Treasure in the House

Text: Prov 21:20
More Lessons: Matt 25:1- 13
Bible Reading in one Year: Revelation 19-22

Wisdom is one subject the writer of the book of Proverbs devoted much of his writings to, he also wrote on issues that deal with day-to-day affairs which, if learned, can go a great deal in making a man wiser and to standout. Some of those things which should characterise the life of a believer include integrity, righteousness, wisdom and the fear of God.

Our text focuses on the things which should characterise the life of a wise man, which include treasure and oil, There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up: Prov . 21:20. Every wise man has a treasure to be desired, either a quality, ability, resource, grace, etc. In Jeremiah 41:8, ten men were spared because they had resources and oil in the field when others were slayed. It is therefore wisdom to always have a treasure to be desired in your life; it will make you ever relevant and needed.

The wisdom to learn from out text includes these:
1. Don't spend up the treasure in your life before you seek to refill. (Matt. 25:3-9). One of the things that distinguishes the wise and foolish virgins is that the foolish virgins use up their oil before they seek to refill. Even if there are demands on the treasure and oil in your life, don't spend it up. Be wise.
2. When you have no more treasure and oil that men can desire, they will call you foolish, therefore give attention to your life. Don't be lost in the praise of men when your talents or abilities are at the peak. It is then you need to seek to improve yourself, that is time to do something new and better.
3. Learn to take a break to create room for reviewing and refilling. The foolish virgins are not sensitive to know the time to refill their lamps. There should be an interval to refill and re-stock. Only God should not wait, there is nothing that cannot wait to give room for you to renew and refill your treasure and oil. Even if it seems there is no time for that, it is wisdom to create the time.

Someone ones said grace is a depleting asset, it reduces with use. It is wisdom to always seek to have it renewed so that the house will be filled with treasure.

Prayer / Action
* Thank God for making provision for a stress-free life.
* Declare every life of stress and labour ended in your life.
* Proclaim the blessings of the Lord that make rich and add no sorrow a reality in your life from today

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Treasure in the House

Text: Prov 21:20
More Lessons: Matt 25:1- 13
Bible Reading in one Year: Revelation 19-22

Wisdom is one subject the writer of the book of Proverbs devoted much of his writings to, he also wrote on issues that deal with day-to-day affairs which, if learned, can go a great deal in making a man wiser and to standout. Some of those things which should characterise the life of a believer include integrity, righteousness, wisdom and the fear of God.

Our text focuses on the things which should characterise the life of a wise man, which include treasure and oil, There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up: Prov . 21:20. Every wise man has a treasure to be desired, either a quality, ability, resource, grace, etc. In Jeremiah 41:8, ten men were spared because they had resources and oil in the field when others were slayed. It is therefore wisdom to always have a treasure to be desired in your life; it will make you ever relevant and needed.

The wisdom to learn from out text includes these:
1. Don't spend up the treasure in your life before you seek to refill. (Matt. 25:3-9). One of the things that distinguishes the wise and foolish virgins is that the foolish virgins use up their oil before they seek to refill. Even if there are demands on the treasure and oil in your life, don't spend it up. Be wise.
2. When you have no more treasure and oil that men can desire, they will call you foolish, therefore give attention to your life. Don't be lost in the praise of men when your talents or abilities are at the peak. It is then you need to seek to improve yourself, that is time to do something new and better.
3. Learn to take a break to create room for reviewing and refilling. The foolish virgins are not sensitive to know the time to refill their lamps. There should be an interval to refill and re-stock. Only God should not wait, there is nothing that cannot wait to give room for you to renew and refill your treasure and oil. Even if it seems there is no time for that, it is wisdom to create the time.

Someone ones said grace is a depleting asset, it reduces with use. It is wisdom to always seek to have it renewed so that the house will be filled with treasure.

Prayer / Action
* Thank God for making provision for a stress-free life.
* Declare every life of stress and labour ended in your life.
* Proclaim the blessings of the Lord that make rich and add no sorrow a reality in your life from today

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A Privileged Labourer

Text: Matt. 20: 1- 8
More Lessons: I Cor. 15: 7 -1 1
Bible Reading in one Year: Revelation 16-18

There are several lessons to learn from the parable in our text today. Firstly, note that God will always depend on man to accomplish what He wants done on earth with regards to propagation of the gospel and every service that propagates His Kingdom. We are co-labourers with God, For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them: Eph. 2:10. For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building: I Cor. 3:9.

