one type of temperament or another. Christ in you is what defines your temperament now. It does not really matter if you are sanguine, melancholy etc what matters is that you are a new creation in Christ. You are complete in Christ. You are his righteousness. We carry his life and nature. These and many more are good things in you in Christ Jesus. Let that be your focus.
PRAYER:
I acknowledge today that Christ lives in me. I’m a new creation. My life is an expression of Christ.
LEARN MORE: 2 Cor 5:16-17, 21, Eph 4:24
Monday 15th November, 2021
Monday 15th November, 2021
TREASURE IN YOU
Text: “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the Excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” 2 Cor 4:7
The experiences of life must have painted a picture of trash around you. The circumstances of life could have concluded that nothing good will come out of us. The score cards of life may have placed us at the bottom of the class. However this is not the picture that God gives us in his word. On the pages of scriptures are painted God’s final verdict around our lives.
Let me remind you again today that your life is not designed to be determined externally but internally. The greatest and the only true reality about your life is what have been packaged inside you. The composition of your life within should be more real in your life than the circumstances of life around you. If you are not in touch with the divine package inside you you’ll be overwhelmed but the happenings around you.
Every one of us is full of treasure and not trash. What comes out of your life will be determined by what you are full of. If you will walk with God you must agree completely with his word. We must be fully persuaded by his word. The more we agree with his word the more we’ll see the reality of his word in our lives. Every time we say “inside you” we are not referring to your stomach. We are referring to the recreated human spirit. That is where the treasures are located. There is so much that God has packaged inside us. It will take the whole eternity to explore it.
When you allow the treasure in you to find expression your life becomes so valuable and impactful. Everywhere you go men will see God at work in you; whatever you chose to do comes out precious and significant. God has done all these so that the glory will always return back to him when people see all that God has done in our lives. Our union with God is not in vain; it’s the greatest privilege life can offer.
PRAYER:
I’m valuable and precious. So much value is coming forth out of my life to bless others.
LEARN MORE: Ps 139:14
Sunday 14th November, 2021
Sunday 14th November, 2021
POWER IN YOU
Text: “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding anundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.” Eph 3:20
The presence of the Holy Spirit in a believer is such a huge advantage. The Spirit of God in a believer is the power of God resident within us. The power of God is not something we go looking for in a place; it’s right inside us. If you are filled with the Holy Spirit you are filled with the power of God. The power of God works from within us. If you can’t find it inside you it will not be found in any other place. How much of God that we experience will depend on the extent to which the power within us is allowed to find expression.
The acknowledging and understanding of the power of God within a believer is so crucial to the how a believer functions in life. We are not helpless; we are not victims to the circumstances of life. The power of God to handle them is right inside our spirit. We feel helpless most times because we are looking at something external to handle the issues of life. Scriptural truths works for us when we begin to acknowledge their reality. Begin to acknowledge that the power of God is at work in you. It’s not a dormant power but something that is working.
If you look around you there may be weaknesses and inadequacies around you. It will be wrong to look around you for answers. The solution is right inside you; divinely packaged into your spirit. The power of God inside us is released in the place of prayer as we pray constantly in the Spirit. The greatest ability to handle life is not physical but spiritual; it flows from inside us as we engage ourselves in God. If you wake up in the morning and pray consistently in the Spirit for a period of time the power of God from your inside goes forth to organise that day on your behalf. Ahead of whatever will happen that they you are equipped already to handle them.
DECLARATION:
I declare that the power of God is working in me and through me. I’m not helpless. Help is flowing in me.
LEARN MORE: Micah 3:8, Acts 1:8
Saturday 13th November, 2021
Saturday 13th November, 2021
GLORY IN YOU
Text: “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you the hope of glory.” Col 1:27
I learned in a fresh way recently that the concepts in the Old Testament are a shadow of what we have in the New Testament. The shadow is never the real object. The substance of everything that God has for us is revealed in the New Covenant. Under the New Covenant divine virtues are designed to operate from the recreated human spirit. Most of the ordinances and demands in the Old Testament were external and foreign to the man and so could not produce a permanent and eternal result in his life. This pattern had to change under the new covenant.
The glory of God primarily is supposed to emanate from within a man. From the inside it flows out to affect everything that a man does and touches. The scripture clearly tells us that Christ in us is the hope of glory. This is clearly stated in our opening verse. It therefore means that the glory of God is within us. 2 Peter 1:3 tells us that God has called us to glory. It’s a life we are called into; this is why the glory is inside us. It’s not something we go about looking for; its already inside us. Isaiah the prophet spoke about the glory of God rising upon us; but much more the glory of God is inside us.
Jesus clearly told the disciples “…The glory which thou gavest me I have given them…” John 17:22. Awesome revelation. The same glory that Jesus had is what we have. Nothing different. The glory of God is inside you; you have a life that is far away from shame. Please lay claim of the glory of God inside you. Refuse to be held down by whatever is contrary to the glory of God inside you. Wherever you go the glory of God shows up there; whenever you talk the glory of God is revealed.
PRAYER:
The glory of God is functioning in me. I carry the glory of God everywhere I go.
LEARN MORE: John 17:22, Heb 10:1
Friday 12th November, 2021
Friday 12th November, 2021
TAKING ADVANTAGE OF SEASONS 2
Text: “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” Ecc 3:1
We explained clearly yesterday that seasons are time intervals in nature. We can also say that they are windows of opportunity that God gives us to do certain things. One major attribute of seasons is that they don’t last forever. Every season that God brings us into are unique opportunities that God gives us; which must be fully explored. Joseph found himself in different seasons of his life. He found himself in the house of Potiphar which was a season of developing his administrative skills. That was something he will need later on in life. The time interval in the prison was a time he developed his ability to interpret dreams. He could have wasted that season crying and complaining about been treated unfairly. He was in prison for an offence he did not commit. Each of these seasons prepared him for the demands of another season of his life.
Every season you find yourself is a preparation for another. Therefore when we waste a particular season we have also created a problem for another season of life. It’s a chain reaction. Nine (9) months of gestation of a fetus in the womb is a preparation for the life outside the womb. If anything goes wrong at that stage it could result in a life time of damage on the life outside the womb. This suggests to us that we must never take any season of life for granted. There is something significant that God has packaged in every season of life we find ourselves. Usually a farmer plants his seed in one season and then he reaps in another season. If you sow nothing in your present season of life there will be nothing to harvest in the next season of life. What we do with our lives today is a seed we are sowing for a future harvest tomorrow; so be careful of what you are sowing.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I will make the most of my present season of life. Lord I receive your wisdom to make the most of my life today.
LEARN MORE: Gal 6:7-8, Eph 5:16
Thursday 11th November, 2021
Thursday 11th November, 2021
TAKING ADVANTAGE OF SEASONS 1
Text: “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.”Ecc 3:1
The scriptures talks about the children of Issachar that had the understanding of times to know what Israel ought to do (1 Chron 12:32). The understanding of the times is so crucial in life. Seasons in our anchor scripture simply means time intervals in nature. This is basically how God has designed things to work. In the natural we have the spring, summer, autumn and winter. This are four (4) parts of the year when something particular happens.
We can also have other descriptions of seasons like planting season which is a time when farmers go to the farm to plant their crops. We also have the harvesting season depending on the crop in question. Farmers generally have a good understanding of seasons.
All we have said so far apply closely with our lives. There are certain things that should happen at certain seasons of our lives. Seasons are usually a time space where certain things are easily done and accomplished. It’s so important for every one of us to take advantage of the different seasons of our lives and not waste them. The season of our lives will be different from one person to another in many ways. This is why each person must recognise their seasons.
When a farmer plants a crop at a wrong season he will have to struggle and work harder to see the plant do well. In many cases life struggles are things done in wrong seasons of life. If a teenager gets into a relationship at a wrong season there will be some levels of struggling with it. It may end up with a heart break. Knowing the seasons of our lives is not so much a function of looking at the clock but a function of walking closely with God. It’s not just enough to do the right thing; it’s should be done at the right season.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I declare that my life is lined up with the right seasons of life.
LEARN MORE: Ecc 3:1-11
Wednesday 10th November, 2021
Wednesday 10th November, 2021
DIVINE ALIGNMENT 2
Text: “And he said, Let me go for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. And he said, what is thy name..?”Gen 32:26-27.
Jacob ran away from home twenty years earlier for the fear of what his brother will do to him. On his way back home twenty years later he realised that the fear he had so many years back was still hunting him. At this point in his life he had two wives and twelve sons. He was also blessed with multitude of livestock; that was the symbol of wealth in those days. By a divine idea Jacob became richer than his father-in-law. So it’s clear that the problem of Jacob at this point was not material things.
He had an encounter with the angel and Jacob asked for blessings. It’s obvious that he was not asking for a wife or children or any other material wealth. He also realised that he was not in alignment with divine purpose. Even though he had so much he was still having an identity crisis. He knew that was the only thing that will solve his problems and remove his fears.
The response of the angel is quite instructive. “...What is your name...? What has name God to do with blessings. A name is a symbol of identity. That was actually the source of all his problems. There was a need to get aligned with divine identity for his life. What was changed was not just a mere name of Jacob to Israel; but a change of identity.
I want you to note again that this alignment took place when Jacob came alone to have an encounter with God. He left the crowd behind and communed with God. Each one of us will also need such a separation where we begin to commune with God personally for an inward change that can only take place in his presence. It’s important that we also learn to spend quality time with God in the place of prayer and in his word. These are divine moments where we are transformed to come in alignment with divine purpose.
PRAYER:
There is a divine work taking place in my life bringing me to the place of purpose and destiny.
LEARN MORE: 2 Cor 3:18
Tuesday 9th November, 2021
Tuesday 9th November, 2021
DIVINE ALIGNMENT 1
Text: “And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren; and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow. And Jabez called on the God of Israel....”1 Chron 4:9-10
The life of Jabez was a complete mess. He had a name that became a problem for him. He was named sorrow and that became his life experience. This was not necessarily a name that God gave him. It was his mother that did. Jabez grew up to realise that this cannot continue. It was not his fault that he was given that name; but it will be his fault to remain in that state. He took up his case in prayer to demand for an alignment with divine purpose.
He must have realised that what was happening to him was not in agreement with God’s counsels for his life. He took the responsibility of prayer to see a change in his life. If he had not taken a step of prayer he would have remained in that state all his life blaming God and his mother.
Life is spiritual and until we get serious about our spiritual life many things will elude us. Prayer is one vital means of getting ourselves into divine alignment. Prayer is not just a means of getting something from God, but a means of becoming something in God. The highest goal of prayer is not what we get but what we become in the process. A wise man said “Don’t work on having; work on becoming. With what you are you will have.” Prayer does not only change things for us, it changes us for things. God is more interested in what we become more than what we get. What you get is external to you; what you become is internal to you. The inner us is far more important than the outer us.
As you get on your knees today in prayer there will be divine alignment in your life. More than ever before you will begin to function in the centre of God’ will.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I declare that my entire life comes into divine alignment. I live in purpose.
LEARN MORE: Heb 4:16
Monday 8th November, 2021
Monday 8th November, 2021
GOD’S PROJECT 2
Text: “For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.”1 Cor 3:9
From our lesson yesterday we stated clearly that God is working on the earth. His project is a never ending and ever expanding one. The second line of thought from our anchor scripture is that each one of us are God’s building. Another way of putting this is that we are God’s project. God’s attention is actually directed towards us individually and collectively.
God is so eager to see his project succeed. There is none of us that will start a project and not desire to see it complete. “If you that are evil starts a project and complete it; how much more shall your heavenly father ensure that each one of us succeeds in life...?” (Luke 11:13 Paraphrase).
We are God’s project; the ultimate goal of this is to make sure we end up as a sign and a wonder on the earth. God wants everyone to see us and see the exact image and essence of Christ in our lives. Everything about us should fully represent Christ. This is a work that the Holy Spirit has come to do inside us.
There are several words in the Bible that suggests the kind of work that God does in our lives. The more we allow this work to take place the more we become what we are ordained for from the foundation of the earth.
1. Purge – this simply means getting rid of impurities. To clean thoroughly. This is an inward process that goes on within a man. John 15:2
2. Washing – this also involves the removal of whatever is not supposed to be around our lives.
3. Build – this is a process of equipping us with all that we require to function in God’s best of our lives. God builds us line upon line; precepts upon precepts. Act 20:32
The more we yield ourselves to God the more his work is accomplished in our lives.
PRAYER:
Lord I yield myself completely to you. Have your way in me and through me. Purge me and build me.
LEARN MORE: Jer 18:1-6, Phil 2:13
Sunday 7th November, 2021
Sunday 7th November, 2021
GOD’S PROJECT 1
Text: “For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.”1 Cor 3:9
There are two basic thoughts I want to share with you today from our opening verse. These thoughts are so fundamental to whom we are as believers. I strongly believe that the Spirit of God will open your eyes beyond the written pages.
Let’s read our opening verse from another version of the Bible. It says “For we are workers with God: you are God’s planting, God’s building.” (BBE)
I want you to note that we are not “workers for God...” we are “workers with God…” It’s such an awesome privilege. God is working on the earth and he has included us in the project.
Every believer is better positioned to find out what God is doing that he wants to engage us. In every building project we have different set of people doing different things; the carpenter, the plumber, the bricklayer etc. As individuals we must be very clear about the aspect of the project that God wants us to be involved. For me it’s teaching all men in all wisdom and creating for them as sense of direction as they discover and fulfill God’s purpose on the earth. Working with God implies that we must take instructions from him. I cannot just wake up and do whatever I want the way I want it. The results of the work are only guaranteed we follow God closely in the project.
John 5:17 says “But Jesus answered them, my father worketh hitherto and I work.” God is still working; Jesus came to do the redemptive part of that work towards humanity. Jesus came to demonstrate in practical terms what God looks like and his will for humanity. Now it’s our time to get involved in God’s project as the Holy Spirit who is the project director will assign to us today on the earth.
God’s number one project on the earth today is saving souls and transforming lives. We are all called into that. Take your place; you are equipped already by the Spirit to do exactly what God would have done.
PRAYER:
Father work in me and through me to execute your projects on the earth to bring glory to your name.
LEARN MORE: Eph 2:10, Phil 2:13
Lord we declare that your help is continually available over Inspiration devotional to keep changing lives. Acts 26:22
Saturday 6th November, 2021
Saturday 6th November, 2021
GRATITUDE
Text: “Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat...Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. Habakkuk 3:17-18
Life is a process. Nothing actually appears in life in a finished state. God usually starts us out in a raw state. Knowing how God operates and how life functions will give us a lot of rest in life.
Gratitude is a major requirement in taking our “raw state” to a finished product. Gratitude is acknowledging God in the midst of contrary situation. Gratitude is celebrating God where you are on the way to where you are going. Gratitude is the attitude of appreciating God for the present while we look forward to the future.
The direct opposite to gratitude is murmuring and complaining. It’s an attitude that never sees what God is doing. It’s an attitude that is always seeing lack and insufficiency. Complaining and murmuring is actually an expression of pride and impatience. Complaining and murmuring are subtle ways of saying:
1. God you are too slow for my liking.
2. God it seems the situation is beyond you.
3. God I can handle things on my own
It’s so important that we all develop a heart of gratitude. Gratitude is first of all a disposition of the heart. Gratitude comes from a heart that is humble. Gratitude is a function of a heart that is surrendered to God. Let’s look at few truths that will help us to have a heart of gratitude always:
1) God is committed to our lives even when we don’t ‘feel’ him or see him. Heb 13:8
2) Life is in seasons and there is no season that lasts forever. Prov 30:5
3) As long as we are alive and joined to the living God there is hope for us. Ecc 9:4-6
4) God has the final say over our lives and his counsel will stand over our lives. Isa 46:10
PRAYER:
Father thank you for working for us, with us and on us. Thank you because your counsels will prevail over us.
LEARN MORE: 1 Cor 10:9-11
Friday 5th November, 2021
Friday 5th November, 2021
DESPISING GOD
Text: “Give them according to their deeds...Because they regard not the works of the Lord, nor the operation of his hands, he shall destroy them and not build them up.” Ps 28:4-5
We are called to a life of faith. One attribute of that life is that we see God in everything and we keep our focus on him by all means. God wants us to continually regard the work of his hands. The ability to see God at work at all times is crucial to your sustenance in life. Its always easier to see what is not working, what is not enough and what is wrong. It takes faith to see what is working and what is right in every situation.
Life is in phases and stages, so also the blessings of God come in phases. We must learn to appreciate God for whatever phase of his blessings we find ourselves. I want you to recognise these two things:
1. What is happening in your life right now may be small and insignificant but we must recognise the hand of God in it. If you look down on things that look small then you have despised God. In most cases God will initially give us something small that he will eventually give us plenty of it. If we don’t acknowledge and appreciate him for the little then we disqualify ourselves for the increase.
2. Comparing what God is doing in your life with what he his doing in the life of others might make you to despise the acts of God in your life. There is no basis for comparison. God’s program for our lives different and unique to us. You will find a lot of rest and confidence in God if you understand this. When we see what God has done for others our attitude should be thanksgiving; knowing that he’s at work in our lives too.
Watch your life closely and don’t despise God.
PRAYER:
Father thank you for where we are today. Thank you for all that you have done in our lives.
LEARN MORE: Zech 4:10, 2 Cor 10:12
Thursday 4th November, 2021
Thursday 4th November, 2021
SELF SUFFICIENCY
Text: “And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.” Luke 12:18
The rich fool was the alpha – omega of his life. In this passage in Luke eleven he made reference to “me”, “I”, “mine” and “myself” eleven good times all together. There was no single reference to God in his speech. His plans were not completely sinful. He actually had a great management strategy. The challenge with it was that there was no room for God in the steps he was taking. There was no single reference to even a spouse or a family. Self-sufficiency is at work in a life when:
a. We begin to make plans and take steps without consulting God.
b. When praying and fellowshipping with the people of God is no longer a priority.
c. When we don’t see value in listening and learning from other people.
Self-sufficiency is an attitude that makes a man feel that he can handle life by himself. It’s a “know it all” attitude to life. This is actually a subtle expression of pride in a life. We all know something but we don’t know it all. In fact the things we don’t know are far more than the ones we know.
The rich fool was so self-absorbed. He was lost in his success. He should have even acknowledged God who gave the rain and who gave him life to see the harvest. Except God grows the farm those that do it are doing it in vain. The rich fool should have known that God was the owner of his soul. I hope it will dawn on someone today that your soul is not your own. We cannot live life by ourselves alone. Everyone and everything that God made were made to depend on God and function with God.
CONFESSION:
Lord I repent of every form of self sufficiency attitude in my life. I yield all to you Lord.
LEARN MORE: Prov 3:5-6, 2 Cor 3:5-6
Lord we declare that great men and women with a heart for the kingdom are raised for the publishing and spread of Inspiration. Ps 68:11
Wednesday 3rd November, 2021
Wednesday 3rd November, 2021
THE PAST, THE FUTURE
Text: “Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold I will do a new thing...” Isa 43:18-19
The life of a man can be divided into the past, the present and the future. The past is gone. There is nothing we can do to bring the past back. It’s really of no use crying over the past. The present is all that God has given us to prepare for the future. The present will soon become the past; that’s why we must make the best use of the present while it lasts.
The best moments of our lives are not in the past but in the future. This is why we must never allow the past to cast a shadow on the future. The word of God hardly speaks of the past; but it speaks into our future. The only thing it says about the past is to forget it. The only thing we can reach out for in the past are lessons that we learned and will be useful in our present state and in the future. We can also reach out for testimonies in the past to remind us of what God will do again in our lives. If a man have a negative past all he has to do is repent of it, learn from it and forget it.
Isaiah 54:4 Says “...For thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth...”
Phil 3:13 Says “...This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.”
The future is bigger and more promising than the past. We are supposed to be reaching forth unto the future. “..Reaching forth...” means working towards the future, making plans for the future. If you keep living in the past it may be repeated again. Put that past behind and reach out for all that God has in store for you. God also promised to go ahead of us into the future to make the crooked place straight. God does not stay in the past; he goes ahead of us into the future. The ultimate of his plans for us are in the future. Leave the past alone and walk into the future. God will not do new things in the past but in the future.
CONFESSION:
The future is far bigger than the past. I am reaching forth to all that God has in store for me.
LEARN MORE: Isa 43:19; 45:2
Lord we declare that the eyes of everyone reading Inspiration are open to see direction daily. Ps 119:18
Tuesday 2nd November, 2021
Tuesday 2nd November, 2021
CONSCIOUS OF TIME
Text: “Redeeming the time because the days are evil.” Ephesians 5:16
This is more or less a follow up on our lesson yesterday. Several years ago on seventeenth January 2006 I heard the Spirit of God said to me “Young man, you cannot afford to waste the gift of God in you; you’ll stand before God at the end of your life and give a detailed account of what you did with my deposits in you”. I also heard that “Every second that passes brings you closer to your grave; the only thing that deserves your time and energy is God’s purpose for your life. You don’t have to be a slave to time, but there is a time limit to your life. Be conscious of.”
On a daily basis there are diverse people and things calling for our attention. Some may even be legitimate but at the end of the day what really deserves our attention are things that are within the jurisdiction of God’s plans and purpose for our lives.
Redeeming the time in our anchor scripture simply means taking track of our time to ensure they are used wisely and purposefully. Highly successful and influential people around the world are men and women who make the most of the twenty four hours of a day equally available to everyone.
Time is something that God gives to everyone in equal amount. We have the same number of hours to make the most of our lives. A man is either a success or a failure depending on what they do with their time. The richest and the poorest in any community have the same number of hours. What makes the difference is what each invests into their time. Time is an equal currency for everyone; how each person spends their own is what differentiates between one person and another.
We must consciously identify every source of distraction and close every available door to them. The bulk of our day should be invested in becoming all that God wants us to become. Whatever does not contribute to God’s plans and purpose for your life is definitely taking you away from it. Be conscious of what you do with your time. We don’t have all the time to satisfy everyone and everything calling for your attention; we only have enough for our destiny.
PRAYER:
Lord I receive the wisdom and the discipline required to make the most of my time. I separate myself today from everything and everyone not contributing to my destiny.
LEARN MORE: Eph 5:15-17
Monday 1st November, 2021
Monday 1st November, 2021
WASTEFULNESS
Text: “And not many days after the younger son gathered all together and took his journey into a far country and there wasted his substance with riotous living.” Luke 15:13
Money can be wasted. Time can be wasted. Strength can be wasted. Wastefulness is an unnecessary, untargeted or purposeless giving, spending or use of resources. The resource could be money, time, energy or talent. Resources that are not well planned for are usually wasted. It’s possible to literally waste the grace of God and the opportunities that we have today.
The prodigal son is a typical example of wastefulness. He went to a far country and literally wasted his life there. If he had invested what the father gave him; he wouldn’t have found himself in that state. Wasting resources is wasting life. He wasted his time, money and energy. Whatever God gives us is for the purpose of fulfilling his plans and purpose for our lives and must be invested wisely and not wasted. Every resource (Money, time, energy, talents) must be deployed to the fulfilment of that purpose and plan. Whatever resource that is not deployed to fulfil God’s purpose will eventually be wasted.
Steps to avoid wastefulness!
1. Appreciate the value of time and every resource God gave you. Time wasted is life wasted. Time management is actually life management.
2. Understand that you are accountable for everything that God gives you. Set up a system that makes you accountable for everything that comes your way.
3. Be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit; so that he can guide us on how to best utilize every resource that we have.
4. Be purpose driven in all that you do.
CONFESSION:
My time, energy and resources are judiciously used. Everything about me is invested only in God’s purpose and plans for me.
LEARN MORE: Prov 18:9
Sunday 31st October, 2021
Sunday 31st October, 2021
THE LIP OF TRUTH
Text: “The lip of truth shall be established for ever but a lying tongue is but for a moment.”Prov 12:19
What an awesome word we have today. The lip of truth shall be established forever. Learning to always say the truth puts the foundation of a man’s life on a solid and lasting ground. Telling lies may give an immediate gratification but it’s temporary in nature and does not establish an enviable future that God desires for us.
Telling lies puts a man against God because the devil is the chief architect and source of all lies. Lying identifies a man with the devil’s nature. The devil lied from the beginning and fathers the whole concept. (John 8:44).
There are two (2) basic reasons for lies:
1. To safe our face - covering up issues.
2. To impress other people – Giving a false sense of importance.
At the root of these is the enthronement of ‘self’ in a life. Not allowing God to have his way.
All over scriptures there are emphases on the need to speak the truth. Psalms 51:6 tells us that God desires truth in the inward part; that is where it starts from. Psalms 15:2 tells us that people that will perpetually enjoy God’s presence are those who have learned to speak truth in their heart.
The destructive nature of lies is that it does not stop at one; it produces a chain reaction that produces other lies to cover up for the previous one. The best policy is to say the truth the first time. Yielding to the temptation of lies has devastating effects on a man. It will lead to a major loss of integrity; people who are connected to you will find it difficult to trust you. Trust is the foundation of every relationship. A lie causes a major damage to our character. Lies pollute a clear conscience.
Eph 4:25 says “Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour...” Lies may prevail for a while but eventually the truth will catch up with it.
PRAYER:
In name of Jesus I declare that my heart and mouth is filled with the truth. I receive courage to say the truth.
LEARN MORE: Ps 101:7, John 8:44
Saturday 30th October, 2021
Saturday 30th October, 2021
GOD’S DESIGN DISTORTION
Text:”...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.” Judges 16:20
The distortion of God’s original design for man began in the Garden of Eden. The devil succeeded in deceiving the first man and woman into accepting what was far below God’s expectation for their lives. From that point on they came short of the glory of God. The enemy of our soul has not given up on his mission to kill, steal and destroy God’s design for a man. You must be aware of this or else he will take advantage of you. He knows that the best of life is actually in God’s design for us. He may not succeed in making us completely abandon God but if he can get close to making us reject God’s design it’s as good as making sure that God’s purpose does not come to pass.
The first means of distorting God’s design for a man is a life of sin. Every compromise in our lives will prevent the fulfilment of God’s design for our lives. King Saul was highly privileged to be the first king over Israel; he took for granted divine instructions until he lost the throne. He gave logical reasons for his actions but that was never good enough to convince God. He was rejected from God’s design for his life. Samson was such a great warrior. He was anointed from the womb but sin distorted God’s design for him.
Satanic distortion also takes place as we begin to embrace alternatives. Nothing else in life can be as good as what God intended for us from the foundation of the earth. Don’t be deceived by things that“...Seemeth right...” (Prov 14:12; 16:25). The scriptures tells us that “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise....”(Gen 3:6). Don’t build your life on what your eyes can see; build it on what you know is God’s intent and plans for your life.
PRAYER:
Lord I declare that nothing else will be more appealing to me other than your design for my life.
LEARN MORE: 1 Samuel 15:23, 26
Friday 29th October, 2021
Friday 29th October, 2021
GOD’S DESIGN
Text: “Then I went to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.” Jeremiah 18:3
There is a very close intimate relationship between a potter and the clay. The clay depends absolutely on the potter for everything. The making of the clay is actually in the hand of the potter. The clay has no intelligence of its own to decide how it looks like and what it should be used for. This is purely the prerogative right of the potter. The potter knows what is good for the clay. The clay must therefore submit to the clay to make out of it what is the best. The potter decides the design of all his work; whatever design he makes is the best for the clay. Every design is made in such a way to fulfil a particular assignment.
This is also applicable to our lives as believers. There is a divine design to our lives. We did not just appear here accidentally. We were divinely packaged and put together by the creator. Whatever he made us is the best we are supposed to be. A man is never his best until he discovers God’s design for his life. The design of a fish is to swim in water so the animal does not find it difficult to do so. There will be a lot of struggle for the fish to function in another environment outside water because it was never designed for another environment. In many cases there are struggles in life because many people venture into areas they are never designed for.
The Holy Spirit has a unique job to reveal to us God’s original design for our lives. This is so important so that we may not waste our time and energy in what we are not designed for. Once you find God’s design for your life you will also find joy and excitement in your soul. If you are working somewhere and there is no passion for what you are doing it’s an indication that you are working at something you are not designed for. It will be difficult for a man or woman to excel in what they don’t have passion for. God’s design for your life is the best; go for it!
PRAYER:
Lord my heart and mouth will constantly flow in your direction in prayer. My heart will keep longing.
LEARN MORE: Jer 29:11, 1 Cor 2:9-12
Thursday 28th October, 2021
Thursday 28th October, 2021
GROWING UP
Text: “But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.” Ephesians 4:15
There is a big difference between growing old and growing up. Growing old is a biological process that occurs as each day passes. Growing up is a function of internal development, it has to do with developing our thought life, attitude and internal control. Growing up has to do with self-discovery, discovering your innate potentials and putting to work your God given abilities. Growing up also has to do with taking responsibility for your actions and the outcome of your life.
Everybody grows old but not everyone grows up. There are so many able bodied adults that are still “childish” in so many ways. A grown up body is not the same as a grown up mind. Once a man is eating physical food daily the physical growth will continue and at the same time the man is growing old.
The direction of our growing up is into Christ in all things. I want you to note the emphasis of “...In all things...” The yardstick of a grown up believer is therefore the measure of what we see in Christ. A grown up believer therefore exhibits the mind and the character of Christ in all things.
Growing up has a lot to do with internal control. There are people who are only controlled by external forces. Such an individual is not grown up. Internal control helps a man to choose what is right and stay with it by all means. Someone with an internal control is never controlled by human opinion and conclusion. They choose what is right and they stay with it.
One vital aspect of growing up is discovery of who God has made us and we are confident about it. We don’t live to impress people any more but to please God. Pleasing God becomes the highest goal of our lives. What people say doesn’t affect you again because you already know what God says about you. A grown up believer is confident about God and about himself.
CONFESSION:
I am not just growing old; I am growing up. My entire life is patterned after Christ.
LEARN MORE: Ephesians 4:10-15
Wednesday 27th October, 2021
Wednesday 27th October, 2021
FAITHFUL GOD
Text: “God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.” 1 Cor 1:9
There is nowhere in the Bible that tells us that we’ll not face challenges. Challenges will come at different times and at different levels in our lives. In the midst of this one thing that will keep our heads high and confident is to know that God is faithful. Once we doubt the faithfulness of God it will be difficult to handle life as it comes.
Faithful means constant. Situations may change, people may change. The government may change but God is constant. With God there is neither variableness nor shadow of turning. He’s reliable, dependable and trustworthy.
Faithful means that whatever God was before, he is today. The scripture tells us that he that must come to God must believe that he is. (Heb 11:6). He was not just a healer; he is a healer.
Faithful means that whatever God has done before he’s still doing today and even doing more. He made a way in the sea before he can still make a way today where there seems to be no way. He brought down the wall of Jericho before he can still do that today.
Faithful means that whatever he has said he will not alter. His word has never needed to be previewed or edited. His word has produced results in so many lives and it will do the same for any one that will apply themselves to it.
Sarah was already too old to conceive. Every biological parameter for conception had shut down. In the midst of that she judged God faithful. She concluded that since God has spoken his faithfulness will bring it to pass. If you ever doubt anything don’t doubt the faithfulness of God. We can count on him in the midst of the challenges of life. We can depend on him when everything else has failed. He’s reliable, dependable and ever ready.
PRAYER:
Lord I declare that you are faithful in every situation of life. I depend on your faithfulness to bring me through the circumstances of life.
LEARN MORE: Heb 11:11, James 1:17
Tuesday 26th October, 2021
Tuesday 26th October, 2021
INCREASE
Text: “The Lord shall increase you more and more, you and your children.” Ps 115:14
The God we serve is a God of increase. We are also designed to increase and multiply. God never start something and expect it to remain the way it began. He began the universe with just one person (Adam); it became two and now we have billions of people on the face of the earth. Each one of us is a proof that God desires increase for us. None of us is the way we were when we were born. The beginning of anything (Business, family, career etc) could be small, but it’s never God’s will for it to remain small. Life that is void of progress is a burden.
Increase is God’s will (Financially, marital, business, spiritually etc) – Prov 4:18
Increase is God’s promise – Ps 115:14
Increase is God’s possibility – Isa 60:22
One major command that God placed upon man at creation was to multiply; this simply means exponential increase. Increase is a major sign of the hand of God on our lives. It will be difficult to prove God’s existence when we are dormant and stagnant.
Increase begins with a desire for it. Once we understand that this is God’s will then the desires will come along. Secondly we should recognize that wherever we are right now and whatever we have done so far in life is the grace of God and the enablement of the Spirit of God that has brought us there. If we are going to increase more and more we need fresh grace and fresh enablement of the Spirit to move beyond what we have experienced and seen so far in life. As we stay diligent and faithful on our current level God will ensure that we don’t stay on that level; we are bound to increase more and more.
PRAYER:
Thank God for all we have seen and experienced so far in life. Lord we declare that there is more to our lives which we have not seen yet or experienced. Lord we ask for more.
LEARN MORE: Prov 4:18, Isa 32:15
Monday 25th October, 2021
Monday 25th October, 2021
INSPIRED BY TESTIMONIES
Text: “David said, The Lord who delivered me out of the paw of the Lion and out of the paw of the bear, He will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said to David, Go, and the Lord be with you.” 1 Sam 17:37 (Amplified)
A testimony in our context today is a declaration or recognition of the acts of God in a situation or in a place. We can draw inspiration and motivation from the testimonies of other or from what God has done in our lives in the past. As David was going to face Goliath his greatest motivation was remembering how God helped him against the Lion and the bear. He was too sure that if God had done it before he can do it again. Even King Saul that was doubtful before was inspired by the testimony of David. He gave his approval for David to go on.
If you have a challenge listening to the testimony of others you’ll have a problem having your own. Instead of doubting it believe God for your own. The wise will use the testimony of others to challenge God to do the same in their lives. If something has not happen to you is never a reason to discredit what happened to someone else. Learn to celebrate God for the testimony of others and you will soon have your own. The scripture says “Rejoice with them that rejoice…” Rom 12:15.
Every testimony is a pointer to what God can do again. As Moses was going to face Pharaoh he was so fearful and full of doubts, God had to remind him that he was the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God was simply telling him “my help that was available for these individuals is still available for you.” (Exodus 3:6). If you listen carefully and watch closely behind every testimony is an underlying principle. God will always do the same thing for as many that will apply the same principle in their lives.
PRAYER:
Lord thank you for every testimony I have ever experienced and heard. Thank you because you can do it again.
LEARN MORE: Rom 10:12, Heb 13:8
Sunday 24th October, 2021
Sunday 24th October, 2021
NO LIMITS IN GOD
Text: “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” 2 Corinth 3:17
I sense there is someone today that must be set free from every form of emotional and mental barrier. I have come today to declare over you the liberty of the Spirit. Every form of bondage on your life is illegal; the son of God sets you free. Your freedom was concluded on the cross. You don’t have to stay another day in that self-pity and guilt mold.
There is no disadvantage in the realms of the Spirit. You can reach for as much as you desire. What someone else has is never a barrier to what you can have. What someone else has done has no hindrance to what you can do. No man can limit what you can get in God. A man may limit what they give to you and what they do for you; but they cannot determine what God does with you. You have a limitless privilege in God. If you will face life daily with this mindset you will be an amazement to your world.
Romans 10:12 says “For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek; for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.” Everyone that will call upon God in faith and a true heart has an equal privilege to receive from him. What an awesome privilege that we have in God to be the best we can be by taking advantage of all that God has made available for us. God has given us an open check to reach out for as much as we desire. There is no legitimate expectation that we place on God that will be too much for God. Let your faith rise higher; there is no limit in God. Any form of limitations around us is artificial and temporary.
Please go out today with the mindset of a champion. You are not turning back from any challenge today. Like David you can face any Goliath that shows up today in the name of Jesus.
CONFESSION:
There are no limits on my life. I’m riding on the wings of the Spirit. The everlasting arms are carrying me.
LEARN MORE: Jer 33:3, John 8:36, Eph 3:20
Saturday 23rd October, 2021
Saturday 23rd October, 2021
KNOWLEDGE OF GOD
Text: “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God….” 2 Cor 10:5
There is knowledge of God over every issue of our lives. The knowledge of God is the highest knowledge that exists on the earth. Nothing else will match the knowledge of God. We have other forms of knowledge over issues. We have the knowledge of traditions; one culture to another have different ways of handling and relating to issues. There is medical knowledge about the state of the human body which a physician will tell us in health crisis. The economists of this world also have knowledge of how things work in the economy.
Every other knowledge must be subjected to the knowledge of God. We must be careful not to allow any other knowledge to exalt themselves against the knowledge of God in our lives. This usually happen in a subtle way; we must be on our guide not to allow this to happen in our lives. Each one of us must be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. This must become our prayer and our pursuit. Whatever exalts itself against the knowledge of God will hinder the fulfillment of God’s counsels for our lives. The medical knowledge of a challenge in our body should be respected but must never be taken as final over our lives.
There was a severe famine in the land and the prophet came to declare the knowledge of God over the situation. What Elisha said was not logical based on economic knowledge. The lord on whom the king lean came up with his own knowledge. He wanted to exalt what he knew about economics on the revealed knowledge of God. At the end of the day the knowledge of God prevailed. The knowledge of God came to pass in spite of the state of the economy.
The word of God is the primary source of the knowledge of God. Get acquainted with his word.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I’m filled with the knowledge of God in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.
LEARN MORE: 2 Kings 7:1-17, Col 1:9-11
Friday 22nd October, 2021
Friday 22nd October, 2021
POWER AND FAITH
Text: And Jesus immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him...Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole...” Mark 5:30,34
Two major factors were involved in the healing of the woman with the issue of blood. The virtue of Jesus and the faith of the woman. It was a collaboration of this two that got the job done. The virtue of Jesus is also referred to as the power of God. Every time we desire to see a miracle in our lives the two must be in operation.
The power of God is constant and ever ready to work. God does not need a special preparation to release his power in any situation. The power of God can handle anything and everything that comes against us. The power of God is as settled as his word is settled. God will not be more powerful tomorrow than he is today. Whatever we expect him to do tomorrow can as well happen today. It makes no difference with God.
However it’s important for us to note that the power of God will produce only to the extent to which the faith of a man will allow it. The level of our faith will determine how much of the power of God that we see. The power of God will always require the faith of a man to draw it. In most cases it’s never the power of God that is absent to handle an issue but the faith of a man to draw it out. In matt 13:58 the scriptures says “Jesus did not do many powerful things in Nazareth because the people did not believe in him.” (EasyEnglish). His power was not less here compared to other times that he did miracles. But the faith of a man to draw it was absent.
How important and precious our faith is. It connects us to the possibility of God. All of God is available if we’ll reach out in faith. Let your faith blossom.
CONFESSION:
My faith is alive and working. Divine virtues are flowing continually in my direction and producing results in my life.
LEARN MORE: Heb 11:6
Thursday 21st October, 2021
Thursday 21st October, 2021
SHIELD OF FAITH
Text: “Above all, taking the shield of faith wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.” Eph 6:16
I want us to look carefully at certain words in the scripture above. Let’s start with the word ‘quench’, it literally means to extinguish or put out; just as we put out fire. This suggests to us that we have the responsibility to quench the fiery darts of the devil. The next major thing for us to see in the verse is the fiery darts of the wicked. The word is translated as fiery arrows of the devil in another version. The devil is always throwing his arrows; it comes in various forms. Arrows to hinder the plans and purpose of God for our lives. Arrows to harm and damage precious things in our lives. It could be an arrow of thoughts of discouragement. Thoughts that say you will never amount to anything. God’s word shows us that we can quench, we can extinguish every arrow of the wicked in whatever form they are thrown at us. We are not victims to the arrows of the wicked; we can stop them.
The weapon of stopping the arrows is the shield of faith. This is no longer up to God; it’s up to our faith. Taking the shield of faith means something that we consciously do.
A shield is something that protects or defends. We all need this defence in life. Faith is a shield of defence. Every time we raise it up a defence is raised up against the arrows of the wicked. Each one of us has that responsibility to raise up the shield of faith on a daily basis. The devil will always be busy doing his own job of throwing the arrows while we must also get busy raising our shield; at no time should our shield go down. Taking the shield of faith means taking up the word of God in our mouths and expressing our confidence in what God has said concerning our lives. The physical shield is raised up with the arm/hand while the shield of faith is raised up with your mouth declarations. You are a victor.
PRAYER:
I raise up the shield of faith today. I declare that no weapon formed against me will prosper. I bring into captivity every thought against my life.
LEARN MORE: Ps 91:3-6, Isa 54:17
Wednesday 20th October, 2021
Wednesday 20th October, 2021
PRIVILEGE OF FAITH
Text: “...Had suffered many things of many physicians and had spent all that she had and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse.”Mark 5:26
We are looking again at the story of the woman with the issue of blood. She had been in this condition for twelve solid years. It’s obvious she had depended so much on the physicians to solve the problem for her. No medication had solved her problem. It’s dangerous to place your faith where there is no answer.
At this point in her life she must have realised that it was time to take responsibility for the outcome of her life. Her decision to reach out to Jesus was not a public opinion; it was a personal decision. If she had consulted the people no one would have given her to touch Jesus. There is no barrier to someone that has faith. Her faith broke a human barrier. Her faith gave her the privilege not to allow the words of the physicians to prevail over her. The medical conclusion after twelve solid years would have said she’ll remain in that state forever. Her faith gave her privilege to decide her faith.
If you place your life in the hand of a mortal man to decide they may never give you a chance to make anything out of your life. Your faith takes your life out of their hand and places it in the hand of God. This is an awesome privilege. Jesus on several occasions recognised the faith of individuals to determine the outcome of their lives. The blind Bartimaeus heard of Jesus and his faith came alive; everyone around him asked him to keep quiet. At the end of the day his faith prevailed for him. Men gave him no chance; but Jesus made a way for his healing. His faith connected him to the possibility of God. If your faith will come alive nothing and no one can stop you from reaching out to the best available for you in God. If your faith truly comes alive no one can limit you.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I reach forth unto all that God has ordained for me. I refuse to settle for anything less.
LEARN MORE: Phil 3:13-14
Tuesday 19th October, 2021
Tuesday 19th October, 2021
DEVELOPED FAITH
Text: “He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith...” Rom 4:20
Life is progressive. The progression of life also comes with greater demands. As life places greater demands on our lives so also we must ensure that the quality of our faith in God grows. It’s possible you were able to handle a challenge very well yesterday and you are unable to handle another at a later day; it simply means that a higher level of faith was required for the current challenge.
Developing our faith is not a destination but a journey. This will continue as long as we are alive and we want to keep making progress with life. Life will always deliver to a man in proportion to the level of faith they have developed.
Faith in God is developed principally through the word of God. Therefore the amount of the word of God at work in us will determine the level of faith we have. Faith is not a mystical thing; it’s simply having confidence in the ability and the integrity of God’s word. Everything about God is revealed to us via his word. The word of God has to become everything to us. It has to become the most important thing in your life. As we relate closely with the word of God, God begins to reveal himself to us personally.
Let’s look at some of the traces of a developed faith:
1. You’ll begin to believe God for things that others find difficult to comprehend.
2. Your dominant thoughts and words will completely agree with God’s word. You will find it difficult to say whatever is contrary to God’s word.
3. You are not easily moved by circumstances. Your heart is fixed trusting in God.
4. You will not be afraid to be different and to hold on to what you believe irrespective of what others believe.
These are traits of a developed faith. They can also be at different levels of operation in our lives.
PRAYER:
Thank you Lord for my faith is growing and producing results. I am changing levels on a daily basis.