Few of those things to learn from today's reading are:
1. Rising early to achieve the day's task is a character of the Kingdom to which we belong. The householder going out early to recruit men to his vineyard is a habit to inculcate, And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed: Mark 1:35.
2. The primary assignment we are called to do is to work for God's Kingdom. To the group he recruited early and each of the groups recruited at the third, sixth, ninth and eleventh hours the assignment is to go and work in his vineyard. The timing may differ but the purpose is the same (I Cor. 15:7-11)
3. God will always give everyone the opportunity to contribute to His Kingdom by giving him responsibility. Our Master always recruits and He does that at His own discretion. When God chooses new hands, it does not mean He no longer needs the one who was called earlier as long as he has not disqualified himself from the assignment. Those whom He chooses later are to complement those that are there earlier.
4. Whatever God has done or not done for others should not become a problem to you in the process of serving the Lord. What He promises those that come early is considered good for them, that is why they agree to work. Be sure that, faithful is he that calleth you, who will also do it: I Thes. 5:24.
5. Another important thing to learn from our text is that God will not owe any man, ...call the labourers, and give them their hire...: Matt 20:8. There is nothing done in the Kingdom that will not be rewarded. We are likened to hire labourers, wages will be paid. There are rewards for every service we render in God’s Kingdom here on earth and much more in eternity.

Prayer / Action
* Thank God for every privilege He has given you in His Kingdom.
* Ask for grace to fulfil your God’s given responsibility.
* Pray that you will not miss the reward for your labour.

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Expressions

Text: Lk. 7:37-48
More Lessons: Lk.22:44
Bible Reading in one Year: Revelation 13-15

Expression is a look or action that conveys a thought or feeling. One of the things that we must learn as believers is that the way and intensity with which we express our heart, feelings and requests is important to God and to men. Expression plays a role in determining the effect of what you do.

There was a woman that came to give an offering to Jesus. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he (Jesus) was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment: Lk 7:37-38. This woman touched the heart of the Master not only by the offering she gave but also by the expressions of her adoration to her Saviour. When some people give offering to God they take an executive standing position and drop the offering. King David in the Bible danced and expressed his praise to God so much that the wife who felt too big felt embarrassed. It is unbecoming of you to feel too embarrassed to express yourself to your Creator in worship.

Elijah was another man that added real expression to his prayer to God, And Elijah went up to the top of Mount Carmel. And he bowed himself down on the earth and put his face between his knees: 1 King 18: 42. The man climbed up Mount Carmel, put his head in between his knees and bent over. Must he go that far for God to answer? Some people claim that it is your faith alone that is important in prayer and not the expression. Yes, faith is the key to answered prayer, but you need to add expression to your faith. Elijah was a man of faith but if you see Elijah in the place of prayer on Mount Carmel, you will know that this is a man that is serious about whatever it is that he is asking God for. There is no way God will not answer that man's prayer. Don't be nonchalant or too civilised for God in the place of prayer. Your expressions are important.

Finally let us look at the Lord Jesus Himself. And He withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed . . . And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground: Lk 22: 41-44. The expressions of Jesus Christ in the place of prayer were very powerful.

Whatever you do, be it prayer, singing, praising God, teaching or preaching, make sure you add the power of expression to it. This also includes how you greet, show love, care, concern and give to men. Don't just do a good thing as if it is a duty , add a joyful expression.

Prayer / Action
* Ask God to clothe you with the spirit of humility to be able to freely express yourself before God.
* Ask God to grant you a divine encounter with Him that will surpass yourself consciousness.

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From Prophecy to Reality

Text: Luke 2: 25- 37
More Lessons:1 Tim 1: 18
Bible Reading in one Year: Revelation 10-12

The first law of motion states that a body will remain in its state of rest or uniform motion until an external force acts on it. In other words, nothing moves or changes until something moves or changes it. I believe that this law is not just a physical but also a spiritual law. If you desire to see any change in your life, you must take responsibility for it or else it might never happen. A lot of people desire certain things from God and they assume that God would understand how much they desire it and just go ahead to do it. But it doesn't work that way. God operates by principles and you have to discover His principles before you can enjoy His faithfulness.