LEARN MORE: Rom 4:18-20
Monday 18th October, 2021
Monday 18th October, 2021
FAILED FAITH
Text: “...Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not...” Luke 22:31-32
The faith of a man is a major weapon against the onslaught of the devil. What matter most in the day of challenge is the faith we have built prior to that challenge. Simon Peter was under a satanic attack but thank God his faith was preserved.
There are several lessons we can learn from this account. There was a time in the life of Peter that his faith was so high that he walked on water. We also saw how after a while that same faith began to fail. Having faith in a particular season of life does not mean the faith will always be there. We must ensure that we keep growing our faith and protecting it.
We also learn from the account of Peter that it’s possible for faith to fail. To ‘fail’ means to become ineffective and unproductive. Faith that is not developed and constantly improved upon will eventually fail. This is the reason why so many lives remain at the same level of spiritual productivity for long.
When a child is born and starts growing he may not require eating much. Simply because the child is not involved in too much activity. What a child of one (1) year old will eat will not be enough for ten (10) years old. This is also true of our faith. The faith we require at different levels of life are not the same. If you are doing a business of $10,000 the faith you require may not be as high as doing a business of $1,000,000. Faith fails when you want to use the faith of $10,000 business for a $1,000,000 business. Faith has to grow in proportion to the challenge we are to handle or else it will crumble. As we close for today I was to challenge you to be urgent and determined not to allow your faith to fail. Don’t just try to muster faith in emergency; most times it does not work that way. Let your faith be built ahead of challenges.
CONFESSION:
My faith is strong and working. By my faith i obtain good report in every area of my life.
LEARN MORE: Heb 11:1-6
Sunday 17th October, 2021
Sunday 17th October, 2021
GROWING YOUR FAITH
Text: “....According as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.”Rom 12:3
Every believer began at the same level of “the measure of faith.” But as times goes on each person is responsible for the level they operate in. We may begin at the same level but we don’t end up at the same level. We are all at different levels of faith right now.
How much of faith that you have does not depend on God; it depends on how much each person can build. Your level of faith matters. It determines how much of God we can access and walk in. God is equally available for everyone. He’s not a respecter of persons. The scripture tells us that “...the just shall live by his faith.” This is repeated four times in the Bible. (Hab 2:4, Rom 1:17, Gal 3:11, Heb 10:38). This is to show how important our personal faith is. Where you are right now in life is how far your faith has brought you. How far you will go will also be determined by how far your faith can carry you.
On several occasions Jesus referred to people’s faith as responsible for their miracles. Jesus said to the woman with the issue of blood “thy faith has made thee whole.” He said to the centurion soldier “...Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no not in Israel.” Your level of faith is a major factor in the journey of life. (Mark 5:34, Matt 8:10). We can go on and on to see such similar references. The good news is that our faith can grow.
One major determinant of our faith is what we constantly hear. What you constantly hear will determine what you believe. The content of your hearing is the content of your faith. Faith in God grows principally by the hearing of the word of God. We must therefore program ourselves to spend time reading, hearing and meditating on the word. Faith grows as the word grows in us.
CONFESSION:
My faith is growing and working. My faith is producing results. My faith dominating every circumstance.
LEARN MORE: Acts 19:20, Rom 10:17, 2 Thess 1:3
Saturday 16th October, 2021
Saturday 16th October, 2021
LANGUAGE OF VICTORY
Text: “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” 1 John 5:4
The direction of your words is the direction of your life. Wherever you want to go and whatever you want to see begins from your heart and expressed in your mouth. Each one of us is constantly prophesying the outcome of our lives by the things we constantly say. It could be very obvious that we have a challenge in a particular area of life; this is a time for us to begin to establish our victory by the words of our mouth. If your heart is truly filled with faith it will find expression in your mouth. A dried mouth is a reflection of a dried heart.
The giants in the land of Canaan were not imaginary. They were real. The twelve spies saw the same thing. Ten of them began to speak words of defeat. Just listen to them “...We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.” Numbers 13:31. This people by their own mouths declared their defeat. It was not the enemy that defeated them but their words. Caleb on the other hand spoke the language of victory, “....let us go at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.” Verse 30.
As Christians, we are victorious in Christ Jesus, and we maintain our victory by speaking faith-filled words. We speak the language of victors. We speak righteousness, success and excellence only. The Apostle Paul calls our language “the wisdom of God”; “Howbeit we speak wisdom...But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery.”
When someone says things are bad; declare God is good. When others are talking down talk yourself up. Job 22:29 says “When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is a lifting up.” This is the language of victory. Let the Spirit of God circumcise your lips to only speak words of victory and success. Speak in line with your expectations.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I declare my victory. I’m not a victim but a victor over every life circumstances.
LEARN MORE: 1 Cor 2:6-8
Friday 15th October, 2021
Friday 15th October, 2021
REWARD OF THE WICKED
Text: “Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked...” Ps 91:8
If any man be in Christ he is a new creation. This is a present reality for every believer. He is a new creation. His identity is that of a completely new person. A person that never existed before. The new creation man does not have any history or past. If you go into the past of a new creation you will not find anything there because a past does not even exist. He has a clean slate before God. The new creation never committed sin before. The old man that committed sin was crucified with Christ on the cross. The scripture also tells us to put on the new man who is created after God in righteousness and true holiness. Eph 4:24
Our anchor scripture today talks about “the wicked,” it’s obvious now that this can never be the description of the new creation man in Christ. Whatever wrong a man did in the past is passed away and all things are become new. This is the position of the believer.
The reward of the wicked is therefore not allowed around a believer. The expectations of a believer should be the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Anything short of that is not allowed around us. Let your faith come alive today as you face the demands of life. Draw a line through the word of God. Don’t just read this and put it aside. Begin to declare over yourself things that must happen around you and things that are not permitted to happen.
The only place I’m permitted to go is forward. Everything about me is going forward.
Everything about me is for signs and wonders. Every trace of reproach is not permitted near my dwelling.
I’m walking in the centre of God’s counsels for my life. Whatever is not of God is far away from me.
POWER POINT:
If you don’t take a stand of faith for what you want life will decide for you. You may not like what you get.
LEARN MORE: Gal 5:1, Eph 4:24
Thursday 14th october, 2021
Thursday 14th october, 2021
SINGLED OUT
Text: “A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.” Ps 91:7
Life is a product of individual decisions and choices. By the revelation of God’s word each one can decide what the course of their lives will be. The experiences of one man should not automatically determine the experience of another person. That someone died young in your family should never determine your own age. Life is an open cheque; we can individually agree with God on the basis of his word to determine what should happen to us and what must never happen. This is the privilege of the servants of the Lord.
As believers we have a righteousness credited into our account at new birth. This gives us a right standing before the judge of the earth. The righteousness of Christ is credited into our accounts. We can function in his name and his authority. It’s on this basis that we believe we can be singled out. It’s not compulsory anymore that those negative things that happen to others should happen to us too. We chose not to partake of evil in our environment. The blood of Jesus marked us out. When others are saying there is a casting down for us it shall be a lifting up. This is our choice and this is what we must see.
We are singled out to fulfil destiny. We are called by the name of the Lord. We are a chosen generation called to show forth the praises of our God. God actually gets his glory through our lives. Everything about us should speak of his excellence and beauty. We are of all men the most privileged. The Spirit of God has come to make his home in us to turn us to literal testimonies on the earth. Go out daily with this confidence and assurance. If you appear for a job interview you will be singled out for favour. Please receive this word.
PRAYER:
Thank you Lord for opportunities you have created on my path in life. Thank you for networking my life.
LEARN MORE: 1 Peter 2:9
Wednesday 13th October, 2021
Wednesday 13th October, 2021
NEVER AFRAID
Text: “Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.” Ps 91:5
I noticed very clearly that the word of God did not hide from us the realities of the challenges that we face daily. But very importantly God’s word gives us the right approach on what to do and how to face such challenges. There are terrors by night and destruction that wastes at noonday. The presence of the challenges is never an excuse to be defeated if we’ll follow the word of God.
I also realised that God’s word will not ask us to do what is beyond us. It will be out of place to expect a man to be pregnant; he’s not equipped to do so. A married woman is expected to get pregnant because she has been equipped biologically to do so. “Thou shalt not be afraid...” If God said it then it’s possible not to be afraid. All that is required is to accept God’s word by faith.
Fear brings torment. It keeps a man under a self-imposed prison. Fear kept the army of Israel away from fighting Goliath for over a month. Fear literally opens doors for satanic influences. It’s therefore important for us to make a quality decision not to allow fear to get the best of us. Fear is a negative force just as faith is a positive force. Each of them attracts unseen forces into our lives. Whatever you are afraid of must be dealt with on time or else it may become a reality. Job revealed to us that the things he was greatly afraid of eventually became his experience. Fear is giving the enemy a voice in our lives. Fear is actually confidence in what can possibly go wrong.
The good news is that we can deal with fear with the shield and buckler of the truths of God’s word. God’s word tells us that God has not given us the spirit of fear but that of power and a sound mind. Believe that word and declare it so in your life.
CONFESSION:
I have overcome every fear. It has no hold on my life.
LEARN MORE: Job 3:25, 2 Tim 1:7
Tuesday 12th October, 2021
Tuesday 12th October, 2021
SHIELD AND BUCKLER
Text: “He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler” Ps 91:4
David came into the battle field completely unprepared physically to fight. He came on a completely different mission. He brought food for his brethren. When it became obvious he had to fight there was no sword or shield with him. King Saul tried to put his armour on David but he was not convenient with it. Even though David did not have a physical weapon he had something spiritual. He had a weapon that was not obvious to the physical eyes. At the end of the day the physical weapon bowed to that which was spiritual. In the battles of life you must operate and function from a level that is far higher than that of your adversaries. We can’t operate at the same level and expect to triumph.
Life is principally spiritual and we must be able to relate closely with life from the spiritual perspective. If you don’t handle life from the spiritual point of view many things will work against you. David in the ninety one psalms said “...His truth shall be thy shield and buckler...” That simply means that the truth of God’s word is a shield and buckler for us.
A shield is a broad piece of defensive armor, carried on the arm, formerly in general use in war, for the protection of the body. A shield is anything that defends and protects. A buckler is also a kind of shield, of various shapes and sizes. In the olden days it will be a suicide mission to appear in the war front without a shield. The more sophisticated your weapons are the greater the chances of winning the battle. This is the same role the truth of God’s word is supposed to play in our lives. If you are not armed with the truth of God’s word you are open, vulnerable and exposed. The enemy can easily get you. The truth is simply all God has said and declared concerning you.
CONFESSION:
The truth of God’s word is my shield and buckler. I hold on to his word in every situation.
LEARN MORE: John 8:32
Monday 11th October, 2021
Monday 11th October, 2021
DELIVERED FROM THE SNARE
Text: “Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler and from the noisome pestilence.” Ps 91:3
Good News! I say Good News! You need to put on a shout of victory today. You are delivered already. God is not about to do it. He has done it. He did it on the cross through the sacrifice of Christ. Today as believers we look at our lives purely from the perspective of what Christ did on our behalf. We are delivered already from whatever the devil can ever put together against us. Colossians 1:13 Says “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness...” This is not something God is planning to do but what he has done already. All it requires is for us to begin to walk in the reality of it.
A snare is a deliberate device that is put in place to capture an animal. The purpose of a snare is usually not to preserve the life of the prey but to destroy it. A snare is synonymous with destruction. Destruction is one of the three missions of the devil. “The thief cometh not but to steal, and to kill, and to DESTROY...” John 10:10. Jesus came to deliver us from all that. Now we can walk as free men and women to accomplish the purpose and plans of God for our lives.
Each one of us must take a stand of faith in the liberty wherein Christ has made us free. We must refuse to be held down. It’s a stand of faith.
Not only are we delivered from the snare; the snare is also broken. It does not have the capacity to hold you back again. It has lost its ability over your life. Whatever the snare may represent around your life has no more power over you. David prophetically declared “...The snare is broken, and we are escaped.” (Ps 124:7). I speak over your life today that whatever has held you down losses its power over you today in the name of Jesus. No weapon formed against you will prosper. Walk in victory and dominion.
CONFESSION:
I am delivered from every snare. Nothing is holding me down. I’m free to fulfil purpose.
LEARN MORE: Ps 124:1-8, Gal 5:1
Sunday 10th October, 2021
Sunday 10th October, 2021
I WILL SAY
Text: “I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.” Ps 91:2
David declared “I will say of the Lord...” This was basically a declaration of faith and confidence in who God was to him. The confidence of a believer is rooted in a personal revelation of God. It’s not just enough to go to Church and sing some songs; there must be a constant revelation of God in our lives.
David had an abundance of this revelation and it made so much difference in his life. That was the only way he could have faced Goliath and other numerous challenges that he faced. He never lost a battle because he knew God.
It was out of the depth of this revelation that David began to make this declaration. “I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress...”
One of the traits of a man that is full of God is that they are always making bold declarations about God. You will find them talking more of who God is and what he’s doing in their life. When a man is empty of God they will talk more of what the devil is doing and things that are not working.
As David was facing Goliath King Saul narrated to him how big the enemy was. For King Saul it was “I will say of Goliath...” For David it was “I will say of the Lord...” David began to declare what God could do. He declared what God did with the Lion and the bear.
Every time we declare who God is and what he can do we provoke his power to go into operation. If you are feeling sick begin to declare God as your healer. Instead of declaring the physician as your solution declares God as your healer. If you read the book of psalms closely you will notice that most of the things David said were declarations of his confidence in God. You will find him saying “The Lord is my light and salvation...” “The Lord is my shepherd...” “The Lord is my high tower...” I want to ask you to begin to make your own declarations about God.
CONFESSION:
The Lord is my helper. The Lord is my deliverer. God is my way maker. He’s making a way for me.
LEARN MORE: Heb 13:5-6
Saturday 9th October, 2021
Saturday 9th October, 2021
THE SECRET PLACE
Text: “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most high shall abide under the shadow of the almighty.” Ps 91:1
The secret place is a place where God has provided through which his purpose and plans are designed to come to pass. The secret place is a place where help is adequately available for our journey in life. The secret place as it may suggest is not a physical place. It’s not a place you live your house to go and locate. As David suggest to us the secret place is a place we dwell. It’s possible to be inside the physical building of a church and not be inside the secret place of the most high. It has nothing to do with a specially carved area of a church building.
The secret place is in Christ. “Therefore if any man be in Christ...” 2 Corinth 5:17. So if you are in Christ you are in the secret place of the most high. We are in Christ 24/7. There is no moment when we come out of Christ. We dwell in the secret place as we cultivate the consciousness of our position in Christ. If the secret place is a carved out area of a church then you will be out of that secret place most of the time. That will be dangerous for us. Once we are out of that secret place we are exposed, vulnerable and prone to whatever can go wrong.
In the secret place whatever was wrong will be made right. Whatever was missing will be restored. The secret place of the most high is a place of protection. It’s a place of healing and wholeness.
If you are not bold about your position in Christ the reality of the secret place will not be a reality in your life. The reality of being in Christ should be an overwhelming one for you. It’s something you should be bold about. You should be bold about declaring it to everyone that cares to listen. As you do that you are enforcing the operations of the secret place of the most high in your life. That is the best place to be. I want to ask you to lift up your hands wherever you are to thank God for being in Christ. This is not true for those who are not born again.
CONFESSION:
I am in Christ. I dwell in the secret place of the most high. My life is forever secured in God.
LEARN MORE: Ps 61:3, 71:3
Friday 8th October, 2021
Friday 8th October, 2021
LAW OF RECOGNITION 2
Text: “And all the men of Israel saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid.” 1 Sam 17:24
In comparison to David, King Saul and his men also had their own recognition which limited them. They recognized that Goliath had been a warrior from his youth and cannot be defeated. They recognized that they were helpless and incapable of fighting Goliath. They also recognized that the words of Goliath was powerful.
The law of recognition can work either way: positively or negatively. If you recognize your weakness more than your strengths you won’t be strong. If you recognize the enemy more than you recognize God you will always live in defeat. If you recognize your mistakes more than God’s mercy you will always live in guilt.
It’s important for us to know exactly what we should recognise in our lives.
Recognize the grace of God at work in your life. This has nothing to do with how you feel but what God’s word says (Eph 3:8). Recognize the ability of God at work in you as a believer. Recognize what has worked effectively in your life without struggle. This will be a pointer to what will work again and again. What you already have is always the starting point of what God will do next. What you already have will always be God’s starting point and not necessarily what you are praying to have. Recognize the power of God at work on your behalf. Recognize the uniqueness of God’s calling on your life
The word of God is the starting point of recognizing what God has made available in our lives. The revelation of the Spirit is the means to this recognition. The word of God gives us a catalogue of who we are and what God has made available in our lives.
DECLARATION:
I recognize that I’m blessed and highly favoured. I recognise that my life is a blessing and not a burden. I recognise that the life of God is at work in me. I recognise that the possibilities of God is at work in me.
LEARN MORE: 1 Cor 2:9-11, Eph 1:17-18
Thursday 7th October, 2021
Thursday 7th October, 2021
LAW OF RECOGNITION 1
Text: “And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag…and his sling...” 1 Sam 17:40
King Saul had agreed that David should go ahead to fight Goliath (1 Sam 17:39). Then he tried to equip him for the battle. This was the same weapons that King Saul had used for other battles in the past. However David recognized that he wasn’t used to that kind of weapon. As good as other people’s armour may be they may not be good for you. David went on to pick his slingshot and smooth stones.
David RECOGNISED that this weapon may have worked for King Saul but won’t work for him. David RECOGNISED that he had something that could produce results for him. It’s important to note that no other person recognized what David had. No one would have thought that what he had was relevant. David RECOGNISED that his weapon wasn’t significant but was good enough for this battle. David RECOGNISED that what really matter in the journey of life is not what is popular and widely recognized but what God has specifically placed in your life. David RECOGNISED that there was a covenant of circumcision that placed him far above Goliath. A covenant that guarantee his victory. David RECOGNISED that God had helped him in the past and the same God will help him again. David RECOGNISED that the words of Goliath was not final. He knew that there is a word of victory that has been spoken over his life long before Goliath showed up.
What you RECOGNISE simply means what is obvious to you and what you embrace as important. What you RECOGNISE will either limit you or empower you. What you don’t RECOGNISE you won’t appreciate, what you don’t appreciate you won’t utilize and what you don’t utilize cannot produce results in your life. See you tomorrow as we take this deeper.
RECOGNITION:
I recognise that the grace of God is at work in my life. I recognise that the victory of Christ is already coded in my spirit.
LEARN MORE: Philemon 6
Lord we declare that everyone reading Inspiration will come to revelation and Insights concerning their lives as they read daily. Ps 119:18
Wednesday 6th October, 2021
Wednesday 6th October, 2021
PLANTED IN GOD
Text: “Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.” Ps 92:13
The process of planting a seed involves putting the seed inside the soil and expecting it to go grow after a while. For the seed to germinate it has to remain inside the soil to undergo certain processes. A seed not planted is a seed that will remain alone and unproductive. When a farmer plants a seed he does not come every morning to dig it out to check how the seed is doing. That will never produce a harvest. Every seed has unlimited capacity when planted.
The life of a believer is like a seed. For us to be productive and experience a harvest in our lives we must be planted in God. Just as a farmer abandons the seed in the soil for it to produce so also the life of a believer must be planted in God. A seed does not come inside the soil on temporary vacation. Once it’s sown it remains there forever. A casual approach to God will never produce any tangible results in our lives. When the seed is planted it remains in the soil; it goes through several processes that are designed to bring out the best in the seed. This also goes for a believer. When a believer is truly planted in God such a life will go through several life transforming processes that will bring out the best in our lives. Planted in God means the following:
1. The life is sold out to God.
2. There is no other alternative to God.
3. Our minds are completely made up on serving God and him alone.
4. God alone has become our confidence and reasons for living.
5. Our time, energy and resources are completely available for the master’s use.
When your life is planted in God; the life becomes a harvest of fulfilment and possibilities.
FINAL WORD:
When a man or woman is all out for God; He also goes all out for them.
LEARN MORE: Matt 13:31-32, John 12:24
Lord we declare that the direction of the Spirit is at work over everyone reading Inspiration. Rom 8:14
Tuesady 5th October, 2021
Tuesady 5th October, 2021
DIVINE INSTRUMENT
Text: “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass as it is this day to save much alive.” Gen 50:20
Let’s look at our opening scripture from another version. “You wanted to hurt me. But God wanted what you did for his good plan. God is saving many lives because I am here.” (EasyEnglish). I’m sure you are getting the picture the scripture is painting for us.
The things that happened to Joseph were caused by men but used by God for his own purpose. He was sold as a servant. He was lied against and thrown into the prison. These were very unpalatable experiences but it became the instrument that God used to bring him into destiny. He went to the prison to meet men that eventually introduced him to the palace. He was forgotten in the prison for two (2) years which made it easier to locate him when the king needed someone to interpret his dream. Every negative experience that Joseph had become a divine instrument.
Each one of us must have this attitude of faith to every challenge that life brings our way. How we respond to challenges matters in the outcome of such challenges. All things are designed to work together for our good. It does not matter what we go through they can become a divine instrument through which God’s counsels come to pass in our lives. God can turn any situation around for our good.
The stumbling blocks of life can turn around to become the stepping stones for us. What men design to hurt us can aid us. Make up your mind today to respond to life positively. See every challenge as a divine opportunity to bring forth his glory in our lives. If anyone is working against you God will be busy turning it around for your good. This is a divine assurance.
CONFESSION:
Everything is turning around for my good. God is on my side and working everything in my favor.
LEARN MORE: Rom 8:28, 31
Monday 4th October, 2021
Monday 4th October, 2021
TOTAL TRANSFORMATION 4
Text: “...Joseph being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren...And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh...” Gen 37:2; 41:46b
The total transformation we are talking about is not necessarily an overnight thing. It’s actually a transformation that takes different stages and steps. If you are looking for a quick fix this may never happen. It’s obvious that the transformation in the life of Joseph was not an overnight thing. It took about 13-14 years for him to arrive at this point. This transformation took Joseph through different experiences and stages. The experiences actually produced character and resilience in him. God does not only change things for us; he also changes us for things. The experiences of Joseph in the house of Potiphar and the prison actually helped him to prepare for the ultimate transformation in the palace. The experiences of every stage were not a waste but became a divine means or instrument to take his life to the ultimate transformation.
Walking with God is not a sprint race but a marathon. It’s people who can stay long enough with God that will ultimately experience this transformation in their lives. As this is going on God is working inside us. We must be patient enough to allow God work in us and then through us. If you are too much in a hurry you’ll not see much of God in your life. Joseph was patient enough at every stage of his journey; doing that which was right before God and man. The journey of life for us are different from one person to another, we must therefore be patient enough to see God work out the details of our lives.
There are so many alternatives in life. The devil has enough of such alternatives. If we are not patient we’ll end up becoming a prey to such alternatives that will further take us far away from God and destiny.
PRAYER:
Lord I declare that the Holy Spirit and your word is producing character and resilience in my life.
LEARN MORE: Heb 10:35-36, James 1:2-4
Sunday 3rd October, 2021
Sunday 3rd October, 2021
TOTAL TRANSFORMATION 3
Text: “He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his substance.” Ps 105:21
If Joseph has applied for an employment in the palace there was no way he would have gotten that job. He was serving a jail term. We were not told that he had completed his term. He had no formal or informal education to use to apply for such a job. If he had been called to apply for a job in the palace he would have applied for something insignificant. The ultimate goal of divine transformation is to make out of a man what his family and society can never make out of him. No one would have given him a chance but God did. We must understand that the transformation we are talking about is the one that comes from God. God actually specialises in making something out of nothing. God is in the business of making somebody out of nobodies. If we give God all the room he wants in our lives there is no limit to what he can do with us and do through us. God can only work in our lives to the extent to which we allow him.
The family of Joseph had concluded he was gone. His father thought he was dead. His brothers concluded that he will remain a servant all his life. In their estimate they have made him the direct opposite of the dreams he narrated to them. It’s important that we appreciate that God is bigger than the biggest of men. No man on the face of the earth can draw a conclusion to your life. Where his brothers placed him was not where they found him. God had changed his story. I see God changing the story of someone beyond the imaginations of people around you.
Let me remind you that “God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we can ever ask or think...” Eph 3:20. Through the power of God at work in us we can be so transformed that the whole world will gather to thank God.
DECLARATION OF FAITH:
The power of God is working in me and changing me. The power of God is turning my story around.
LEARN MORE: Eph 3:20, Phil 2:13
Saturday 2nd October, 2021
Saturday 2nd October, 2021
TOTAL TRANSFORMATION 2
Text: “And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck.” Gen 41:42
The Spirit of God from the first day of this month is painting a picture for us of the dimension of transformations that is about to take place in our lives. This is a prophetic word for someone and I’m sure that in a couple of months from now someone will share a testimony.
The previous night Joseph was a prisoner and wearing prisoner cloths. I had the privilege of ministering to prisoners in recent times and I understand it’s one of the most deplorable states of life to be. It’s a place where life is suspended and put on hold. It’s a place of loss of freedom. Joseph had been on a prisoner’s cloth for over two (2) years. He came out of prison and he was decked in glory.
Everything about him began to speak of the glory of God. Just read our anchor scripture again and you will see how real this transformation was. It was so obvious for everyone to see. The King literally transferred authority to him. What he had was more than mere cloths and jewelleries; authority was conferred on him. He became a man that was in charge. Before now he was subject to others but from this day forward others were subject to him. David said “He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his substance.”
I want to encourage you today to raise the bars of your expectation. Where you are today is never the final destination of your life. What God has in store for your life is far bigger than what you have ever seen. What God brought Joseph into was far bigger than what he lost in his father’s house. It’s not over with you yet. Where men say it’s over is where God begins from. The transformations are taking place already; believe and receive it in your heart.
DECLARATION OF FAITH:
Transformations are taking place in my life. The story of my life is changing positively.
LEARN MORE: Ps 107:20-21
Friday 1st October, 2021
Friday 1st October, 2021
TOTAL TRANSFORMATION 1
Text: “And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him.” Gen 42:8
I want to welcome you to another month and another series of life transforming words. Fasten your seat belts as we go on another Holy Ghost inspired adventure in the word.
Joseph left home over a decade ago. His cloth of many colours were torn and soaked in the blood of an animal to disguise his death. He was sold like an animal into Egypt. The last time his brothers saw him there was nothing special about him. Several years later they saw him but could not recognise him. The transformation was so much that they could not recognise him. If his case had grown worse its possible they would have recognised him. Here was Joseph now a governor over the most powerful nation at that time. The last time his brothers saw him there was no cloths on his back perhaps; but now he was dressed in royal apparel. Several years ago there was a rope on his neck so he will not escape now he was having a golden chain on his neck. Several years back he was walking bear footed now he rides in the best chariots in the land.
The transformation is as heaven is above the earth. It was a total transformation. The same dimension of transformation is available for us as we diligently and wholeheartedly follow God. A genuine encounter with God does not leave a man or woman on the same spot or level. One major secret to this total transformation in the life of Joseph is what the book of Psalms revealed to us years down the line. Ps 105:19 says “Until the time his word came; the word of the Lord tried him.” This was all that led to the series of the transformations in the life of Joseph. I strongly believe that a transformation is taking place in the life of someone this month as you apply your heart to God’s word in this material.
PRAYER:
Lord I declare that your word is working in me and changing me from glory to glory.
LEARN MORE: Ps 105:17-24, 2 Cor 3:18
Thursday 30th September, 2021
Thursday 30th September, 2021
PURITY TEST
Text: "And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her. "Gen 39:10
I want to talk to you today about the purity test. Each one of us will have to pass this test in life. Joseph's master' wife began to see him lustfully and began to make advances at him. This was an evil opportunity that was presenting itself to Joseph. The woman was ready to go to any extent to achieve this. She was also ready to do whatever Joseph wanted. If Joseph had agreed the woman would have suggested to her husband to promote Joseph and increase his allowances. The offer would have been mouth-watering and irresistible. But Joseph understood clearly that his destiny was at stake. He knew that the pleasures of sin are nothing compared with the loss of a destiny. He placed more priority on God's ultimate destiny for him than the temporary pleasures of this world.
We are all faced with this test every day. We live in a world that places more priority on indulgence of the flesh. The world prefer to call it fun than call it sin. Whatever you call it sin will destroy you faster than anything else. If you have to commit sin to get a man to marry you, the man has succeeded in taking you out of destiny. Which one is better to you?
For every young person reading this material you must understand that your destiny is far more important that the pleasures of sin. Sin will take off the hand of God from your life and live you empty, vulnerable and exposed. Ask Samson in the Bible and he'll have stories to tell you. Don't give in to peer pressure or the demands of the modern age. Whatever does not glorify God is wrong, avoid it like Joseph did, and better still: FLEE.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus the power of sin is broken in my life. I work in purity for the rest of my life.
LEARN MORE: 1 Cor6:18-19, 2 Tim 2:22
Wednesday 29th September, 2021
Wednesday 29th September, 2021
RULE OVER YOUR SPIRIT
Text: “He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.” Prov 25:28
In the ancient times the major form of protections in cities are fortified walls. Wars were quite rampant in those days. One Kingdom is always fighting against another kingdom, which made the walls absolutely necessary. Once the walls are broken down, it becomes so easy for the intruding enemy to gain easy access.
The walls are for the following reasons:
1. To protect the territorial boundaries of the city.
2. To protect the intruders from gaining entrance.
A City with a broken down walls is open, vulnerable and exposed to everything that can go wrong. This is the exact description of a life that has no rule over his spirit. The word ‘rule’ here means self-control.
Lack of self-control could be expressed in various forms: This could express itself in lack of self-control over the use of our time. Time is precious; if we lose control over time we’ve lost control over life itself. Time management is life management. We don’t have all the time in the world to do everything. We only have enough time to do what is relevant and productive for us. But when we fail to do this we’ll end up spending our God given precious time on irrelevant and unproductive ventures.
Lack of self-control could also be expressed in lack of control over our appetite, sleep, sexual drive and the rest. Whichever one it is, such a life is open, exposed and vulnerable to every wrong intruders.
Self-Control is an internal work of the Holy Spirit within us as we yield ourselves to his dealings and promptings within us. This will protect your life.
CONFESSION:
There is control over my spirit. I am internally controlled by the Holy Spirit. Intruders are helpless. I have control over my time, my appetite and my sexual drive.
LEARN MORE: Gal 5:22-23
Tuesday 28th September, 2021
Tuesday 28th September, 2021
OUT OF THE WAY
Text: “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.” Colossians 2:14
This scripture gives a very important picture of exactly what Jesus accomplished on the cross for us. I’m trusting God that the eyes of your understanding will be opened afresh today.
The blood of Jesus was multi-dimensional in effect. The blood blotted out every handwriting that was against us. Everything that was contrary to us was also blotted out. I want you to see clearly something else the blood did. The scripture says “...And took it out of the way...” Everything that is contrary to us and against us was taken out of the way. This simply means that nothing is standing on our way. The way is completely cleared for us to move ahead in life.
The sins and the mistakes of the past are taken out of the way. None of it can be a barrier to our progress and advancement today. Whatever went wrong from our lineage has been taken out of the way. The dominion of sin and the world over our lives has been taken out of the way. I want you to note that whatever was taken out of the way can never find their way on our path again because they are already nailed to the cross. For them to affect us again means they have to be removed from the cross and placed on our path again. If anyone is seeing death or failure on your path it must have been the person who placed it there. If you are seeing any of that the mind must have placed them there. Blotted out! Taken out of the way!! Nailed to the cross!!! It’s important that we agree with God. Whatever he says is final over our lives. It does not matter what situation looks like outwardly. My prayer is that you’ll see it in your spirit that the way is cleared.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I take my place in destiny today. The way has been cleared for me.
LEARN MORE: Romans 6:1-14
Monday 27th September, 2021
Monday 27th September, 2021
A MERRY HEART
Text: “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine; but a broken spirit drieth the bones” Prov 17:22
The state of your heart is what determines the state of your life. Whatever affects your heart will eventually show up in your life. The heart of man is the control centre of a man. When things are wrong with the heart it will go wrong with the life.
A “broken spirit” can also be referred as a “broken heart”, this is a description of a heart that is sad, depressed, disillusioned and discouraged with life. Usually when this happen the man becomes hopeless about life. Such a man sees more of obstacles more than it sees opportunities. Such a life sees more of problems than see the promises of God. Such a life sees more of what the enemy is doing more than what God is doing. It’s such a terrible state of life to be. In the name of Jesus I decree that the oil of joy in place of mourning will flood your heart today.
The contrast to a “broken spirit” is a merry heart. A heart that is full of the joy of the Lord. Not necessarily because something great is happening but because the individual recognises that God is at work behind the scenes of our lives. Having a merry heart is a deliberate choice each one of us should make in life. Circumstances may not be always right, but we can choose to condition our hearts to be right.
The joy of the Lord produces strength with us to face whatever comes our way and to be resolute in the face of challenges.
I want to encourage you to sing this song with me if you know it; “The joy of the Lord is my strength....”.
I curse every trace of depression around your life. It is not over with you. The ancient of days has not changed.
DECLARATION:
The joy of the Lord is at work in me. My heart is full of life. I am excited at what God is doing in my life.
LEARN MORE: Neh 8:10, Habakkuk 3:17-19
Sunday 26th September, 2021
Sunday 26th September, 2021
KEEPING YOUR HEART
Text: “Keep thy heart with all diligence: for out of it are the issues of life.” Prov 4:23
Women spend so much to protect their precious ornaments. High walls are built to protect houses to prevent intruders from coming in. Expensive cars are protected by all manner of security locks. These are things that have no eternal value. When a car is lost it can be replaced, it does not have any life threatening consequence. If you misplace your necklace or ear ring of gold it can be replaced.
The tragedy of life is that there is a part of us that most times is left unprotected and exposed. The heart of man is the most important part of a man. Life is governed from the heart. We are not talking of the biological heart that pumps blood. But rather the psychological heart; the human mind. The heart and mind are used interchangeably in scriptures. Isa 26:3
The heart of man is the controlling centre of a man and his life will always follow the direction of the heart. Whatever grows in your heart will show up in your life and become your experience. This is why we are admonished to keep our hearts with all diligence. It governs our entire life. Keeping the heart will involve allowing the word of God to dominate it. A heart that is empty of God’s word is open and vulnerable. It becomes a dumping ground for everything that is wrong. The content of the heart is actually what determines how the heart functions to channel the course of our lives. We must therefore be careful about what gains entrance into our hearts. Everything you read, watch and listen to feeds your heart with either right or wrong information. The content of the heart determines the quality of life, the purity of life and the potency of life.
New Living Translation says “Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do.”
CONFESSION:
My heart is right to lead me right in life. My heart is guarded from every wrong intruder.
LEARN MORE: Matt 12:35, Col 3:16
Saturday 25th September, 2021
Saturday 25th September, 2021
WORD THERAPY
Text: “...But thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shall have good success.” Joshua 1:8
The word of God written inside the Bible will not really make any difference in our lives until it leaves the pages of scripture to take charge and control of a man’s life. The word of God will produce result only to the extent to which we have allowed it to take charge of our lives. It’s not just enough to read it or hear it; it has to become a way of thinking and a way of life for it to produce results.
Meditation is a very crucial process by which the word of God takes over our thinking and over our mouth. There are no two ways about it. What we set our minds on is what eventually dominates us and controls our lives. Meditation simply means to set the mind on something. Thinking about an issue over and over again is what mediation is all about.
At every point in time the mind is always dwelling on something; positive or negative. It’s possible that we set our minds on challenges or the words of an adversary. This is the reason why so many people are confused, depressed and hopeless about life. Their minds have been taken over by the negative stuff around them. Whatever dominates your mind will rule your life.
The word of God also dominates us as we set our hearts on it. It will then become a way of thinking and a way of living. That is the ultimate goal of the written word of God. When this happen the word of God will keep you away from sin and also guide you in making decisions in life. It will also be a source of comfort for you in the face of life challenges.
DECLARATION OF FAITH:
My mind is set on the word of God. My mind is taken over by the light of God’s word. I’m flooded with truth and righteousness in my spirit by his word.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 119:11,105,130
Friday 24th September, 2021
Friday 24th September, 2021
WORD FOCUS
Text: “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shall have good success.” Joshua 1:8
Let’s begin today by saying that everything that God will do in your life has its foundation in his word.
Every one of us has a major and a crucial role in what become of our lives. God has given us all we require to make a success out of our lives. We don’t have an excuse under heaven not to make the most of our lives under the most adverse conditions. The opening scripture for today outlined clearly for us how to make our way prosperous. I want you to note that it was not a promise by God to make your way prosperous. God placed that responsibility on our shoulders.
Let’s read part of the scriptures again “...for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous...” So it’s not so much up to God but up to us. What God has done on an equal basis is to provide for us the ingredients of his word. The word of God is the basic divine means of making something out of our lives. Our making is therefore dependent on what we do with the “ingredients” that God has given us. Do you know that two (2) cooks can take the same type and quantity of ingredients to produce a different taste of food depending on their individual skills? So also each one of us can take the word of God and begin to apply it to different areas of our lives to make a success of it.
From our opening verse there are three (3) basic things we are required to do with the “ingredients” of God’s word. The word of God must remain in our mouth permanently. We must set our minds on it; it has to consume our spirit, soul and body and then we must live by every word.
PRAYER:
The word of God has taken over my life. I live by it and function by every word of God.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 1:1-3, John 1:1-5
Thursday 23rd September, 2021
Thursday 23rd September, 2021
INVOLVEMENT OF THE SPIRIT 3
Text: “And the Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophecy with them, and shalt be turned into another man” 1 Sam 10:6
I want us to end our lesson on the Holy Spirit by looking again at examples of the Holy Spirits involvement in the life of individuals in the Bible. We can never exhaust these truths. The more we read about them the more we are challenged to be all we are meant to be in life.
One major lesson that we learned this month is that the same Spirit at work in these men is the same Spirit at work in our lives.
We are going to draw our lessons today from the account of two people who lost the involvement of the Spirit in their lives.
The first person is King Saul. He became a King over Israel by the involvement of the Spirit of God on his life. By the Spirit of God he became a completely brand new person. This is clearly seen in our anchor scriptures. Along the line he began to take God’s instructions for granted until he lost the involvement of the Spirit on his life. With this he lost the throne. He lost the honour and the dignity he had always enjoyed. 1 Sam 15:28
Samson is the second person. He was so mighty by the involvement of the Holy Spirit until he allowed immorality to get in- between. At the most crucial moment of his life the involvement of the Spirit had departed from him. By this he lost his vision and his strength.
This should never happen to any of us. We must guide jealously the place of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It’s a privilege to have his involvement. We must never take this for granted.
CONFESSION:
The Spirit of God is involved in every area of my life. I give him the right and the room to operate in everything I do.
LEARN MORE: Judges 14:6, 19;16:20-21, 1 Sam 16:14
Wednesday 22nd September, 2021
Wednesday 22nd September, 2021
INVOLVEMENT OF THE SPIRIT 2
Text: “And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the highest shall overshadow thee...”Luke 1:35
I have come to pray over you today that the Spirit of God will be involved in your life. I pray that every impossible issue in your life will be turned to a testimony in the name of Jesus. I pray for you that the power of God will be so real in every aspect of your life. The rivers of living water will keep flowing in your life. Refreshing and bringing to life everything about your life.
I decree over you that you will be filled with the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of God. You will know exactly the steps to take in life. You will have the sensitivity of the Spirit to discern and make the right choices in life. For every wrong steps you had taken in the past I ask that the mercy of God will prevail for you.
I pray over you that the Spirit of God will quicken you to escape every trap of the enemy just as Samson did. Nothing arranged to harm you will ever succeed. No weapon formed against you will prosper. In the name of Jesus I raise the standard of the Spirit against every adversary of your life. You will never know defeat. Success and victory is your portion on all sides. Victory in your home, victory on your job, safety in your journey. Dominion and triumph in everything you set out to do.
The Spirit of God will overshadow you and make you an extreme success in life.
Please don’t just read these, lift up your hand and pray them over yourself.
I love you; I will see you in your destiny.
CONFESSION:
The Spirit of God is involved in every area of my life. I give him the right and the room to operate in everything I do.
LEARN MORE: Luke 1:34-35
Tuesday 21st September, 2021
Tuesday 21st September, 2021
INVOLVEMENT OF THE SPIRIT 1
Text: “For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.”Luke 1:15
One major thing that God did in the Old Testament was to select individuals he was going to use mightily and then filled them with his Spirit. Some were filled with the Spirit right from womb so that they could be extraordinary and masters in their area of calling.
The Spirit of God has been involved with God’s operations right from creation. In the account of creation the Spirit of God was involved in bringing to existence everything that God said. We must understand that the word of God will never find fulfillment in our lives without the involvement of the Spirit. The shapeless earth was corrected as the Spirit of God went into operations. The emptiness of the earth was also filled up by the involvement of the Holy Spirit. I see the same thing taking place in your life. Everything that is shapeless in your life will begin to receive shape.
The birth of Christ was purely by the Spirit. Mary could not imagine how a virgin would conceive without meeting a man. The response of the Angel said “The Holy Ghost will overshadow you...” It was something that could never happen humanly speaking. But the Spirit of God made it possible. What men say is impossible will be possible in your life by the involvement of the Spirit.
Jesus was raised from the dead by the involvement of the Spirit. The Spirit of God is still raising men to heights they could never get to by their own efforts. Dead situations can come back alive today as you allow the Spirit of God to be involved in your life.
CONFESSION:
The Spirit of God is involved in every area of my life. I give him the right and the room to operate in everything I do.
LEARN MORE: Luke 1:34-35
Monday 20th September, 2021
Monday 20th September, 2021
BY THE SPIRIT
Text: “Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, this is the word of the Lord unto Zerubabbel, saying , Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of host.” Zech 4:6
This is the word of the Lord to you today. “Stop depending on yourself, there is nothing you can accomplish by yourself”. The complexities of life are beyond what you can handle on your own. There is someone who knows all about life. He has every detail in the mind of God. That is the Spirit of God.
The life of Samson was a mystery; nobody knew the source of his strength. His strength was not just in the dreadlocks on his head but rather in the Spirit of God. The hair on his head was a symbol of the anointing of the Holy Spirit on his life. One of the wrong impression we had growing up was that Samson was a giant, with bulging muscles. There is no place in the bible that said so. The great things he did were done because the Spirit of God came on him (Judges 14:6, 19; 15:14). After the Spirit of God left him he became like ordinary men. (Judges 16:17)
When the Spirit of God is allowed to have his way in our lives we become extraordinary men. The limitations of life are broken and we do things with results to show for it. This is what happens when the Spirit of God takes over; your wilderness becomes a fruitful field and the fruitful field becomes a forest. No matter what level of life you are, the Spirit of God will take you beyond that level.
I see the Spirit of God doing a major work in your life beyond what eyes has ever seen nor ear heard before. We must yield all to him in complete surrender. Create the right atmosphere for the Holy Spirit to function in your life.
CONFESSION:
The Spirit of God is at work in my life. Turning my wilderness into a fruitful field and my fruitful field into a forest. I will function in life beyond my age, my ability and my qualification.
LEARN MORE: Isa 32:18
Sunday 19th September, 2021
Sunday 19th September, 2021
THE SAME SPIRIT
Text: “But if the same Spirit that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Jesus from the dead shall also quicken your mortal body by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” Rom 8:11
God has designed the Christian life in such a way that whatever is seen in Christ should also be seen in the life of every believer. We were meant to live exactly like him and experience life like him. He was practically in charge of the circumstances of life. Nothing was a barrier to him. He knew exactly what to do in every situation of life.
It’s possible to have such a life because God has given us the Spirit of Christ. The same Holy Spirit that was in Christ is what we also have today. The scripture categorically tells us that if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ that person does not belong to him. Thank God the Spirit of Christ is in us. (Rom 8:9)
It was the same Spirit that was at work at work in Joseph that made it impossible for him to be destroyed. The same Spirit helped David to kill Goliath and win every other battle of life. The same Spirit made Daniel ten times better than his colleagues. As ignorant and uneducated the Disciples of Christ were, the coming of the Holy Spirit turned their lives completely around.
We don’t have an excuse to fail in life. We are equipped with all the resources that were available for all the people we have mentioned. Even Jesus did all he accomplished by the Spirit. We can break records and do things that men say is impossible as we allow the Spirit of God to take hold of our lives. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is accomplished in us by yielding to him. Resisting him is hindering his work and involvement in our lives.
PRAYER:
Thank you Lord for your Spirit that has come to take residence in my life. Thank you for the power of the Holy Spirit that has come to make me all I was born to be.
LEARN MORE: John 14:12, Acts 10:38
Saturday 18th September, 2021
Saturday 18th September, 2021
SOWING TO THE SPIRIT
Text: “…But he that sows to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.”Gal 6:8
There are two major forms of spiritual sowing; to the flesh or to the Spirit. Sowing to the Spirit simply refers to activities that encourage the influence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It’s a way of life that promotes the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The flesh or the Spirit is in control of our lives par time. It all depends on which one we invest into.
Spending time in the company of other Spirit filled believers in fellowship is a step in sowing to the Spirit.
Taking time to read the word of God on a consistent basis is sowing to the Spirit. The word of God is the material that the Holy Spirit uses to effect divine assignments in our lives. If you do this on a regular basis you’ll find out that your disposition will begin to change, your attitude will also begin to change. Consistent prayer life is also a means of sowing into the Spirit. We are creating a conducive environment around ourselves for the Spirit of God to function.
When we sow to the Spirit it becomes easier for us to understand the leading of the Holy Spirit. It creates in us a greater sensitivity to divine signals.
Life everlasting is the ultimate result of sowing to the Spirit. This is a description of the kind of life that God intends for us to have. It’s a life that we enjoy both in the now and hereafter. It’s a life that has broken through the barriers of life. It’s a life that is no longer subject to defeat. It’s a life in the class of God – operating beyond the sphere of this world. This is a life that is available for us. We have so much to gain sowing to the Spirit. It places us on a platform of life that every of God’s plans and purpose for our lives can reach us. Most importantly it produces in us a readiness to receive all that God is sending our way.
PRAYER:
Lord help me to constantly sow into the Spirit. I reap the fruit of life everlasting on a daily basis. Nothing contrary to life has a place around me.
LEARN MORE: Rom 8:1-9
Friday 17th September, 2021
Friday 17th September, 2021
DAILY SUPPLY OF THE SPIRIT
Text: “For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayers, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.” Phil 1:19
We need the supply of the Spirit on a daily basis to be the best we were created to be. We connect to this supply in prayer. In prayer we receive divine resources to walk through the barriers of life into our victory and destiny.
Just as David picked up the five smooth stones so also we pick up the following divine resources as we spend time with God in prayer every day.
1. Wisdom – most times what we need is not working harder but working smarter. Solomon had the opportunity of asking God for anything, but he understood that the virtues of wisdom are far more important than any other thing. The scripture tells us that wisdom is far better than strength and weapons war. 1 Chron 1:7-12, Ecc 9:15-18.
2. Direction - David was a man that never lost any battle; this was basically because before any battle he will go to God in prayer to make enquiries. On every issue he had God’s direction. He never took a step until God said so. The journey of 20 years can take 2 years if God is leading. The journey of 2 years can take 20 years if we take wrong steps in life.
3. Strength – We receive divine strength in the place of prayer. When we receive strength in prayer challenges rather takes us up rather than bring us down. Isa 40:30-31
4. Grace – We receive grace in the place of prayer. Grace is divine enablement that helps us to do and accomplish things that are beyond us. It takes grace to be great in life. Heb 4:16.
If we spend quality time in prayer on a daily basis these resources are released into our lives from one degree to another.
CONFESSION:
Divine resources are available for me on a daily basis. I function with these daily.
LEARN MORE: 1 Cor 15:58, Prov 4:7-8
Thursday 16th September, 2021
Thursday 16th September, 2021
INFLUENCED BY HOLY SPIRIT
Text: “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you. “1 Corinth 3:16
In the next couple of days I’m trusting God to take you through lessons on the Holy Spirit. If you have seen a man under the control of alcohol before you’ll understand the power of influence. The truth is that every human being is under an influence that he may be aware of or not. Something or someone is controlling your life.
Apart from alcohol many of us are under the influence of ungodly upbringing. So many were raised in an environment that has no regard for the things of God. So many of us are moulded by forms of entertainments that portray sin as normal and necessary part of life. This has become an unnoticed influence in our lives.
As believers we have the Spirit of God dwelling within us. We are his temple; this should become a consuming awareness for us. He dwells within us to become the greatest influence in our lives. He influences us from within to produce the character of God in our lives. It becomes extremely difficult to live otherwise. When we allow this influence to take place we talk like God, we’ll respond to challenges like God. Fear, anxiety and timidity will find it difficult to stay around us.
The influence of the Holy Spirit within us also produces an extraordinary life. This helps us to discover God’s purpose and plans locked up within us. It will find expression in our lives to bless our world. Samson came under the influence of the Holy Spirit and he did things that were beyond this natural world. I see something major and significant happening through your life under the influence of the Holy Spirit. You must be deliberate in putting your life under the influence of the Spirit. Every under contrary influence will destroy our lives. You are delivered today from wrong influences.
CONFESSION:
I am under the influence of the Holy Spirit. He controls me. He produces in me the life and character of God.
LEARN MORE: Ezk 36:27
Wednesday 15th September, 2021
Wednesday 15th September, 2021
CALMED STORM
Text: “And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.” Mark 4:39
There is an authority of the Spirit that resides in us as believers. Jesus categorically told us that the works he did the same we shall do also. We are never a victim to the storms of life that come against us! The disciple’s initial response to the storm was that of fear. That is certainly a wrong response.
We must become aware of the authority of Christ invested in us through his name. In his name we can stand in his place to exercise authority over every storm. Whatever Jesus would have done we can do in his name. Jesus rebuked the storm and there was a great calm. We can also rebuke sickness. We can rebuke whatever represents a storm around our lives with the assurance that there will be a great calm. Jesus may not be physically present in the midst of the storms; but he lives in us. He carries out his operation in us and through us. This is why today whatever we desire to see happen must be initiated by us. We can’t just fold our arms and be waiting for something to happen. God already made everything to happen in Christ. All that God needed to do was done by his suffering, crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection from the dead. We are simply required to take our place and exercise the authority he gave us.
We are equipped, prepared and empowered by the Spirit and the word of God to take authority on the earth. We don’t respond as victims. We respond as men and women that are more than conquerors. It has been decided and concluded that we’ll end up victorious over the storms. Each time you see a storm don’t focus on it but rather stay in touch with the flow of the Spirit inside you to exercise authority on the storm.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus we declare peace over every storm around our lives. We decree that we are more than conquerors over every storm.
LEARN MORE: Phil 2:9-11
Tuesday 14th September, 2021
Tuesday 14th September, 2021
JESUS IN THE BOAT
Text: “And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him and say unto him, master carest thou not that we perish.”Mark 4:38
Jesus gave his disciples a very clear word “...Let us passes over unto the other side.” (Mark 4:35). Jesus himself was the word incarnate. Whatever he says was already established in heaven and must be fulfilled on earth. He was the same Jesus who spoke and the lame walked. He spoke and the dead came back to life. His words are Spirit and they are life. There was no way he would have spoken and that word would not come to pass. The disciples had not come to accept his word as the final authority over the circumstances of life.
In the midst of the storm Jesus was asleep not because he was careless but because he had a heaven backed assurance they were going to the other side of the river. In the midst of the storms of life we must be overwhelmed with the consciousness of Christ in our boat. We must be conscious of his eternal word that he has spoken over our lives before the storm began. It’s unfortunate that sometimes we become overburdened by the storm that we suddenly forget what he has said to us and declared in his word concerning us.
The word of God is our eternal anchor in the midst of the storms. If we keep our eyes on the storm it will get out of control; but rather we must keep our eyes on Jesus. We cannot sink with him in our boat. Whatever cannot sink him cannot sink us. I want you to take very clear note that Jesus is not just in our boat he actually lives in us. He dwells in us by his Spirit. We are his living tabernacles. We don’t just carry him in our boats; we carry him inside us.
Jesus was actually calm in the storm because he was in the storm but the storm was not inside him. The storm was an external condition and not an internal disposition. Keep the storm outside! Maintain your confidence in God.
PRAYER:
I declare today that my heart is kept away from every storm of life. I refuse to fear.
LEARN MORE: Phil 4:6-7, 1 Peter 5:7
Monday 13th September, 2021
Monday 13th September, 2021
LIFE INVESTMENTS 2
Text: “While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest...shall not cease.” Genesis 8:22
The irony of life is that we are all investing on a daily basis. But it’s important that we become conscious of what is happening and be deliberate about it. Weather you realise it or not whatever you invest will yield a harvest in your life; good or bad. I want you to note two major things.
1. The investment may be secret but the outcome will be open. What a farmer plants may not be seen; but the result will be evident for all to see.
2. What you are investing your life on may not show on time but will eventually show.
We are going to look closely at some “rules” that should guide the investment of our lives.
I. Don’t invest on people and places that are wasting your time and energy. Time is an essential ingredient of our lives which must never be wasted. If we waste our time and energy then there won’t be enough left over to be invested in the right course and right people.
II. Don’t invest your precious time with people that are a source of wrong counsels. If you stand in the way of sinners or seat with the scornful you will reap a harvest that will corrupt your life.
III. Invest only on whatever adds value to you and makes you a better person. If you are really sincere you will know programs, places and people that are not adding any value to you. Life is too short to waste on things that will rather reduce us than add value to us. Invest in developing yourself in God and his purpose for your life. It will yield a lifetime harvest.
DECLARATION:
From today I declare that my time, energy and resources are wisely invested in what is valuable.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 1:1-3
Sunday 12th September, 2021
Sunday 12th September, 2021
LIFE INVESTMENTS 1
Text: “Be not deceived; God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” Gal 6:7
Another word for sowing is investing. When a farmer sows or invests in the soil he reaps the harvests of whatever is sown in a multiplied form. This is how life operates. What you invest is what will multiply back to you. What we squander and waste is lost forever. What we invest has a future waiting for it. We are all products of passive or active investments we have made in the past.
Two critical factors in the investment process are what you invest and where you invest. We can invest our time, energy, affection, resources etc. These are highly precious privileges that life has given us. We don’t have enough of them to invest indiscriminately. We must therefore ensure that what we have is wisely invested with a guaranteed harvest for the future. A student for example is in school to invest time to get a certificate. The time must be wisely invested to achieve that goal or else the same time could be invested in other ventures that will not produce the purpose of been in school. Please don’t ever forget that life will give back to you exactly what you invest into it in a multiplied form.
Where we invest our time, energy, affection and resources is also crucial. For example where you spend your time is where you are investing your life. Where you put your time and resources is where you are putting your life. We are either investing in what will build us up or what will destroy us. Samson invested his time and affection on Delilah; she destroyed him. David invested in knowing how to play the guitar; this brought him to the palace. We must therefore ensure that wherever we invest our time, energy and resources on must be something that builds, edifies and adds value to us.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I declare that from today my time, energy and resources are channelled aright.
LEARN MORE: Gal 6:7-9
Saturday 11th September, 2021
Saturday 11th September, 2021
AT YOUR LEVEL
Text: “And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability...” Matthew 25:15
God has endowed every one of us in different areas of life and at different levels. We don’t all have the same dimension of opportunity in life. Because of this God does not in any way expect all of us to produce results on the same level and at the same rate. Success for us as individuals will be determined by the level at which we have been placed and the opportunity that has been made available to us.
This picture is clearly painted for us in our opening verse. The three (3) men were given different level of talents. At the return of their master each one of them was required to give an account based on what they were given. Each one of us is responsible to function maximally at whatever level God has placed us. We are never in a competition; each person is required to function based on what they have been given.
If for example you discover that God has given you the ability to sing don’t wait until you can sing at the same level with Don Moen or Sinach. Why not begin to function at the current level of endowment that you have. As you begin to produce results at your current level then the hand of God will come on your life to function at higher levels. The commitment and faithfulness at the present level is what will determine our growth to higher levels. Many of us has remained at the same level for so long or even depreciating because we are really not doing anything tangible with the level that God has placed us. If you don’t take advantage of the “small breaks” the “big breaks” may never come. God is expecting us to “trade” with what he gave us. “Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same...” (Matt 25:16). Don’t ask for more when you have not used what you already have.
DECLARATION:
From today I will begin to function maximally with what God has given me at my current level.
LEARN MORE: Matthew 25:14-30
Friday 10th September, 2021
Friday 10th September, 2021
ROOT DOWNWARD 2
Text: “And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward.”Isa 37:31
God wants us to be more spiritually minded and inclined than we are physically or carnally inclined. God wants us to take root downwards and then it will begin to show in the upward fruits that we bear in every aspect of our lives.
Today we’ll look at what it takes to take our roots downwards spiritually.
1. The word of God has to become the central focus of our lives. It will then begin to take control of our lives. Living by his word becomes the joy and the rejoicing of our hearts. The place that God’s word occupies in our lives is where God occupies. The word of God has to grow in your life and prevail in your life. If the word of God is not prevailing some other contrary forces will prevail. Every instruction of scriptures becomes something you take delight in. If this will happen we must spend quality time in the word of God on a daily and consistent basis. Jeremiah said “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart...” Jeremiah 15:16.
2. There must be a continuous desire to spend time with God in prayer on our own. Prayer is a place of communion with God. Praying not just for the purpose of solving a problem but rather to have fellowship with God. When the desire to pray is no longer there our spiritual life will be on the decline.
3. Having a desire to fellowship with other believers in Church. The Church is a place where God has ordained for our spiritual growth and edification. The Church is a place of spiritual renewal. It’s a place where we are built up in the faith to occupy our place in life. Every time we appear in Church with an open heart there will be discoveries and recoveries in our lives.
The more we engage in all these the more downward our roots become and the more we bear fruits upward.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I declare that I’m taking root downward spiritually on a daily basis.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 84:7, Luke 18:1
Thursday 9th September,2021
Thursday 9th September,2021
ROOT DOWNWARD 1
Text: “And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward.”Isa 37:31
Life is essentially spiritual. What we see in the natural has its cause and control in the spiritual. When things go wrong in the natural its mostly because something has gone wrong in the spiritual. When a man does not have control in the spiritual realm he certainly will not have control here in the natural realm. We can therefore conclude that the most important aspect of our lives is the spiritual aspect.
Let’s paint a picture from the root system of a plant. There are two parts to a plant. The root part and the parts above the soil. The downward part and the upward part. The upward part depends so much on the downward part. In the context of our lesson today we can refer to the downward part as the spiritual life while the upward part as the natural life. I’m sure you can now begin to see very clearly how important the downward part or the spiritual life of a believer is. The scripture says “While we look not at the things which are seen (Natural), but at the things which are not seen (Spiritual): for the things which are seen (Natural) are temporal: but the things which are not seen (Spiritual) are eternal (2 Corinth 4:18). Another scripture says “For we walk by faith (Spiritual), not by sight (Natural). 2 Corinth 5:7.
The summary of all we have said so far are the following:
1. The attention we give to our spiritual life should be more than we give to our natural life.
2. We should spend more time developing our spiritual life than we do on our physical life.
3. The quality of your life in the physical or natural (Marriage, Business e.t.c) will be determined by the quality of your spiritual life.
4. When your spiritual life is down every other aspect of your life will also be down. I want to challenge you to take root downward spiritually.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I declare that I’m taking root downward spiritually on a daily basis.
LEARN MORE: Prov 4:20-22
Wednesday 8th September, 2021
Wednesday 8th September, 2021
DON’T CONDEMN
Text: “He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the Lord.” Prov 17:15
There are several people that God will bring your way in life. So many of them will be so weak, many of them will be completely out of place from human standard. There are individuals that may never measure up to the standard of your expectations. There are people you may need to work with or even live with despite all their flaws and mistakes. We must by all means avoid the tendency to condemn such individuals. It’s never our job to condemn anyone; it’s the description of the devil’s job.
Condemnation is the act of writing someone off. It’s an attitude that concludes that nothing good can come out of a life. If we do that we are more or less assuming the place of God over such lives. It’s a dangerous role to play. Only God has the final say over any life and he does not write anyone off.
There is a room for us to correct and tell someone the truth in love but it’s never our responsibility to condemn them. Nobody thrives in an atmosphere of condemnation. A woman was caught in the act of adultery and brought to Jesus; Jesus did not approve of her sin. But at the same time He did not condemn her. All the other men had condemned her to death. This simply shows how God relates to us in our worst situations. What Jesus simply did was set her free and empowered her to go and sin no more.
There are individuals that may look up to us for encouragement and direction. When we condemn them we literarily discourage them and bind them the more. It’s easier for people to grow and change when they know someone believes in them. When we condemn people we are actually setting up ourselves against God. Condemning others is an abomination to God. That’s what we see clearly in our opening verse today.
PRAYER:
Father give me a large hearts to see value in others.
LEARN MORE: Luke 6:37, John 8:11, 2 Cor 7:3
Tuesday 7th September, 2021
Tuesday 7th September, 2021
CIRCUMCISE YOUR LIFE
Text: “Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked.” Deut 10:16
Circumcision is a process where the foreskin of the male organ is removed at birth. The circumcision of the male organ for us today is more for biological reasons other than spiritual. But there is a greater form of circumcision that God requires from us; male and female. This is the circumcision of the human heart (Rom 2:29). This is not done by the surgical knife of a physician but rather by the word of God. (Colossians 2:11)
The heart of man is the breeding ground of his life and destiny. The heart of man is the most important part of man that God needs. If God is going to work in our lives and through our lives then our hearts must be absolutely available for him. But unfortunately there are so many other things calling for our attention and has literally occupy our hearts. As long as this competition is on there is little influence that God can have in our lives and through our lives.
Circumcision of the heart is when we consciously get rid of whatever is competing with God’s place in our lives. It’s a deliberate decision to get rid of certain relationships or acts that have so much occupied our hearts with no more room for God in our lives.
Whatever has taken a man’s heart has taken his life. Whatever occupies a man’s heart has occupied his life. But we need a heart that is free of every encumbrance and purely available for God. The heart must be free of immorality. It must be free of bitterness and every form of hatred. The pursuits of life and its pleasure must not be allowed to take over our hearts.
Look carefully around your life and see things that have taken over your heart at the expense of your walk with God. Many of us have become so preoccupied with the social media that there is no longer room for quality time with God. What to eat and wear have become the idols of many lives. If you want to go far with God circumcise your heart.
PRAYER:
Lord I present my life afresh for the circumcision of the Spirit. My hearts is completely yielded to God.
LEARN MORE: Deut 30:6, Jeremiah 4:4
Monday 6th September, 2021
Monday 6th September, 2021
A PECULIAR PEOPLE
Text: “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 marvellous light.” 1 Peter 2:9
The word peculiar simply means “out of the ordinary.” Similar words include strange, uncommon and unusual. There is a group of people on the earth today that fits exactly into this description. Unfortunately many of them don’t know. This is why they live ordinary, common and purposeless life. God’s people are destroyed not because the devil is so powerful but because we simply fail to have a grasp of who we are and what redemption has made out of us.
If you are born again and you have received Jesus as your Lord and saviour that description is exactly who you are. The peculiarity of a believer is not based on our class of degree in school or the family background we came out of. The peculiarity of a believer is based on the precious blood of Christ that was shed on Calvary.
The results of our lives should be “out of the ordinary.” The results of your life should be uncommon and unusual. New brand of ideas and possibilities should be flowing freely through our lives.
We are also peculiar in the sense that we are not just being religious. We have the certainty of God’s commitment and involvement in our lives. We are his chosen people. We are his people and the sheep of his pasture. Like a shepherd God goes to every extent to watch over us. We are also peculiar because the Spirit of God has come to take residence in our hearts just as he was at work in Christ. The same Spirit is at work in our lives today.
PRAYER:
The Spirit of God has produced peculiarity in my life. Uncommon results are coming forth in my life.
LEARN MORE: Titus 2:14
Sunday 5th September, 2021
Sunday 5th September, 2021
CALLED OUT
Text: “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 marvellous light.” 1 Peter 2:9
Darkness in scripture is a description of a life that is under the influence of the devil and the operations of the ungodly world. For everyone who is not yet saved their lives are under the influence and the control of darkness. Darkness also represent a life that is confused and without direction. Such was the life we all had before salvation.
But very importantly we have been called out of such a life. The control and the influence of darkness have cease to exist over our lives.
If you are not conscious of this you may just find yourself wallowing in the same mud with people whose natural habitat is darkness. I’m sure you know that light does not keep company with darkness in any way. We have been called out of it. We can’t sit around it and enjoy the company of darkness anymore. The superiority of light over darkness is obvious and distinct. It’s not about trying to proof a point. It’s simply about shinning as light that God has made us.
Gross darkness is covering the people today. We are not expected to partake of the works of darkness in our environment. We have been called out of it. If we attempt to fellowship with darkness it means we have to put off our light; which also implies that we have put off the glory of God in our lives. Darkness is so prevalent in the world that we have to be deliberate about shinning forth our lights for everyone around us to see. If you work in an office let your light shine enough for everyone to see; don’t try to hide it in any way or else darkness will overtake the office. Be bold about your convictions in God. Be bold to declare what you know is right and godly.
DECLARATION:
I have been called out of darkness into God’s marvellous light. The light of God in me is shining.
LEARN MORE: Isa 60:1-2
Saturday 4th September, 2021
Saturday 4th September, 2021
DIVINE ACCESS
Text: “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus...” Hebrews 10:19
By the blood of Jesus we have access into all that God has prepared and reserved for us. The blood of Jesus is our access. The holiest of all in the Old Testament represent a place where the highest form of divine transaction took place between a mortal man and divinity. At that time only the high priest had access to this awesome privilege. But now by the shedding of the blood of Jesus we all have an unhindered access into the very presence of God.
The high priest only had access once in a year. But now we have an access that is continuous, daily and forever. This gives us an unhindered access to God anytime, any day and anywhere. We don’t have to get to the Church building before we can meet with God. God is equally available and accessible any where we find ourselves. I don’t have to go to a special place or go on pilgrimage to encounter God. You can have an encounter with God in your room as much as you will do in Jerusalem. I don’t have to see a pastor before God will answer my prayer. (That does not mean you don’t have to see your pastor if the need arise). The point we are making is we all have access by the blood of Jesus.
This is also an access into an inheritance that no parent could have given us. No matter how disadvantaged you think you are in terms of natural descent the new birth experience brought you into an untold inheritance. We have access to all the blessings of God in Christ Jesus. Nothing really is too good for us not to have.
I want to conclude by saying that this access we be on no use if we don’t take advantage of it. We must become bold about it. Don’t approach life any more from the stand point of timidity. Timidity will rob you of all that God has made available for us. Boldly enter!
CONFESSION:
I boldly enter into the blessings of God for my life. By the blood of Jesus I step into my inheritance in God.
LEARN MORE: Rom 5:1-2
Friday 3rd September, 2021
Friday 3rd September, 2021
EQUAL SALVATION
Text: “For as much as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold ...But with the precious blood of Christ...” 1 Peter 1:18-19
A very clear understanding of redemption will go a long way to determine how we live and function as believers. I trust the Spirit of God to open up your heart afresh to this truth today.
The blood of Jesus obtained for us an equal salvation. No man is more saved or less saved than another person. The blood of Jesus gave everyone of us an equal standing before God. The blood that was shed for Mr “A” is not thicker than the one shed for Mr “B”. As a believer who has been in the faith longer than a younger believer in the faith I must never see myself as better than someone who just began the race.
Thank God it was the blood of Jesus that redeemed our souls. Nothing else would have been good enough to redeem our souls. No amount of silver and gold would have been enough. If silver and gold was required some would not have enough to pay for their salvation. Salvation would have been in degrees and levels. The rich would have been more saved than other people who had little to pay. The salvation of a man would have been in the hand of another person willing to pay for them. Below is the summary:
1. Our salvation has been fully paid for. We don’t have to pay again. All we need to do is to walk in the reality of it.
2. God is not more partial to someone else than any of us. We all have equal privilege and access to all that salvation carries.
3. Don’t be intimidated by what another believer has done and accomplished in God. Thank God for them and reach out for what God has in store for you.
DECLARATION OF FAITH:
I have a right standing with God. I have all the right and the access to the blessings of God by the blood.
LEARN MORE: Colossian 1:12-13
Thursday 2nd September, 2021
Thursday 2nd September, 2021
CHARACTER AND CONVICTION
Text: “There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back anything from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God.” Genesis 39:9
The true test of character and conviction is what a man or woman will do when under pressure. The fabrics of our lives and destiny are woven from the threads of character and convictions. Joseph clearly understood that what he was invited to do was purely a great wickedness and sin against God. The modern argument would have said it was mere fun. He was far away from those that know him. No one else was in the house that day. His character and conviction was strong enough to run away.
A permissive attitude to life is a reflection of a very weak character and conviction. The weight of a man’s destiny will be determined by the depth of his character and convictions. This is an area of life that is hidden to the eyes of everyone that know us. However it plays a major determining factor in what we do and how we live. Every action is drawn from an ingrained conviction.
If we are going to become what God wants us to become we must develop character and convictions that are based on the word of God. Such convictions are not shaken by the changing circumstances of life. God needs such men to establish divine purpose on the earth. A man or woman with no character and convictions are easily deceived and carried away. When this happen it will be difficult to put our feet on the ground and do what is right. The scripture says “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.” (Ephesians 4:14). Lack of character and convictions is actually an expression of been childish.
DECLARATION OF FAITH:
My heart is fixed trusting in the Lord. No matter what comes my way I will stay steadfast and committed.
LEARN MORE: Ps 57:7; 112:7, James 1:8; 4:8
Wednesday 1st September, 2021
Wednesday 1st September, 2021
POSITION OF TRUST
Text: “There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back anything from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God.” Genesis 39:9
Joseph was bought with a price. He came into the house of Potiphar with no right whatsoever. As God would have it he was privileged to be entrusted with the affairs in the house of his master. There was no merit on his part to be entrusted with such responsibilities. The master literally left everything in his hand. It was purely a position of trust. Joseph knew exactly that this privileged must not be abused.
The master’s wife began to make passes at him. He knew that he could not afford to betray the trust conferred on him. This was actually a divine trust on his life. He will have to fully justify this awesome trust that was given to him. This will be a major requirement for his movement to the next stage of God’s assignment for his life. He had the same trust conferred on him in the prison. The scripture says “And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it.” Gen 39:22.
Where God has placed us today is a position of trust and must never be abused. If we betray that trust it won’t cost God anything to get us out of the place. When we make the best use of this present position of trust a higher level of operation will be waiting ahead of us. Even though Joseph was thrown into the prison it was a divine pathway to take him to his ultimate destiny. The present commitment and faithfulness is never a waste. If we are faithful on this present level it won’t be a struggle to access higher grounds ahead. This has been my meditation in recent times. I hope you will meditate upon it and allow the Spirit of God to speak to you.
PRAYER:
Lord I receive your grace to make the most of the privilege of today.
LEARN MORE: Prov 20:6, Matt 25:21,23
Tuesday 31st August, 2021
Tuesday 31st August, 2021
LIVING IN POSSIBILITIES
Text: “But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, with men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” Matt 19:26
The life of a believer is the life of God. We have his life in us. The ability of God resides in our spirit; the capacity of Christ is functioning inside us. The life of God is a life of possibilities. There were several individuals in the Bible who had almost impossible cases; but the possibilities of God answered for them.
It was medically impossible for Sarah to conceive at such an advanced age. But thank God that the possibilities of God answered for her. The red sea was scientifically impossible to cross by the Jews; the possibility of God answered for them. The wall of Jericho was physically an impossible wall to surmount. It was so wide and so strong that the Jews could never have gone into the city. God’s possibilities made a way for them. Mary initially questioned the possibility of a woman getting pregnant without a man. The angel had to explain to her “For with God nothing shall be impossible.” (Luke 1:37). We can go on and on to see the possibilities of God in the face of human impossibilities.
This is the realm that God wants us to live as a way of life. As we interact closely with God challenges will begin to shrink in proportion compared to the possibilities of God available to us. Daniel had walked closely with God to the point that he knew it was possible to interpret the dream of the King. All the magicians in the land had failed; but he understood the possibilities of God. The three (3) Hebrew boys understood cleanly that with God it was impossible to burn in the furnace. David saw the possibilities of God as he was facing Goliath; King Saul and his men could not see it.
We live in possibilities as we see God in everything. We must make this conscious decision to focus purely on God in everything. The more we see God the more we see possibilities. He’s our healer, he’s our provider and he’s our way maker.
CONFESSION:
There is a divine possibility in every aspect of my life. I see God in every issue of my life.
LEARN MORE: Gen 18:10-14, Isa 32:27
Monday 30th August, 2021
Monday 30th August, 2021
LIVING IN GRACE
Text: “And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” John 1:16-17
Grace is the manifestation of divine life in a mortal man. This is the ability of God that comes to help a helpless man. Humanity was sold out legally in sin. We were dead in sin before salvation and then through Christ we are dead to sin. There was nothing anyone of us would have done to save ourselves. The program of salvation was purely a divine process void of human contribution. All that man needed to do was to receive this provision and submit to it as the only way out.
Living in grace simply means living in the awareness, assurance and confidence of the grace of God made available to us. If we don’t live this way there will be so much limitations in our lives that will forever be an uphill task to overcome. The alternative to living by grace is living by our own efforts; it will never be enough. It will never measure up. The best of human effort is shallow and inadequate to satisfy divine requirements.
Living by grace is living by the ability of God that helps us to choose right and to live right. Living by grace is never an excuse to act against God. It’s actually a humble response of gratitude to please the one who has lavished so much on us. The grace of God lavished on us by the cross is far beyond human comprehension. The depth of this grace is so deep that it will take the whole of eternity to explore it.
Grace is the outworking of the ability of God in a mortal man. With this grace at work in our lives we’ll do that which ordinarily would had been beyond us. With this grace at work in our lives we’ll go beyond the status quo and break new records in the Spirit. I see God doing great things in your life and through your life.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus we declare that I function in the grace of God in every aspect of my life. I declare that the ability of God is expressed in all that I do.
LEARN MORE: Eph 2:1, Rom 6:11
Sunday 29th August, 2021
Sunday 29th August, 2021
LIVING AS SALT
Text: “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and be trodden under foot of men.” Matt 5:13
This scripture above describes what our lives are meant to be. This is what God has made us. We are the salt of the earth. Each one of us must see ourselves this way. This applies to wherever you find yourself. We are the salt in our families. We are the salt in our offices. We are the salt in the market places. We are the salt in our class rooms.
The role of the salt is majorly to sweeten the food and to preserve it. Food is completely tasteless without salt. Just a little salt completely changes the taste of the food. Your presence in an office should add flavor to that office. If you are in partnership with someone in business it should make the business better. If you live in a house where there are several tenants, your presence there should be a blessing to every other person in the house.
If something is getting bad in a place, by the time we appear there the place should be preserved. The life of people that come in contact with you should be preserved and not destroyed.
There is a positive influence that is wired into our spirits as the salt of the earth. We must be bold enough to exercise that influence everywhere we find ourselves. Our “saltiness” is expressed as we walk in love and we hold forth the word of God. The word of God in us is the solution that everyone around us needs. If you lose your savour men will take you for granted and even get rid of you. Your presence will become irrelevant to them. As I think over this article I realize that there are individuals that God has placed in our lives for the purpose of preserving them for eternity; may God find us faithful living as salts to our world.
PRAYER:
Lord I function as salt everywhere I go. Multitudes of life are preserved by my influence. I declare that my savour is powerful and effective in the name of Jesus.
LEARN MORE: Matt 5:13-16
Saturday 28th August, 2021
Saturday 28th August, 2021
LIVING AS LIGHTS
Text: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16
One major way through which Jesus taught his disciples was to use several symbols to explain to them. He clearly explained that we are the light of the world. The significance of light cannot be over emphasized. God wants us to live as lights; functioning in that capacity everywhere we go and whatever we do. Light right from creation separates the day from the night. There is a clear distinction between light and darkness. The two cannot co-exist.
Living as lights connotes that we should live in such a way that there is a clear-cut distinction between us and everything that represent darkness. Darkness connotes the work of the devil characterised by sin and everything that is evil. The life of a believer should be very far away from this. The scripture clearly says what agreement has light with darkness. They have nothing in common. If your life as a believer does not challenge unbelievers then there is something wrong. Wherever we are found there should be a distinct difference between us. The way we talk should be different. Our manners should different. If you work in an office fill the place up with light; every time darkness shows up let your presence automatically dispel it. Not by making noise; but by a way of life that everyone in that environment had known you for over time. Darkness has the full right to operate when darkness is absent. It will be difficult to shine as light if you think that what darkness is offering is better. Any day anywhere light is far better.
The scriptural approach to life is far better than what the world can offer. Personally I have come to realize that I function better and think right when I live as light. It takes away fear and guilt. Please live as light.
CONFESSION:
I’m light to my world. I shine for others to see to the glory of God. There is no compromise in my life.
LEARN MORE: John 1:5, Eph 5:8
Friday 27th August, 2021
Friday 27th August, 2021
PERSONAL RESOLVE
Text: “For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.” Matt 9:21
We are learning again today from the account of the woman with the issue of blood. If you read the story carefully you will notice that her miracle was personally provoked. Jesus was on his way somewhere else on invitation to minister to someone else. The woman with the issue of blood was not in his written schedule for that day. Jesus did not even know she was there. Considering her condition someone would have prevented her from getting close to Jesus. It was her personal resolve of faith that gave her the victory.
If we are waiting for people to give us way in life we may remain in the same spot all our lives. There were so many people that day touching Jesus; her touch was different. It was a touch that was borne out of a heart-seated desire to experience a change.
If she had waited for someone to make that decision for her life would have remained the same for her. Everyone there that day were following Jesus for their own personal need. Her resolve was not a group discussion with anyone. She needed no human opinion to receive her miracle. I’m sure that if she had consulted people around her someone would have rehearsed to her how so many physicians had failed her for twelve years.
We must be able to draw the line in life of when it will be required to consult people and when it’s only God we should consult. If you are depending on public opinion to move up in life you will not do much with your life. We must believe so much in God and in our God given purpose that we can take steps in that direction without minding public opinion.
Life is principally a function of personal commitment and responsibility. If you don’t take responsibility for your life nobody will. You don’t have anyone to blame for the outcome of your life. It’s purely a product of your personal resolves.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I take a decision today to be all I was created to be. I take a personal resolve to reach forth to all that God has in store for me.
LEARN MORE: Phil 3:12-14
Thursday 26th August, 2021
Thursday 26th August, 2021
MENTAL LAMENESS
Text: “And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty eight years..Sir, I have no man.” John 5:5
This man had been in this lame state for so long. He had waited all his life for someone to help him out. His lameness was not just a physical one but also a mental one. For thirty eight long years he did not think of any other alternative other than someone coming along to assist him. He was both in a physical and a mental wheelchair. He was right before Jesus and still making that excuse.
Excuses keeps people mentally lame. There is always a way out in life if we are not confined to a particular mindset about an issue of our lives.
We must realize that while we are making the excuses life is passing us by. Just imagine sitting down in the same spot for thirty eight years with the same excuses. Excuses may be genuine but we must not allow whatever it is to keep us in one spot for years. The world is moving as you are making the excuses.
Someone is saying “there are no responsible men again to marry” and ladies are getting married every weekend. Someone is saying there is no job in the country while others are changing jobs daily.
Excuses are actually a product of a limited capacity to think; this is what makes it a mental lameness. Each one of us as believers has the unsearchable wisdom of God at work in our lives. In the midst of the limitations of life we can locate our way in God and see clearly into possibilities that exist around our lives.
We must deliberately challenge common excuses around us; don’t just accept what is popular without questioning it with the knowledge of God. Excuses will excuse you from the possibilities of life. A wise man said “Excuses are the tools that men with no purpose in view use in building for themselves a great monument of nothing.” Excuses will keep you in one spot for too long. Get rid of that excuse in your mouth. Even when there is no one to help, God is there to help.
CONFESSION:
The wisdom of God is at work in my heart to see a way out in every situation of life. I’m not confined.
LEARN MORE: 1 Cor 2:16; 10:13
Wednesday 25th August, 2021
Wednesday 25th August, 2021
LOOKING BACK
Text: “But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.” Gen 19:26
The story of Lot and his family coming out of Sodom is quite instructive. The first major lesson there is how the wife of Lot was turned into a Pillar of salt after she looked back. She had been so attached to where she came out from that she found it difficult to let go.
Another crucial lesson I saw recently is from Lot himself. I was thinking of how Lot did not even bother to check out on his wife; it was never said that the woman was a bad wife. He did not for a second look back to find out what happened to her. From the account there was no sign of mourning for her or any roundtable discussion on what happened.
Lot must have realised that looking back was really of no use. The instructions were very clear. The city had been destroyed; his wife had looked back. He must have realised that the consequence of looking back had caught up on his wife. The plans and purpose of God for our lives are ahead of us and not behind us. It’s extremely difficult or almost impossible if our focus is on the past. What lie behind us is not as important as what lies ahead of us.
Lot kept his focus on what was ahead of him. He knew that God was completely through with what was behind him. Where is your focus? There are greater testimonies and breakthroughs in your future. What God has in store is far bigger that the tragedies of yesterday. Refuse to be held down by your past; reach out to the new things God wants to do in your life today. Lot could have waited in sympathy of what happened to his wife; that would not have solved the problem in the first place and he would have endangered himself too. It was absolute wisdom to let go of what was behind him and reach forth into where he was going. Where he was going was better than what he left behind.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I release myself from the past. I let go of all what lies behind. I reach forth into the great future ahead of me.
LEARN MORE: Isa 43:18-19
Tuesday 24th August, 2021
Tuesday 24th August, 2021
SEE DIFFERENTLY
Text: “Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover WE SAW the children of Anak there.” Num 13:28
What you see is what you get. What you constantly focus on will eventually become a reality in your life. If you are not careful life will always paint a wrong picture for you. This is why we must learn to see exactly from God’s perspective on every issue of life.
The twelve spies that were sent to check out the land of Canaan all saw the same thing. The land was full of milk and honey; but at the same time the land giants; the Anak, the Amelekites, the Hittites, the Jebusites etc. Physically these were the kind of people that were in that land. God was expecting these people to see beyond the physical challenges that existed in that land. If notice carefully in this account the realities of the giants became bigger to them than the milk and honey that was available in that land. Based on what they were seeing they came to a conclusion “....We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.” This conclusion was based solely on what they saw with their physical eyes.
God wants us to see beyond the physical sight. We must see into the realm of the Spirit. We must see cleanly what God had made available to us. We must see beyond the immediate challenges in our environment. We must see clearly what God is doing and what he can do.
Joshua and Caled saw differently. They went beyond the physical sight to see the possibilities of God in that situation. What they saw became their declaration. Whatever you are talking about is what you are seeing. The mouth gives expression to what the “eyes” is seeing. If you are seeing failure; your mouth will express it. If you are seeing victory your mouth will also declare it. What you see is what you get; choose to see differently. Sight is purely an individual responsibility.
CONFESSION:
I see possibilities; I see victory on every side. I see greatness in my life. I see promotions.
LEARN MORE: Jer 1:11-12
Monday 23rd August, 2021
Monday 23rd August, 2021
LAW OF DIFFERENCE
Text: “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.” Psalm 139:14
God is a God of difference. He’s not a one-sided God. He created male and female; difference. He created the day and the night; difference. He created the heat and the cold; difference. There is so much virtue that will flow in our lives as we understand this.
God made each one of us so uniquely different from every other person on the face of the earth. God’s wisdom is so infinite that he made sure that no two persons on the face of the earth have the same DNA composition. Even the most identical twins are only so in their skin; every other thing about them is different.
God has packaged in each one of us a difference that is not found in any other person so that each one of us will be eternally needed and relevant to the operations of this universe. If you don’t understand your difference there will always be this insatiable desire to be like someone else. This will also create in you a deep sense of loss in life because you will forever be searching for what is not missing; but waiting inside you to discover and nurture. Appreciate your difference; celebrate your difference. Thank God for your difference and develop your difference.
Life will expose us to different situations to prepare us for unique destinies. This is why what you are going through will be different from what others are going through. Don’t bother to ask yourself “why me”. It’s because it’s you that God wants to do something great with. Life will also take us through different routes because we have different destinations and hence different destinies. If we all follow the same route we’ll all end up in the same place. Difference is the spice of life. If you follow a very popular path in life you will miss your destiny. Wow! I love this.
PRAYER:
Father thank you for making me so different. Thank you for my difference will bring you glory.
LEARN MORE: Ps 139:13-17
Sunday 22nd August, 2021
Sunday 22nd August, 2021
NEW FAMILY
Text: “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” Gal 6:10
There are very great and powerful families that have existed all throughout history. Many of us would have wished to be born in such families. Such families accorded individual privileges and opportunities that were peculiar to them. Naturally speaking the peculiarities of every family becomes the reality of everyone born into that family. We literally took up the assets as well as the liabilities of our families.
Beyond the natural family every one of us belongs to a new spiritual family; the household of faith. The word “household” also means family. The privileges and the opportunities of this new family is far bigger and better than what the natural family can afford. Whatever we got from our earthily families are temporal, limited and confined to the earth. The new spiritual family that we belongs gives us the privilege of permanent, unlimited and eternal realities.
There are no liabilities in the household of faith; but assets all the way. There is so much that God has made available to us by our inclusion in the family of God. This was made available by the blood of Jesus. Every provision of the blood of Jesus is the privilege that we have in this new family. In this new family failure is foreign to us. In this new family a life of sin is contrary to our identity. In this new family the possibility of scriptures is our reality. Whatever is contrary to scripture has no breeding ground around our lives. In this new family of God we all have equal rights; it only depends on how much each one of us will take advantage of. The new family takes us away from the disadvantaged side of life to an higher realm in God.
CONFESSION:
I belong to the family of God. I’m a joint-heir with Christ. Whatever belongs to him belongs to me. I share in his glory and honor.
LEARN MORE: Eph 2:19, 1 Peter 1:18-20
Saturday 21st August, 2021
Saturday 21st August, 2021
NEW IDENTITY
Text: “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light.” Eph 5:8
Getting born again is not just about answering the altar call. It has far more reaching implications in the life of a believer. The new identity of a believer is carefully and clearly written all over the epistles. God expects us to walk, talk and live our lives in the realities of our present new identity.
If you read carefully our anchor scriptures it shows us our old identity; “For ye were sometimes darkness....” This is the identity of every unbeliever. Then the scripture went on to say “...But now...” A change has taken place. This is not a change that takes place after we have fasted and pray for a long time or other spiritual rituals. This took place immediately we made Jesus the Lord of our lives. This is a present reality for us as believers. We are not praying for it; it’s who we are presently.