One of God's principles is that when a prophecy is given to you, no matter how wonderful and strong the prophesy is, if you will not do anything about it, it stays as a prophecy and will not become a reality. This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare: 1 Tim 1:18. From this scripture, we know that it is your responsibility to war and work with every prophecy that comes to you until it becomes a reality. You need to spend time meditating, confessing and praying it till it becomes a reality. Decide that whatever discipline and sacrifice it takes for what God has said concerning you to come to pass, you will give it.

It takes conscious effort on your part to enter into the inheritance that God has promised you. It takes deliberate effort in prayers and diligence for the great prophecies over your life to become active.

Several prophecies about the birth of Jesus had gone ahead for centuries but they didn't happen until some people rose up to do prayer warfare. In our first text, people like Simeon and Anna the prophetess took the responsibility to pray for the fulfilment of the birth of the Saviour. The coming of Christ could have been delayed but they catalyzed the process by their prayers. Nobody knew about these silent prayer warriors, they were unsung heroes but they left a legacy for us that when a word of prophecy goes ahead of us we must insist on Heaven to do something about the prophecy.

If a negative word of prophecy comes to you, don't go to sleep; wage war against it. Similarly, if a good word of prophecy has gone ahead of you and the enemy is preventing it, don't fold your arms and say, It will happen one day, after all God has said it. Take up the forces of the Word, fasting, prayer, faith and action and ensure you see the prophecy becomes a reality.

Prayer / Action
* Jesus, attend to me today and deliver me from the spirit behind my affliction.
* Deliver me from ignorance and grant me victory over every satanic exertion

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Lessons from King Asa

Text: 2 Chron. 16: 1-14
More Lessons: 2 Chron. 16: 9
Bible Reading in one Year: Revelation 7-9

Asa, a descendant of David, was a good king of the two-tribe kingdom of Judah. He sought God with a perfect heart (2 Chron 15:17-18) and destroyed all the images and high places of idol worship in his territory (2 Chron. 14: 2-3). When millions of Ethiopian soldiers came against his small army , he cried to God had divine intervention (2 Chron.14: 9-12). For the first thirty five years of his reign, the Lord subdued his enemies under him and he had peace and prosperity.

Then Baasha, king of the 10-tribe-northen-kingdom of Israel came against Judah; Asa had succeeded and prospered so much as king that by this time, he felt he knew how to handle any situation. Asa took gold and silver from the temple of God and sent it to the king of Syria so as to make Syria break his alliance with Israel and support Judah instead. And it worked, Ben-hadad of Syria turned from allying with the northern kingdom of Israel and attacked Israel instead. King Baasha of Israel quickly withdrew his troop from Judah. Asa was celebrating his victory when the Word of God came to rebuke him, Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubims a huge host, with very many chariots and horsemen? yet, because thou didst rely on the LORD, he delivered them into thine hand. For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him...: 2 Chron 16:8-9.

Many times when we are just starting out, we are so dependent on God for everything we do but as time goes on we become so self confident that we develop our own strategies for handling things, independent of God. Several worship leaders, teachers and preachers in the early days of their ministry would fast and pray each time they are to lead a song, preach or take a function because they feel insufficient and need God. But soon they begin to get results and become so good at doing these things that they could just come straight from any activity and go ahead and deliver wonderfully; they no longer cry to God to help them perform anymore. They knew and even the people around them knew that they could function anytime anywhere.

Then Asa had a disease in his feet; and as usual; he gathered for himself a team of competent medical doctors that he didn't see a reason to seek God for healing. It was a foot disease that killed Asa the great king. He got to a point where he thought he had grown so much that he could handle things on his own and didn't need the help of God anymore.

Prayer / Action
* Ask God for His presence always with you.
* Promise the Lord that you will not be too familiar with Him to do anything without His inspiration.
* Destroy every arrow of pride and false self-confidence in your life and ministry.
Purpose not to study the Bible, pray or wait on God only when you have an assignment.

Who Misled You?

Text: I King 13:1-24
More Lessons: Prov. 20:18.
Bible Reading in one Year: Revelation 4-6

Who are your advisers? Who are your friends? Who are the people you really listen to? Often in life, where a man is today is as a result of who his advisers are. Advisers determine the road map of your destiny; they tell you whether you should go to the right or to the left. Having advisers is not bad but there are bad and evil advisers; in fact, the Bible says: ...in the multitude of counsellors there is safety: Prov. 11:14. But know that, if a fool counsels you, you are going to land where you may regret.
Wrong advisers can make a father to hate his children, they can make a father to use his child for rituals. Wrong advisers break a home; they are capable of creating enemies among friends, homes, church members, even a whole country to collapse through their advise.