The NIV version says “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.” Look at it again “...Once darkness, BUT NOW you are LIGHT...” So we can boldly declare I AM LIGHT. We are no longer darkness. Nothing represents darkness around our lives. We are purely light in the Lord. God expects us to walk in the consciousness of this new identity.
We have so many other scriptures like this that shows clearly the new identity of a believer. Romans 5:19 says “For as by one man’s (Adam) disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience one (Jesus) shall many be made righteous.” Adam made us sinners; Christ made us righteous. So we are no longer sinners but the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. If you don’t accept this new identity you will never live at the full capacity of a believer. The number one job of a believer is to believe the word of God and exalt it above everything else. Don’t allow anything else to define you outside the word.
PRAYER:
Father thank you for my new identity in Christ. Thank you for all you have made me in Christ.
LEARN MORE: 2 Cor 5:17, 21
Friday 20th August, 2021
Friday 20th August, 2021
NEW IDENTIFICATION
Text: “And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory; and thou shall be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name.” Isa 62:2
Names play a very significant role in virtually every culture. In several cultures names are given to signify the period the person was born, the type of family they were born into and in some cases the circumstances surrounding the birth of the person.
A name serves majorly as a means of identification. There are some names that once you hear them you can say precisely where the person is coming from.
It’s interesting to note that God also has promised and fulfilled the promise to also give us a new name. This is extremely important for us to understand. This therefore forms our new identification. It does not matter where we are coming from or the circumstances surrounding our birth; the name that God is giving us supersedes all other means of identification we must have been given.
Apart from names there are other things like family background, class of degree in school, country of residence, marital status etc that forms the means of identification for so many people. As good as some of them may be they are not a perfect means of identification.
Ultimately for us as believers we are called by the name of the Lord. There is a stamp of his name on our foreheads. By the work of redemption we are completely immersed into Christ, we are seated together with him; we are raised together with him. His name has become our name. We are in perfect union with Christ. He lives in us and we live in him.
The new name of a believer is Christ; this is your new identification. Not your family, not your degree in school, not your country of residence, not your gender etc. We must see ourselves in perfect union with Christ. He’s everything to us and everything in us.
CONFESSION:
I am called by the name of the Lord. Christ is everything to me. I’m called by his name.
LEARN MORE: Jer 14:9, Rom 6:3-6
Thursday 19th August, 2021
Thursday 19th August, 2021
DISCONNECT FROM THE PAST
Text: “When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, if I may touch but his cloths, I shall be whole.” Mark 5:27-28*
This woman in our anchor scripture today had suffered so long from this problem. She had done everything possible medically to get her problem solved but nothing worked out. She had lost so much money all in a bid to get a solution. She eventually had an encounter with the healing power of God. The most natural thing to do in such a terrible state was to be so engrossed or preoccupied with the challenge. This woman at this point of her life realised that getting preoccupied with her challenge was not the way out. She had to disconnect from her pain to connect with the possibilities of God. She began to talk to herself. She knew within herself that it was not over. She knew right from within that solution still exist.
It’s possible that you lost a job or something precious; it will be of no use if you spend the rest of your life preoccupied to that loss and disappointment. There is an urgent need for you to disconnect from the pain of the past. If all you keep doing is to talk about your disappointments you have tied yourself down to that low level of life. We must consciously disconnect from the past and connect to what God wants to bring forth in that situation. This woman connected to the healing power of God. It was not so much the power of God that healed her but rather her faith in the possibilities of God for her freedom. From the response of Jesus you’ll see clearly it was her faith that did the job.
Signs that you are tied down to your past and disappointments is when you are so preoccupied with it that your heart is always on it and you are always talking about it. Its time you start thinking and talking of the victory you desperately desire. Don’t wait for things to happen before you talk about it. Faith speaks before the manifestation of what we desire to see happen in our lives. You must begin to make declarations in agreement with what God has said concerning you.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I disconnect from the past; I disconnect from every loss in the past.
LEARN MORE : Isa 43:18-19
Wednesday 18th August, 2021
Wednesday 18th August, 2021
LEAVING ALL BEHIND
Text: “By faith Abraham when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.” Heb 11:8
Faith for so many of us is just a means of getting a new car, getting the biggest car in town, getting someone to marry etc. If you look closely at the life of the patriarchs of faith you will see that faith is far bigger than that. Faith is more of the ability to follow God without any reservation. Another word for faith is abandoning your life to God and his word.
Abraham was an old man. He had lived with his kindred for decades; now God was asking him to leave the familiar environment and the convenience of his community. He was going to leave all this behind for a journey to a place he was not even sure of. This is an example of leaving all behind to reach for the best that God has to offer. He must have believed that God cannot mismanage his life. He must have realised that whatever God has in store ahead was far bigger and better than all he has seen so far in life.
At certain times in our lives we may have to leave certain things behind to reach for God’s ultimate plan for our lives. This is the greatest walk of faith any of us could engage in. This is a journey that takes us from the known to the unknown. The best of God for our lives are actually in places that we presently may consider as the unknown. We must therefore be ready for such moments where God will require that we leave certain things behind to move by faith into his original intents for our lives from the foundation of the earth. If your concept about God is all about getting shoes, cloths and make ups from him your walk with God will be childish and very shallow. We need to move to higher realms of faith where we wait to see the direction of the Spirit and we move there by faith. The wife of Lot became a pillar of salt because she could not leave all behind; she was so used to life is Sodom. Let go today!
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I leave behind everything that is no longer in agreement with God’s plans and purpose for me.
LEARN MORE: Gen 12:1-7
Tuesday 17th August, 2021
Tuesday 17th August, 2021
IT’S NOT LATE YET
Text: “Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.” John 11:21
Jesus was told that Lazarus was sick and for some reason he did not get there until the man had died. When he eventually arrived there the sister spoke to him “If you had come earlier my brother would not have died.” (Paraphrase). She was more or less saying Jesus you came too late. Jesus explained to them that he will rise again. The sister assumed that Jesus was referring to the resurrection of the last day.
The response of Jesus to all this was completely different from human thinking. He arrived late based on time; but he was not late in divine calculation. He explained to them “I am the resurrection and the life...” The number of days the man had died was not a barrier to him. It was humanly impossible based on the analysis of the Sisters but as far as Jesus was concerned “This is sickness is not unto death...” He had spoken that word earlier and it must come to pass.
As far as God is concerned nothing is too late in our lives. Age may be saying it’s over with us; but God is saying it’s not over yet. Saying it’s too late is more or less writing off the possibility of anything good coming out of that situation? God does not write anything off in our lives. He promised to give us a new beginning. With God there can be a new beginning for anything and anyone.
There is someone reading this today the past events of your life is telling you that nothing good can come out of your life again; but it’s a lie of the devil. It’s not late for you yet; if you’ll genuinely yield your life to God today he will give you a brand new beginning. Situations are turning around in your favour from today.
PRAYER:
Father thank you because it’s not too late for me yet. There is a new beginning taking place in my life.
LEARN MORE: Isa 43:19
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Monday 16th August, 2021
Monday 16th August, 2021
HAMMER OF THE WORD
Text: “Is not my word like as a fire? Saith the Lord; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?” Jer 23:29
The scripture describes itself in very clear terms for us to see clearly the role the word of God is designed to play in our lives. The word of God uses several symbols to describe this. The word of God is described as water, as light, as mirror, as fire etc. Once we can grasp the significance of these symbols then we can also grasp the place of the word of God in our lives.
The word of God in our anchor scriptures is described as a hammer. Hammer is used to drive a nail or other objects through a wood or a wall. It is also used to drive a chisel through a rock or any other hard place. Usually when the hammer is been used it’s applied consistently and intensely until the purpose is achieved.
The word of God is also given to us to chisel our way through the hard places of life. Consistent and committed application of the word drives us through the hard places of life. We chisel our way through hard places. The word breaks the rocks. We have to stay faithful in season and out of season insisting on the word. This is an attitude that stays committed to the reading, application and declaration of the word of God over impossible situations. This is an attitude and a resolve not to settle for any other thing other than what the word of God says.
Abraham was told he will have a baby at a very old age. He held on to what God said in the face of delays. He chiselled his way through the deadness of his body and that of his wife. Consistently and faithfully he held on to God’s word and he eventually had his desires established. Once God has spoken to you refuse to let go. You may have to chisel your way through human opinions. As you hold on to God’s word; it will break every barrier.
DECLARATION:
I will take God at his word. I will not let go of his counsels for my life. The barriers are giving way.
LEARN MORE: Rom 4:17-21
Sunday 15th August, 2021
Sunday 15th August, 2021
TAUGHT BY THE SPIRIT
Text: “...The Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” John 14:26
The role of a teacher is an indispensable one in life. All our lives we have been exposed to one form of teacher or another; Formal or informal. Learning is an essential part of life. Learning is as important to life as breathing. Learning makes a man relevant and useful to himself and to the world as a whole.
As important as teachers are there is no particular teacher that can teach us everything in life; we had several of them over a lifetime. There is also no teacher that can stay with you forever. The ones that taught us in secondary school are not the same one that taught us in college and we keep changing teachers as the season of life changes. In the school system there is no teacher that teaches the student and also writes the exams for them. This will be illegal. These shows the limitations of the human teacher.
We have a divine teacher who is not limited in any way. The Holy Spirit is our ultimate teacher in life. He’s God’s ordained teacher for our lives. One major evidence of been filled with the Holy Spirit apart from speaking in tongues is that you are taught and instructed by the Holy Spirit. He has come to abide with us forever. His teaching ministry is not just for a brief season of our lives. He also teaches us all things according to our anchor scripture. Just name any area of life that you need to be taught the Holy Spirit is available. Recently a woman shared with me how the Holy Spirit taught her from the pages of the word of God how to conceive a male child she was trusting God for. When there is a need to use what he taught us before he will bring it back to our remembrance. The Holy Spirit uses the word of God and the events of life to teach us. Let him teach you.
PRAYER:
Holy Spirit come and teach me today. I need you. I ask that you teach me how to run my life.
LEARN MORE: 1 John 2:27
Saturday 14th August, 2021
Saturday 14th August, 2021
STRENGTHENED BY THE SPIRIT
Text: “That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man.” Eph 3:16
The most important aspect of a man is the inner man. This is the real that is not seen outwardly. The human physical body is just that the house the real man lives or if you like the body is the vehicle that moves the real man from one place to another.
The state of the inner man plays a major role in the life of a man. The state of the inner man is the state of a man’s life. If your inner man is week then your life will also be weak. If your inner man is strong it will also reflect in every area of your life. The unfortunate thing is that many of us care more about the outward man (The body) than the inward man.
Each day we are faced with demands and challenges on our lives. This will not only weaken our physical body but also affect our inner man. This is one major reason why our inner man must stay constantly strengthened. When the inner man is strengthened it becomes easier to handle the outer weakness.
God strengthens us by his Spirit in our inner man. Nothing and no one can reach our inner man other than the Spirit of God. By this operation we are strengthened by the Spirit on the inside to overcome the external challenges that life throws at us. Paul said “For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.” 2 Corinth 4:16
The inner man is strengthened by the Spirit daily as we take out time to pray in the Spirit. This should be an integral part of our lives on a daily basis. This also takes place as we meditate consistently on the word of God. This are basically how the Spirit of God strengthens us on a daily basis.
CONFESSION:
I am strengthened by God’s Spirit in my inner man. I am absolutely in charge of situations around me.
LEARN MORE: Isa 40:29-31
Friday 13th August, 2021
Friday 13th August, 2021
EMPOWERED BY THE SPIRIT
Text: “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea...” Acts 1:8
We are taking our time to look closely at the place of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The Spirit of God plays a major role in our journey into destiny. The Spirit of God is God’s number one promise to the believer (Gal 3:14).
The Spirit of God has come to empower us to be all we are created to do and to become all we are created to become.
Jesus categorically told the disciples that it was important and necessary for him to go away so that he might sent the Holy Spirit to them. John 16:7 Says “...It’s expedient for you that I go away: for I go not away, the comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.” Why was Jesus saying this? Jesus was literally responsible in handling issues for the disciples. Every time there was a challenge they ran to him; but now it was necessary for each of them to be equipped to function exactly like Jesus would have functioned. It was necessary for each of them to become responsible to handle the same issues that Jesus was handling. This was why it was expedient (Necessary, Important) for him to go away so that the Holy Spirit can come and reside inside each of the disciples.
This is the same thing that has happened to us. For every one of us that are filled with the Holy Spirit we are empowered by the Spirit to function and operate in the place of Jesus. We are empowered to walk in victory and dominion. This is why you should never see yourself as a victim but as a victor in life. The Spirit of God has come to channel our course into all that God has programmed for us from the foundation of the earth. We are not on the disadvantaged side of life. We are highly privileged.
PRAYER:
Father thank you for the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life. Thank you for empowering me by your Spirit to fulfill destiny.
LEARN MORE: Micah 3:8, Acts 10:38
Thursday 12th August, 2021
Thursday 12th August, 2021
HELPED BY THE SPIRIT
Text: “And Pharoah said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?” Gen 41:38
There are several people in scriptures that had extraordinary lives. They all went through several challenges in life that naturally would have destroyed them but they came out of it stronger and victorious. What was that major factor that made the difference in their lives? What was it that they had that others did not have? These are the questions we want to answer in this article today.
Joseph had one of the most difficult task to handle. He needed to interpret the dream of the king and also provides the answer. According to Pharaoh there is none that can interpret it. All the magicians and wise men of the land had tried to no avail. At the end of the day Joseph was able to interpret it and also provide the solution. Then Pharaoh gave his response “...Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?” (Gen 41:38). The interpretation was purely done by the Spirit of God. This placed Joseph on the throne in a foreign land. Someone is reading this; this is your time of supernatural enthronement. The Spirit of God in the next seven weeks will take you to a place you never thought you could get to in seven years. It will be so dramatic that celebration will never cease in your life. Joseph was helped by the Spirit.
The Philistines were out to completely destroy Samson. Several strategies were devised to get him destroyed. In each of the cases he came out victorious. It was not because he was a giant; there is no reference in scriptures that said he was a giant. He was just an ordinary person like every other person. It was the anointing of the Spirit on his life that helped him. According to him if he’s shaven and the anointing of the Spirit is lifted he will become like an ordinary man. We can go on and on to give several examples of great exploits in scriptures. It was all because this people were helped by the Spirit of God.
PRAYER:
Lord I open my heart and my life to the help of your Spirit in every area of my life.
LEARN MORE: Judges 14:5-6; 16:8-9, Acts 26:22
Wednesday 11th August, 2021
Wednesday 11th August, 2021
NOT OF THE WORLD
Text: “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” John 17:16
The life of a believer is clearly defined by the word of God. The life of a believer produces the right results and output as we see ourselves clearly from the pages of scripture. The scripture above clearly shows us as believers that we are not of this world. We don’t belong to this world. We have no connection with this world. The world has no right to dictate how we live our lives. The life we live should therefore be different from the pattern of this world. The world is in a fallen state and its way of doing things are completely foreign to a believer.
Let’s look at another scripture that looks exactly like the one in our opening verse. John 15:19 “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you”. This suggests that there should be a major difference between a believer and the system of this world. The choices we make and the cravings of our lives should not be the same with what is prevalent in this world.
Romans 12:2 says “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.” This scripture is clearly telling us to change the way we think. If we think like this world then we’ll live by the standards of this world and also be limited by the limitations of this world. As believers we live in a higher realm of thinking and experience. Get yourself soaked in the word of God.
The word of God clearly shows us the thoughts of God that is higher than the thoughts of this world. As we begin to think differently from the pattern of this world your life will begin to rise beyond the limitations of this world.
CONFESSION:
My life is not of this world. The life I live is located in Christ. Nothing in me is in conformity to this world. I live a life higher than what is available in this world.
LEARN MORE: 1 John 2:15-17
Tuesday 10th August, 2021
Tuesday 10th August, 2021
EMPTY LAMP
Text: “...And five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them.” Matt 25:2-3
The usefulness of a lamp is not in the size of it or the material that was used to produce it; it could be gold or silver. That does not really matter. All that really matters is the light it produces. The usefulness of a lamp is the light it produces and it cannot produce light if there is no oil in it. Do you realise that no matter how expensive a lamp is they produce the same type of light and uses the same type of oil.
Please read this carefully; the worth of a man is not in the expensive cloth they wear or the quality of their shoe. The worth of a man is in the stuff that resides inside them. It’s possible to have a high quality lamp with no oil in it. It’s the oil in the lamp that gives it the ability to produce light and be useful. Once the oil is absent the usefulness of the lamp is gone.
The foolish will prefer to appear perfect to everybody outwardly but empty inwardly. The foolish emphasises more on the external appearance than the inward quality. So many people are empty lamps with no oil in them. Even though they appear beautiful outwardly they have no substance within to make a positive impact on anyone.
Just as we have explained previously the “oil” majorly connotes the anointing of the Holy Spirit resident inside a believer. This is a major ingredient that we all require to make a success of our lives. It will be a big mistake for any of us to run our lives without this assurance of the resident anointing on our lives. Even though the Holy Spirit has come to take residence inside us we must have a daily consciousness of his presence in our lives; it’s this consciousness and awareness that equips us to face whatever comes our way in form of emergencies.
CONFESSION:
The anointing of the Holy Spirit is in me and working in me. The anointing of the Holy Spirit equips me.
LEARN MORE: Ecc 9:8, Ps 92:10
Monday 9th August, 2021
Monday 9th August, 2021
PULLING DOWN
Text: “Every wise woman buildeth her house; but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.” Prov 14:1
We are going to look closely at the life of the foolish. This will go a long way to help us to examine our lives closely and make corrections where it is needed. I decided to take them separately for the purpose of clarity.
A foolish person has no desire to build anything significant. A foolish person will prefer to spend it all today. In some cases they will build for a while and by themselves pull it down again. Please note that we are not just talking of a physical house here. There is hardly anyone one that will build a physical house and then pull it down again for no reasons.
The “house” in our anchor scripture is actually talking about the family of an individual. This can also refer to other areas of our lives such as business, career, academics etc. Most of the time a foolish person is pulling down his “house” without knowing.
We can pull down what we are doing with the words of our mouths. Every time you speak negative words over any area of your life there is a pulling down in the realm of the Spirit. Like we said earlier this is not just a physical pulling down but a spiritual one. It’s extremely important that we avoid by all means speaking negative words over our marriage, family, business, career etc. In the realm of the Spirit we build with words and we pull down with words. A father or mother can pull down a child emotionally with words and make the child develop negative self-image. The pulling down will not happen one day, it’s a gradual process; wrong words spoken over time accumulates to destroy an area of life. Wrong attitudes can also pull down whatever we are supposed to be building. King Saul pulled down his own throne by disobedience.
PRAYER:
Lord I receive grace and the sensitivity of the Spirit not to pull down my own “throne” with my hands.
LEARN MORE: 1 Sam 13:8-14
Sunday 8th August, 2021
Sunday 8th August, 2021
BUILT ON THE ROCK
Text: “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock.” Matt 7:24
I want to call your attention to quite number of truths embedded in this one verse of the Bible. The first one here is the fact that this man tried to build his house. It’s really a waste of time for a man to build a house that will only stand for few months or few years. The right motivation of building is to build something that will last for years to come and serve several generations. What’s the use of having a business that will only survive for a short period? What’s the use having a marriage that is not till “death do us part”. Unfortunately this is the way so many people are building their lives. The way some people enter into marriage is a clear indication that it will not last long.
The word “house” in our anchor scripture refers to every area of our lives; business, marriage, career etc. A wise man is a man that ensures that what he’s building will endure the challenges of life. If the house will stand it must be founded upon the rock. Jesus is our rock of ages; the rain, the wind and the waves cannot move such a house – marriage, business, career etc that is founded on the rock of ages.
Building on the rock will require that we live our lives by the demands and instructions of scriptures.
From our opening scripture it’s clear that if I will build on the rock I must know God’s word and then operate my life by it. Living by the instructions of God’s word sets our lives on the rock. One thing is sure the rain, the wind and the storm will come in one form or another. This is why we must ensure ahead of the rain, the wind and the storm that our lives are already on the rock. It’s not something we do on emergency basis. It must have been there on the rock before the elements of life shows up. A life of consistently doing the word of God puts you permanently on rock.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I declare that I am consistently living by the instructions of God’s word.
LEARN MORE: Matt 7:24-27, James 1:22-25
Saturday 7th August, 2021
Saturday 7th August, 2021
OIL IN THE LAMP
Text: “And five of them were wise... the wise took oil in their lamps.” Matt 25:2, 5
The scripture above is extracted from the account of the ten virgins. This account is clearly stated as a representation of what we see in the kingdom of God.
These particular five virgins had oil in their lamps. The human spirit is actually referred to as the candle of the Lord where fire is ignited in our lives. The lamp or the candle does not burn by itself; there must be a constant supply of the oil for it to keep burning. Once the oil is gone the light goes out.
The oil represents the fresh anointing of the Spirit in our lives. God expects that we keep the oil flowing at all times in our lives. The oil or the unction is extremely needed when we are faced with challenges in our lives. We have to keep the oil fresh because we can never tell when there will be a need for it. Obviously each day comes with its unique demands and the only way we can effectively handle such demands is to be fully equipped by the anointing of the Spirit. The wise wakes up every day to renew the anointing of the Spirit in their lives. Whatever they are required to do they ensure that they don’t do it casually; they do it through the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
The more “oil” we have in our vessels the better equipped and prepared we are to face the demands of life. If you are going for an assignment in your office ensure that there is “oil” in your lamp before you go. Before you go for a job interview take time to check the level of your “oil” and ensure that it’s fresh. The challenges of life will turn you back if there is no oil in your lamp. The seven sons of Sceva wanted to cast a demon out of a man that was possessed. They never knew that they needed “oil” in their vessels to make such a demand. Renew the level of your “oil” daily.
PRAYER:
Lord I ask for fresh oil of your Spirit over my life on a daily basis. I declare that my head will never lack oil.
LEARN MORE: Ps 92:10, Ecc 9:8, Acts 19:14-16
Friday 6th August, 2021
Friday 6th August, 2021
PATIENCE TO BUILD
Text: “...Let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” Heb 12:1c
Today I was supposed to go to another scripture to show you attributes of the wise. But I felt compelled by the Holy Spirit to talk to you more on what we began yesterday. I just had words springing up inside me.
If you have been to an ancient city before you will see houses that were built so many years ago. We can find houses that are as old as 50-100 years and still being habited. The concept of building is actually for the purpose of something that will stand for a long time and will be of benefit to generations yet unborn.
Some people make money and all they are thinking about is how to buy the latest cloth in town or planning for another party in town. For so many their way of thinking is more of a consumer than a “builder”. I want to ask you that what are you building that will stand the test of time.
Building comes with a lot of patience and sacrifice. If you are not patient you cannot build a great relationship, marriage or a great business. Nothing great is built in a hurry. Even a physical house cannot be built in a hurry; there is a stage by stage approach to it. If it’s built too much in a hurry it may collapse. Wise people are patient and sacrificial. They are ever ready to stay the long haul and pay the price for a great future. If you are in a hurry to make money you may not build anything significant that future generations can benefit from. Any venture that promise you overnight success has no future.
What are you doing to build a vibrant and a strong Christian life? Going to Church every Sunday is not enough; there must be something extraordinary that you are doing. It could be spending extra time to read your Bible and pray. Please be a builder.
PRAYER:
I’m a builder. The grace and the wisdom of God is working in me to build a great destiny.
LEARN MORE: Prov 24:3-6
Thursday 5th August, 2021
Thursday 5th August, 2021
RAW MATERIALS
Text: “Every wise woman buildeth her house...” Prov 14:1
By the help of the Holy Spirit in the next couple of days I will take time to share with you on the attributes of the wise and the foolish. Each one of us is on either side of the divide today. You cannot be on the fence. You are wise or foolish; not in-between. A man or woman is either wise or foolish depending on how they live their lives.
From our anchor scripture today a wise man or woman is clearly seen by their attitude to life. A wise person is a builder. They build great academics, families, businesses etc. Life is full of “raw materials”, God hardly give us anything in a finished state. God does not give a bricklayer a house. What God gives is sand, water, wood etc; it’s the responsibility of an individual to put together the raw materials and build a beautiful edifice out of it. God gives us some money and he expects us to take advantage of that money to build a great business. God brings our way someone that does not look like they are going somewhere; but with that person God expects us to build a great marriage. God gives a pastor a few members and with the few He expects the man to build a great world-wide ministry out of it.
Each one of us must recognise the “raw materials” God has given us in life to build the kind of life he wants us to have. God brought to David men that were in distress, in debt and discontented; he did not despise them. Out of these “useless” men he built a great army that helped him in all his battles. Only God knows how many things and people God has brought our way in life that we despised. So many times prayers look unanswered because we were expecting God to give us a “finished product” but he gave us “raw materials” unaware. Wise people recognize opportunities.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I declare that my ability to recognise “raw materials” in life is sharpened today.
LEARN MORE: 1 Sam 22:1-2, Heb 3:4
Wednesday 4th August, 2021
Wednesday 4th August, 2021
THE GREATEST MIRACLES 3
Text: “But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” Rom 8:11
So far we have looked at the miracle of creation and also the miracle of the conception of Jesus. The third miracle we are looking at is the miracle of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Here again we’ll see how the Holy Spirit was involved. Did you notice again just as we have seen in the two previous miracles that the Spirit of God was directly responsible for the resurrection of Jesus from the dead? Let me state clearly here that there is nothing significant any of us can do as believers without the involvement of the Holy Spirit. This is a major lesson each one of us must learn as believers.
The good news from our anchor scripture today is that the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead dwells inside each one of us. He has come to make alive whatever is dead or dying around our lives. Dead wombs can be quickened back to life. Dead situations can come back to life. Dead dreams can receive new life.
As I write this article I felt a surge of hope and joy inside me. Even when our back is against the walls we can bounce back by the Spirit. When we are down to nothing the Spirit of God can bring forth something great out of our lives. The Pharisees thought they had seen the end of Jesus but that was just the beginning of an eternal influence on humanity.
I want to encourage you as we round up this series today to get closer to the Holy Spirit by developing a greater awareness of his presence and involvement in your life. Don’t live your life passively; live it in consciousness and communion of the Holy Spirit.
DECLARATION:
The Holy Spirit lives in me and working in my life on a daily basis. Every area of my life is made alive.
LEARN MORE: 1 Corinth 3:16, 2 Corinth 13:14
Tuesday 3rd August, 2021
Tuesday 3rd August, 2021
THE GREATEST MIRACLES 2
Text: “...The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee...” Luke 1:35
The emphasis we are making in this study is that the Spirit of God has a major role to play in our lives. Apart from knowing what God did in scriptures; which defines possibilities for us; we must also understand how God did those things so that they can become a reality in our lives. From our study yesterday we saw clearly how the Spirit of God worked.
Today again we see clearly another major miracle in scriptures. The conception of Jesus by Virgin Mary was a miracle. The angel came to her to announce what God wanted to do through her. She could not figure out how it will happen. It was completely against every biological process of conception. Her question was “...How shall this be, seeing I know not a man” (Luke 1:34). It was a legitimate question. I’m sure that we have asked such questions before in our lives. How will I move from where I am today to a better place? How will my business grow? How will I pass this professional exam? We usually ask such questions because we seem not to be able to figure out things by ourselves. We cannot really answer that question by ourselves.
The answer that Mary was given is the same answer for all related questions in every area of our lives. “...The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee...” (Luke 1:35). This is how to make the impossible possible in our lives. This is how to turn hopeless lives around. The circumstances of your life right now cannot be the end of your life. By the Spirit situations can turn around in your life. By the Spirit we can start small and end up with a “nation”. The Spirit of God has come to turn your ordinary into extraordinary. He has come to turn your nothing into something. Give him the room.
PRAYER:
Lord by your Spirit take over my life and make something out of my nothing.
LEARN MORE: Isa 32:15; 60:22
Monday 2nd August, 2021
Monday 2nd August, 2021
THE GREATEST MIRACLES 1
Text: “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the earth” Gen 1:2
I believe in miracles. Miracles are the act of God that authenticates his presence in our lives. The Bible is a book of miracles. If you take miracles away from the Bible it will be reduced to a mere book of history.
There are several miracles in the Bible but I’m going to focus on three (3) which I consider as the greatest of them all. A very close look at the three miracles will clearly show us the involvement of the Spirit of God. This cuts across virtually all the supernatural occurrences in scripture.
The first of these three miracles is the miracle of creation. This was a miracle of turning a shapeless, empty and darkness-filled earth to something beautiful to behold. God spoke his word and the Spirit of God executed what God declared. The Holy Spirit is the chief executive of God’s operations on the earth.
Whatever happened in scriptures is exactly what can happen in our lives also. Situations can turn around in our lives. Emptiness can be filled up. Every form of darkness can give way for light. I have come today to speak over you that every darkness around your life is filled up with light. Every emptiness is filled up.
The Holy Spirit is clearly seen at the beginning of creation to execute God’s declaration. The extent to which we give the Holy Spirit room in our lives will determine the extent to which we see the acts of God in our lives. The Spirit of God has come to live inside us to fill up every emptiness in our lives. If you are filled with the Spirit of God you are loaded. You have so much to offer the kingdom of God and humanity as a whole. By the Spirit of God in you you’re a warehouse of possibilities.
CONFESSION:
I’m loaded with divine virtues. The Spirit of God has filled up every emptiness in me.
LEARN MORE: Isa 32:15, Zech 4:6
Sunday 1st August, 2021
Sunday 1st August, 2021
SOMETHING OUT OF NOTHING
Text: “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the deep…” Gen 1:2
The scripture above is a description of the earth at the beginning of creation. One of it was that it was “…Void...” This means empty. God actually made all that he made out of nothing. Hebrews 11: 3 says “…Things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.” The message Bible says “…What we see created by what we don’t see.” God in his infinite wisdom created everything we see today out of nothing.
God is still in the business of doing the same thing. The present state of our lives is not a shock to God. Your life may look empty today. Your business and career may look the same way today but something great can come out of it if you will allow the wisdom of God to take over that aspect of your life.
This is actually good news to us. So much beauty and riches can come out of our lives to whatever degree we desire it. We all have the responsibility to fill up the empty areas of our lives with the word of God. Even though we say God created something out of nothing we must understand that the word of God was the material that God used to fill up the empty earth that he saw. The word of God is actually a major material in our lives. A man cannot really say “I have nothing to use or start my life” if he has the word of God. This was all that God had at creation. He has made his word available to us. It’s no longer up to God but up to what we do with the word of God. If a man has everything and does not have the word of God there is still a major vacuum. Heb 11:3a says “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God….” Read the word, know the word, memorize the word, meditate on it, and declare it with your mouth. Something great is coming out of your life. Happy new month!
CONFESSION:
I have the word of God; I have everything. My life is full of divine possibilities.
LEARN MORE: Prov 3:19,21, Heb 11:1-3
Saturday 31st July , 2021
Saturday 31st July , 2021
NECESSITY OF PRAYER 7
Text: “And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith has made you well ..be healed of thy affliction.” Mark 5:34
One major factor that will help you to develop a personal prayer life is to develop a personal faith. When this is lacking there is every tendency that you will run from pillar to post looking for who to pray for you. This is why so many people have been deceived to do things that are not of God. This is one major manifestation of spiritual immaturity. A young lady told me of how a Pastor asked her never to worry that he will do all the praying for her. He wanted to relieve her of the stress of praying by herself. Those are unscriptural gimmicks we see in our days. I told the young lady “You don’t borrow fire to cook in your house.” Everyone is required to make their own fire with wood, Gas or Kerosene.
We have proliferation of Churches and ministries today and in the process of trying to get followers some have resulted into breeding irresponsible believers. You must build your personal faith to experience personal victories. The faith of another person cannot carry you for long. What if they are not available? The woman with the issue of blood took personal responsibility for the outcome of her life by her personal faith. She wasn’t on Jesus’s agenda that day; but her personal faith got the attention of Jesus.
The advent of the social media had made it is so easy today to watch all manner of online preaching and ministrations. One way to evaluate anyone that you listen to is to find out how much they build your faith to experience your personal victory. With all sense of modesty and carefulness I need to say that if a Church, a program etc. is not helping you to build up your faith then it does not worth your attention and devotion. If your faith is not growing then your capacity as a believer will be limited. Your faith should not just be in a program or a minister but in the power of God.
PRAYER:
My faith is growing and becoming strong daily. I can handle the issues of life by myself in prayer.
LEARN MORE: Rom 10:17, 2 Thess 1:3
Friday 30th July, 2021
Friday 30th July, 2021
NECESSITY OF PRAYER 6
Text: “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things...” Jeremiah 33:3
I think we should just start our lesson today by thanking God for the privilege of prayer. Thank you Lord for the privilege to pray. Today I will conclude our lesson on prayer by sharing a few thoughts with you. I will be so glad to read your feedback on this lesson.
1. The basis for prayer is not just because we have a problem but because God has promised to answer. The willingness of God to answer is far more important and greater than our need to pray. We must understand clearly that God has promised to answer us, he has answered before and he will answer again. Jabez prayed and God answered (1 Chron 4:10), Elijah prayed again and again and God answered (James 5:17-18).
2. Prayer therefore is a major expression of our confidence in God. When we truly come to God in prayer we come on the basis of our confidence in his ability and capacity. We make request on people based on what we perceive they can do for us. When we don’t pray it simply means our confidence in God is weak or completely absent.
3. Lack of prayer is an expression of pride. It’s an attitude of declaring self-independence from God. This is really a dangerous posture to life. When we find prayer unnecessary we are indirectly saying we can handle life by ourselves. Some people also have the impression that its only people who have problems who pray; no, a thousand times no. we need God as must as your lungs needs oxygen.
4. Prayer that comes from the heart is a place of renewal, strength and direction.
CONFESSION:
Lord I declare that you are my everything. You are my strength and anchor in the midst of the storms.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 34:4-8, Isaiah 40:29-31
Thursday 29th July, 2021
Thursday 29th July, 2021
NECESSITY OF PRAYER 5
Text: “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy...” Phil 4:17
I strongly believe that what you have learned so far on the necessity of prayer has been a blessing to you. The right attitude of the kingdom is that whatever has blessed you should flow to others. Don’t hesitate to share this word with others in your sphere of influence.
The woman with the issue of blood had tried every medical prescription. She had gone to the best hospitals in town. The best gynaecologist had concluded her case as terminal and incurable. She had also exhausted all her living on hospital bills. If she had left the responsibility of her life to this people that would have been the conclusion of her life. On a certain day she heard that Jesus was passing on his way to another engagement. She wasn’t on Jesus’s schedule but she took responsibility for her healing. If she had consulted the people around Jesus they would have prevented her from coming close to Jesus.
Prayer gives us the privilege to take responsibility for our lives. Prayer gives you all the room and the access to approach God without having to book an appointment or fill a form. The blood of Jesus gives every one of us equal access to approach the throne of grace with boldness. You don’t need the permission or the endorsement of anyone to access the grace of God that is lavishly available for your take. There is no scarcity of grace; you can access as much as you desire.
Prayer is a divine privilege we have not to allow a mortal man to draw a conclusion on our lives.
Its time to dig your feet in the ground and take what belongs to you. You have every right in God to seek his face and obtain all that is made available. Consciously deal with the urge to blame anyone for anything. Jabez took responsibility for his life to experience a change.
PRAYER:
I declare in the name of Jesus that there is a fresh release of grace on my life. Grace to rise beyond limits is finding expressions in my life.
LEARN MORE: Mark 5:25-34, John 1:16, Heb 10:19
Wednesday 28th July, 2021
Wednesday 28th July, 2021
NECESSITY OF PRAYER 4
Text: “For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.” Col 1:9
Today we are looking again at the understanding that prayer is not just a means of getting from God but a means of becoming in God. We’ll focus again on one vital prayer that Apostle Paul prayed for the people of God. Most people are confused with life; most people just wake up daily to do whatever is convenient to do. Many have lived all their lives on what is popular and generally accepted in our environment. This is certainly not the best way to get the best that life provides.
The prayer of Apostle gives us an insight into the possibility of God. Prayer gives us the privilege to lay hold of the provisions of God. Availability is not the same as accessibility. Prayer gives us access to all that God has made available for us. The prayer of Apostle Paul clearly shows us that it’s possible to be FILLED with the knowledge of the will of God. Filled means “full of.” This simply means that in every situation we can know exactly what God wants and what he expects us to do. We should not be at a loss at all on what steps to take, what to say or what to do when we are confronted with the issues of life.
Let me remind you again that this was actually a prayer point that was prayed for the Colossians. Reading such a beautiful prayer point will have no meaning until it becomes our own prayer point too. Make the prayer a personal prayer exactly the same was that Apostle Paul prayed for the Colossian believers. You will just find out that you are no longer confused about life. What seems like a puzzle to others will become so clear to you.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I decree that I am filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding..
LEARN MORE: 2 Corinth 4:16, Jude 20
Tuesday 27th July, 2021
Tuesday 27th July, 2021
(Giving direction to your day)
NECESSITY OF PRAYER 3
Text: “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.” Ephesians 1:18
We have an account in scripture that will clearly help us to understand this prayer of Apostle Paul. He wasn’t just praying for this people to have bread to eat; he was praying for them to have the bakery. He was praying for them to have a transformation that will influence every area of their lives. The New Living Translation says “I pray that your heart will be flooded with light…” This simply suggests that it’s possible to have your physical eyes open but the eyes of your heart is flooded with darkness.
The servant of Elisha woke up one morning and saw that they were surrounded by the enemy. He was so afraid that he cried in fear to his master. His physical eyes was open to see the problem but his inners eyes needed to be open or flooded with light to see divine provisions that is far bigger than all the enemy had brought. Elisha said to him “And he answered, Fear not, for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.”2 Kings 6:15-16.
In verse seventeen Elisha prayed that God should open his eyes. God answered the prayer and he saw what wasn’t obvious to the physical eyes. This is exactly what Apostle Paul was praying about. We also need to pray such prayers for ourselves, we need to see into the plan and purpose of God for our lives. There must be clarity in our lives concerning his calling, plans and purpose “...That ye may know what the hope of his calling...” This are prayer points that you can spend days, weeks, months or even more praying about until you have the clarity of God’s calling on your life just as Joseph had.
CONFESSION:
The eyes of my understanding is enlightened. I know exactly the calling and the purpose of God for my life. My heart is flooded with light.
LEARN MORE: 2 Kings 6:15-17.
Monday 26th July, 2021
Monday 26th July, 2021
NECESSITY OF PRAYER 2
Text: “...Making mention of you in my prayer: that the Lord will give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.” Ephesians 1:16-17
This is our second lesson on the necessity of prayer. Once your understanding of prayer is wrong your drive to pray will also be weak. Prayer is not just a means of getting things from God but a means of becoming something in God. What you get will finish but what you become will remain forever. The prayer focus of great men in scriptures were not just based on getting material things but prayers that were targeted at experiencing a transformation in God. The building of a house doesn’t start from the roof but rather from the foundation. In most cases our prayer lives are based on getting a roof over our heads while there was never a foundation. If your prayers are only focused on shoes, cloths etc. you will soon get tired.
The great spiritual giants in scripture focused more on praying foundational prayers for themselves and for others. This is the process of experiencing transformations that becomes a lifetime goldmine in our lives. You will keep drawing from the results of such prayers all your life. We are going to take our time to look at one or more examples of such prayers.
Paul said “...Making mention of you in my prayer: that the Lord will give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him (Ephesians 1:16-17).” These are fundamental requirements we all need in our journey in life. Wisdom is the force of the Spirit within us that causes us to think right and move in the right direction in life. It guides our steps in the journey of life. Revelation is the ability to see beyond the natural and the obvious. This should become a major prayer point for us in life. Amplified version says (I always pray) that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ...may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation (that gives you deep and personal and intimate insight) into the knowledge of him...”
CONFESSION:
All things are working for my good. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places, I have a goodly heritage.
LEARN MORE: Num 14:28-29
Sunday 25th July, 2021
Sunday 25th July, 2021
NECESSITY OF PRAYER 1
Text: “For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.” Col 1:9
I want us to spend the remaining days of this month to look closely at the place of prayer in our lives. I trust God that your eyes of understanding will be opened afresh. Prayer is such a privilege that God has given us; it something we need to understand clearly so as to get the best out of it.
Prayer helps you to establish your personal walk with God. In the natural when a child is born for several years the child will have to depend on the parents for so many things. As the child grows a time will come that the child will have to stand on his own and face life by himself. At this stage he cannot expect the parents to pay his school fees and then still help him to read and write exams in school.
The journey of life is an individual race and each one of us must have a personal walk with God. No matter how prayerful your parents or your pastor are there are issues of life they can’t handle for you because they are also limited with their own challenges to face. You will have to rise up and begin to pursue God in prayer for the peculiarity of your own journey in life. This is also important because as helpful as other people can be they have a different lane in the race of life. You will have to run your own race.
You need personal oil in your own personal lamp to run the race of life. No one ever borrows fire to cook. Each person will have to make their fire with gas, kerosene or wood. These are illustrations that helps us to know how important our prayer life is. Thank God for family prayer time and church prayer meetings but you must have your own personal prayer life. Where there is no prayer there is no fire.
CONFESSION:
There is a transformation taking place in my life daily. God’s word is taking charge of my spirit daily.
LEARN MORE: Phil 4:8
Saturday 24th July, 2021
Saturday 24th July, 2021
DISAPPOINTING DISAPPOINTMENTS 3
Text: “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in prices.” Ps 118:8-9
Basic steps in disappointing disappointments
1. Don’t interpret human disappointment as if it’s God who disappointed you. If you do it will create a lot of bitterness in you that will hinder what God would have done in your life and in that situation.
2. Dealing with disappointments will require that you consciously learn to put your absolute confidence in God. If you don’t you will be setting yourself up for a fall (Psalm 121:1-2). Human help is temporal and limited while God’s help is eternal and unlimited. When a mortal man becomes your sole confidence in life you can never go beyond that man.
3. Understand that if no one believes in you God believes in you. He sees in you what men don’t see. He sees potential and value in you. People who are close to you must have seen your report sheet as you were growing up and may have concluded that nothing good will come out of your life. Your report sheet is never destiny sheet. Your grade in school should not determine how far you can go.
4. Each one of us must learn to draw our source of motivation in life from the word of God and the influence of the Holy Spirit. People may laugh at you for taking steps of faith but let God’s word motivate you on.
5. Understand that what men say about you is not as important as what God says. The only word that is final on my life is what God said.
6. Don’t get to the point of bitterness and hatred. Maintain your honour and respect for those who might have disappointed you. Allow God to deal with them in his own way.
PRAYER:
I reject bitterness. My heart is free from every offence.
LEARN MORE: Hebrew 12:15
Friday 23rd July, 2021
Friday 23rd July, 2021
DISAPPOINTING DISAPPOINTMENTS 2
Text: “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in prices.” Ps 118:8-9
Today again we’ll look closely at the disappointments in the life of David. His father did not see any value in him that was worthy to become anything significant and did not see any reason why he should be included in the selection process for a king. His brother misinterpreted his intention to face Goliath as pride. His elder brother was supposed to be a source of motivation. 1 Sam 17:28. King Saul that would have mentored him into greatness was the same person who plotted his death,1 Sam 18:11. His men wanted to stone him as if he was the one responsible for their loss. 1 Sam 30:6. His own biological son stood in opposition to his own father to snatch the throne from his father. Absalom began to undermine David, usurping his authority and speaking against him. 2 Sam 15:1-13
Listen to David’s conclusion after all this: “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in prices.” Ps 118:8-9. Each one of us must also come to the same conclusion in life or else you’ll find yourself disappointed all the time.
Disappointing disappointments simply means not allowing the disappointments of life to determine the course of our existence. Disappointing disappointments is refusing to allow what men do to stop your progress in life. Disappointing disappointments is cooperating with God to turn what was supposed to be a stumbling block to become a stepping stone into destiny.
Disappointing disappointments begins with a fundamental understanding that human disappointment is common and none of it will stop God’s purpose for your life.
CONFESSION:
I refuse to be controlled by what people do. The course of my life is governed by only what God says.
LEARN MORE: 1 Cor 10:13, Heb 13:5-6
(Giving direction to your day)
(Giving direction to your day)
Thursday 22nd July, 2021
DISAPPOINTING DISAPPOINTMENTS 1
Text: “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in prices.” Ps 118:8-9
Disappointments are an integral part of life. Its something inevitable you will just learn how to deal with it. So many people have literally given up on life because of numerous disappointments. Disappointments could come in relationships, in business, in your office, in your family, in church and in so many other areas of life. If you don’t know how to handle such disappointments it may create a lifetime damage to a great destiny. In most cases we get so disappointed because we have completely transferred our trust in God to mortal men with breathe in their nostrils.
There were 5 basic levels of disappointments in the life of David.
1. Disappointed by his father.
2. Disappointed by his elder brother
3. Disappointed by King Saul
4. Disappointed by his men
5. Disappointed by his son.
These were disappointments that would have hindered him to fulfil the purpose of God for his life. The ultimate goal of disappointments is to shift our focus away from the possibilities of God. The twist to human disappointments is to assume that it’s God who disappointed us. The greatest forms of disappointments comes from people who are close to us that we have trusted so much and expected so much from them.
The beauty of all of this is that none of this disappointments stopped the purpose of God for David. I strongly believe that this disappointment comes into our lives to really test the foundation of our confidence in God and to truly ascertain where our trust lies. The less confidence you have in God the more disappointed you will become with life.
PRAYER:
Lord I will trust in you with the whole of my heart. I choose to believe you above everything or anyone.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 125:1-2
Wednesday 21st July, 2021
Wednesday 21st July, 2021
DIVINE QUALIFICATION
Text: “Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.” 2 Cor 3:5 NIV
I wasn’t sure which version of the Bible I should use of the opening verse for our lesson today. I so much love the verse. Each time I read it my spirit is lifted. NASB says “Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God.” I want you to note the phrase that stands out in this two versions.
1. Our competence comes from God.
2. Our adequacy is from God.
There is a divine competence and adequacy that comes from God. We may look young, small. Inexperienced, unqualified (Give me more words) but as we come to God our competence and adequacy comes from God himself. We must also understand clearly that human effort and expertise alone are not enough to accomplish divine purpose. Apostle Paul was a trained lawyer in his days but he understood clearly that his qualification was from God. Most times what God will ask us to do will be far beyond our natural competence. This is why we must depend heavily on divine competence. By God’s competence at work in us we cannot fail. We can rise up to the occasion.
I want us to look at this lesson from another perspective. David wanted to take a step of faith to confront Goliath; King Saul and all his men around looked at the age and experience of David and felt he wasn’t the kind of person that could fight Goliath. It’s important to know that God doesn’t need anyone’s permission to move us into his purpose. People may think we are not quailed but God himself will qualify us by his Spirit . David was anointed by God for this battle; he was already qualified by God for the throne.
PRAYER:
The Spirit of God in me is my divine qualification to discover and fulfill purpose. I refuse to be limited by human opinion and negative expectations.
LEARN MORE: 1 Sam 16:13
Tuesday 20th July, 2021
Tuesday 20th July, 2021
OVERCOMING EVIL PREDICTIONS 3
Text: “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, my counsel shall stand...” Isa 46:10
Today as the Spirit of God helps us we are going to look at basic ways by which we can overcome evil predictions.
1. Become conversant and convinced of God’s eternal predictions over your life that is already settled in heaven. Every promise of scripture is God’s prediction over your life. This must have been King Hezekiah’s conviction and confidence. This will help you not to accept whatever is thrown at you as normal.
2. Be conscious of the help of the Holy Spirit that is already available in your spirit. By this help we can rise beyond the limitations of the natural world. If you are focused on the natural sequence of this it may seems the predictions are true. But we have a source in the Holy Ghost who helps us beyond the natural realm.
3. Every time you are confronted with an evil prediction you must rise up in your spirit and speak out. Let it be word for word. This is why you must be armed with what God had declared already over your life. The words of your mouth upholds or cancels. Refuse to accept what the enemy said will happen by deliberately declaring what God has said in his word concerning you.
4. Consciously deal with fear induced by such evil predictions. Fear creates a breeding ground for what has been declared. It was this fear that made King Saul and his men helpless. Fear is a major tool of the enemy to hinder us and render us weak to respond back in faith. Fear gives an endorsement to whatever evil predictions were made on your life. Declare your decision. “Ï will not fear.”
CONFESION:
I refuse to fear. I declare that only God’s counsels will stand over my life. God’s word alone is permitted to stand over my life.
LEARN MORE: 1 John 5:4
Monday 19th July, 2021
Monday 19th July, 2021
OVERCOMING EVIL PREDICTIONS 2
Text: “Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has ordained it?” (BSB). Lam 3:37
It’s vital and crucial for us to be able to differentiate between human prediction and what God has ordained for our lives. Human predictions are usually from authority figures who occupy higher level of influence around us. Their voices must never override the voice of God’s possibilities over our lives. It will be a big error to allow a mortal man with breathe in his nostrils to draw a conclusion on your life.
Authority Figures can include Parents, Teachers, Elder sibling, a boss at work, a spouse, a spiritual leader. It could also be a self-proclaimed evil predictions over yourself.
No mortal man has the right to place a limit on what you can do or become. We respect them but we won’t allow their predictions to control the outcome of our lives. We have every right to accept or reject any predictions over our lives. Even Hezekiah rejected the prediction of death that came from God through the prophet.
WHAT ARE EVIL PREDICTIONS?
Any prediction that is completely contrary to scripture. Something that you are sure does not agree with scriptures.
Whatever is against your peace and wellbeing as designed by God.
Any predictions that makes you fearful, helpless and confused.
If you allow an evil prediction to get hold of you it will control you and become the reality of your life. David just ignored all the evil predictions. He knew there was a higher predictions that supersede every other forms of predictions. Let’s emphasise again that you have every God-given right to reject anything that does not agree with God’s eternal counsels for your life.
PRAYER:
I declare empty and useless every prediction made by authority figures on my life that is contrary to God’s word.
LEARN MORE: Job 22:28
Sunday 18th July, 2021
Sunday 18th July, 2021
OVERCOMING EVIL PREDICTIONS 1
Text: “Saul answered David, “You can’t go and fight this Philistine. You’re too young and inexperienced – and he’s been at this fighting business since before you were born.” 1 Sam 17:33
Let’s look at the New Living Translations of the opening scripture today “Don’t be ridiculous!” Saul replied. “There is no way you can go against this Philistine. You are only a boy, and he has been in the army since he was a boy.” David came into the battleground and saw how confused and afraid King Saul and other men were in the face of the warrior. In verse 32 David was prompted by God to go and fight the giant. He offered himself to face the Giant. The predictions of King Saul were a clear indications that David should not even try it.
Listen to the words of King Saul paraphrased: You can’t go and fight this Philistine. You are too young for this kind of battle. There is no way you can go against this Philistine. You don’t have the required experience for this kind of fight. If the battle was based on age then King Saul himself should have been able to fight the Philistines. If the battle was based on Physical built King Saul himself was more suited for the battle.
What are Predictions?
1. Predictions are suggested outcome of an event.
2. The possible conclusion that is pronounced over an issue.
If we analyse this account from the natural perspective the predictions were right. From human perspective this predictions were correct. If we live our lives based on natural human predictions there are places you will never go and there are things you will never become. The accuracy of human predictions does not in any way cancel the possibilities of God’s eternal purpose for our lives. The doctor’s or lecturer’s prediction didn’t cancel God’s eternal purpose. See you tomorrow!
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I cancel every human predictions that is contrary to God’s counsels over my life.
LEARN MORE: Lam 3:37, 2 Cor 10:5-6
Saturday 17th July, 2021
Saturday 17th July, 2021
PURPOSEFUL LIVING
Text: “And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” Luke 12:15
There’s a popular story that’s been told for years, and it bears repeating because of its relevance today. It’s about a very wealthy man who had thousands of employees, but one day, he decided to commit suicide by drowning. Somehow, there was a young man watching who had known this rich businessman for over twenty years. He rushed to the scene, just in time! At the risk of his own life, he dragged the old man back to shore. While they were both on the floor exhausted, trying to catch their breath, the old man said, “Why did you save me? You’re contributing to the frustration of my life.” The young man, in complete shock, said, “But Sir, why would you want to die? Your family is the best in town. You’re well known in the community, and everybody loves you.” The old man retorted, “That’s the problem. I’ve lived for everybody. I’ve given jobs to thousands. I’ve made money for everybody. I’ve made people happy. But I’ve never been happy, myself. It’s not worth it. You should have allowed me to drown.” Then he pulled the young man close to himself and said, “Young man, try not to be like me. I’m a failure.” How sad. But this is the situation of many. Don’t be carried away by the world’s symbols of success.
Take for instance someone who, all his life, was raised with good character, but because of inordinate ambition for fame and wealth, he puts aside a good reputation and character to become a criminal. He thinks that’s the cheapest way. Because he thinks if he doesn’t measure up with the society of his day, that’s when he’s a failure. But man is not what he has! The most important thing in life is to discover your purpose, and fulfil it. It begins with living your life for Jesus, making impact with the Gospel; that’s living a purposeful life.
PRAYER:
I have a successful life; one that pleases God. I’m fruitful and productive, passionate about the Kingdom of God.
LEARN MORE: 1 Tim 6:6-7, 2 Cor 5:15
Friday 16th July, 2021
Friday 16th July, 2021
RECOGNIZING THE VOICE OF GOD 2
Text: “I will hear what God the Lord will speak: For he will speak PEACE unto his people….” Psalm 85:8
How do I know its God speaking to me?
God’s voice most times will be a derivative of God’s word that is already in your spirit. God’s voice is usually withdrawn from the abundance of what is already inside you. At that moment the word suddenly jumps at you to apply to a specific question in your heart. Everything God says will always agree with the written word. God’s voice will not contradict God’s word. God’s word is God’s standard or mode of operation. His voice won’t ask you to do what his word does not agree with.
The voice of God will come with peace and assurance. Psalm 85:8 says “I will hear what God the Lord will speak: For he will speak PEACE unto his people….” Whatever creates fear is not of God (2 Tim 1:7). In the midst of great dangers God will speak to us the assurance of his presence.
The voice will be a still, small but strong (Not necessarily loud) voice in your spirit. (1 King 19:11-13). It will be strong in terms of something you cannot pretend not to have heard. It will persist in your spirit so much that after days, weeks and even years it will still be there as fresh as when you first heard it.
Hearing God’s voice loud is absolutely God’s prerogative. We can’t force him to speak to us in a particular way. He also may not speak to you exactly the way he spoke to someone else that you know. This is why we all must pursue our individual intimacy with God. God speaks to us from the peculiarity of our individual intimacy with him.
Let me remind you again of what we said in the previous lessons. We all have equal access to God but not equal intimacy. The difference in our ability to hear God is in our individual level of intimacy with God. Intimacy will require that we learn to spend time with God in his word and in prayer. Hearing God shouldn’t be a struggle; it should be a natural flow of a thriving relationship with God. I love you!
PRAYER:
Lord I declare that my inners ears are continually open to hear the voice of direction.
LEARN MORE: Prov 8:34, Isa 50:4-5
Thursday 15th July, 2021
Thursday 15th July, 2021
RECOGNIZING THE VOICE OF GOD 1
Text: “My son attend to my words…” Prov 4:20
Today we are looking at basic truths about hearing God’s voice for direction in our lives. The possibility of hearing God and receiving direction for our lives will depend on giving God our undivided attention. Who or what you pay attention to will determine the voice that is loudest in our lives. There are voices all around us seeking our attention. It will be extremely difficult to receive divine guidance when we don’t give God our attention. What you pay attention to will determine the voice that is loudest in your life. You will hear more of whoever has your ears. Going to church does not necessarily mean that we are giving him attention. Giving God attention is far more than a Sunday stuff. Giving God attention begins from giving attention to his word.
The clarity of God’s voice will be determined by the sensitivity of our spirit. A big radio transmitter in your house does not determine clarity of voice. The right frequency must be located. The state of your spirit man will determine your ability to connect to the right frequency of heaven. Sensitivity of our spirit will require that we deal with anxiety, anger, bitterness and unnecessary noisy life. Hearing God’s voice will require a sincerity of your heart to truly follow his guidance. In many case our minds are already made up already. God’s guidance most times comes in form of correction, rebuke and redirection of our steps. You must be humble enough to receive them.
If you don’t hear God’s voice from the pages of scriptures on matters that are already written in black and white you won’t also hear him when it comes to major issues of life. For example it’s clear from scriptures that your best friends as a believer should not be an unbeliever. The scripture says “What agreement has light with darkness…Come out from among them and be separate.” 2 Cor 6:14-18. If you won’t follow this clear guidance then how do you expect to hear his voice when there is a need to choose a life partner? Let’s conclude tomorrow.
CONFESSION:
There is light in my spirit. There is direction within me.
LEARN MORE: Prov 4:20-22
Wednesday 14th July, 2021
Wednesday 14th July, 2021
ABILITY TO HEAR GOD 3
Text: “Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. Prov 8:34
This is a continuation of how we can provoke our ability to hear God. The first point was given yesterday.
2. We must learn not just to pray but we must learn to wait patiently before God expecting him to speak to us. Expectation is prove of desire. Sometimes when you pray you may not hear God immediately but as you stay open and expectant you will hear God. Expectations draws the manifestations. Habakkuk 2:1
3. The inner man must be consciously developed.* The spirit of man is the candle where divine illumination takes place. Praying in the Spirit is a major way in which we develop our recreated spirit. Praying in tongues tunes our spirit man to divine wavelength. This is something that has to become an integral part of your life. Not only when you pray in Church. This should happen almost throughout your day. This is another expression of an expectant heart. This keeps your spirit open and connected. Praying in tongues is a major sign that should follow every believer. It’s not denominations based but scripture based (Mark 16:17). If you believe more on the doctrine of your Church more than you believe the Bible then you have a major problem as a believer. If you pray for 15mins for example 10mins should be in tongues while the remaining 5mins in your English or your native language (1 Cor 14:4, 15, 18, Jude 20)
These are major ways by which we develop our potentials to hear the voice of God for direction. We already have the potential to hear God; we are connected by the Spirit of God to that frequency but we must be sure that our antenna is properly positioned to receive divine signal per time.
CONFESSION:
In the name of Jesus I declare that there is clarity in my spirit to pick divine signals. I’m hearing God clearly and distinctly on every issue of my life.
LEARN MORE: Isa 50:4-5
Tuesday 13th July, 2021
Tuesday 13th July, 2021
ABILITY TO HEAR GOD 2
Text: "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shall meditate therein day and night...." Joshua 1:8
Faith is accepting the reality of God's word even when it seems there are no physical evidence to support it. God's word is an evidence on its own. It doesn't need any human parameter to substantiate itself. If God said so it's so. Once you lose the confidence in yourself to hear God then it becomes difficult to do so.
Depending solely on someone else to hear God for you will produces a lot of weakness in your life. The ability to hear God is dormant, stored, hidden undiscovered and undeveloped in many of us. We must therefore accept God's word as true. I have the ability to hear God. The journey begins here. This is the foundation for it. Accepting the possibility of it
PROVOKED POTENTIAL!! An undiscovered, undeveloped, and unprovoked potential is as useless as a non-existent potential. Potentials have to be discovered, developed and provoked.
Provoking the potential to hear God.
1. The word of God has to become our daily and constant reading and meditation. The first place where you must locate the voice of God is through his word. God speaks to us most times from the reservoir or the abundance of his word already in our hearts. If God's word is scanty inside you it will be a struggle to hear God. Note that reading and meditation are not the same. Reading is mere information gathering while meditation is setting our hearts to ruminate on his word. The word of God inside you will become the voice of God inside you when the need arise. The light of God's word inside us becomes a light unto our path outside (Jos 1:8, Prov 6:20-22). This will require that we pay very close attention to God’s word. It has to become a major focus of our lives.
CONFESSION:
The word of God is the light of God’s direction in my spirit. I’m daily guided by the word of God.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 119:105,130, Prov 4:20-22
Monday 12th July, 2021
Monday 12th July, 2021
ABILITY TO HEAR GOD 1
Text: "My sheep hear my voice...." John 10:27
The possibility of receiving divine guidance will depend on the ability to hear God. It’s important to note that the absence of divine guidance does not necessarily mean that God is not talking. In most cases it's because we are not hearing. The silence of a radio station in your house does not mean that the station is not transmitting; it could be that the radio is not tuned to the right frequency. It’s important to state clearly that God is willing, eager and ready to guide us provided we are ready to hear and follow (Psalms 32:8).
In John 10:27 Jesus made a very profound statement that the Holy Spirit will open our eyes to see. He spoke clearly about our ability to hear his voice. Since Jesus said it then it’s absolutely true. So then what's the problem? Why do we find it difficult to hear God?
There are two types of ability!
1. Potential ability and 2. Provoked ability.
POTENTIAL ABILITY!! Potential simply means dormant or stored possibility. It’s something that is available but hidden, undiscovered or undeveloped. A little girl of 3 years old has the ability to get pregnant. But that's just a potential ability. No miracle will get a 3 year old girl pregnant. This is true of every believer. The ability to hear God is first of all in potential form. The ability to hear God does not begin from hearing God clearly. It begins from believing that you have the ability to do so.
As simple as this may sound it's a challenge for many of us. Many have never seen or envisioned themselves as someone that can hear God. We assume it’s only the Bishops and the Pastors that can do so. The life of a believer is essentially a life of faith. It's not about how you feel or how you look like; but about God’s word.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I declare that my ears are continually open to hear the voice of direction.
LEARN MORE: Prov 8:34, Isa 50:4
Sunday 11th July, 2021
Sunday 11th July, 2021
AN ETERNAL GUIDE 3
AN ETERNAL GUIDE 3
Text: "For this God is our God for ever and ever. He will be our guide even unto death” Psalm 48:14
Basic Reasons why we need divine guidance.
1. God knows our end from our beginning. His consideration are not based on what is happening now but what will happen 20, 30, or more years than the line (Isa 46:10). God is not just looking at how nice and handsome the man is but what will become of him in years to come. Will the man still be this caring in 20 years?
2. God has the blueprint or the master plan for our lives. We did not make ourselves; he made us (Psalm 100:3, Jeremiah 29:11). He had a plan for our lives before we came.
3. We are complete strangers on the earth. If you are a stranger in a place you will always require one form of guidance or another (Psalm 119:19). It’s good for every young person to know that despite your age and experience you are a stranger to marriage. Don't ever assume you know who is best for you.
Divine guidance will require that we build our intimacy with God. That is one common factor. As you grow your Intimacy with God you will begin to know the specific ways that God guides you as an individual. It’s natural for a child to be able to identify the voice of the parents even in the dark. This does not necessarily happen the first day the child is born. It something that happens in the process of time and out of the multitude of interaction and fellowship. The key is interaction and fellowship built over time. Most people approach God only on emergency basis. We can’t get the best from God this way. Our primary call as believers is to first of all spend time with Jesus more than anything else (Mark 3:14).
CONFESSION:
Divine guidance is at work in my spirit. I know exactly what to do, where to go and what to say.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 37:23, Jere 23:10
Saturday 10th July, 2021
Saturday 10th July, 2021
AN ETERNAL GUIDE 2
Text: "For this God is our God for ever and ever. He will be our guide even unto death” Psalm 48:14
Think about this for a moment; with all our education and expertise what God knows is far bigger, better and brighter than what we know. Let's look at two different times that David consciously sort for God's guidance. He did not assume he had what it takes. There are life decisions that cannot be based on assumptions. It’s dangerous to make decisions in life based on mere assumptions or head knowledge. The complexities of life are far beyond human intellect.
Instance 1: He came back home and saw that the enemy had taken all he had away. It was such a distressed moment for him and his men. Instead of taking and irrational decisions he went to God to seek guidance. 1 Samuel 30:8 "Then David asked the Lord, "Should I chase them? Will I catch them?" And the Lord told him, "Yes, go after them. You will surely recover everything that was taken from you." That you have a desperate need does not overrule the need to seek divine guidance. We are most vulnerable to mistakes in a desperate moment. David followed Divine guidance and recovered all that was missing.
Instance 2: 2 Samuel 2:1 "In the course of time, David inquired of the Lord. ”Shall I go to one of the towns of Judah?" he asked. The LORD said, go up. "David asked, "Where shall I go?" To Hebron." the LORD answered. I noticed from this account that David was asking God specific questions and he got specific answers. I also noticed that God wasn't tired of answering him. When there is a man to ask there is a God to answers.
Receiving Divine guidance is principally a function of the depth of our intimacy with God. We have equal access to God but not equal intimacy. I know you may be asking how I will experience God’s guidance. Just focus on growing your intimacy with God.
LEARN MORE: Ps 23:1-2, 1 Peter 2:25
Friday 9th July, 2021
Friday 9th July, 2021
AN ETERNAL GUIDE 1
Text: "For this God is our God for ever and ever. He will be our guide even unto death” Psalm 48:14
David had such a tremendous life. From a very tender age he began to experience victories that were far beyond human explanation. In David we see God's signature all the way. This was the only explanation for him killing Goliath and his escape from the arrows of death on several occasions. One major factor that stood out from the life of David was that he was guided by God all the way. From his own testimony he said "For this God is our God forever and ever, he will be our GUIDE unto death." Psalm 48:14. Again David declared "The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want. He leads me beside the still waters..." Psalm 23:1-2
When God is not leading we'll find ourselves in too many trouble waters of life. Most of life defeats are traceable to wrong steps taken in life. The secret of men are in their story. This was the story of David. David compared his relationship with God with that of a shepherd and the sheep.
Hear this....
1. No matter how intelligent the sheep is it will always require the guide of a shepherd. David himself began his life as a shepherd. He understood clearly how important the shepherd was to a sheep.
2. The protection of the sheep is only found in the guidance of the shepherd. When this is absent the sheep is exposed and vulnerable. David himself described how he was taking care of his father’s sheep and the Lion and the bear came.
3. No matter what the sheep knows; what the shepherd knows will always be better.
It’s important we give God all the room he needs to guide us all through our lives.
CONFESSION:
I am guided continually. The guidance of the Spirit is at work over my life.
LEARN MORE: Isa 58:11, Rom 8:1
Thursday 8th July, 2021
Thursday 8th July, 2021
DIVINE ESCAPE
Text: “And Saul cast the spear, for he said, “I pin David to the wall” But David escaped...” 1 Sam 18:11
The purpose of this teaching is not just to inform you but to impart you to walk in the reality of every insight. David had killed Goliath and he gained recognition, access and acceptance. It was a major victory for Israel. One would have thought this was the end of battles for David. This was actually the beginning of battles for him. In our journey into destiny battles will show up once and again. Every level we attain in life will usher us into higher levels of challenges.
The victory of David over Goliath gave him access into the palace but also introduced another envy he never had before. There is no guarantee anywhere in scripture that you will never face any challenge.
If you are going to walk in the possibility of divine escape take note of the following. You must be in your God assigned place of assignment. Your God assigned place is a place of security. Life is vulnerable and exposed when you are out of your God given place. The traps of the hunter will easily get the bird when it wonders away from its place. Prov 27:8
David had a consciousness of the secret place of divine security. The consciousness of divine presence is our guarantee of divine escape. David was conscious of divine presence. It was something he spoke about and bragged about. God’s presence must be consciously and consistently acknowledged and engaged for divine escape.
David was aware that King Saul was after his life but it was obvious he wasn’t necessarily announcing it everywhere. He was still conscious that carnal weapons will not produce the desired victory. His understanding of spiritual warfare was intact. David understood the power of praise and prayer (Psalm 34:1-2). In every battle of life no matter the pattern it assumes spiritual weapons will always work.
CONFESSION:
The snare is broken. My soul has escaped from the snare of the fowler.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 124:1-8
Wednesday 7th July, 2021
Wednesday 7th July, 2021
KILLING GOLIATH 2
Text: “Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head…”1 Sam 17:46 NLT
Your business, ministry, career, skill etc must be recognised by people that matters. Your life and all that has to do with you must gain access to certain places. You must also be accepted. This is exactly what the obstacles are trying to prevent. The obstacle may not come in form of Goliath, Red sea etc. like we see in scripture. It may come in form of lack of finances, lack of a job, Health issues etc.
Goliath or whatever obstacle comes your way must never become bigger than God in your life. We can become so obsessed with the reality of the obstacle that we lose sight of God. Goliath or whatever it represents must never be allowed to have the final say over your life. Whatever has the final say in your life will dominate you.
Goliath has a voice. Obstacles have a voice. This is the voice of impossibility. Anything that defines impossibility for you has become a Goliath over your life. Goliath or whatever it represents must never be left unattended to or else its influence and control will keep growing. If you don’t deal with it. It will deal with you. You must be equipped with the armour of the Spirit. This isn’t a physical battle. You must be resolute in faith with an unwavering confidence in the ability of God at work on your behalf. You must learn to speak to the obstacle. A closed mouth is a closed destiny. Moses had to speak to Pharaoh. Moses had to stretch the rod towards the sea. The Jews had to sing praise around the walls of Jericho. David had to speak to Goliath; “Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head…”1 Sam 17:46 NLT.
The obstacle must be addressed in faith violently and consistently in faith. “…Whosoever shall SAY unto this mountain, be thou removed…” Mark 11:23. The obstacle must be addressed. This is a major strategy in spiritual warfare. We engage the name of the Lord in battle.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I pull down and cut down whatever stands as a Goliath on path of enthronement in life.
LEARN MORE: Heb 13:5-6
Tuesday 6th July, 2021
Tuesday 6th July, 2021
KILLING GOLIATH 1
Text: “Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head…”1 Sam 17:46 NLT
Every time God wants to move his people into their ordained place there will always arise an obstacle.
A Pharaoh
A Red sea
A wall of Jericho
A Prison as in the case of Joseph
And a Goliath in the case of David.
Goliath was actually an obstacle that was stopping the entire nation. But at this point there was a need to clear him out of the way.
The presence of Goliath wasn’t a proof of God’s absence.
The presence of an obstacle is never a proof that God abandoned us.
From the story of David he was anointed to become a King in 1 Samuel Chapter Sixteen. But it’s obvious he did not get into that throne the same day. Between chapter 16 and 17 must have been some days, weeks, months or years. We are not told specifically. That you have a great vision and a great prophetic word over your life does not guarantee that they will come to pass immediately. Obstacles will rise at different levels and in different shapes.
The Killing of Goliath did 3 things for David
I. Gave him national recognition.
II. Gave him access into the palace.
III. Brought him into acceptance.
As young as David was nobody was talking about his age anymore. It was no longer relevant. These 3 basic things must also take place in our lives: RECOGNITION , ACCESS AND ACCEPTANCE. This applies to virtually every area of life.
PRAYER:
By the power of the Holy Ghost I gain recognition, access and acceptance in places and with people assigned to my destiny.
LEARN MORE: Matt 5: 13-16
Monday 5th July, 2021
Monday 5th July, 2021
DIMENSIONS OF LIFE 3
Text: “Until the Spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest.” Isaiah 32:15
Today is the third day on this subject of consideration. We are exploring the third level or dimension of life. This is the ultimate destination for our lives. This third level of life will also happen for individuals at different levels. From our opening verse you will see clearly that the third level is the forest dimension.
The “Forest dimension” of life is the stage and level at which all limits are broken over our lives. It’s a level in which we are perfectly established in the centre of God’s will and all that is required is supplied in unusual abundance. This is a level at which our influence and impact has broken through continents and geographical lines. It’s a level at which the Holy Spirit has completely taken over our lives.
It’s important to note that a genuine and lasting growth takes time. Life is a process and we must be patient enough to allow this stages to unfold in our lives as God takes us from phase to phase. James says “But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” James 1:4. Getting to this stage of life has never been automatic for anyone either in business, career or ministry. It’s an exclusive stage of life reserved for those who will not quit in the pursuit of the will of God they have discovered for themselves.
The supernatural transition into the forest level of life comes by the Spirit. This is the supernatural hand of God coming over our business, career, ministry etc. The more we allow the Spirit of God to guide, lead and help us the faster we move from one stage to another. There is no stipulated number of years that it will take to get to the forest dimension of life; however our depth of faithfulness and fellowship with the Holy Spirit will determine how soon we get to this level.
PRAYER:
The Holy Ghost is at work on my life.
LEARN MORE: Zech 4:6
Sunday 4th July, 2021
Sunday 4th July, 2021
DIMENSIONS OF LIFE 2
Text: “Until the Spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest.” Isaiah 32:15
I’m trusting God that the eyes of your understanding will be enlightened as you go through this teaching again today. I also trust God that this will not just be a head knowledge for you but produce tangible results in your life. God’s word is designed to change us from one level of life to a higher level. “…Are change into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord (2 Corinth 3:18b).
The second dimension of life that we see in our opening verse is the fruitful field dimension of life. This is where we are beginning to see certain levels of provisions and possibilities of God’s intentions for our lives. Even though many people are at this stage we can sense that there is still so much to our lives. We know deep within us that we are still far away from the ultimate. Definitely we must be grateful to God for who we are and what we have seen so far in our lives but we also look up to God to do more in our lives. We are grateful but expectant to see more and to do more.
The danger with this stage of life is to become complacent and just settle in our comfort zone with a false sense of arrival. This challenge is like taking a bucket of water from the ocean and just assume that you have finished the ocean. That will be a stupid assumption. Let me announce to you that you are not there yet. You are not even close to the ultimate purpose of God for your life.
God is not through with us yet. There’s still so much available in God. The scope of what God can bring forth in our lives is beyond human intellect (1 Cor 2:9). We must begin to ask for more, reach out for more and step into more. This is your season for more!
CONFESSION:
This is my season for more. I see more of the grace of God at work in my life. I see more of the goodness of God in my life.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 23:5-6, Prov 4:18
Saturday 3rd July, 2021
Saturday 3rd July, 2021
DIMENSIONS OF LIFE 1
Text: Until the Spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest.” Isaiah 32:15
I want you read our opening verse very closely. Did you notice that there are three (3) dimensions or levels of life clearly spelt out in that verse? Today we’ll spend our time on the first level and we’ll see later how the three levels connect.
The wilderness dimension or level of life is the first level clearly shown in our opening verse. This is a level of life at which it’s obvious that we are struggling with life with very scanty results to show for our efforts. It’s also a level of life in which it’s obvious that we seems not to have sufficient ideas, connections, resources or even strength etc. to do all that God has ordained for us. A lot of persons have gone through this stage of life. Many are currently at this level of life and many will still find themselves at this stage of life.
From what we see in scriptures this is never supposed to be a permanent stage of life but a temporary stage of life. Paul said “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment…”2 Corinth 4:17 KJV. New Living Translation says “For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long…” This obviously mean we should not make a mountain out of a molehill. 1 Cor 10:13 also tells us that “No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you to be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through (Msg Bible). God by his word has given us the way out. There is absolutely no reason to despair. There is a way out. This is never the end of the road for you. God has already made a way of escape for us. I trust God that the eyes of your understanding will be enlightened as we go through the other levels of life. I love you!
CONFESSION:
There is a way of escape for me. There is no challenge of life that is beyond me.
LEARN MORE: Job 14:7-9
Friday 2nd July, 2021
Friday 2nd July, 2021
MAKE IT HAPPEN
Text: “Then shall you call upon me, and you shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.” Jeremiah 29:12
It’s very clear in scripture that God has a plan for our lives. Not only did God tell us of his plans for our lives he also went further to demonstrate this in the lives of several people all over scripture. We have the example of Joseph who was hated and treated with so much cruelty. We also have the example of David who wasn’t even considered to become anything great. The list can go on and on. They all saw God’s plans came to pass.
However it’s important to note that the plans of God will not automatically come to pass until an individual begins to pray and to enforce the reality of God’s plans. God has a plan but it’s up to us to make it happen. This is what our opening verse talks about. Verse eleven of Jeremiah chapter twenty nine talks about the good thoughts that God has towards us. Then the next verse went on to say “Then shall you call upon me, and you shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.”
It’s also important to know that the plans of God is unfolded phase by phase. This is why we must keep going back to God to see the outworking of his plans and purpose for our lives. There is so much complexities to life that it will require we keep going back to the author of life himself. He has the blue print for our lives. If you are not serious with prayer you are not serious with life. For every young person reading this it’s important you take this very serious. From a tender age you can settle your future in the place of prayer. From now you can settle your twenty years. In my late teenage years I went to a little Baptist Church in Ilorin Nigeria to fast and pray and there God began to unfold his plans for my life; from there I had the clarity of his direction for my life. Take prayer serious.
CONFESSION:
Lord I declare that my life is established in the centre of your plans for me.
LEARN MORE: Jeremiah 29:11-13; 33:3
Thursday 1st July, 2021
Thursday 1st July, 2021
PERSONAL PRAYER ALTAR
Text: “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy...” Heb 4:16
Happy New month. I trust God that God’s counsels will come to pass again in your life this month. I have several topics on my mind to begin this edition with but this particular topic stood out in my spirit this morning as I write on my table in office. Someone somewhere around the globe needs to hear this today. I have personally prayed for people in the past with definite interventions. I have seen that happen over and over again. God has also answered people’s prayer over my life too in several ways. As an individual you must have experienced this too. Many of us grew up on the prayers of our parents and many are still being sustained by it.
However it’s important to note that having someone praying for you is a privilege of God but you cannot live your entire life depending on someone praying for you. Life is primarily a product of personal input. It’s childish waiting for someone to feed you, bath you and run around for you all the time. A time comes that the parents expect the child to rise up to his or her responsibility. It’s alright to feed a child of 1 or 2 years old but completely absurd to feed a child of 10 years old not to talk of a teenager at 18.
Whatever you are not personally involved in cannot produce a permanent and a long term results in your life. Beyond family prayer or congregational prayer meetings we must all create time to spend with God alone in prayer. It’s at this one-on-one moments with God that the issues that pertain to our personal lives are unfolded. This gives us an opportunity to have a first-hand knowledge of what God is saying concerning our lives rather than wait for someone who may equally be wrong or manipulative. By the blood of Jesus we all have access to come boldly to the throne of grace. Let nothing hold you back; we all have equal access.
PRAYER:
Lord I declare divine possibilities over the month of July. I declare that my feet are ordered this month.
LEARN MORE: Jeremiah 33:3, Heb 4:16
Wednesday 30th June, 2021
Wednesday 30th June, 2021
HEARING GOD
Text: “To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.” John 10:3-4
Hearing God speak to you on various issues of your life is one of the greatest privileges of being a Christian. We must understand that Christianity is not a mere religion of rules and regulations but essentially a relationship between a father and his Children. The beauty and privileges of Christianity will be far from us if we cannot hear God on various aspects of our lives.
We must understand that every one of us as believers have the right to hear God. We also have the ability to hear God. However this ability must be developed and exercised.
The question is how do we hear God? Maybe I should ask you how you came to recognise the voice of your parents or your spouse. I'm sure the answer will be because you have spent so much time with them that after a while you can pick their voice even in the dark. So also the more we spend time with God privately the more we’ll begin to pick his voice.
Hearing God also becomes clearer as we spend time reading and knowing his word. The voice of God reaches us through the pages of scripture. The more we submit to the written word the more we can hear the voice of God on issues that are not directly written in scriptures.
Hearing God will also be enhanced as we develop a quiet spirit in our day to day life and we learn to practice the presence of God anywhere we are. This is something that can happen anytime and anywhere. All that matters is for our spirit man to be in the right state.
CONFESSION:
I declare that today is a day of grace and glory for me. Today is a day of testimony for me.
LEARN MORE: Isa 30:21, 30
Tuesday 29th June, 2021
Tuesday 29th June, 2021
THE SAME SPIRIT
Text: “But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you,he that raised up Jesus from the dead shall also quicken your mortal body by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” Rom 8:11
God has designed the Christian life in such a way that whatever is seen in Christ should also be seen in the life of every believer. We were meant to live exactly like him and experience life like him. He was practically in charge of the circumstances of life. Nothing was a barrier to him. He knew exactly what to do in every situation of life.
It’s possible to have such a life because God has given us the Spirit of Christ. The same Holy Spirit that was in Christ is what we also have today. The scripture categorically tells us that if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ that person does not belong to him. Thank God the Spirit of Christ is in us.(Rom 8:9)
It was the same Spirit that was at work in Joseph that made it impossible for him to be destroyed. The same Spirit helped David to kill Goliath and win every other battle of life. The same Spirit made Daniel ten times better that his colleagues. As ignorant and uneducated the Disciples of Christ were, the coming of the Holy Spirit turned their lives completely around.
We don’t really have an excuse to fail in life. We are equipped with all the resources that were available for all the people we have mentioned. Even Jesus did all he accomplished by the Spirit. Acts 10:38.
We can break records and do things that men say is impossible as we allow the Spirit of God to take charge of our lives. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is accomplished in our lives by yielding to him. Resisting him is hindering his work and involvement in our lives. The extent to which we yield our lives to God is the extent to which we’ll see the Spirit of God work in our lives.
CONFESSION:
My steps are divinely guided today. Life is yielding profitably for me today.
LEARN MORE: 2 Cor 4:13, John 14:12
Monday 28th June, 2021
Monday 28th June, 2021
THINKING HIGHER
Text: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isa 55:8-9
The way God thinks is higher than our level of thinking. This is why God’s level of result is far above what is available in this realm of life. However God’s ultimate purpose of giving us his word is to bring us to the same level of thinking that he has. This is the only way we can function at his level and obtain results like he does. We can never operate at a level higher than our level of thinking.
The only way we can rise beyond our present level of life is when we begin to operate at a higher level of thinking. The way we think is the way we are. Shallow level of thinking will produce a shallow level of living. A higher level of thinking will produce an higher level of living. The unfortunate thing is that for so many of us our level of thinking and reasoning is shallow when it comes to spiritual things.
Going to a higher level of thinking will not just happen on its own. The only thing that grows on its own are weeds; things of great value and worth are deliberately cultivated. It will require a conscious and a deliberate effort on our part. You cannot think higher than what you are exposed to. We must therefore begin to expose our minds to the truths of God’s word in a greater dimension. If you are married for example the way you handle your marriage will be a direct reflection of your level of thinking. To do it better you will have to start reading your Bible and explore materials that give you a higher way of thinking. This applies to every area of life we seek to operate at a higher level. In your area of calling expose yourself to materials of people who have great results.
CONFESSION:
I think like God. My thoughts are lined up with his way of thinking.
LEARN MORE: Phil 2:5-10
Sunday 27th June, 2021
Sunday 27th June, 2021
DAY BY DAY HELP
Text:”For at that time day by day there came to David to help him, until it was a great host, like the host of God.”1 Chronicles 12:22
Nobody becomes great overnight. It’s the summation of what happens day by day that becomes a lifetime of greatness. If we are going to end up great in life we need a portion of help day by day. The help of yesterday is not enough for today, the help of today will be grossly inadequate for tomorrow. The help on the job is not the same for our health or our marriage. We need to know how to connect to help on a daily basis.
If you rely on yesterday’s help for today you may find yourself in a fix. Neither should you depend on the help of today for tomorrow. No matter how much help you have seen before you need fresh help on a daily basis for fresh victories. This understanding will help us to maintain our dependence on God. Once we begin to feel we did it yesterday or last year we can do it again on our own then we are setting ourselves up for defeat. Failure in life starts where God’s help stops. As we receive God’s help day by day we’ll also grow from glory to glory, strength to strength and success to success until like Isaac we become “very great”. Gen 26:13
We connect to God’s help as we maintain a vibrant and consistent communion with the Holy Spirit .We must also learn how to acknowledge God in everything. Don’t ever assume you can do anything on your own. Help is released in the place of prayer and the more we learn to come to God in prayer the more we connect to his help for each day. No matter how much we feel the tank of a car with fuel there must always be a refilling or else the car will soon be grounded. We must daily return back to God to receive help for the unique challenge of each day.
PRAYER:
Lord I need your help today. There is nothing I can do on my own. Lord let your help be available for me again today. Do that which only you can do in my life today.
LEARN MORE: Prov 3:5-6, John 15:5, Heb 4:16
Saturday 26th June, 2021
Saturday 26th June, 2021
GOD’S CENTRE OF OPERATIONS
Text: “...Ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”2 Corinth 6:16
This is one of the most powerful statements in scriptures. God is making an irrevocable commitment on our lives. We are God’s temple. We carry God everywhere we go. Whatever we do God is involved. Wherever we are found God is there. God dwells in us, he’s not on and off. He stays permanently within us by His Spirit. The phrase “walk in them” means I will carry out my operations through them. We are God’s centre of operations. Most people who go to church have only a religious mindset of life. We don’t really go to church to meet God; we actually carry God there. It’s because two or more of us are there that we call the place Church (Matthew 18:20).
This is why we cannot fail in life. His presence in us equips us to be whatever God ordain us for. On the job, in our academics, in our marriage we are made for life. Divinity dwells within us; impossibility is strange to the life God has given us. This has to become our consciousness and confession. It has nothing to do with how you feel or how situations look around you. We’ll see the power of God revealed in us and through us as we operate from this truth. We are God’s headquarter on the earth. When men need God they will look for us, when there is a problem at work we’ll be the ones to solve it. When there is confusion around we’ll be the source of direction, all because we carry God.
God cannot dwell in you and demons dwell in you at the same time. His presence in you delivers you from all satanic oppression. You must carry a superiority complex over the devil. He’s not above you, but under your feet because God dwells in you. “…I will dwell in them, and walk (Operate) in them…”
CONFESSION:
I am God’s headquarters. I carry God everywhere I go. I am made for life. I am a solution carrier. I carry divine abilities and resources everywhere I go.
LEARN MORE: Col 1:27, 1 John 4:4
Friday 25th June, 2021
Friday 25th June, 2021
TAKING OPPORTUNITIES
Text: “And they said unto him, we have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretation belong to God? Tell me them, I pray you.” Gen 40:8
Most of the time life unfolds for us in the form of small opportunities that comes our way on a daily basis. If you are the type that has your eyes on very big miracles in life you will miss out on your best moments in life. Even as we expect the big miracles we must take note of the opportunities that God brings our way on a daily basis. One lesson I have learned about life is that when a little door open for you today don’t take it for granted. It may look like just a little opening; but behind it may be several larger doors. Every little door that opens today will lead to bigger doors tomorrow. One customer that you treat right in your shop may invite several other customers that will link you up to several other customers.
We need to have the eyes of our hearts flooded with light so that we can take advantage of such opportunities in life. About Nine years ago I saw an opportunity to write and share the articles with my Church members. It was such a blessing to so many of them. Thank God I took that opportunity. Now that little opportunity is growing daily. Here we are in 2021 and several thousands of people have been blessed by this. As you are reading this several other thousands of people are also reading it on their phones or in the book form.