If you hand over your life to a wrong adviser, everything in your life and destiny will be wrong. If you run your home through wrong advisers, if how you run your home is dependent on what those wrong adviser tell you, then, the journey you have embarked on is a journey without assurance of safe landing; it is a journey without future. You may never get there because there is a wrong adviser in your affair.

Can you quickly flash back. Was there a time when your father told you to face your studies and do away with those your friends that used to drink and smoke, but you told him to forget and you took to the counsel of your friends? Could that be the reason why you are where you are today? The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise: Prov. 12:15. The kind of counsel that you listen to is the kind of shape that your destiny will form.

It is time for you to begin to hearken unto God's voice. Now is the time for you to begin to hear the voice of God through the man of God that God has set over you otherwise, the devil will pick you up and mislead you. It does not cost him anything; in fact, he is in the ministry of leading people to wrong direction that they may never be fulfilled.

There are so many things that indicate that you are being misled: Whenever you ignore any godly advise, then you have just misled yourself. Any time you prefer your friends’ advice to your godly parents’ advice, then you have just done a business transaction with the devil to mislead you. You have just told the devil to take proper control of your life and destiny. Nobody has misled you so far; you misled yourself by disregarding every godly counsel that came your way. I hope its not too late for you like it was for Esau; pray to God today.

Prayer / Action
* Pray that you will not fall into evil counsel in the name of good company .
* Ask God for the spirit of discernment to be able to avoid evil ways and counsel.
* Pray that God will not hand you over to lying spirits.

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When Jesus was Born

Text: Matt. 2:1-12
More Lessons: John 1:29
Bible Reading in one Year: Revelation 1-3

Christmas celebration is always full of fun and joy. At Christmas, people go out of their way to make sure they are happy. New clothing, house painting, shopping, carol services and different other ways of expressing joy are always on display. But the contrary was the case when Jesus, the object of our celebration at Christmas, was born. The whole world could not unanimously welcome Him because He did not come the way the world was expecting; He came in the way He could solve the problem of the world. He came a Saviour, born in the lowest place, looking so helpless to identify with our situations. Jesus came to forgive us. Lewis says “forgiveness from Jesus Christ is like a tape-recording of your life wiped completely clean”. This is exactly what Jesus came to do, and He did it; when Jesus was born, God gave all we need in one package called Jesus Christ.

Although when Jesus was born, the world could not celebrate His birth as we do today . Certain men had full details of what he came to do. Some examples are:
1. The Sheperds: Lk.2:8-13,
2. The wise men: Matt.2:1-12 says ...where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him: This group of people from the east saw the star of Jesus, followed it and brought gifts; GOLD which signifies his kinship and the best, FRANKINCENSE which is a symbol of prayer, a desire to communicate with God and a symbol of entering into a relationship with Him, MYRRH which is also a symbol of death acknowledging what He came to do.
3. Herod: Herod having been told the purpose Jesus was born sought Him to kill Matt. 2:4-8, says, …Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also: v8. Herod decided to kill Jesus, but he could not. And because Herod could not kill Jesus, Christianity cannot be stopped. Even though some church buildings are sometimes burnt, the church will remain.

All these people did what they knew to do when Jesus was born. And as we celebrate the birth of Christ again, what will you do about it? The shepherd heard the tidings of His birth, they went and spread the glad tiding. The wise men brought Him gifts. Herod sought to kill Him. Do something about the birth of the Messiah today. Happy Christmas to you, in Jesus’ name.

Prayer / Action
* Give God praise for sending a messiah to redeem us all-once and for all.
* Ask God for grace to spread the good news of the saviour-king to all. Brace yourself, win a soul for the saviour today.

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Distraction III

Text: II Sam. 1 1:1-2
More Lessons: Jam.1:21-25
Bible Reading in one Year: Jeremiah 49-52

Let me begin with this truth. In the grave yards today, you will find many bodies of people who had gone down to the grave prematurely because the devil distracted them. World leaders are among them, presidents, governors, prime ministers, ambassadors, great men of God and many others are there in the grave. The bullets of the enemy got them and they could not fulfill their God-given destiny.