Don’t wait for the conditions to be completely right. Take advantage of the opportunities you have today. Joseph had the privilege of interpreting dreams for the servants he met in the prison. He took advantage of that little opportunity and over two years later that opportunity opened a greater door of the throne to him. The opportunities of today may look very small but don’t despise it.
PRAYER:
Lord I declare that my eyes are clearly open to the opportunities around my life today. I receive grace to take advantage of the opportunities of today..
LEARN MORE: Zech 4:10
Thursday 24th June, 2021
Thursday 24th June, 2021
SELF – INFLICTED WOUNDS 7
Text: “Then Said Saul to his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith...But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon it .” 1 Sam 31:4
This scripture above is the conclusion of the life of King Saul. He committed suicide and killed himself. Saul’s condition deteriorated from one stage to another. The initial disobedience he did not correct degenerated until he died of it.
Along the line he became so jealous of David that he started organising how to kill David. He completely forgot he was supposed to be pursuing God his own destiny. He had a misplaced focus. His focus became distorted. A broken focus is a broken destiny. Even if Saul had succeeded in killing David that would not have solved his problem; God already rejected him. David was not the one responsible for that. If we lose focus of God’s plans and purpose for our lives there will be a major shift away from where God is taking us to in life. The same energy Saul used in organising the army and running after David would have been used to run after his destiny.
Along the line too King Saul began to look for wrong alternatives to solve his problems. It was so obvious God was no longer the focus of his life. He lost focus of his purpose and his God. Nothing is more destructive than losing sight of God. He had lost his fellowship with God and was no longer connected to divine instructions and direction for his life. He went after a familiar spirit and not the living God. If you look for direction from alternative sources other than God you will end up hurting yourself. These were the grievous mistakes that King Saul made that eventually led to his death. He moved from one error to another until he met his death. Please watch your own life closely.
PRAYER:
Lord I receive grace to keep my focus solely on you. I receive grace not to seek alternatives to God.
LEARN MORE: 1 Sam 26:1-2, 1 Sam 28:5-25
Wednesday 23rd June, 2021
Wednesday 23rd June, 2021
SELF – INFLICTED WOUNDS 6
Text: “Then he said, I have sinned: yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me....” 1 Sam 15:30
Saul could not repent because of ego. Saul was losing his place on the throne. Instead of repenting he wanted the prophet to pretend and act as if all was well with him. His image was more important than the reality. He was asking the prophet to cover up for his loss. He was not trying to rectify his relationship with God but to cover up for his image. We must realise that God’s presence is far more important than the position we occupy. Saul was trying to protect his position at the expense of God’s presence.
He was asking the prophet to pretend before the elders that everything was right. He was interested in a form of godliness but denying the power thereof. Pretending to be what you are not will not add any value to your life. We don’t get God’s approval by pretence we get it by humbling ourselves and allowing God to lift us up. Saul lost the throne and was trying to pretend that he still had it. Many don’t have a personal prayer life but appear to be prayer warriors in the public. It was this kind of pretence that killed Saul. It was a self-inflicted sword.
One major expression of ego is that we are more concerned with our charisma than our character. Charisma is an outward display that is obvious to everybody. Character is an inner disposition of the real person. This is the real person that most people don’t see. This was what King Saul was trying to achieve. King Saul eventually went to war as a King. He went after God had removed him from the throne. He went with the title but not the anointing. Don’t just carry a title carry divine presence. Don’t do things because you have done them before, do them because you are sure the grace of God is available for you in the present to do it.
PRAYER:
Lord I bring my character under the authority of your word today.
LEARN MORE: Rom 8:29
Tuesday 22nd June, 2021
Tuesday 22nd June, 2021
SELF – INFLICTED WOUNDS 5
Text: “And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.” 1 Sam 15:20
One major difference between King Saul and David was repentance. The big thing about Saul was that he will not repent. He never felt he did anything wrong. He was claiming that he was right. But David knew how to go on the floor and repent before God. Saul would have gone before God and say I am sorry.
Repentance is a gift from God. Repentance is an opportunity God has given us to change. It’s difficult for a man to repent when he’s filled with pride.
David will repent at anything. He knew how to reach out for God’s mercy. For every wrong thing that David did he never made any excuse for them. There is no excuse that is good enough for doing what is wrong. Listen to the words of David “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving-kindness; according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgression. For I acknowledge my transgression; and my sin is ever before me.” Psalm 51:1, 3.
Saul was killed by a hardened heart. A broken and contrite heart preserves a man’s destiny. When we are open to correction and we are open to repentance then God can take hold of us and turn our mess into his mercy. That we made a mistake is not the end of the world. We must be ready to make the necessary changes and move on with our lives.
Many marriages and great relationships have been destroyed because the parties involved were not humble enough to seek for each other’s forgiveness. It’s a terrible state to be when your conscience becomes hard. As we close today I want to ask you to humble yourself and repent so that you will not lose your kingdom like King Saul did.
PRAYER:
Lord purge my heart of every form of pride. I receive mercy to recover all that I have lost to pride.
LEARN MORE: Ps 51:1-17
Monday 21st June, 2021
Monday 21st June, 2021
SELF – INFLICTED WOUNDS 4
Text: “And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord...But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed...” 1 Sam 15:21
Number four self-inflicted wound of Saul was denial. He denied that he had done something wrong. He did not assume responsibility for his actions. He blamed the people for what he did.
You must learn to assume responsibility for your life and not blame someone else for what you have done. We don’t have anyone to blame for the state of our lives. Someone must have contributed to what happened to us but it’s our absolutely responsibility if we remain in that same condition. We can never change what we are not ready to take responsibility for.
All that King Saul needed to do was to say “I was wrong”, he was lying to himself. He was anointed but he was not perfected. Like we discussed previously we must be humble enough to accept our faults and be ready to make the necessary changes in our lives. Eventually God had to replace King Saul with David. David also had his own issues, he did even terrible things than King Saul did, but David never blamed anyone for it. David knew how to admit his wrong and seek God’s forgiveness. David had a filthy life but had a broken and a contrite heart. His heart was broken before God.
Please don’t forget that you are absolutely responsible for the state of your life. Learn to take the wheels of your destiny by the help of the Holy Spirit. Let’s state it clearly again no one is responsible for the state of your life. It will be an act of failure to blame anyone for what happened to you. This is one major reason why you must trust God absolutely for your life.
CONFESSION:
There is no one responsible for the state of my life. The help of the Holy Spirit is available for me to be all I was born to be.
LEARN MORE: Ps 121:1-8
Sunday 20th June, 2021
Sunday 20th June, 2021
SELF – INFLICTED WOUNDS 3
Text: “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.” 1 Sam 15:23
The third self-inflicted wound Saul inflicted on himself was rebellion. The essence of looking at this stuff is for us to look closely at our own lives and avoid the mistakes that King Saul made.
Rebellion is compared to witchcraft because it’s a conscious, open, intentional and deliberate opposition to what God said. It’s not a mistake but a deliberate step to do things that are contrary to what the word of God says.
I want you to notice that it was not as if Saul went to see a witch at this moment. It was simply because he stood in opposition to God’s word. God places so much value on his word. Rejecting the word of God in any form is equated to rebellion and by extension an act of witchcraft. There are people who have made up their minds on certain issues of life even when they know what exactly the word of God said on that issue. This is an outright violation of the revealed counsels of God. This was also what King Saul did.
Rebellion can also be expressed in how we respond to constituted authorities. There are people that God has placed over us in life; either in the home, in the Church or in the work place. It’s important for us to realize that these authorities are placed there by God. Despising such authorities is out rightly despising God. If you despise your Pastor for example you have despised the God that sent him. Despising your parents carries a grievous consequence. Such an act comes with a curse. Despising God’s word and constituted authorities is a rebellious act; flee from it.
CONFESSION:
The Spirit of God is at work in my heart. I am not a rebellious person. I have a submissive spirit to the word of God and constituted authorities.
LEARN MORE: Rom 13:1-8
Saturday 19th June, 2021
Saturday 19th June, 2021
SELF – INFLICTED WOUNDS 2
Text: “And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed thee King over Israel.” 1 Sam 15:17
This is a message to you and I want to ask you to take it very serious. Don’t just focus on what the enemy is doing. Pay close attention to what you are doing to yourself. If all your eyes are on what people are doing to you you’ll never take responsibility for your life. It’s not what people are doing that is killing you but what you are doing to yourself. You will never die because of the sword of the enemy it’s your own sword you should watch. King Saul was powerful but ended up coming suicide by his own sword.
The second self-inflicted wound of Saul was arrogance. After King Saul was confronted by Samuel he began to explain how he had done the right thing. It was so clear that he had disobeyed God but was still claiming he was right. All he would have done was to admit that he was wrong. He was claiming he was right while he was wrong.
Samuel explained to him that the reason God made him a King in the first place was because he was little (Humble) in his own eyes. It was not because he was so important. He got to the throne because of humility. But now he had become so powerful that he forgot where he came from. Now he was having so much sense of importance that he forgot where he came from.
One major lesson we must learn about life is that the same attitude of dependence on God that took us up is the same attitude that will keep us up. The irony about life is that we can be so humble to get what we need that after getting it we soon forget how we got there. Arrogance is when we become so attached to what God gave us more than to the God that gave us. Arrogance will kill you; be humble.
PRAYER:
I humble myself under the mighty hand of God today. I empty my heart of every form of arrogance.
LEARN MORE: 1 Sam 15:16-17
Friday 18th June, 2021
Friday 18th June, 2021
SELF – INFLICTED WOUNDS 1
Text: “Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the Lord, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the Lord?” 1 Sam 15:19
Recently I heard Pastor Chris Oyakhilome said “Your life is clearly described in scripture and you can see clearly where you will end.” We are looking closely at the life of King Saul and I believe it will speak to someone.
In the next seven days I will share with you one of the most profound lessons I have learned. It’s a lesson about a man called King Saul. Saul was killed by his own sword. It was a self – inflicted wound that killed him. It was not the sword of the enemy that killed him, but his own sword. What people do to us is not really as important as what we do to ourselves. As long as we are on God’s side there is little that the sword of the enemy can do on us. What people say about you does not matter; it’s what you say about yourself that matters.
The enemies were after Saul but at the end of the day it was what he did to himself that killed him.
King Saul was such an anointed man to rule over Israel. He was so powerful that every enemy was scared by his sword until he began to misbehave. He was so successful that his success got into his head. He became presumptuous that he took God for granted until he was publicly disgraced. The sword of the enemy is not as important as self-inflicted swords. We cannot do things our own way and still expect to get the best of God.
The first self-inflicted wound of Saul was disobedience. The instructions God gave him were very clear. He knew exactly what God wanted him to do, but did the exact opposite of what God wanted. We must realize that every act of disobedience will hurt us deeper than we can ever imagine. Every act of disobedience also has a ripple effect on people who are connected to you. The sons of Saul also died along with him in the battle. Disobedience is costly.
PRAYER:
Lord I yield my life to you in obedience today.
LEARN MORE: 1 Sam 15:3,19-22
Thursday 17th June, 2021
Thursday 17th June, 2021
DAILY STEPS
Text: “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his ways” Ps 37:23
I heard a statement today that prompted me to write this article to you. Its deliberately meant for you. T.D Jakes said “God gives us steps and not destination” . This statement stirred up a reaction in me.
Where we are going in life is our ultimate destination or if you like destiny. The journey into destiny is not a one day journey. We don’t just arrive at our destination. It comes by day to day steps that we take. Before today is over each one of us would have taken several steps in different areas of our lives and in different directions. It’s the sum total of these steps that take us to our ultimate destination in life. If the steps we are taking everyday are wrong then it will be absurd to expect to arrive at a correct destination. We must therefore be conscious that we are taking the right steps every day.
Taking right steps every day in every area of life is actually beyond any of us. It will require divine promptings to take such steps. None of us is wise enough or smart enough to take the right steps by ourselves. The scripture tells us not to lean on our own understanding. We must heavily depend on God who knows the right path and the right steps that we should take. In the journey of life the most important thing is not speed but direction. Speed in a wrong direction will still take a man in the wrong destination. Speed only becomes relevant when we are on the right track. An athlete that comes first on a wrong lane will still be disqualified.
We must give God the right and the room he needs to order our step on a daily basis in the path of life and in the paths of righteousness. This is what guarantees that at the end of our lives we’ll find ourselves in the right place.
CONFESSION :
In the name of Jesus I declare that my steps are ordered every day in the path of life and in the path of righteousness. Lord I give you all the right in my life..
LEARN MORE: Ps 16:11, Jer 10:23
Wednesday 16th June, 2021
Wednesday 16th June, 2021
PLANTED ON THE ROCK
Text: “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man which built his house upon a rock .” Matt 7:24
Hearing and knowing the word of God will not have any meaning in our lives if we don’t live by the instructions and demands of God’s word. The person who hears and knows the word and does not do it is not different from someone who has never heard the word of God before. It’s not just the hearing and the knowing that changes our lives; but much more the doing of the word of God. It’s not hearers that are blessed but the doers of the word.
A man who hears God’s word and lives by it is compared to a wise man that builds his house upon the rock. Your life is either built on the rock or on the sand. The strength and the durability of your life depend on where it’s built. The word “house” here could refer to any area of our lives. One thing that is inevitable in life is the rain, the wind and the storm. This is a description of various degrees of challenges in life. It’s not a must that you should fall. All that natters is fir us to have our lives built upon the rock that remains intact.
God himself is the rock of ages. We are not talking about a physical rock. He is immovable. Everything moves at his command. When we live by his word our lives and destinies are founded on the rock that remains forever. The “rain” may be heavy, the “wind” and the “storm” may be fierce but if you have founded yourself on God your “house” will stand.
There is really no point going to a church and carrying a big Bible if you will not live by the instructions that we receive. It’s on the basis of the instructions that our lives are secured from the challenges of life. Living by the instructions of God’s word is not difficult if our hearts are open and willing. The grace to do so has been made available in Christ. The consequence of living outside the instructions of God’s word is more than any of us could afford. Let your life be planted on the rock of ages. When the storms come the rock will hold you in place.
PRAYER:
Lord I receive grace not to be bitter. I receive grace to let go of offences.
LEARN MORE: Ps 18:1-3
Tuesday 15th June, 2021
Tuesday 15th June, 2021
PLANTED BY THE WATER
Text: “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not whither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper” Psalm 1:3
I want to encourage you to read the two previous verses before our anchor scriptures today. This particular one we quoted is a continuation of the two previous verses. It will not be right to consider that scripture in isolation without looking at what the previous two verses are saying.
We have so much to gain when we align ourselves to the demands of scriptures. The word of God is the divine manual for a glorious life. Blessed is the man that does not live in the counsels of the ungodly, nor stand in the way of sinners nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord and in that law he meditates day and night. These are divine instructions and prescriptions over our lives. There is no point going to see a Physician if his prescriptions will make no sense to us. Just imagine how many times you have seen a physician and took the prescriptions very serious. Taking the drugs day and night. God’s word prescribes for us to meditate in the word of God day and night. It’s so clear what God is asking us to do for a glorious and a victorious life. The unfortunate thing is most people want a magical approach to their lives.
When we take God’s prescriptions our lives are planted by the water side. There will be a constant supply of the Spirit to move us forward in life. The fruits of our lives will come out at the right season. Our leaves will never whither and whatsoever we do shall prosper. Instead of wondering how you will prosper why not just stay by the river side. Stay with the word of God and stay in the word.
PRAYER:
Lord I receive grace to live by the prescriptions of your word. I declare that my life is planted by the rivers of water.
LEARN MORE: Jos 1:8, 1 Tim 4:15
Monday 14th June, 2021
Monday 14th June, 2021
WORD OF TESTIMONY
Text: “And they overcame him by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” Rev 12:11
Every time you hear the word testimony what comes to your mind is maybe coming to Church to share a testimony of what God has done. This kind of testimony is usually shared after a breakthrough or some miracles have taken place in our lives. If you read our anchor scripture for today you will notice that the use of the word testimony is quite different from what I explained earlier.
Read carefully what it says”…They overcame …by the word of their testimony…” It means that this testimony is not something you share after you overcome; it’s shared in order to overcome. It’s a prerequisite for overcoming. This is not a testimony you wait to get to Church before you share. It’s a testimony you share everywhere and anywhere. It doesn’t wait till Sunday service or the next meeting in Church. It’s shared in your bathroom, it’s shared in your car, and it’s shared in your office. It’s shared everywhere you go on a daily basis.
The word of our testimony simply refers to the words of a man that is spoken in agreement of what God has already done. Even though we don’t see it yet but we begin to speak in agreement to what God has said concerning the issue. Let’s assume that you are about to embark on a journey, the word of your testimony at that moment will be “He has given his angels charge over me, to keep me in all my ways.” If you have a decision to make the word of your testimony will be “the wisdom of God is working in me, I am led by the Spirit on this issue.” If you are sick in your body the word of your testimony will be “He took my infirmities and bore my sicknesses.” Even when the symptoms are real your word of testimony remains the same. That is how to overcome.
CONFESSION:
I am free; Christ made me free. No more chains on me.
LEARN MORE:Psalm 91:11-12, 1 Pet 2:24
Sunday 13th June, 2021
Sunday 13th June, 2021
FAITH UNDER ATTACK
Text: “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.” Dan 3:17
The number one target of the devil in any life is our faith. Each time you are faced with an issue in your life your faith is under attack. The devil does not mind allowing you to go to church and do all the necessary spiritual activities as long as he can succeed in keeping your faith very weak and ineffective. The strength of our faith is the strength of our lives.
The signs that your faith is under attack will include the following:
1. When we begin to doubt the faithfulness of God over our lives. This will weaken your resolve to hold on to God.
2. When the words of our mouths becomes more of murmuring and complaining rather than giving glory to God in the midst of that challenge we are facing.
3. When you find yourself talking more of the problem than you talk about the possibility that exist in God. This is a clear indication that your focus is more on the problem.
The three (3) Hebrew boys came under a severe attack on their faith. The enemy was ready to reduce all they believed to ashes. Thank God these boys understood what was going on. They stood their ground and their faith prevailed. When you faith fails your life fails and the enemy will rejoice over you. I want to encourage you to work on your faith and watch over your faith. The measure of your faith is the measure of your life.
No matter what you do don’t give up on your faith; don’t give up on God’s counsels for your life. I spoke with a friend years back; she was married for eleven (11) years before she had a baby. All efforts to have a baby failed. She did several IVF but all failed. There were several attempts to get her to consider diabolical means but she stood her ground. According to her she refused to give up on her faith. Don’t give up on your faith.
DECLARATION:
I will not give up on God. I will not give up on his counsels for my life.
LEARN MORE: Rom 4:17-21
Saturday 12th June, 2021
Saturday 12th June, 2021
RESISTANCE MANDATE
Text: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7
Every time you hear the word ‘mandate’ it refers to an assignment that God has given someone in our context. This is a non-transferable responsibility that we are given. God has placed on each one of us the responsibility to resist the devil around our lives. A mandate also means what we have been empowered and equipped to carry out. We don’t have any excuse not to do so. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus. He has also given us the same authority. The name of Jesus in the mouth of a believer is a weapon that we can use to resist the devil around our lives.
To resist means to prevent him from gaining access. Where he has gained access we can declare that his time is over in that place. According to scriptures the devil has no choice that to flee. If the devil occupies any place around our lives it’s because we allowed it. God will not come down to resist the devil for you; his word says we should do it. This simply means that we can do it with a guarantee that the devil will check out.
From our anchor scripture the first step in resisting the devil over our lives is to first of all submit to God. The authority of our lives has its root in our submission to God. The authority of our lives becomes weak and ineffective when our lives are not fully yielded to God. Every point of rebellion in our lives is a point of spiritual weakness. Resisting the devil will also require that we understand the authority invested in the name of Jesus. That name is above every other name. Everyone and everything responds to that name.
Resisting the devil is not the same as fighting or wrestling with the devil. The devil is defeated already. He has lost the battle already. All we are doing in resisting the devil is enforcing the reality of the victory on the cross. The battle was won on the cross on our behalf. Jesus triumphed over the devil and made a public display of them. Just take your place in Christ.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I resist the devil around my family, business etc. I decree that you take off your hand around all that concerns me.
LEARN MORE: Eph 4:27, Col 2:14-15
Friday 11th June, 2021
Friday 11th June, 2021
DIVINE APPOINTMENT
Text: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”Jer 1:5 (NIV)
One of the most celebrated moments in life is when someone gets their first appointment in life or when we get an appointment into better jobs. There is so much lobbying going in the political arena for political appointments. Most of the celebrated testimonies in our Churches are testimonies of great appointments. Thousands of youths and fresh graduates gather in big establishments each time there is a call for job applicants. Thank God for amassing appointments but they all have their limitations. There is no appointment that is designed forever. Political appointments are just for the period that the government in power is in office. Once their tenure ends the appointment ends. There is so much disappointment in life because we put so much hope and confidence in temporary appointments.
I want to challenge you today to look beyond this temporary mundane appointments that many are dying to get and many are frustrated with. There is a divine appointment on your life. God had a unique and specific plan for our lives before the foundation of this world. From our anchor scripture God told Jeremiah he appointed him before he was formed in the womb. About eighteen (18) years ago I got to my office where I was working in Lagos Nigeria very early in the morning. The trend then was working in a firm and after a while start looking for another firm with bigger salary and pay. I heard the Spirit of God said to me “I did not create you to go about looking for a job; I have a job already in you.” I got so excited in my spirit. The job that God had in me is what brought me to writing and sharing this with you. God has an appointment in each one of us. That does not mean you should leave your paid employment but then we must begin to seek God’s mandate on our lives.
We can be relieved from a human appointment but divine appointment remains with us forever. Your greatest fulfilment in life will come from discovering what God has deposited in your life and begin to work it out. It will remain dormant if you don’t work on it.
CONFESSION:
I am divinely appointed. I am divinely endowed.
LEARN MORE: Ex 31:1-6
Thursday 10th June, 2021
Thursday 10th June, 2021
LIES ABOUT YOU
Text: “That she called unto the men of her house, and spake unto them, saying, See, he hath brought in an Hebrew unto us to mock us; he came in unto me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice.” Gen 39:14
I want to give a paraphrase of Isaiah 54:17 for you today “No lies formed against you will prosper; every tongue of lies against you shall not prosper...” it’s not a new thing for someone to fabricate lies against an innocent soul. Joseph had a first-hand experience of this. It was such a blatant lie. The unfortunate thing about it was that everyone believed the lie. There was no way he could have proved that he did not do it. His master’s wife accused him of attempt rape on her.
When such a lie is fabricated against you the first thing you need to do is to make sure your conscience is clear. Once that has been established then you need not care what is been said against you. We must also realize that ultimately it’s not human judgment that counts but God’s judgment. Everyone that heard the woman’s lies would have judged Joseph wrongly. He was unjustly thrown in the prison for what he never did. At the end of the day it was God’s judgment that prevailed.
One of the things that lies against us can do is to rob us of our self-worth and confidence. It’s an attempt of the enemy to deflate us from within. This is actually the best time to raise our head high and increase our confidence in God and his ability in us. Joseph remained excited even in the prison. His countenance remained as bright as ever. David said “...Though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.”
Before Jesus was crucified the Jew accused him of so many things that never happened. Jesus did not lose sight of the joy that was set before him. He despised all the allegations and contradictions until he saw the travail of his soul. Keep your focus on God’s plan and purpose for your life and refuse to be distracted. The enemy wants to break your focus; don’t allow it.
CONFESSION:
The Lord is with me. I will not fear what men will do.
LEARN MORE: Heb 13:5-6
Wednesday 9th June, 2021
Wednesday 9th June, 2021
IMMATURED INNER LIFE
Text: “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood like a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” 1 Cor 13:11
Where we function and how we function in life will be a function of our level of maturity. Maturity is not necessarily a function of age. There are people who are advanced in age and their lives are still childish. It’s more of our level of understanding and our thought pattern. This is what we refer to as “inner life”.
I have seen grown up ladies take stupid steps that one begin to wonder is this person thinking. They are actually thinking but the thinking is shallow. Imagine living with a man for five (5) years without getting you married and always attempting to kick you out each time there is a quarrel. To add salt to injury the man owes you thousands of naira. This is a true life story. It sounds ridiculous but it’s a reflection of an immature inner life. The whole process of staying with a man who has not made a covenant commitment on your life is wrong in the first place. It’s completely against the word of God. When the understanding of a man is shallow his approach to life will also be shallow. Am sure you can relate to similar experiences in life.
An immature person makes more excuse than take responsibility for their actions. The thinking of an immature person is “my teachers made me fail”, “my parents are responsible for the state of my life”. This is a shallow way of thinking. Someone must have been responsible for what happened to you, but you are absolutely responsible for allowing it to dictate the direction of your life and how you end up in life. Matured people take responsibility for their lives.
The word of God builds our understanding. It gives understanding to the simple; So that we’ll no longer be children in understanding but men.
CONFESSION:
My inner life is built. My understanding of God and life is built up. I will no longer be shallow.
LEARN MORE: Ps 119:130, 1 Cor 14:20
Tuesday 8th June, 2021
Tuesday 8th June, 2021
AMBASSADOR’S PRIVILEGE
Text: “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Phil 4:19
The American ambassador in Nigeria does not come to Nigeria to start looking for how to pay his house rent or look for what to eat. He’s not here by himself. He came here on purpose. Because he’s on an assignment from his home country, the home country is fully responsible for his upkeep. In most cases he’s even paid in the currency of his homeland. His allowance is not based on the scarcity of his country of residence but on the supply of his native country. We must also understand that we are here on earth not just by ourselves. We are here on a divine mandate. As long as we stay connected to God’s original plan and purpose for our lives we can be sure that all our needs will be met according to his riches in glory. Our supply is not based on our earthly employers or parents. Our supply is based on the riches of his glory which can never be exhausted. This supply does not know inflation or market forces.
The ambassador enjoys the full backing of his home country. If anything bad should happen to anyone in the American embassy in any country the American government goes into operation immediately to evacuate its citizens. The ambassador enjoys full protection from its country. We must also understand that we are under God’s sure protection. We are kept secured under the shadow of his wings. The angels have been given to watch over us. These are your privileges as the ambassadors of Christ on the earth. We can never be intimidated by the forces of darkness here. We dwell in the realm of light and carry light in our spirit. Darkness has no choice than to bow each time we show up. No weapon that is formed against us will ever prosper because the forces of heaven are behind us. These is the privilege of the servants of the Lord.
CONFESSION:
I am completely secured under the shadow of God’s wings. The angels are watching over me everywhere.
LEARN MORE: Ps 91:1-2, 10-12, Isa 54:17
Monday 7th June, 2021
Monday 7th June, 2021
AMBASSADOR’S MANDATE
Text: “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ stead, be ye reconciled to God.” 2 Cor 5:20
A mandate is simply an assignment that is committed to someone. A mandate is a responsibility that someone has been equipped to handle. There is a unique mandate on every one of us as believers to be Christ ambassadors on the earth. An ambassador is someone who is a representative of a country in another foreign land. The ambassador leaves his native land to settle in another land to represent his country.
Responsibilities of an Ambassador:
1. He is the spokesman for his country – He speaks on behalf of his country. He is the recognized voice of his country. The American ambassador in Nigeria speaks on behalf of his country. We are also expected to speak on behalf of Christ wherever we are found. We speak on his behalf on earth.
2. He spreads the influence of his country in his foreign country of residence – He’s not just there to while away time. He wants to be sure that his country has influence on this land where he has been planted. God has placed us in our families, places of work etc to spread the influence of Christ there. The earth is supposed to be filled with the knowledge of the glory of God as waters cover the sea. This is our mandate. That is why I am passionate about writing and placing this material in your hand.
3. The ambassador protects the interest of his country -God’s interest on the earth is to see his will done as it’s done in heaven. We are his agents of seeing that happen. His will must be established in our own personal lives and then in the life of other people around us. These are the mandates on our lives.
CONFESSION:
God’s will on the earth is established in my life and through my life. I fully represent heaven wherever I am found.
LEARN MORE: Isa 11:9, Matt 6:10
Sunday 6th June, 2021
Sunday 6th June, 2021
THE ROYAL FAMILY
Text: “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that we should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.” 1 Peter 2:9
The royal family is usually a very special family in any society. The privileges and opportunities available to them is usually far beyond other citizens in the same society. When someone is born into this family they don’t have to do anything special to merit the respect and honour accorded to them but simply because the royal blood flows in them
.
In the realm of the Spirit every one of us that is born of God also shares in the royalty of God. The redemption through the blood of Jesus brought us into the royal family. We therefore have access into the privileges and the honour found in God. Each one of us today stands in the place of advantage. It doesn’t matter how fragile you are, it does not matter how poor your parents are, it does not matter how low your grades were in school your position in Christ is a place of advantage. This understanding must dawn on you.
Revelation 5:10 says “And hast made us unto our God kings…and we shall reign on the earth.” This is how powerful the royal blood flowing in us is. We are designed to reign on the earth. We reign over failure, we reign over sickness and disease, and we reign over everything that does not represent God. Whatever area of calling God has placed us we reign as masters in that place. Talk like a king; walk like a king and live like a king, you belong to the royal family. Don’t respond to life like a victim; respond like someone who is in charge of the affairs of life. Respond like David with the confidence of divine backing.
SPEAKING RIGHT:
Everything is working in my favour. I’m not disadvantaged in any way. The force of the Spirit is working in my favour.
LEARN MORE: Rom 5:17
Saturday 5th June, 2021
Saturday 5th June, 2021
THE GIFT OF GOD IN YOU
Text: “Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.” 1 Tim 4:14
Life does not just happen. Life is not a game of chance. There is what God has given you to move up in life. What we do with what God has given us is what determines our ultimate status in life. The unfortunate thing is that we can spend a whole lifetime pursuing what is not available for us while we are neglecting what God has already given us.
By the impartation of the Holy Spirit that God has given us there are gifts already imparted into your spirit man. Each one of us is loaded. We are a bundle of divine virtues that are meant to take us places in life. We take our place as we engage the gifts that God has given us.
But it’s possible that what you have may not look so impressive. It may even look like something that has no future. Please understand that this is the way every gift looked initially. There is nobody that has a great gift today that began that way. Every gift began from a seed-form. It’s not the size of a seed that determines its product. There is an inherent ability in the smallest seed to produce the tallest tree. In the gift that God has given you is the inherent ability to make you a worldwide phenomenon.
If you neglect the gift of God in you, you’ll be neglected in life. The gift of God is what gives you a voice on the earth. Whatever God has given us develops as we begin to trade with it. Pouring yourself into active Kingdom service with your gifts places a multiplying effect on your gift. Whatever you allow God to use multiplies. What you have may not be exactly like someone else but please celebrate it. When you embrace and celebrate your gifts you’ll end up as a celebrity in life.
SPEAKING RIGHT:
The ability of God is at work in my spirit. The life of God is finding expression in my daily living. The direction of my life is upward and forward.
LEARN MORE: Matt 25:14-30
Friday 4th June, 2021
Friday 4th June, 2021
A MAN’S GIFT
Text: “A man’s gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men.”Prov 18:16
We really don’t have to wait for anyone to make room for us in life. If you do that you may have to wait for a very long time or even wait forever. The truth is that God has not placed us at the mercy of circumstances and organisations. In the midst of the worst situations of life we can make a room for ourselves. If you wait for your uncle or parents to make a way for you it might get you frustrated.
God has placed in each one of us what is required to make a room in life. There is a divine gift in you that are designed to help you locate a room in life. Even when there are no vacancies in life the gift of God in us will make a room for us.
1. Discover the gift of God in you by developing an intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the one that reveals things to us.
2. Place high value on your gift – Celebrate what God has placed in your life. The value you place on what you have is the price others will place on it.
3. Fine-tune yourself – Develop whatever you have. Everything we have was given us in a “raw” state, it has to be processed and developed.
4. Announce your gift – Be confident enough to help people out with your gift. When there is a problem to be solved that requires your gift don’t hide out of false humility.
5. Acknowledge the giver- Don’t ever take credit for anything. Everything you have has its origin in God. When a river forgets it’s source it dries up. Don’t ever take the praise, give it to God.
I decree that there will be a room for you in life.
SPEAKING RIGHT:
Nothing is wrong with me. Christ in me made everything right. Grace is working in my spirit.
LEARN MORE: Rom 11:29
Thursday 3rd June, 2021
Thursday 3rd June, 2021
TURNING POINT 3
Text: “While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” Gen 8:22
Naomi and Ruth were in a desperate moment of their lives. They had lost everything dear to them. According to Naomi she came out full but now she was returning empty. Her state was that of loss and emptiness. She lost her husband and her two sons. At this point she was left with the widows of her two sons; Making it three widows in all. She insisted that the daughter-in-laws should go back to their people while she returns back to her people. Ruth decided to return with her.
At this point in their lives there was no food and there was nobody to help out.
By divine intervention their emptiness was restored back to fullness. I see the same thing happening to anyone in the same state today. Naomi and Ruth returned back to Bethlehem and began a new life there.
Ruth decided to go out into the field to look for grains for their food. The steps of Ruth were ordered to look for food at the right place, with the right people at the right time. This was the turning point for her and Naomi. This will also be a major factor in experiencing a turning point in our lives.
The steps of a righteous man are ordered by the Lord. We must embrace God’s direction for our lives. If you keep taking wrong steps in the wrong direction and mingling with the wrong people your life will end in the wrong place.
Ruth eventually became a wife to Boaz and she conceived a son. The story of their lives changed completely. She even came in the lineage of David and that of Christ. The turning point for them was been at the right place at the right time. I want to encourage you to desperately crave for divine guidance in your life; it will make a major difference in your life. It will require meekness of heart on our part to receive such guidance.
SPEAKING RIGHT:
The Spirit of God is my guide in life. Every step I take will be steps of destiny; steps of progress.
LEARN MORE: Ps 25:9; 37:23
Wednesday 2nd June, 2021
Wednesday 2nd June, 2021
TURNING POINT 2
Text: “And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast...and God granted him that which he requested.” 1 Chron 4:10
Jabez was called sorrow and all his life was sorrowful. The experiences of his life was an expression of his name. It was not his fault that he was given that name; but it will be his fault to remain in that state.
He started having a nudge within himself that there was more to his life. He did not accept the decision of a man as God’s final decision on his life. There is no man that has the right to make a final decision on your life. The doctor’s report cannot be final; the employer’s report cannot be final. The legal verdict can also be reversed. The words of a man cannot be final in your life. The only word that is infallible is what God has said.
Jabez called upon the God of Israel; he knew there was an answer in God. What you don’t want you don’t watch. His mother was responsible for his name that affected him, but he took responsibility for the rest of his life. We don’t really have anyone to blame for the experiences of our lives. If we do so it will simply means we have lost control of our lives and given the control to someone else who is willing to drive it to their own purpose.
The circumstances of your birth should not be allowed to determine the outcome of your life. Jabez made a desperate and a determined call unto God. This was his turning point. He took the responsibility of prayer to see a change in his life. He did not go looking for who will pray for him; he knew he could approach God by himself. The blood of Jesus has made an open access for us into the holy of holies where we can come boldly to find grace and obtain help in our time of need.
SPEAKING RIGHT:
I’m highly privileged in life. The God of the whole universe is my father. The Spirit of God is at work in me to be all I’m born to be.
LEARN MORE: Heb 4:16
Tuesday 1st June, 2021
Tuesday 1st June, 2021
TURNING POINT 1
Text: “For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.” Mark 5:28
There is no situation of life that is final. There is no challenge that cannot be solved. We must settle it in our lives that there can be a turnaround in our lives. I strongly believe that someone reading this is about to experience a turnaround. The next seven days will mark a new beginning in your life.
A turning point is a point in which everything changes positively in the life of a man. The scripture is full of the stories of such individuals. We’re going to look closely at such individuals in the next couple of days. Their losses were turned into gain. Their weaknesses were turned into strength.
The woman with the issue of blood had been in that condition for solid eighteen years. She had gone through so many medical treatments without any improvement. It was rather getting worse. She heard of Jesus and took a step of faith for an encounter. She had gone through so much that she should have given up on the possibility of ever receiving her healing. But thank God she did not give up. Refuse to give up on that issue; a change is here. This woman took responsibility of faith. It’s dangerous to just sit down and be waiting for a change. Don’t sit down passive about your situation; it may remain the same way forever. Time does not change anything; it’s the power of God that changes situation.
This woman’s turning point began with a step of faith; she had a resolve within herself “...If I may touch the helm of his garment I shall be made whole.” This was an expression of confidence in the ability of God. The termination of a job is not final. The doctor’s report is never final. A turning point is about to take place in your life.
SPEAKING RIGHT:
The hand of God is on my life. My life is full of divine possibilities. The hand of God is taking me very far.
LEARN MORE: Heb 11:1-2,6
Monday 31st May, 2021
Monday 31st May, 2021
NOT EASILY MOVED
Text: “But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus....” Acts 20:24
I was really asking myself why Paul said such a thing? He was confronted with so many issues in the course of his ministry. He was beaten several times, he was in prison several times, he had lack a couple of times. But in all he said “...None of these things move me...” To be moved means to be easily discouraged. If you are easily moved in life you will not move anything great. If you are easily moved in life you will move at a snail pace in destiny.
There must be a holy resolve in our lives not to be easily moved by what goes on in our environment. There will always be enough reasons to be moved by people and by situations around us; but we must make a decision ahead not to be moved by whatever we see, hear or experience.
Let’s look at a couple of understanding that will help us not to be easily moved:
1. Realise that no matter what happen God is faithful. People may change, situations may change but God remains constant. His faithfulness is something we can count on.
2. Understand that there will always be a way out. In God there is never a dead end. Hopelessness is never found in God. As long as God is involved there will be a way out.
3. The truth is if we stay in faith whatever challenge we are facing will work together for our good. Whatever challenge we are facing was never caused by God but can be used by God for his glory.
4. We must be filled with the Holy Spirit. We draw our strength from within. If the Spirit of God is not at work in the heart of a man the forces of life will easily get at us. Stayed anchored on the Holy Spirit.
SPEAKING RIGHT:
My today is better than yesterday. My tomorrow also will be bigger, brighter and better than today. There is nothing that will stop my upward thrust.
LEARN MORE: Rom 8:28, 1 Cor 10:13
Sunday 30th May, 2021
Sunday 30th May, 2021
POWER OF POSITIVE CONFESSION
Text: “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth....” Joshua 1:8
The word of God can only produce results in our lives to the extent to which it occupies our hearts and our mouths. One major purpose of thinking right is to be able to speak right. The mouth gives expression to what occupies our minds. What we constantly say with our mouths is what we’ll eventually become.
The challenge of speaking right is a major challenge in the life of every believer. Once the word of God departs from our mouths then the power of God departs from our lives. Speaking or declaring God’s word is an expression of agreement with whatever God has said.
Speaking God’s word is establishing it’s reality in our lives. God’s word will never become a reality in our lives until we begin to say what God has said. The word of God on the lips of clay is God talking. What God expects is that we take his word and declare them over situations. God does not actually speak to situations by himself, he always speak through a man. God will speak over the situations of your life through your own mouth. (Ezk 37:3-8)
Saying what God said in his word is a proof that I belief him. Keeping quiet or saying something else is a proof that I don’t belief what he said. It’s compulsory that we speak God’s word consistently and confidently. It must be done bodily secretly and openly. If it’s too big for your mouth then it’s not something we can experience.
If you are going to speak God’s word consistently then it must first of all occupy your heart. The mouth is just an outlet for the heart. The heart is the reservoir. The mouth is the outlet. If the reservoir is empty or scanty then what comes our will follow suit.
SPEAKING RIGHT:
I have a future. It’s a glorious one. No regrets on my path in life. The Spirit of God is helping me out.
LEARN MORE: Mark 11:23, Rom 10:9-10
Saturday 29th May, 2021
Saturday 29th May, 2021
POWER OF A RENEWED MIND
Text: “And be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Rom 12:2
The mind is the seat of thoughts. Your thought pattern determines your life pattern. Wrong thinking will lead to wrong living. The degree of transformation in a man’s life will be determined by the degree of at which the mind is renewed. This is an area of life that determines failure or success for us. What our minds accepts and believes shapes our lives. The greatest strongholds to our success and victory in life are the ones that are built in our minds in the way we think. The Devil actually comes into our lives in form of thoughts. When we lose control of our thoughts we lose control of everything.
The traits of a mind not renewed include the following:
1. The mind thinks in line with the prevailing circumstances in the environment.
2. The mind thinks negative of all situations.
3. The mind thinks of only small things.
4. The mind thinks selfishly.
5. The minds is filled with immoral thoughts.
A renewed mind on the other hand is identified in the following ways:
1. Thinks positively irrespective of the situation.
2. Thinks big – It has a broad vision of life
3. Thinks in line with God’s word.
4. Sees life and situations purely from God’s perspective.
5. Thinks possibilities – Sees a way out of every situation of life.
Our minds are renewed as we learn God’s word and it occupies our minds through the process of meditation. Whatever you set your mind on naturally occupies the mind. Renewing the mind brings us to the point where we think in line with God’s word in agreement.
SPEAKING RIGHT:
There is a purpose to my life. I’m not here accidentally. I’m not a victim to my environment.
LEARN MORE: Prov 23:7, 2 Cor 10:4 - 5
Friday 28th May, 2021
Friday 28th May, 2021
THE “ROD” MINISTRY
Text: “And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs.”Ex 4:17
Moses was faced with one of the most difficult assignment any man ever had. He was to face the most powerful and wicked king on the face of the earth then to demand for the release of God’s people. Moses expressed his genuine concern to God that he was not in any way qualified for this assignment. “And Moses said unto God, who am I, that I should go unto Pharoah...” (Ex 3:10). Don’t forget that this was the same Egypt that he ran away from some couple of years ago.
The only response or solution God gave him was to place in his hand a “rod” the rod became everything to Moses. Everything that was done in Egypt were done through the rod. The rod became his instrument of authority. It became his instrument of changing situations the rod also became his instrument of provoking signs and wonders. (Ex 7:20; 8:5,16; 9:23; 10:13; 14:15-16).
After God gave Moses the rod it was no longer up to God, but up to what Moses will do with the rod. Please understand clearly that what the “rod” was to Moses is what the word of God is to us today. God gave us everything in his word. What we do with his word will determine the outcomes of our lives. When we abandon God we have abandoned God.
The summary of our lesson today is the following:
1. Take the word of God as everything.
2. Take the word of God as final on all issues.
3. Take the word of God as answer to everything.
When you are faced with a challenge look for the “rod” – the word of God concerning that situation.
SPEAKING TO YOUR DAY:
No weapon formed against me today shall prosper. Every tongue that rise up against me is judged.
LEARN MORE: Isa 34:16. Mark 16:20
Thursday 27th May, 2021
Thursday 27th May, 2021
STIRRING UP DIVINE NATURE
Text: “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”2 Pet 1:4
How do we stir up the virtues of divine nature in our lives? This will be our focus in today’s teaching. It’s possible to be a mango tree and still not produce the fruit at the right time and in the right proportion. Jesus came to a fig tree and there was no fruit on it even though it was expected to produce fruits. We must go beyond just knowing that we have divine nature resident in us to seeing this become a reality in our lives. Let’s look at a couple of ways to stir up these virtues.
1. Learn to speak to yourself - Get hold of what God has said concerning you and make it a personal word for you which you proclaim over yourself over and over again. This is a process that feeds your spirit man and prepares it to produce the right fruit when the need arises. Faith that wins is a speaking faith. We all respond to life based on the state of our spirit. You don’t even need to have a challenge before you learn to start saying these things to yourself. It’s the word of God in our heart and mouth that produces the life of God in our circumstances.
2. We also stir up the virtues of divine nature in us as we engage in daily and consistent prayer life. There is a transformation that takes place in our lives as we come to God praying on a daily basis. Suddenly you’ll find yourself doing things that ordinarily you couldn’t do. We stir up the ability of God in us as we pray. As we pray our level of authority in the Spirit begins to change such that your words now begin to be backed up with performance. Prayer produces clarity in our spirit to know what to do and what to say per time.
If you live your life this way you will no longer be ordinary. The virtues of the divine life will begin to find expression in your life.
SPEAKING TO YOUR DAY:
Today is a day of possibilities for me. I’m doing the impossible today. My life will yield results today.
LEARN MORE: Luke 4:32-36, Eph 5:18-19
Wednesday 26th May, 2021
Wednesday 26th May, 2021
DIVINE NATURE IN YOU
Text: “And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him.” Col 3:10
Let’s begin by saying that there is no weakness, no failure, no defeat and no regrets in your make up. There is nothing in your life that is connected to such. At the point that we receive Jesus as our Lord there is a complete change in our nature. The new creature is about change in nature after the image of him that created us.
Everything that God created behaves and functions after its nature. Everything takes on the nature of its origin. Our origin is God and we carry his nature. Everything that is true about God is also true about us. The ability of God is in us. We can operate in God’s nature and capacity.
What exactly does the nature of God look like? Don’t look too far; just look at Jesus. The scripture tell us that he’s the express image of the invisible God (Hebrews 1:3). Everything that you need to know about God is expressed in Jesus. The life of Jesus tells us what we should look like. As we look closely at Jesus we can understand perfectly how we are meant to function here on the earth.
1. He was never afraid
2. He was never confused
3. He always knew what to do.
4. He was always calm and cool even in the storm.
5. He was always in perfect control of circumstances.
6. Everything responded to his authority.
7. He was never a victim but a victor.
I want you to note that we are not just describing Jesus; it’s a description of you too. Can we accept this by faith? When we receive the truth and embrace it the power of God goes into operation to make it a reality in our lives.
SPEAKING TO YOUR DAY:
Today is full of divine visitations. I will see God at work in my life like never before today. As mountains surround Jerusalem so I’m surrounded with divine covering today.
LEARN MORE: 2 Cor 5:17, 1 John 4:17
Tuesday 25th May, 2021
Tuesday 25th May, 2021
EMBRACING GOD’S PLAN
Text: “There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord that shall stand” Prov 19:21
Whatever is outside God’s plans for your life will bring some levels of pains and discomfort. The most secured place in life is within the boundary of God’s perfect will for our lives. Outside that boundary we are exposed and vulnerable.
The goals of our lives should not just be in settling down for what is widely accepted and good. Our goals should be in walking in the centre of God’s perfect will for our lives. There is a big difference between the two. The difference is as east is from the best. Many lives will not become all they were created to be all because they simply settled for what was generally acceptable and good.
God’s plans and purpose for your life may not be popular but that will be the best thing to do with your life. That will be the only thing that has God’s approval on it. God’s plans for your life are already anointed even before you were born. Following God’s plans and purpose for your life may not pay off so much initially but if you stick to it you’ll be glad you did. It’s possible that people that know you don’t believe in what you are doing; what matters is that God believes in what you are doing and you also believe in it too.
Experiencing God’s plans for our lives will come in phases and stages. The initial phase may look small and insignificant. There may be possibility of despising it. Please don’t ever do that. If there is anything that anyone is doing that is big today, it started small. What is small today can become a global phenomenon if we’ll stick with it in faith and diligence. I have personally seen people who started businesses that were initially small, but today are big.
SPEAKING TO YOUR DAY:
Today I am kept under the shadow of God’s wings. There is a divine covering over me everywhere I go today.
LEARN MORE: Job 8:7, Isa 60:22
Monday 24th May, 2021
Monday 24th May, 2021
EMBRACING CHANGE
Text: “Remember Lot’s wife.” Luke 17:32
One major way that God uses to introduce us to his ultimate plans for our lives is to first of all introduce a change in our lives. Initially it may not look like what we want, but at the end of the rope is the unfolding of what God had in store. God wanted to bring Abraham into the fulfilment of prophecy, but had to change his location, his crowd and his connections. It’s easy to hold on to the familial and the secured. Abraham understood God’s pattern and he was able to see the fulfilment of God’s counsels for his life.
Lot’s wife on the other hand did not understand this principle. She had stayed in Sodom for a period and must have enjoyed the life she had there. Lot’s wife looked back because she simply could not believe that what God had in store for her would compare to what she had been accustomed to.
This is the way so many of us also think. You cannot reach out to your future if you insist on holding to your past. A wise man said “he who rejects change is the architect of decay. The only human institution that rejects progress is the cemetery”. God is the author of change, and those who cannot flow with that change will be subject to decay.
When God calls us to change it’s an opportunity to be released from our past so that we can embrace something of much greater value. As long as we believe that where we are right now is the best, you’ll die a slow death of insignificance. It’s a way of saying God cannot go beyond where you are right now. It’s an insult on God. God can do far more abundantly, much more than you have ever seen before.
Be open to whatever change God is demanding from you. It’s your door to a greater future.
SPEAKING TO YOUR DAY:
Today I will see the goodness of the Lord. The profit of the earth is my portion today.
LEARN MORE: Deut 2:1-4
Sunday 23rd May, 2021
Sunday 23rd May, 2021
PROMPT RESPONSE
Text: “So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abraham was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran” Gen 12:4
This man was already an old man. At seventy five he could have argued with God on reasons why it will not be proper for him to leave where he was. He had lived all his life in that community. He was going to miss all his friends, relatives and comfort he had known all these years. But his response to God was prompt and immediate. He did not give it a second thought. According to scripture he was not even sure of where he was going. Heb 11:8
The fear of the unknown would have kept him in that same community. If that had happened the promises God made to him would have been a waste. He had to move for God to move.
Whatever God is asking us to do is ultimately for our own good. One major way that God responds to our prayer and desires is to give us an instruction. It could be on your job, in your academics or in your relationship. Our response to that instruction will determine if we’ll experience progress and breakthrough.
Divine instructions are the high way to the top. The instructions we are willing to embrace will determine the future we are ready to experience.
God’s instructions to you could be to stop sleeping over in the house of the Man you are courting. The instruction could be for us to change the course of our business and career. The possible response is for us to begin to argue why this will not be possible.
If Abraham had refused to take that step of faith he would not have entered into the fullness of the promises made on his life. The unfulfilled promises in our lives could be as a result of instructions we have ignored.
SPEAKING TO YOUR DAY:
The angels are watching over me today. I am secured.
LEARN MORE: Prov 1:8; 4:1
Saturday 22nd May, 2021
Saturday 22nd May, 2021
SIGHT DECEPTION
Text: “And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah…” Gen 13:10
At one point or the other in our lives we’ll have the need to make a choice of a job, a spouse, a business, a friend etc. The choice we make could be based on several factors. It’s important for us to realize that “Not all that glitters is gold and not all that is gold glitters.” We therefore cannot afford to make decisions solely based on how things look like outwardly. There are so many things that are hidden to our physical sight.
As far as Lot was concerned he was making a choice of the best land ahead of his uncle Abraham. He must have felt very smart making that choice. According to scriptures the place was “….well watered….” That was all Lot could see with his physical sight. But what he did not see was that the land will soon be destroyed.
A very handsome and caring man today might turn to a monster tomorrow. It’s okay to have such a man, but don’t base all you decision on that. There are deeper issue than what our physical can see. A business proposal may look so nice and enticing but see beyond the papers, allow the Spirit of God to open your inner eyes to what is not obvious to the physical eyes. Don’t ever allow your eyes to deceive you.
The land that Abraham took did not have any physical features that it will be good, but it ended up to be the best place. At the end of the day Lot lost so much in that land and even lost his wife in the “well watered land”. Make up your mind to allow the Spirit of God to guide you in all things.
SPEAKING TO YOUR DAY:
In the name of Jesus I know what to do today. I know where to do them. I know when to do them and I know how to do them.
LEARN MORE: 2 Cor 5:7
Friday 21st May, 2021
Friday 21st May, 2021
PLACE OF PRAYER 3
Text: “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Isa 40:31
There are different forms of strength in life; physical strength, mental strength and spiritual strength. Out of them all the most important is the spiritual strength. This is a major requirement in our journey into destiny. It’s a natural sequence that strength depletes after a while; this is why strength must be renewed.
Our focus in this study is the spiritual strength. This is also referred to as the inner strength. This is basically a function of our spirit man. Just as an athlete goes out to exercise his muscles to develop strength so also we receive strength in our inner man in the place of prayer. There are some indicators that will show us that our inner strength is getting depleted;
1. When we get discouraged so easily – This is a clear indication that we are running on a low level of strength.
2. When we easily get angry over petty issues – Its shows that our inner ability to endure is gone.
3. When fear has an easy grip on us – Fear is a spirit that easily takes advantage of our time of weakness.
4. When we seems to be more confused that having direction concerning our lives.
When you notice any of these it’s time for a renewal of strength. As we go to God in prayer our inner strength is renewed to mount up with wings as eagles. When this happens we’ll run and not be weary, we’ll walk and not faint. As you begin to pray it may not look as if something is happening; but your spirit man is getting energised and built up. The best way to pray for our spirit man to receive strength is to pray in the spirit. We are built on the inside as we pray in the Spirit. Set out time every day to renew your inner strength.
SPEAKING TO YOUR DAY:
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me today and all through today. Today is full of possibilities for me.
LEARN MORE: 1 Cor 4:16, Eph 3:16, Jude 20
Thursday 20th May, 2021
Thursday 20th May, 2021
PLACE OF PRAYER 2
Text: “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Heb 4:16
From our study yesterday we emphasised that prayer should not just be a religious routine; But something that is done with definite expectations. This attitude and understanding to prayer makes it exciting and rewarding. From our opening scripture there is a divine call on our lives to the place of prayer. The purpose of this call is clear “...That we may obtain mercy and find grace to help...” Spiritual virtues are exhaustible with use and therefore must be replenished.
Every day/week/month/year has its own unique demands and challenges (Matt 6:34). The resources of yesterday are not enough for today. Every day, week, month and year of our lives require fresh and new resources. It will be a grave mistake to depend on the resources of yesterday for today. Every stage and new seasons of our lives requires fresh grace. The Israelites were required to gather the manna required for a day alone. Whatever is left over from the previous day usually becomes stale.
God has given us an open cheque to come at anytime to receive whatever level of grace we require. He asked us to come boldly. What a privilege. It’s important therefore for us to come to the place of prayer with an understanding that we are coming to receive fresh grace. We are not coming in vain; we are not asked to seek God in vain. If we clearly understand this there will be eagerness in our lives to come to God in prayer. There won’t be any need for someone to remind us that we need to pray. The more frequent we are in the place of prayer the more grace we contact to function in life. Grace can never be too much; the more the better.
PRAYER:
Lord I come today to your throne of grace today to receive more of your grace over my life and all that has to do with me.
LEARN MORE: John 1:16
Wednesday 19th May, 2021
Wednesday 19th May, 2021
PLACE OF PRAYER 1
Text: “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” Jer 33:3
The place of prayer is not a place of religious routines. If we are not careful prayer can become so religious that it loses its value in our lives. For so many prayer is another burden that must be avoided. This is basically because they have not really access the privileges that exist in the place of prayer.
The place of prayer is a place of revelation, visions and ideas. If prayer is properly understood and exercised it will culminate in the unfolding of divine agendas in our lives. This will go a long way to help us not to live our lives on experimental basis but on precision. Jesus was a man of prayer. He will go to the mountain and in the day he will be confronted with diverse challenges; the scriptures reveal to us that he always knew what to do. He was never confused about what steps to take and what to do next. I strongly believe that prayer should bring us to the same point.
It therefore means that each time we pray we should be expectant to receive a specific direction concerning our lives. Don’t just pray and rush out of the place; spend time in quietness waiting for that divine prompting on your inside.
This will also entail that we make specific enquiries in the course of praying. Instead of asking God to do something it may be required that we are the one to do something.
On several occasions David had to go to God in prayer to receive specific direction for his life. He never lost a battle because the steps he took were divinely orchestrated. He took time out in prayer before setting out for any battle. In facing the issues of life nothing must be done based on assumption. We must have clear directions on every step we seek to take. The place of prayer give us this privilege.
PRAYER:
Lord show me what do to and the steps to take concerning this issue of my life (Be specific).
LEARN MORE: Eph 1:16-18a
Tuesday 18th May, 2021
Tuesday 18th May, 2021
DIVINE EXPECTATION 2
Text: “For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.” Matthew 25:14
This account clearly shows us how the kingdom of God operates and functions. This man gave his goods to the servants. He did not really tell them specifically what to do with it. But even at that he had an expectation in mind. He became back after a while and he demanded that each of the servants give an account of what they were given.
Its so important that we all realise that God has given us talents, gifts, privileges and opportunities in life. The servants were not given the same number of goods but all the same each person had something. The beauty of it is that they were not required to give account for what they were not given. The man that was given one was not asked to account for more than what he was given. But unfortunately he could not account for it. It literally means that even if he was given more than that he would not have done anything meaningful with it.
God has deposited so much in all of us and he’s expecting that we identify, develop and engage whatever he has given us for the profit of his kingdom and humanity at large. It’s such a grievous offense to keep or abuse what he has given us.
Everything you have and everything you are is given on purpose. God expects us to multiply them. Even after we have identified that unique thing that God has given us we must ensure that it does not remain just at the potential stage but to a point of growth and profitability. Instead of asking God to give you more why not develop the one he already gave you. We can develop whatever God has given us to whatever degree of profitability that we desire.
You may not know how to sing, write or preach like someone you admire but there is something unique that God has given you; identify it and develop it.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I declare that the gifts of God in me is identified and developed to profitability.
LEARN MORE: Matt 25:14-30
Monday 17th May, 2021
Monday 17th May, 2021
DIVINE EXPECTATION 1
Text: “And Jesus answering said, were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?.” Luke 17:17
These ten lepers came to Jesus to be cleansed of their disease. Jesus specifically told them to go and show themselves to the priest. He did not in any way tell them to come to him after they must have been cleansed. One of them just decided to return to Jesus after he got his healing. I was wondering why Jesus was asking for the other nine. What Jesus said to them was “...Go shew yourselves unto the priests...” Luke 17:14.
Jesus was asking for the other nine because there is a divine expectation for them to return and appreciate the person responsible for what they experienced. Returning with a heart of gratitude is a divine expectation. It’s an expectation that God takes very serious. The man that returned to appreciate Jesus got something higher and better than what the other nine got. He was made whole in addition to been cleansed. Made whole was far way beyond the initial experience of cleansing.
Returning with a heart of gratitude is acknowledging the source of whatever we experienced initially. This connects us to a greater flow of the blessings from that source. God is our ultimate source and he expects us to return daily to appreciate his goodness in our lives.
Failure to return in thanksgiving and adoration is an indication of taking God for granted. When God is taken for granted we literally remove his hand away from our affairs and then openly invite the adversaries into our affairs. King Nebuchadnezzar took God for granted. He thought he was the one responsible for building a great kingdom that he had. He was shamefully humiliated at the end of the day. The rich fool did not acknowledge God in any way for the increase that he saw. The source of his life withdraws and that was the end of him. May your source remain.
PRAYER:
Thank you Lord for your faithfulness over my life and all that has to do with me. (Mention specific things).
LEARN MORE: Ps 103:1-3. Ps 127:1-2
Sunday 16th May, 2021
Sunday 16th May, 2021
POSSESSING ALL THINGS
Text: “...As poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.” 2 Cor 6:10
Paul was not necessarily someone that had the best car or house in his days. I’m sure too that he was never the highest paid Apostle of his time. Having nothing and possessing all things is a little contradictory statement. You have nothing but at the same time possessing all things. It’s certainly not a logical statement.
“Possessing all things” is never a materialistic approach to life. It’s never a craving to buy every new product in the market. This is not an attitude of greed that seeks to have everything and nothing for others.
The life of a believer does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses. We are rich; not by what we have but by who we are in Christ or if you like who Christ is in us. “Possessing all things” therefore means that we have the capacity to have whatever is consistent with a godly living. We have the capacity to be all we are created to be. Paul said “...Having nothing...Possessing all things”, He was more or less saying we have a purchasing power that is beyond the physical resources.
Don’t ever allow what your bank account is saying to limit what you can do and how far you can go in life. This has to become your way of thinking. If you really understand what we are saying you will understand that lack of fund, lack of human connection should not get you intimidated. In spite of them you will become all you are created to be. This will help us to deal with the “lack mentality”. We have what it takes to fulfil destiny. We may not have all the money at the moment but we have all the grace; the fullness of the grace of Christ is at work in our lives. We may not have all the connections but we have the fullness of the Spirit at work in our lives. The whole world is under our feet. There is no where we cannot go, there is nothing we cannot do that is a part of God’s agenda for our lives.
CONFESSION:
I have the fullness of the Spirit. The grace of God is abundantly available in my life.
LEARN MORE: 1 Cor 3:22-23, Phil 4:13
Saturday 15th May, 2021
Saturday 15th May, 2021
MAKING MANY RICH
Text: “...As poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.” 2 Cor 6:10
I strongly believe that Paul was not only talking about making people rich financially. That is included but not limited to that. He was talking of something far deeper than that. He was talking more of adding value and meaning to other people’s lives. I love the emphasis of “many”. He was having so much positive influence on the life of others. Many people were drawing from his wealth of wisdom and revelation.
The same thing should be happening in our lives. We have the capacity of the Holy Spirit inside us to positively influence our sphere of contacts. If someone that has been discouraged with life comes close to you the person should leave your presence encouraged and relieved. A hopeless person should leave you with their hopes restored. The life of a believer is supposed to be a reflection of the life of the indwelling Christ. Christ went everywhere doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil. This should be the story of your life also. It should be said that you also went everywhere touching lives and transforming destinies.
We are not called to live ordinary lives but rather an extraordinary one. A life that is making a difference everywhere that we go. Let’s close the lesson today with a few thoughts that will help you to function this way:
1. As a believer you are never in any way disadvantaged. This will help you not to see yourself as a needy person but rather a blessing to people around.
2. Your life as a believer is an extension of the life of Christ on the earth. Christ walks through us. He speaks through us.
3. Walking in practical love draws others to you. Be selfless; be open handed to reach out to someone daily.
PRAYER:
I’m making many rich; Adding value to lives daily.
LEARN MORE: Phil 4:19
Friday 14th May, 2021
Friday 14th May, 2021
YOU ARE EMPOWERED
Text: “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him hath called us to glory and virtue.” 2 Peter 1:3
A believer is empowered on three basic levels. Number one is at the point of receiving Jesus as our Lord and saviour. The second is at the point of receiving the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in an unknown tongue. The third level is on the day to day communion with God in prayer and in God’s word.
An understanding of this will give you a lot of rest, confidence and assurance as we face life and walk in God’s purpose for our lives. Your life as a believer should revolve around scriptures or else the devil will take so much advantage of you.
Let’s look at the three levels in scriptures:
When we received Christ as our Lord and saviour we are empowered to become sons of God. This brought us into the fatherhood of God. We are no longer slaves. This is a position of rest and privilege. Don’t ever see yourself as someone weak or helpless. We have come into the fatherhood of God.
The second level of been empowered is when we are filled with the Holy Spirit. This is a far higher level of been empowered. This equips us to function like God and see results like him. With this empowerment we can fully represent him wherever we are found.
The third level of been empowered is when we daily spend time with God in prayer. The previous levels of empowerment finds expression as we keep praying and spending time in the word.
To be empowered means to be equipped. It means to be furnished with all that is required to be all we are designed to be on the face of the earth. Now we can function from the position of rest and not struggling.
PRAYER:
I am empowered. I am equipped for greatness
LEARN MORE: John 1:12, Acts 1:8, Psa 63:1 - 3
Thursday 13th May, 2021
Thursday 13th May, 2021
YOU ARE DELIVERED
Text: “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear son.” Col 1:13
I want to ask you that do you really believe that God’s word is true. Do you really believe that God’s word is final on any issue of life? I know you may jump into a conclusion that you believe. In most cases we don’t really believe God’s word as final. So many of us have magnified human experiences above the word of God. It has become a common phrase “Go for deliverance”. For some people every challenge requires a deliverance session. A lady once told me that her father asked her to attend a church where deliverance is done every Sunday. Then I began to wonder that can’t once be enough;why must you keep going back? It’s so important that we allow God’s word to become the final authority over our lives.
The scripture we quoted today clearly explains the present state of a believer. This is what already took place at the point that we became new creations. “Who has delivered us from the power of darkness…”, I suggest you read this over and over again. “Who has delivered us….” not “Going to deliver us….” He has done it already. The word “delivered” is not a future tense but a past tense. Say with me “I’m delivered”. If you don’t accept God’s word as the final authority over your life and take a stand of faith in it you may have to keep going for deliverance sessions every time. Jesus did it once on the cross. All that is required is to enforce the reality of it in our lives.
Even if you have to go for a deliverance session it has to be a process that helps you to enforce the reality of what Jesus did on the cross not something that is done to make you pay again for your deliverance. Such a session will entail an intensive teaching of God’s word which is the only thing that produces an eternal deliverance.
CONFESSION:
I am delivered from the power of darkness. The chains are broken on my life. I am free.
LEARN MORE: Ps 107:20, John 8:32
Wednesday 12th May, 2021
Wednesday 12th May, 2021
YOU ARE HEALED
Text: “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” 1 Peter 2:24
The life of a believer is tied to the redemptive work of Christ on the cross. This is what defines what our experiences should be in life. The ministry of Jesus was majorly a ministry of healing. The greatest percentage of his miracles was miracles of healing. If we take healings away from his ministry we have reduced it to something small. He healed the blind Bartimeous, healed the woman with the issue of blood and so many too numerous to mention. The scriptures says that “...He went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the Devil...”
The process of getting this done was actually improved upon by his sacrifice on the cross. By his stripes we are healed. I want you to notice that scriptures did not talk about “going to be healed”, that would have been something that will happen in the future. A believer is not a sick person looking for healing; but rather a believer is the healed enforcing the reality of his present state in Christ. Therefore we can say that healing is not something we are looking forward to but something we have already.
Someone reading this may be saying but I have issues with my health. The present reality of our health does not cancel the provisions of redemption. All we are required to do is to take a stand of faith with God. The revelation of God’s word must be more real to us than the obvious circumstances around our lives.
You are healed from the crown of your head to the sole of your feet. Every organ is working well inside you. Every fibre of your being is responding to God’s word. The price has been fully paid; the symptoms notwithstanding. Let the truth of God’s word dominate you. Say it loud and clear “I’m healed.”
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I declare that I’m healed from every infirmity. I receive my liberty over my health.
LEARN MORE: Ps 103:1-5
Tuesday 11th May, 2021
CONCEPT OF BEAUTY
Text: “Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain. But a woman that feareth the Lord...” Prov 31:30
Thousands of dollars is spent every year in the beauty industry. People can spend a fortune just to keep their face clean and cute. Even though nothing is wrong with beauty itself; it becomes a problem when the focus on external beauty overshadows the real issues of life. A lot of deception is kept under the skin of beautiful faces. The greatest value of a man or woman does not come from the external beauty but rather from the inner beauty. If every man and woman will spend as much time and money taking care of the inner beauty as they do on the external beauty this world will be a better place to live.
God sent Prophet Samuel to the house of Jesse to select a King over Israel. As spiritual as Samuel was he almost made a mistake if God had not intervened. This was simply because he was making a choice based on what he saw externally. Decisions that are made based on the external beauty or what is portrayed externally most times will be wrong. We must see beyond the external beauty of a person to what lies beneath the skin. Great marriages are not necessarily built by people with beautiful faces but rather people with beautiful hearts. It’s better to marry someone with a beautiful heart than someone with a beautiful face alone.
The inner beauty is powerful. It does not change with age. It even gets better as we grow spiritually. There is no amount of make-up that can keep you young forever but the inner man can be kept young and full of virtues. Read this scripture carefully “But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.” 1 Pet 3:4. The inner beauty is characterised by a meek and a quiet spirit. This has so much value before God. Make this your goal.
PRAYER:
Lord create in me a meek and a quiet spirit. Let my character be a reflection of Christ in everything.
LEARN MORE: 1 Peter 3:1-5
Monday 10th May, 2021
POTIPHAR’S WIFE
Text: “And it came to pass after these things, that his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me.” Gen 39:7
Potiphar’s wife is an example of someone we must all avoid by all means. She’s an example of someone who is ready to destroy a great destiny. Joseph had discovered the grace of God on his life. He knew in clear terms that God has a definite plan and purpose for his life. He also knew he had to protect what he had. This woman on the other hand does not have any sense of purpose at all. She was the wife of a highly placed man in the society and she was ready to stoop so low in shame.
The only way we can avoid such people in our lives is when we have a clear sense of purpose in life and we are ready to protect the privilege that God has given us. There are people like this that we must avoid by all means; not out of hatred but out of principle. The same experience that Joseph had could happen anywhere; in the office, in the church, in the school. We must be sensitive enough to escape for our lives.
The feelings that this woman had for Joseph was clearly a case of infatuation and not love. That was why she could tell such a lie when she did not have her way. Infatuation must never be mistaken for love. True love seeks to build, protect and preserve. Whatever pulls you apart spiritually and robs you of your sense of worth was never love in the first place. It was just a means to take advantage of you. This woman actually thought that since Joseph was a servant it will be easy to convince him. But thank God for Joseph who had a sense of purpose. He knew clearly that where he was going was far bigger than where he was. He was not ready to trade a great future with a sex escapade.
Someone is reading this today that needs to hear the voice of wisdom. God sent me to you to hear this clearly. Run for your life; that relationship will destroy you. By the time that boy is through with you he would have robbed you of your destiny. If you don’t stop that romance now it will stop you. Be warned.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I declare my escape today from every form of immorality.
LEARN MORE: Heb 12:14-17
Sunday 9th May, 2021
ABRAHAM’S WIFE
Text: “Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.” Heb 11:11
Sarah is a character in the Bible that we can learn so much from. Her testimony has encouraged so many people around world. If you study her story carefully you’ll notice that initially when she was told that she will have a baby in her old age she “laughed” over it. This was laughter of impossibility. But along the line she came to her senses. She must have spoken to herself.
She received strength to conceive. This was obviously a supernatural strength. This was something beyond herself. There was no medical explanation to her conception and delivery. She came to a point that she decided to believe God for the impossible against all odds. A miracle is something that defiles human explanation. This will be the order of the day in your life from henceforth. Things that eyes has not seen before nor ears heard before will be the order of the day in your life. We must trust God for the impossible in our lives also. God is still in the business of doing the impossible and changing situations.
The scripture tells us that she “judged God faithful”, to judge means to “look at the circumstances and draw a conclusion”, her conclusion was God is faithful. Her conclusion was completely different from that of Job’s wife. She saw possibilities in God. She knew God was more than enough to handle the situation. This is a practical step of faith that God wants us to follow in life. Sarah’s conclusion was not because circumstances were right but because God was right. This attitude and response to life will give us a lot of rest in life. It will help you to get stronger in the face of adverse situations and circumstances. God is faithful no matters what happens; it’s God’s faithfulness that will that will change the circumstances around our lives. Circumstances may change, people may change, and government policies may change but God remains faithful – unchanging, no shadow of turning.
CONFESSION:
I conclude today that God is faithful. No matter what I go through God is faithful.
LEARN MORE: 1 Cor 1:9, Jam 1:17
Saturday 8th May, 2021
LOT’S WIFE
Text: “But his wife looked back from behind him, and he became a pillar of salt.” Gen 19:26
Sodom was a city full of evil. Every conceivable abomination was going on in that land. God was angry with that land and was ready to wipe it off. By divine intervention God sent angels to rescue Lot and his family from that destruction. It was an opportunity to escape for their dear lives. Listen to what the angels said “And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? Son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place.” Any reasonable person would have agreed to take advantage of this opportunity to escape.
The angels had done a good job to rescue this family from this destruction. Lot’s wife looked back. It was not just a physical look but rather a mental and an attachment look. She had been so attached to that land that she wanted to go back. There was no way she could have moved forward as long as the was still attached to the “old”.
She must have also looked back because she enjoyed the way of life that was going on in that land. We cannot be attached to the world and still expect to get the best from God. The scripture states clearly that friendship with the world is enmity against God. We cannot have the best of the two worlds at the same time. The question on my mind is “what exactly is special about that land that made her looked back?” Nothing really; it was just an attachment to that which is wrong and ungodly.
It will be wise if we consciously separate ourselves from everything that does not honour God in our lives. The longer we stay attached to them the less effective we are in the things of the Spirit.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I separate myself from everything that represents ungodliness. I set my gaze on God alone.
LEARN MORE: 2 Cor 6:17-18, 1 John 2:15-16
Friday 7th May, 2021
JOB’S WIFE
Text: “Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? Curse God, and die.” Job 2:9
In the next couple of days we’ll take our time to study carefully the life of different women in the Bible. Each of these women had tremendous impact on the lives of their husbands and people around them. Some positive while others negative. Please read carefully.
Job had one of the most tragic losses in history. He lost his children and everything precious to him all in one day. The climax of it all was that he became terribly sick. If we are judging it naturally it will be right to question God about all that happened. At this point in the life of Job he needed all the encouragement he required to face his challenges. The closets person that should have offered this encouragement was his wife. But the wife failed to do that.
This woman did not see God as the way out. She saw God as been responsible. Her conclusion was “what’s the use serving God anyway.” Obviously this was a very wrong perspective of the challenge Job was going through. What happens to us in life is not really as important as how we respond to them. Job’s wife’s response was clearly a wrong one. Whatever we go through in life is never the end of the road. “Curse God and die...” is one of the most ungodly advices anyone could offer. It’s better to bless God and live. No matter what we go through we must learn to acknowledge Godin praise in the midst of it. He knows exactly how to bring us out of whatever challenge we are facing today.
As I close today let me remind you that God made a way in the red sea in the past. He brought down the walls of Jericho. He can do all that again in our lives; He will bring us out of that challenge. Don’t listen to Job’s wife advice. It’s a satanic one.
DECLARATION:
Lord I declare that you are God in every situation of life. I declare that you are my way out.
LEARN MORE: 1 Cor 10:13
Thursday 6th May, 2021
WALLS OF SIN
Text: “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid...” Rom 6:1-2
I want to remind you that when we talk about “walls” we are talking of barriers. Whatever hinders our progress and stops us from becoming all we can become is what we refer to as “walls”. The good news about all these is that we have the God given right to deal with such “walls”. We are not victims in life but victors.
Sin could be a major “wall” in our lives. It’s a “wall” that we must scale by the forces of the Spirit. Sin is a sinker; it has always sunk great destinies. There is no way a man will live in sin and still expect the grace of God to keep finding expression. Living in sin is taking on the nature of the devil. Whatever sin we don’t stop on time will eventually stop our progress and prevent the outworking of grace in our lives.
Samson was a highly anointed man. He was anointed right from the womb. He was heavily equipped by the Spirit to defeat the Philistines. There was no physical means by which the Philistines would have captured Samson. Every attempt on his life failed until he lost his anointing on the lap of an adulterous woman. That became a barrier for his progress in the anointing. It will not really the Philistines that captured him but his promiscuous living.
Sin majorly cuts off the flow of communication between the Holy Spirit and the recreated human spirit. We all need a clean heart and a clear conscience to receive guidance and instructions for our lives. Divine warning against sin is not because God does not want us to enjoy our lives but because He wants to position us for a glorious life in which the devil is no longer a factor in our lives. Wherever sin reigns the doors are widely opened for the enemy to kill, steal and destroy whatever is good in our lives. Engage the grace of God in your life to live above every sin.
CONFESSION:
The power of sin is broken over my life. The grace of God is working in me to live above sin. I’m not a victim but a victor over sin.
LEARN MORE: Rom 6:14, Titus 2:11-12
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Wednesday 5th May, 2021
WALLS OF HUMAN OPINION
Text: “And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and Eliab’s anger was kindled against David, and he said. I know thy pride. And the naughtiness of thine heart….”1 Sam 17:28
Let’s state from the onset that the most important and final opinion about your life is God’s opinion. Every time we want to take a step in life we’ll always have other people who will give us their opinion on it. This is not completely wrong as long as the opinion is right. If you accept men’s opinion above God’s opinion it will constitute a “wall” that will stop you.
In the story above Eliab’s opinion about David was completely wrong. If David had listened to his elder brother he would have gone down the drain like every other person. It’s unfortunate that a lot of times we are controlled in life by the opinions of people who are so important to us.
Every human opinion about us must be compared with God’s opinion about us. Anyone is free to give their opinion about you but you must never be controlled by it.
David was not acting out of pride, he was simply responding to divine promptings. It does not matter what someone says about you, as long as your heart is right with God and you want to please Him.
We must also be careful what opinions we have of other people; it could determine success or failure for someone. Parents for example should be careful about their opinion of their children. Most of the time our opinions are expressed in our words. That a child failed a particular exam or subject does not make the child a failure. Perhaps someone had said you are good for nothing, in Christ you are good for everything.
Where men say you will not reach you will go beyond it, what men say you will never do; you will overdo.
God’s word is the perfect opinion about you.
CONFESSION:
I refuse to live by Men’s wrong opinion about me. I receive God’s opinion as final in my life. That is the only thing that is true.
LEARN MORE: Ps 139:14, Phil 4:13
Tuesday 4th May, 2021
WALLS OF HATRED
Text: “And his brethren said to him, shalt thou indeed reign over us? Or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet for his dreams, and for his words.” Gen 37:8
The life of Joseph is one of my favourite in scriptures. There is so much to learn from his walk with God. Joseph is someone that would have been stopped by the hatred of men. Everything in the natural was pointing to a life that will end in disaster. As soon as he discovered that God has a plan for his life all hell broke loose on him. It was as if he became the prime target of the enemy. None of this was able to stop what God programmed for him from the foundation of the world.
His blood brothers that should assisted him were the one who plotted his destruction. In the house of Portiphar the venom of hatred was poured on him. Joseph did not allow any of this to stop him. It was not really because he did something wrong. It was actually because he got something right; he discovered God’s purpose and he refused to defile himself. You may be hated for doing what is right. You may be hated for walking in God’s purpose.
In the midst of such hatred we must keep our eyes fixed on God. If you focus on the hatred and what someone is doing against you it will be difficult to focus on what is the priority of your destiny. There is really no point fighting the hatred of men; that will place you on the same low level with them. The best fight to engage is the fight of faith in the word of God and on your knees. Nehemiah was hated by a group of men that wanted to stop the project he was handling. He simply ignored them and focused on what he was doing and becoming. The ultimate goal of hatred is to make you lose focus and abandon your journey into destiny. Keep your focus. No one can stop you if you don’t give them the permission.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I keep my focus on my destiny intact. I refuse to be discouraged by what people do.
LEARN MORE: Neh 4:1-23, Heb 13:6
Monday 3rd May, 2021
WALLS OF INSUFFICIENCY
Text: “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.” 2 Cor 3:5
I don’t have enough money to start the business. There is no one to sponsor my education. I don’t have the talents to become great. I’m in a situation that I don’t know exactly what to do. These are statements we must have all made in our lives before or still making. It’s a natural thing to look at the circumstances of our lives and make such conclusions.
Many great people in the past also made such statements at the beginning of God’s dealings with them. The pattern that God follows is that he does not expect us have everything before setting out. Moses was selected to confront Pharaoh and he began to express his insufficiency. “I am of slow tongue, i don’t know how to talk.” Jeremiah was been commissioned as a prophet to the nation and then he told God that he was a child. He was more or less saying I don’t have what it takes to do what you are asking me to do. Gideon looked at his family background and concluded that he did not have what it takes to become what God was saying.
A close look at all these will show that “Insufficiency” is an act of looking at ourselves and not looking at God. As long as we are looking at ourselves there will always be something that is “too small”, “too little”, and “not enough”. God had to help these individuals to overcome that sense of insufficiency. It would have been a “wall” that stopped God’s purpose for their lives. If all you will do and accomplish in life will depend on you so many things will forever be above you.
Paul understood clearly that God is our sufficiency. God is enough for everything. He has all it takes to accomplish whatever He’s asking us to do. God is big enough. God is rich enough. God is wise enough. He is the el-shadaiI; the multi-breasted God. TRUST HIM.
CONFESSION:
God is my sufficiency. In Him I have all it takes to fullfil destiny. I'm not in any way disadvantaged.
LEARN MORE: Ex 4:10, Jer 1:5-10
Sunday 2nd May, 2021
WALLS OF FEAR
Text: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me...” Ps 23:4
Fear has always been a major “wall” that stops many from been all they want to be. It has stopped the great and the small before. Fear is an inner assurance that what is wrong will eventually happen. It’s a feeling that the worst will happen. It demoralises us and robs us of the inner strength to rise up to the challenges that comes our way in life. King Saul was supposed to be the tallest man in Israel. He was the king and had the best weapons at his disposal. The external armour that was available for him did not in any way stop the inner turmoil that he had. He was externally equipped but internally empty of all the courage he needed to face the battle.
Fear robs us of the inner courage to be all we need to be in life. This is a major “wall” we all need to scale. Every time we want to take a step into the unknown there will always be an inner fear that seeks to stop us. This fear is borne out of the uncertainty of where we are going. The vital lesson about life we must learn is that the familiar and the known today was once an unknown. If we embrace the unknown today it will also become the known eventually. Each time God wants to take us higher in life he will always require that we live the “known” behind and walk into a new terrain.
Fear’s foothold is our lack of confidence in the ability of God to keep and sustain us. Like a little child trusts the arms of the parents so also we must learn to trust the everlasting arms of God to keep and sustain us. Fear is actually a negative spiritual force that attracts whatever negative thing is expected into our lives. Job was a great man who had so much of the blessings of God on his life; but at a point in time in his life he began to entertain the fear of losing everything. It must have started by just a thought. Everything he feared eventually became a reality. Every fear that comes into your heart will build a wall in your spirit. We must consciously deal with such fears on time.
PRAYER:
God has not given me the spirit of fear. Every wall of fear is pulled down in my spirit.
LEARN MORE: Job , 2 Tim 1:7
Saturday 1st May, 2021
SCALING THE WALL
Text: For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall.” Psalm 18:29
The life of David is one of the most inspiring and instructive life in scriptures. His life is a typical example of what can happen with an ordinary life that is totally yielded to God. He rose from nothing into prominence. Not by any rich family pedigree or fine line of connections. He rose out of obscurity to become a national hero. I strongly believe that God is about to lift someone reading this article today to an unimaginable height in life. Many of us are hidden today that will soon come into national and global limelight beyond our family backgrounds.
It was not as if the rise of David was on a bed of roses. He had life threatening circumstances to deal with. The Lion and the Bear would have finished him long time. Goliath too was ready to give the flesh of David to the fowls of the air and the beast of the field (1 Sam 17:36, 44). King Saul literally took a troop of army to stop David from ascending the throne. These were the barriers that David referred to as “a wall”. They were all designed to stop his progress and journey into destiny.
We all have different issues around our lives that could literally prevent the fulfilment of God’s counsels for our lives. As long is involved in our lives and we give him all the required room in our lives whatever represent “a wall” around us will not stop us. It’s important for us to take a stand individually that by my God I will leap over the wall.
By the supernatural hand of God on our lives we’ll advance through the troops and leap over the walls. Nothing will stop your progress in life. Where God is taking you has been ordained from the foundation of the world and you will get there. There will be a miracle in your life today.
PRAYER:
I declare that the supernatural hand of God is taking me up in life. I leap over the walls in Jesus name.
LEARN MORE: Zech 4:7
Friday 30th April, 2021
GENERATIONAL LIVING
Text: “A seed will serve the Lord; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.” Ps 22:30
There is every possibility I may never meet you in this lifetime but I want to challenge you to make your life count. You have just one life to live. So many of us are familiar with generational curses. We hear more of this in so many Christian circles. We must also understand that generational curses can stop at us and generational blessing starts from us and flow down to so many other generations down the line.
From our anchor scripture serving God has a generational impact on our great grandchildren yet unborn. The investment of today in quality kingdom service will be a future harvest for our children. Whatever you do today will not stop at you. It will flow down the line.
The lives of two men were studied at about one hundred years after their death. The result is so revealing. Max Jukes lived so many years back; he was a man that had no regards for the things of God. For him serving God was absolute stupidity. Jukes had 1029 known descendants, of whom 300 died prematurely. 100 were sent to prison for one offence or another. 190 were prostitutes; and 100 were alcoholics. Over the years the Jukes family cost the United State 1.2 million dollars and made no contribution to society.
At the same time another man lived who loved the Lord, his entire life was poured in kingdom service. His was openly committed to God. Jonathan Edwards had 729 descendants. Three became preachers; 65 were college professors; 13 were college or University presidents; 60 became authors; 3 were elected to congress and 1 became a vice president of the United States. Please note that serving God with the whole of your heart is preparing the ground for generations yet unborn. This is the best inheritance we can live for our children. Pease make your life count!
CONFESSION:
My life is leaving a generational blessings for my generations yet unborn. Am making a generation impact.
LEARN MORE: Joshua 24:15-18, Prov 13:22
Thursday 29th April, 2021
HEAVENLY ACCOUNT
Text: “Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.” Phil 4:17
If you walk into any bank in your country to make withdraws one of the first thing that the cashier will check is if you have any bank account there or not. Then it will also be confirmed if you have money deposited into your account or not. There can never be withdrawals without a deposit. Nobody will allow you to withdraw from another person’s deposit. There is also a heavenly bank account from which any of us can make withdraws from depending on the deposits we have made into our heavenly account. So many of us don’t even have any deposit to draw from. Unlike the earthly banks we don’t carry physical cash to the bank of heaven.
Deposits are made in our heavenly accounts as we make doing good a way of life. We must go out of our ways to reach out to people around us. We actually make deposits in our heavenly accounts as we make deposits in men. Every act of love and kindness is filling our heavenly account with deposits (1 Tim 6:17-19).
The beauty about this is that in the day of challenge we can always make withdrawals from our account. What we get from our accounts is not just money. We get divine interventions in our health, our academics, businesses and career. Hezekiah was told that he should prepare to die because he was very sick. What he simply did was to remind God of all the deposits he had made for years. From that deposit he withdrew an extra fifteen more years.
Get conscious of making deposits in your heavenly account. Every opportunity to be a blessing is an opportunity to increase your heavenly account from where you can eventually draw out from. You may never tell when a major need will arise in your life; therefore invest in your heavenly account today.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I receive grace to be highly involved in filling up my heavenly account.
LEARN MORE: 2 King 20:1-7, 1 Tim 6:17-19
Wednesday 28th April, 2021
INNER STRENGTH
Text: “That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man.” Eph 3:16
Man is a spirit; he has a soul and lives in a body. The real man is actually the spirit man within. The spirit man is also referred to as the inner man, the inward man or the hidden man of the heart (2 Corinth 4:16, 1 Pet 3:4). The body is referred to as the outward man (2 Corinth 4:16). This is the physical body that carries us about.
When it comes to the conflicts of life what really matters is the state of the inner man. The inner man is either weak or strong. Even the physical body is sustained by the strength of the inner man.
This explains why even highly intellectual and extremely strong people have failed in the conflicts of life. This is the explanation for what happened between David and Goliath. Goliath was extremely strong physically; he had all the intellectual knowledge of fighting a physical battle. David did not have all that but his inner man was strengthened. We are in a time and season of life that it takes more than physical and intellectual strength to win. We need inner fortitude.
Proverbs 24:10 says “If you faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small”. The strength here is referring to the state of the inner man. The Message bible says “If you fall to pieces in a crisis, there wasn’t much to you in the first place”. New Living Translation says “If you fail under pressure, your strength is not great.”
We acquire inner strength as we spend quality time meditating in the word of God. The word of God is the meal for the inner man. We also receive inner strength as we fast and pray in the Spirit consistently.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I receive inner strength from within.
LEARN MORE: 2 Corinth 4:16, Jude 20
Tuesday 27th April, 2021
FACE THE FUTURE
Text: “Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more: but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.” John 14:19
There is really nothing in life that has a guarantee of a great future outside God. The best of careers and jobs have their own list of failures. The best of our connections may not be there again tomorrow.
The future is in God. He controls it. We must therefore build our confidence in someone that remains forever. Where we want to go he’s been there. What we want to do he has done it. He has the details of what your mind cannot figure out. We face the future as we face God.
The life we live in the present must revolve around God. The challenge with most of us is that we spend most of the active seasons of our lives around a career and business with little or no time for God. The time we invest in God today is an investment for our future. Time spent with God is time invested.
The future will remain the same with all our anxiety and worry. It is better we face it in prayer. The mistake we make most times is thinking its only people who have problems that should be heavily involved in prayer. Prayer is breathe of the regenerated human spirit. Prayer prepares us for the future and also prepares the future for us. We actually put orderliness in our future in the place of prayer. You don’t have to be married before you start to pray for your home or even pray for kids you’ll have. If you are still in school start praying about settling down after school. The unfortunate thing is that we run life majorly on emergency basis.
Face the future with the confidence of who Christ is in your life. He’s the hope of glory; there is nothing to fear. If Christ dwells in you the future is secured for you. If you don’t have a prayer life then you are leaving the future to chances. When you are afraid and anxious you create an inroad for the Devil.
CONFESSION:
I can face the future because Christ lives in me. My future is brighter, bigger and better than today.
LEARN MORE: Col 1:27, Luke 18:1
Monday 26th April, 2021
RULES FOR YOUR WORDS
Text: “But the men that went up with him said, we be not able to go up against the people: for they are stronger than we” Num 13:31
This particular article was first published on Sunday 13th April 2014. It’s being a blessing to me over the years. I trust God it will help someone today again. If you study carefully the story of the ten spies that gave evil report of what they saw in the Promised Land you’ll discover that at the end of the day it was their words that became their trap. The words they spoke worked against them. What God did was simply to confirm what they said.
Today we’ll look at a couple of rules that should guide our words, so that our words can always work for us.
1. Don’t speak according to your size; speak according to the size of your God.
2. Don’t speak how big the problems are; speak about how big the promises of God are.
3. Don’t speak about what the enemy is doing; speak about what God is doing.
4. Don’t speak about where you are; speak about where you are going.
5. Don’t speak about what you are experiencing; speak about what you are expecting.
6. Don’t speak about what you are seeing; speak about what God is saying.
7. Don’t talk about the enemy; talk about God.
These major differences are clearly seeing in what the ten spies said and what Caleb and his colleague said. If we allow these rules to guide our words we’ll find ourselves always speaking words of faith, words of power and words of possibilities. Just imagine if God confirms every word you have ever spoken what your life will look like. If you realise it or not that is exactly what is happening in your life right now. God is making a way for you where there seems to be no way. All things are working together for your good. God is saying I will do a new thing in your life. God is saying I will never leave you nor forsake you. God is saying my grace is sufficient for you. These are words that should occupy your mouth.
CONFESSION:
All things are working for my good. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places, I have a goodly heritage.
LEARN MORE: Num 14:28-29
Sunday 25th April, 2021
DEALING WITH IMAGINATIONS 2
Text: “For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.” Col 1:9
Casting down imaginations is not something we do in the energy of the flesh. God has given us spiritual weapons by which we can deal with wrong imaginations. The first thing we need to do is to understand that wrong imaginations are against the knowledge of God and the only way we can deal with them is to be adequately armed with the knowledge of God in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.
The knowledge of God’s word becomes a standard through which we can determine if what is going on within us is right or wrong. It will be easy to accept any thought introduced into our minds when we don’t have anything to compare it with. The Devil came to Jesus in the temptation with a lot of suggestions, but Jesus had a full knowledge of God. He casted down all the suggestions by what was written. It will be easy for the Devil to confuse you if you are ignorant of what God says about you. I have failed before, but I have never seen myself as a failure. I am a success from head to toe. This is true about you too.
We can also cast down imaginations by dealing with them in prayer. Any time you find yourself entertaining wrong thoughts quickly open your mouth in prayer to cancel and nullify those imaginations. The name of Jesus can deal with anything.
The thoughts of a man are like the film of a camera. When it becomes an imagination then we are developing the film to give us the actual picture in real life. Take charge of your mind and it will take charge of life for you. It will help you to imagine things that are true and worthy of praise. When you are empty of God’s word then the lies of the devil can gain access.
CONFESSION:
There is a transformation taking place in my life daily. God’s word is taking charge of my spirit daily.
LEARN MORE: Phil 4:8
Saturday 24th April, 2021
DEALING WITH IMAGINATIONS
Text: “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” 2 Corinth 10:5
One major function of our minds is imaginations. The act of image formation within a man. This is so powerful because we can create an image of ourselves either positively or negatively. Imaginations are more or less the blueprint of our lives. Whatever takes over our imaginations will eventually take over our lives. Imagination is giving substance and possibility to something that was initially a thought or an idea.
This could become destructive when we allow negative imaginations to take root within us. An unchecked imagination is like a hen sitting on the eggs. It might look initially that the hen is wasting time. But day by day the chicks are been developed until the eggs cracks and the chicks comes out. The imaginations of today will eventually become an experience tomorrow.
Casting down imaginations means getting rid of wrong imaginations. An imagination is wrong when it opposes the eternal will of God in his word.
Examples of imaginations to be casted down.
1. An imagination that paints you as a failure. This is against the knowledge of God. An event of life does not make you a failure. Each one of us was born with success already within us.
2. An imagination that tells you that you are good for nothing. Such an imagination limits our capacity and our resolve to do great things in life. In Christ we are good for everything.
3. An imagination that makes you see yourself as a worthless sinner. Once a man is in Christ the man is no longer a sinner. He is now the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus I pull down every imagination standing against the knowledge of God within me.
LEARN MORE: Phil 4:13, 2 Corinth 5:21
Friday 23rd April, 2021
THE FAITH LIFE
Text: “And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.” Num 13:30
Twelve spies were sent out to see the land of promise. From their report it was quite clear that giants were in that land. These were obvious facts that we can see on ground. The ten spies made the giants their focus and that was why they were swallowed in the wilderness.
The faith life is a life that sees beyond what is obvious to the natural life. Caleb and his colleague saw the same thing in the physical but refused to focus on that. They made God their focus. We walk by truth and not by facts. We walk by faith and not by sight- sensory perception.
The faith life is a life that sees God’s possibilities in every circumstances of life. The faith life refuses to allow the circumstances of life to dictate the direction of our existence. We become entrapped in the facts of life when they become more real to us more than what God had said to us. Whatever we focus on takes the center stage of our lives and then dictates the outcome of our lives.
The faith life sees God as more than enough in the most bankrupt situations of life. Even when we completely run out of strength and resources we understand the sufficiency that exists in God. There is really nothing we could have done or accomplish on our own, but because God is for us and with us we can break the records and accomplish the unimaginable.
The faith life takes steps in the direction of what God said. If God has promised you something he must have gone ahead to make the crooked places straight. He does not promise us what he cannot deliver. His promises are not based on our capacity but on his unlimited capacity.
CONFESSION:
I live a life of faith. I see God everywhere and in everything. I see possibilities in my life.
LEARN MORE: 2 Corinth 5:7, Heb 11:6
Thursday 22nd April, 2021
SPIRITUAL LAMENESS 2
Text: “I went by the field of the slothful…It was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof broken down” Prov 24:30-31
This is a continuation from yesterday. We’ll look closely at the implications of being lame spiritually.
1. Our lives become a dumping ground for every satanic manipulation. We’ll no longer have any spiritual resistance within us to wield off the wiles of the devil. Thorns grow over.
2. We become vulnerable and exposed to sin. Most times people don’t fall into sin willfully, but once the spiritual life is faulty the inner resolve crumbles. Stone walls broken down.
3. The authority of our lives becomes ineffective. The words our mouths lack performance. Our prayer becomes weak and barren.
4. There will be nothing beautiful and inspiring about your spiritual life. The positive influence you should have on others will be lacking. No one will be able to draw life from you, because you have no deposit.
The word of God is the healing balm. This is what we require to receive restoration and rejuvenation of our spiritual life as we apply ourselves to it. The word of God produces life in us and health to our total being (Prov 4:20-22). Our spiritual life is healthy to the extent to which God’s word has gained control of our lives. Loss of appetite for the word of God is loss of our spiritual life. This is the primary meeting point between man and divinity. The access that God’s word has into our lives is the access that God has in our lives.
Please make God’s word the number one priority of your life, it will completely change you. You’ll suddenly discover that your spiritual life takes on a new vigor and strength that reinforces you within.
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus my spiritual life is restored. I overcome every form of spiritual lameness.
LEARN MORE: Ecc 10:18
Wednesday 21st April, 2021
SPIRITUAL LAMENESS 1
Text: “Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees: And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it be healed.” Heb 12:12-13
We spend lots of money taking care of our physical health. Millions of naira is spent yearly to stay fit physically. But more serious is the spiritual state of our lives. If we as concerned with our spiritual life as we are the physical life, the world will be a better place.
The poorest man on the face of the earth is a man that has no connection with God. He may have money, but he is spiritually bankrupt. When a believer lives a life of sin the man is spiritually sick. The implications of been spiritually sick has eternal consequences. This is why we cannot take this for granted.
We need healing spiritually when we notice the following:
1. When you don’t have any desire for the things of God. When you have to be reminded over and over again about spiritual things, something is wrong.
2. When living right is a struggle. You find yourself making more compromise than taking a stand for what is right.
3. Obvious lack of desire for prayer and the word of God. This is the basis of a vibrant Christian life. When those things are lacking the Christian life is at a risk.
The spiritual state of a man affects every area of his life. When the spiritual base of a man is weak his entire life will be weak. When the spiritual life is strong it will also have a direct effect on everything else. As a student when you are spiritually sound you’ll be academically sound.
Take charge of your spiritual state it will enhance everything else in your life.
PRAYER:
Lord heal every lameness in my spiritual life.
LEARN MORE: Joshua 1:8, Daniel 1:8,20
Tuesday 20th April, 2021
GREAT SPIRITUAL LEADERS
Text: “Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.” Num 12:3
Let’s look at the characteristics of great leaders. This will help us to closely examine our lives and give us the right perspective of what it means to be a leader.
1. They have a genuine concern for others. They are not self-serving but people oriented. Apostle Paul said “I will be glad to spend all I have, and myself as well, in order to help you…”GNT 2 Cor 12:15.
2. Great leaders are great examples for others to follow. They are people who walk their talk. They don’t just lead with their words but by their examples. Leading by example gives us the moral authority required to lead others.
3. Great leaders are not working for a personal agenda; but for a common goal. This is not about “what I get” but “what we get.”
4. Great leaders are quick to forgive. They have a large heart to accommodate the mistakes of others. Working with other people is an adventure that will require that we forgive. They are firm but forgiving.
5. Great leaders place right value on people. They see people the same way God sees them. They don’t look down on others; this is why people look up to them. God does not abuse people he raises them. God does not reduce people he elevates them. God does not dump people he lifts them up.
6. Great spiritual leaders attract people to God and not necessarily to themselves. A spiritual leader’s success is best measured by how much they help others to know God.
7. Great leaders don’t work with a competitive spirit but gives room for others to express themselves and to work as a team.
8. One major hallmark of great leaders is that they have a great passion to learn. You can’t lead beyond your knowledge base. Effective leaders lead from a reservoir of knowledge.
CONFESION:
I see value in everyone that God brings my way. I see possibilities in everyone that God brings my way.
LEARN MORE: Prov 11:24-25, 1 Tim 4:12
Monday 19th April, 2021
FUNCTIONING AS A LEADER
Text: “For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfil his good purpose.” Phil 2:13 (NIV)
I want to believe that you have learned from all that we have discussed so far concerning leadership. The Spirit of God today will take us on a ride of basic steps that will be required for us to function as a leader.
1. Begin to think and talk like a leader. Your life will always move in the direction of your most dominant thoughts and words. As soon as Joseph had a revelation of becoming a leader he began to declare it to his brethren. That’s why he was hated but all he saw eventually came to pass.
2. Consciously allow the Spirit of God to work in you to bring forth the leadership potential in you. If we truly allow the Spirit of God to have his way in our lives great things will come forth out of our lives.
3. Be passionate about walking in God’s purpose for your life. You are designed to lead in your area of calling. It doesn’t matter the circumstances of life around you today the best way to rise beyond it is to walk in purpose.
4. Stop seeing yourself as someone that needs to be helped all the time; but as someone providing help to others. Get excited about reaching out to be of help in that area of your gifting just as Joseph was excited to interpret the dreams of the servants in prison even though there was no financial rewards to it.
5. Grow beyond offences and develop a large heart to accommodate others. If you are easily offended you can’t function as a leader. Leadership will require dealing with the weaknesses of others.
6. Overcome a solitary and selfish kind of life. Purpose is never fulfilled in isolation. Leadership will require that you pour out your life on others. Paul said “As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering…”
PRAYER:
Lord I offer my life as a living sacrifice through which your purpose on the earth will come to pass. I release myself to be used for your glory.
LEARN MORE: 2 Cor 12:15, Phil 2:17, 2 Tim 4:6
Sunday18th April, 2021
GRACE FOR LEADERSHIP
Text: “But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.” Eph 4:7
I want to begin our lesson on leadership today by saying that becoming a leader is actually the grace of God finding maximum expressions in our lives. We become leaders when we discover the unique grace of God on our lives and we allow that grace to find full expression in our lives to influence humanity. The degree of this influence is the degree of our leadership capacity.
Just as we have emphasised earlier in our lesson leadership is not a display of superiority; it’s more of functioning in the unique grace that God has bestowed upon us. This is equally available for every one of us in different aspects of life. Listen to what Apostle Paul said “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and the grace of God which was bestowed upon me was not in vain….”1 Cor 15:10. When you clearly understand that this is out of grace and not necessarily out of expertise you will place value on what you have and guard it jealously.
The grace to interpret dreams began to find expression in the life of Joseph at a tender age. From there he was able to interpret the dreams of the servants he met in the prison. This interpretation of dreams is also what made a way for him to the ultimate leadership role he occupied in Egypt. You will emerge as a leader in that area of gifting and calling. Your leadership capacity will be as result of the problems you solve for others and not necessarily the seat you occupy. We rise in leadership as we serve others. Jesus declared “For who is greater, he that is at table or he that serves? Is not he that is at table? But I am in the midst of you as the one that serves.” (Luke 22:27). More than ever before allow the grace of God to find expression in your life in increasing dimensions. That grace will bless others and make you stand out.
PRAYER:
I declare that the grace of God is finding expressions in my life in increasing dimensions. My life is blessing multitudes.
LEARN MORE: 1 Cor 15:10
Saturday 17th April, 2021
INSIGHTS ON LEADERSHIP
Text: “But among you it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant.” Luke 22:26 (NLT)
Leadership is a position of service and responsibility. It’s not so much about a title or a position but a service rendered to move a people towards a God-defined goal. The purpose of leadership is not to exercise lordship over others; but to serve them.
I want you to take note of the following vital truths:
1. Leadership is not about a position. It’s about impact. Your life can begin to make impact at whatever state of life you are right now. Anything you are going to become does not begin from the top of the ladder, it begins from the lowest step in the ladder.
2. Leadership begins from who you are as a person and not the position or tittle conferred. Be more concerned about becoming the kind of person that others will gladly love to listen to and follow.
3. Leadership is not about being popular but providing answers and solution in our sphere of influence. A leader can become popular in the process but that is never the goal.
4. Leadership is about accepting responsibility to take on a task that others shy away from. Leadership is about taking the lead to do what others won’t attempt to do.
5. The purpose of leadership at whatever sphere of life we are found is not to display superiority, but rather to influence others in the direction of God’s purpose.
6. The eye is a leader on its own. The nose is a leader on its own; so is every other parts of the body. They are not competing but complementing each other. Find your unique place in God’s program and be the best you are called to be there.
PRAYER:
Father thank you for the unique place you have placed me in life. Thank you for your grace at work in me.
LEARN MORE: Eph 4:7
Friday 16th April, 2021
BUILDING LEADERSHIP CAPACITY
Text: “…And he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.” Gen 39:4
I’m sure that the first time you saw the topic for today you may conclude in your heart that it does not apply to you. That will be a very big error. Joseph found himself in the house of Potiphar and eventually in the prison. It was very clear that Joseph was a leader in those two places. It was the effectiveness of his leadership capacity on those levels that opened the door for the leadership role he eventually played in the palace.
This simply imply that leadership does not begin from occupying a position but developing ourselves as leaders at whatever level we find ourselves. Developing leadership capacity begins with the understanding that each one of us is a leaders at our current stage and level in life. Most times when we hear the word leader what comes to our mind is the Pastor of a big church, the CEO of an organisation, a political office holder etc. It’s important for us to know that we are all leaders in our own right. The purpose of having this understanding is not to become arrogant and resist constituted authorities but to accept responsibility to become highly effective leaders at whatever level of life we are now.
Each part of the human bofy is a leader in its own right. The eyes is a leader in seeing. The nose is a leader in smelling etc. just as the body has many members so also is the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:12). When each member of the body function well in their place as leaders the entire body grows well. As important as the eyes are they need the ears and the legs. Each part is a leader but also needs other parts. We are going to explore this in deeper dimensions in subsequent days to come. Recently I read a book titled “The leader who had no title” by Robin Sharma. Please look for it and read.
CONFESSION:
The leadership potential in me is being developed and finding expressions.
LEARN MORE: Gen 39:21-23
Thursday 15th April, 2021
UPGRADED THINKING 3
Text: “And David said to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail on account of this Philistine. Your servant will go and fight him.” 1 Samuel 17:32
David came into the battle ground with a different level of thinking. David understood the difference between physical weapons and spiritual weapons. He was thinking at the level of spiritual weapons. He knew the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God. David understood that there was a covenant of circumcision that forbids molestation by an uncircumcised Philistine. David's thinking was dependent on the name of the Lord as a strong tower. David's upgraded thinking understood that God was bigger than Goliath. David understood in UPGRADED thinking that in spiritual battle physical size does not matter but inner size.
Upgrading our thinking will involve the following basic steps:
1. Be committed to renewing your mind with the word of God. This will require consistent and focused time spent reading and meditation of the word of God.
2. Be open to embrace change. Be open to change the way you think on certain issues. He that resist change is an architect of decay. If you resist change you'll die a slow death of insignificance. If you resist change you’ll soon lose relevance.
3. Upgrade your mind with books and materials of those who have attained higher heights in life. They will challenge your level of thinking. Your cycle of influence have a direct influence on your level of thinking.
4. Get exposed to new horizons. Explore new territories. Embrace research. This will enable you to see things from a higher and different perspective.
CONFESSION:
My mind is upgraded. My thinking is being transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit.
LEARN MORE: Prov 4:20-23, Rom 12:1-2
Wednesday 14th April, 2021
UPGRADED THINKING 2
Text: “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought (thinking) as a child, but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” 1 Cor 13:11
There is a "child" way of thinking and there is an "adult" way of thinking. There is a "human" way of thinking and there is a "divine" way of thinking. You can never function in life beyond your level of thinking. Until your thinking is upgraded your life can never move higher than what it is today. It’s important to note that the word of God is God's way of thinking. The only way God can truly have his way in your life is when God's way of thinking completely dominates your life. Until this happens there will always be a conflict of accepting the ways of God. This is the essence of Christianity. The way God thinks becomes our way of thinking. This is UPGRADED THINKING
Look at Hebrews 10:16 "This is the new covenant I will make with my people in that day, says the Lord, I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them in their minds." NLT. The word of God is designed to dominate our hearts and minds to the point that they become our way of thinking on every issue of life.
Let's look briefly at David's story. Before David appeared on the battlefield against Goliath everyone there were operating on a particular level of thinking
1. They were all thinking of how big Goliath was.
2. They were thinking of how long Goliath had been a warrior. Their level of experience could not match his own.
3. They had concluded in their minds that Goliath was an impossible case. In most cases what we conclude as impossible is a matter of perspective
4. They had concluded in their minds that they were helpless against Goliath. Their thinking were revealed in their words. Your words and actions reveals your level of thinking. It’s important you do an audit of your level of thinking today; it may just be your problem.
CONFESSION:
The word of God is changing me. My level of thinking is changing in line with God’s word.
LEARN MORE: Rom 12:1-2, Eph 4:23-24
Tuesday 13th April, 2021
UPGRADED THINKING 1
Text: "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isa 55:9
The thinking of a man is a major factor that controls a man. We are all products of our most dominant thoughts. Your thoughts rules your life. Your behaviour, your response to life and your attitude are all products of the way you think. It’s important to also know that there are different levels of thinking. The higher you want to go in life the higher your level of thinking must become
1 Cor 13:11 "When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought (thinking) as a child, but when I became a man, I put away childish things." KJV. Another version says "When I was a babe, as a babe I was speaking, as a babe I was thinking, as a babe I was reasoning.” Your speaking, your understanding and your thinking are all interrelated.
The quality of your thinking will determine the quality of your life. There is little to nothing you can do to change a man until his thinking changes
Sometimes in 2004 I had a Motorola phone that was so adorable. It was small and I liked it so much. I can't remember now at what point I stopped using that phone. The best you can get from that phone was to make or receive calls and to send text messages. But ever since that time phones have been UPGRADED. The upgraded version of phones called smart and android phones enables you to send voice notes, make video calls etc. I'm not too sure if Motorola phones still exist but certainly they are not common like the Techno and Infinix . This is the same thing we refer to as UPGRADED THINKING.
It’s important that we understand that this is the same way that life operates. If you will ever go up in life there must be a corresponding upgrading of our level of thinking. You can’t rise beyond your level of thinking. Join me again tomorrow as we continue.
CONFESSION:
There is a change taking place in my level of thinking. The word of God is working in me to think higher thoughts.
LEARN MORE: Isa 55:9-11, Eph 4:23, Phil 4:8
Monday 12th April, 2021
Text: “And David said to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” 1 Samuel 17:32
What exactly was it that made the difference in the life of David?
1. David had a dream of victory that was bigger than the size of Goliath.
2. David saw the bigness of God at work bigger than the size of Goliath.
3. The army of Isreal saw how Goliath had been a warrior from his youth while David saw how God will bring down the head of Goliath.
4. David was so clear about the outcome of that battle. He knew that the head of Goliath would come down.
5. David's dream of victory was stronger than the memory of what Goliath was.
You must see the possibilities of God in the future more than the disappointment of the past. If this is not clear to you the past will hold you down. The clarity of what God can do in a given situation must be stronger than what the enemy has done or is doing. The voice of the enemy must never drown the voice of victory in your spirit. Your dreams of victory must be very clear in the face of contrary situation.
David said "When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell." Psalm 27:2. He said "Though a host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident." These were dreams of victory expressed in words.
Dreams of victory are a firm conclusions of the outcome of any challenge life will ever bring your way. The Lord will deliver you into my hands. Today everyone will know there is a God in Israel. These are words of victory.
PRAYER:
I declare my victory over every life situation. I declare that the possibilities of God are working in my life.
LEARN MORE: 1 John 5:4
Sunday 11th April, 2021
DREAMS OF VICTORY 1
Text: “And David said to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” 1 Samuel 17:32
The possibilities of God in the life of David is something we need to learn from over and over again. We have said over and over again that the possibilities of God is our possibilities. The accounts of scripture are given for us to understand exactly what God wants to do in our lives. The example of scriptures also gives us a pattern to follow to arrive at the same possibilities.
The battle against Goliath was one of the toughest battles Israel ever faced. King Saul and his men were completely helpless. They had been overwhelmed by the appearance of Goliath. It's safe to say that as equipped and armed King Saul and his men were there was no need to be afraid. Physically speaking we can also conclude that if King Saul and his men could not face Goliath no one else should attempt it.
David came on the scene without a prior knowledge of what the enormous challenges on ground was. (You can see that when he got to the battle and saw what was going on he asked questions). The response he got was a response of an impossible case. They took him on a memory lane of how Goliath had been a warrior from his youth. 1 Sam 17:33 "Saul answered David, "You can't go and fight this Philistine. You're too young and inexperienced - and he's been at this fighting business since before you were born." Msg.. This was a life lesson King Saul gave David. This was enough to discourage him and get him back home. But David insisted to fight Goliath. He had a dream that was bigger than their fear. How big are your dreams? Your dreams of victory must be bigger than the reality of challenges around you. You must see clearly the possibilities of God in every situation. Fear will hinder the possibilities of God in your life; refuse to hide, there is victory in your spirit. We’ll continue tomorrow.
CONFESSION:
I see the possibilities of God in my spirit. I can see clearly the victory that God has ordained for me.
LEARN MORE: 1 John 5:4
Saturday 10th April, 2021
DIVINE CONVERSION 2
Text: "...Ye so sold me...but God sent me...” Gen 45:5
The experiences of Joseph were not caused by God but they were used by God. What was supposed to stop him was converted to take him up. What was supposed to be a stumbling block were converted to a stepping stone. What was supposed to hinder him aided him. What was against him worked in his favour. From the story of Joseph we can glean the following wisdom.
1. The negative experiences of life does not cancel the possibilities of God in our lives.
2. The experiences of gold in fire does not destroy it but rather brings out the best in it.
3. The temporary setbacks of life should never become a permanent disposition to life.
4. No mortal man has the right to determine how you will end up in life. It will be too much to give a mortal man that right. Such individuals will literally become a god over your life.
5. As long as we are connected to God he can bring forth his glory in our lives through unexpected sources.
6. If you don't have a clear cut vision and direction for your life everything done against you will become a mountain.
Divine conversion takes place as we refuse to give up on his dreams for our lives. We must also decide never to become bitter with God and with people who possibly must have been responsible for our challenges. We must also have a resolve to keep doing what is right even when we are not compensated for it. Lastly don't blame anyone for whatever you are going through but rather take responsibility.
CONFESSION:
Divine purpose is coming to pass in my life. The circumstances of life are divine ingredients in my life.
LEARN MORE: Job 23:10, Isa 46:1
Friday 9th April, 2021
DIVINE CONVERSION 1
Text: "...Ye so sold me...but God sent me...” Gen 45:5
God is never stranded on what to do and how to go about how to accomplish his purpose in our lives. It's normal in the natural to have a sense of loss when it seems everything has turned against you. It’s possible that people that should have ordinarily assisted us are nowhere to be found. All of this can turn around in our favor. That's what God is out to do in someone's life today.
Joseph had a dream or preferably a revelation of God ultimate purpose for his life. This is where the journey into destiny begins from - a definite revelation of God's destiny for our lives. A dream in our context is an unfolding of divine plans. It does not really have anything to do with sleeping in the night and having dreams. Between the conception of the dream and the ultimate palace Joseph had very unique experiences. Many of us may be going through similar experiences right now.
1. He went through disappointments
2. He went through betrayals.
3. He went through loneliness
4.He went through blackmail
5. He went through cruel wickedness.
Similar experiences has stopped the progress of many. That was what the enemy had always intended. Some had committed suicide as a result of similar experiences. Many of us have gone through similar experiences and many will still go through it at different levels. From the story of Joseph it's clear that the disappointments, the betrayals and the blackmail were the ingredients that God used to bring forth his ultimate purpose in the life of Joseph. This is the divine conversion! We’ll continue tomorrow.
CONFESSION:
Everything the enemy designed for evil is turning around for my favour. There is a divine conversion taking place in my life.
LEARN MORE: Rom 8:28
Thursday 8th April, 2021
Thursday 8th April, 2021
BATTLE OF WORDS
Text: “This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee...” 1 Sam 17:46
The basis of this lesson is from the exchange of words that took place between David and Goliath. King Saul and the army of Israel were sore afraid and hiding as a result of the words spoken by Goliath. They were hiding out of fear! They were helpless!
Today every fear will be broken over your life. Whatever has stood before you to stop your progress will fall for your sake.
In the midst of the fear and confusion a young man who had no experience and no physical built to fight appeared on the scene. He wasn’t part of the army. He only came on a domestic errand. He wasn’t there to fight so he had no physical weapon. Naturally it looked as if he wasn’t prepared but God prepared him. He had a weapon that wasn’t obvious to the physical eyes. King Saul attempted to give David his weapons thinking that was all that is required to win that battle. David declined.
David knew he had a weapon that was higher than what the enemy had. David understood that you can’t fight the enemy on the same level. You must rise to a higher pedestal. David knew that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God. The major weapon David used that day wasn’t the catapult but the words of his mouth. David began to declare the possibilities of God in the face of the adversary. In the realm of the spirit words are weapons. They are as potent as physical weapons. The enemy must never have the final say over your life. The word of God declared from your mouth must be the final say. The word of God spoken from a heart of faith is God himself talking. God speaks to us and then expects us to speak to the challenge.
CONFESSION:
My steps will be ordered from heaven this year. My steps are taking me forward this year.
LEARN MORE: Rom 8:14, 1 Pet 2:24
Wednesday 7th April, 2021
Wednesday 7th April, 2021
THRONE POSSIBILITIES
Text: “And he sent, and brought him in. now he was ruddy…And the Lord said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he.” 1 Samuel 16:12
There was a need to select a king over Israel. Prophet Samuel was sent by God to undergo the process. Eliab, Abinadad and Shammah were presented one after the other as possible King over Israel. Each of them must have been built to look like a prospective King. Strangely out of the sons that were presented David was not considered as a potential king. It was clear he wasn’t King looking. David was only considered for taking care of sheep in the bush. His type wasn’t expected to get to the throne. But as it turned out the same David was selected to become the king.
David did not look like a king material but there was a king inside him. You may not look like something great but there is greatness loaded in your spirit. What you look like outwardly does not place a limit on how far you can go. There is so much possibilities in your life. This is far beyond what the human mind can comprehend. Nobody in the family of David ever thought that little David could become a King. Throne possibilities is such that what men thought was impossible can become a reality in our lives.
David said “I’m as a wonder to many.” People around him could not figure out how he was so elevated. God does not work with the expectations of men over your life. If your life is left at the mercy of men you may never have a chance. If you have to wait for your turn in everything it may never get to your turn. God is still in the business of breaking protocols for his people. He wants to take you from the back to the front, from the field to the palace. Let your faith rise in God as you submit yourself to his possibilities over your life.
CONCLUSION:
God is still turning nobodies into somebodies. God is still taking people from the back of human placement to the front of divine placement. God is still turning what looks like a trash into a treasure.
LEARN MORE: 1 Samuel 16:1-13
Tuesday 6th April, 2021
Tuesday 6th April, 2021
DISCOVERING PURPOSE
Text: “But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit; for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God” 1 Cor 2:10
I really pray and trust God that the eyes of your understanding will be opened as you read this material. I trust God that it will not just be a religious reading but something that stirs in you a discovery of divine purpose.
Let’s look at a couple of factors that will help us to discover the purpose of God for our lives. An interplay of these factors will definite produce results in our lives.
1. Understand that there is a uniqueness to your life. Packaged in your uniqueness are specific details to where you belong in life. This uniqueness helps you to be a round peg in a round hole.
2. Understand that there is nothing that is a mistake about your life. You are divinely orchestrated. There is a divine purpose to your life waiting to be discovered.
3. Begin to pour out yourself in a specific area of service. Purpose is given majorly for the purpose of service. You can’t discover purpose folding your hands. The purpose of purpose is to serve.
4. Relate intimately with the Spirit of God – He brings us to revelation and insight. The discovery of purpose is far beyond mere human intellect. We need the revelation of God in our spirit. This is clearly seen in our opening verse.
5. Humble yourself enough to serve the divine assignment of other people and in the process you will find your own.
6. Lastly seek the face of God in prayer asking God to reveal himself to you. The place of prayer is a place of revelation and visions.
PRAYER:
Lord by your Spirit open the eyes of my understanding that I may know exactly your purpose for my life.
LEARN MORE: Jer 29:11-13, Eph 1:17- 18
Monday 5th April, 2021
Monday 5th April, 2021
POINTERS TO DIVINE PURPOSE
Text: “...To them, who are the called according to his purpose.” Rom 8:28b
One major unanswered question in the life of many is how to know the purpose of God for their lives. Today we’ll take our time to look at certain factors that will be a pointer to discovering the purpose of God for our lives then tomorrow we’ll look at it in more detailed terms.
1. Whatever you consider as God’s purpose or assignment for your life must relate with your inner passion and aspirations. Your divine assignment will be revealed in what you are passionate about and the things that are precious to you.
2. It will be a major means of serving the needs of others and adding value to them. Purpose is never self-serving. Purpose is always reaching out and seeking for opportunities to bless.
3. A divine purpose will always bring glory to God. Ultimately God glorified is our highest calling in life. If it does not bring him glory it’s not God.
4. The basis of everything we do as believers is the word of God and therefore whatever we consider as purpose must not violate the word.
5. It won’t be something forced on you by a so called Prophet or another person but something that comes to you by the inner workings as you walk with God.
We must be very clear about this as we desire to get established in the plans and purpose of God for our lives. It will be a major victory in life when we are at the centre of God’s purpose. It invigorates our spirit and brings the highest form of fulfilment that can ever be found on earth. It’s a fulfilment that is far bigger than what silver and gold can get. If a man did not find purpose in life there is every tendency he will spend his life pursuing shadows with no future.
CONFESSION:
The purpose of God for my life is finding expression. I’m established in the centre of God’s will for me.
LEARN MORE: 1 Cor 2:9-10
Sunday 4th April, 2021
Sunday 4th April, 2021
FOCUS ON PURPOSE 2
Text: “He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant.” Psalm 105:17
Today as the Spirit of God enables us we’ll explore a couple of reasons why we should pursue the purpose of God for our lives.
1. Discovering God’s assignment for your life is where real living begins from. Your assignment, calling or purpose is where you have been designed and equipped to function. The fish is designed and equipped to live in water. Outside water there is no living for the Fish. Everything you offer the fish outside water is useless. The best of your life can only come out when you are in the centre of God’s assignment for your life. Outside the water virtually everything will go wrong for the fish; so also is life. It could be possible that the struggles in your life is because you functioning outside God’s ordained place for you.
2. Pursuing divine assignment will ultimately override the ill treatment of men. The purpose of God for your life is something inside you and no matter what people do they can’t take it away from you. The cloths of Joseph were removed but they couldn’t remove his purpose. He was locked in prison but his destiny couldn’t be locked. Even when he was wearing the prison cloths the purpose of God was still working through him.
3. Knowing where you belong and what you should be doing with your life will save you time, energy, and resources from being wasted on things that has no relevance to your destiny. Many lives have been wasted on useless things.
4. Without a sense of purpose in life you will most likely go to wrong places to meet wrong people and do the wrong things. May God help you.
CONFESSION:
The Spirit of God is working in me this year to produce great ideas that will change my world. My mind is fertile and productive.
LEARN MORE: Eph 1:17-18
PRAYER REQUEST: We decree that there is a daily transformation taking place in the lives of everyone reading Inspiration across the nations of the earth. 2 Cor 3:18
Saturday 3rd April, 2021
Saturday 3rd April, 2021
FOCUS ON PURPOSE 1
Text: “He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant.” Psalm 105:17
Today we’ll look closely at our opening verse for about three days now. The coming of Joseph to Egypt looked like a misfortune. He was sold like an animal. He became a servant and eventually a prisoner. His story was a story of cruelty, hatred wickedness and abandonment. It was a story of “everyone and everything is against me.” But on the pages of scripture we find a different understanding and insight. His coming to Egypt was on a divine assignment. God actually sent him there.
The place of human hatred and disappointment could become the birth place of divine purpose. Looking at the story of Joseph we can either focus on the maltreatment and the hatred or focus on the divine purpose that came out of it.
This is a choice we must also make in life. We either focus on what is wrong and not working or focus on God’s eternal purpose for our lives. What gets magnified eventually will depend on what we focus on. The purpose of God for your life is far bigger and more important than all that life can ever throw at you.
You must be very careful not to get overwhelmed by the twists of life and lose sight of what is divine and eternal. I cannot guarantee that everyone will love you and that people who have disappointed you will suddenly change. Focusing on your challenges does not necessarily change them. In most cases they are magnified beyond proportion. Instead of focusing on your challenges why not focus on God’s eternal purpose for your life. One major step in overcoming your challenges in life is to consciously pursue God’s assignment for your life. If you don’t have a clear cut focus in life you’ll be easily distracted by the circumstances of life.
CONFESSION:
My eyes are on God's eternal purpose for my life. I see the purpose of God coming to pass in every situation.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 34:5, Matt 6:22
PRAYER REQUEST: Lord we declare that your grace is at work over Inspiration afresh this month of April. John 1:16
Friday 2nd April, 2021
Friday 2nd April, 2021
DIVINE ASSIGNMENT 2
Text: “He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant.” Psalm 105:17
I want you to note that we may not be able to cover all that needs to be said on a particular subject but it will be sufficient enough to stir up a reaction in you to begin a personal pursuit on your own. No matter the volume of what you read nothing will happen until you begin a personal pursuit of what you learned.
Your divine assignment must take the centre stage of your life. Your divine assignment should become so obvious that anyone that knows you will identify it with you. Your divine assignment should become so glaring that when people hear your name that’s the first thing that comes to their minds.
Moses ……Delivered the Jews
Samson…….Defeated the Philistines
Solomon……..Divine wisdom
David……..Defeated Goliath
Paul……….Epistle to the early Church.
If nothing significant is traceable to your name then you must rise up in God with a decision to change the narratives of your life. Your divine assignment will be revealed in what you are passionate about and what is precious to you. Let’s look at a couple of yardsticks to judge if something is a divine assignment:
1. Does it relate with your inner passion.
2. It will be a major means of serving others and adding value to them. It will build God’s kingdom.
3. It will bring glory to God and honour his name.
4. It will not violate God’s word.
CONFESSION:
The purpose of God for my life will not be wasted. I will become all that God has ordained for me from the foundation of the world.
LEARN MORE: Eph 1:4
PRAYER REQUEST: Lord by your Spirit bring everyone reading Inspiration into the revelation of divine purpose this month. 1 Cor 2:9-10
Thursday 1st April, 2021
Thursday 1st April, 2021
DIVINE ASSIGNMENT 1
Text: “He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant.” Psalm 105:17
I want to specially welcome you to the second quarter of the year 2021. The year is going gradually and I strongly believe that God’s counsels for your life is unfolding gradually. The subject of purpose, assignment or vision is crucial and fundamental for our lives. Many lives have been destroyed and locked up in human prison of circumstances as a result of lack of direction. When a man or woman has not discovered God’s original intent for their lives they are easily swayed by every changing circumstances of life. I trust God again this month as we study God’s word together that you will begin to have a glimpse of what God has ordained for your life.
Divine assignment is God’s ultimate purpose for our lives. Divine assignment is what we are designed to do with our lives. This is the part of life where we are designed to occupy and to function to touch humanity. This is a portion of God’s project on the earth that are meant to be carried out by God through us. All I have tried to do is to help you to have an understanding of what we mean by divine assignment.
The good news is that every one of us have a divine assignment with our names on it. Divine assignment can be political, humanitarian, ministry, industry etc. Divine assignment is not confined to the pulpit of preaching. Adam’s divine assignment was to keep and tend the garden. Abraham’s divine assignment was to connect a nation to the covenant of blessings. Moses’s divine assignment was to face Pharaoh and lead the Jews out of Egypt. Nehemiah’s divine assignment was to build the broken walls of Jerusalem. We can go on and on.
You must be able to say very clearly what your divine assignment is in life. Please accept this truth today.
CONFESSION:
I have an assignment in life. I was assigned before I was born. My life is not a mistake.
LEARN MORE: Jeremiah 1:5
PRAYER REQUEST: Lord open the eyes of everyone reading Inspiration afresh this month. Psalm 119:1
Thursday 7th September, 2023
IT’S NOT OVER
Text: “And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse.” Mark 5:26
It’s not over with you. It’s not finished, it’s not ending. It’s only a beginning with God. All things are new. If God is involved it can never be over with you. When we have done all we could in the natural and it seem nothing changed it’s easy to conclude that it’s over, but that is actually the language of the devil.
Even as you read this something is changing for you. You are closer to your miracle than you imagine. Help is coming speedily in your direction. Seasons are changing in your favour. Can you believe and declare these words over yourself.
The woman with the issue of blood had suffered so much in the hand of physicians, they had done all manner of tests on her, and she had spent so much. After all it was getting worse. It was a condition that came with all stigmas. Everyone should have given up on her-but not God.
As bad as her case was she still had a ray of hope. She saw Christ and her faith came alive. She was determined to come out of that condition. No matter what you have been through refuse to give up on your faith, it’s your lifeline to a great future. If the devil can steal your faith he has stolen everything.
Your faith is your connection to the possibilities that exist in God. Please keep it alive and active. When hope is gone life is gone; hope is the fabric that holds life together. You cannot afford to give up on your faith now. You are closer to your miracle than you can ever imagine. This woman kept her hope alive until she met Jesus; even though she had not gotten the solution from the physicians she did not give up.
CONFESSION:
It’s not over with me; God is still on the throne. He’s at work on my life. The seasons are changing in my favour.
LEARN MORE: Job 14:14, Psalm 27:13-14
Wednesday 13th September, 2023
YOU CAN’T HIDE FROM GOD
Text: “Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?” Psalm 139:7
At one time or the other in your youthful age you must have played the game of hide and seek. Children enjoy doing this a lot. This game is as old as the creation of the world. Adam was actually the first person who tried to play this game with God. He never wanted God to discover where he was hiding. It was not long that Adam met God so it’s possible he did not know that it’s a waste of time trying to hide from God. (Genesis 3:9-10)
But why will a Man try to hide away from God in the first place? It was because an obvious sin has been committed. Assuming that Adam succeeded in hiding away from God what could he have gained from that. This was God that created you in the first place; this is God that had the master plan for his existence. It was actually a useless decision to hide away from God.
Everything he needed to succeed comes from the God you were hiding away from.
From our anchor scriptures today it’s clear that none of us can hide away from God. There is no hiding place away from God. Notice the things that David said:
1 If I make my bed in hell God is there.
2 Darkness is not hidden to God.
3 Darkness and light are the same to God.
4 Where can I go out of the reach of the Spirit of God?
It’s a waste of time trying to hide away from God. Everything about your life is open and clear to God. We may think we have succeeded in hiding some details of our lives from men, but they are open to God. We must learn to come to God with all our flaws and mistakes. His arms are always open to receive us back. Instead of running away from him, let us run to him.
PRAYER:
Please make Ps 139:23-24 your prayer today.
LEARN MORE: Psalm 139:7-13, 23-24, Hebrews 4:13
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