There are governors today who are supposed to be pastors and there are pastors today too who are supposed to be governors. Quickly trace it back and check where exactly the enemy got you. There are many business men today who are so confused and are not finding fulfilment because they yielded to wrong calls. Know this for sure that, whenever God calls you, the devil will also call you and his aim is to distract you. If you yield to his call, you will never get where you are going to.

There are pastors today who were meant to be missionaries and there are evangelists who were supposed to be bishops. There are bishops today who were supposed to be arch bishops. You can keep on and on, the list is very long. But I want to ask you “Don't you think that the devil has succeeded in distracting you by the reason of where you are today? Don't you think you are a local champion where you are today? You are the local government chairman of your area today in your state, don't you think you were supposed to be the president of that country?

Don't go to the grave without fulfilment. It doesn't matter the distraction of the enemy in your life, you can make it again. May be you are a car mechanic today and hardly can you get 1000 naira in a day to feed your family. All you need to do is to trace the track back and identify where the enemy got you and be who the Lord has ordained you to be. There are so many market women today selling all manners of goods but among them are supposed presidents wives, doctors,ministers, virtous wives and so on. But sometimes ago, in the course of life journey , the enemy distracted them and they were not careful enough, so they fell victim of distraction and are where they are today . They are now mean women in the market working like donkeys and will do with very little to result. Except you consistently look into the perfect law, you will not be able to overcome the distraction of the enemy.

Prayer / Action
* Rebuke every force and agent of distraction in your destiny.
* Ask God to forgive and restore you wherever you have missed it in life.
* Ask God to defend your destiny by the power of His Word and Spirit.

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Distraction II

Text: Judg. 16:1-16
More Lessons: Prov. 2:16-20
Bible Reading in one Y ear: Jeremiah 45-48

I have seen great destiny fall before, I have seen men of strength becoming a vegetable before their enemies. I have seen men that even the devil was at a time scared if they will not pull down his kingdom, collapse at the verge of finishing their assignment on earth. One thing that so many Christians have failed to realize is that, the devil is a perfect man in the department of consistency, he never gives up but Christians go to bed and sleep all through. When you are sleeping, he is working against you. When you are outside spiritual exercise, he never gives up. Delilah was one major distraction in the life of Samson that never gave up, she was a representative of Satan on earth in the life of Samson. And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death; Judg. 16:16. The kingdom of hell was not happy about the work that God was doing through the hand of Samson, if you remember , I told you yesterday that the devil does not go after mere people, not after the fools but after the wise. So, Delilah was sent to make sure the work stops. Who is that Delilah in your life that is ready to satisfy you with sin? Won't you run away, won't you rebuke her now so that you can fulfill that God's ordained assignment in your hands?

Will you not take a cognizance look at those things that are pressing you and calling you to insult God? ...Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die: Job. 2:9. What will be your answer to them? Job did not bend to that distraction, he gave a reply immediately: But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh... Job. 2:10.

What is your answer today to the distracters and the distractions of your life? Are you condoling them? The aim and future of every distraction is destruction. The consistency of the devil in the place of distraction can ruin your many years achievement. Or if you are on your way to success, you might never get there. When the enemy succeeds in distracting you, he has just succeeded in stealing the map of your destiny, you will never get there; you will only be working and never be anything in life. Be wise today and wake up from your sleep. Get angry from within you and rebuke the devil. All those women around you, telling you things that will make you draw back from God are distracters. You think they love you, no sir, they are there to accomplish a mission, there is a need for you to take to your heel now. Don't be like Samson who felt he had all the power to resist Delilah, be wise now. Abstain from all appearance of evil. I Tim. 5:22. It doesn't have to be evil, if it looks like it run and run now. Tomorrow I will be telling you about certain destinies that have been exchanged in the place of distraction.

Prayer / Action
* Ask God to deliver you from every pressure meant to derail your destiny.
* Ask God to destroy from your life every evil relationship and company that are set by hell to destroy your future.
*Ask God to open your inner eye to discover and recover anytime you are going wrong.

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Distraction I

Text: I Kgs. 1 1:1-9
More Lessons: Matt. 16:21-23
Bible Reading in one Year: Jeremiah 41-44

Brethren, I urge you at this moment to vividly look at everything around your life, is there anything that stands as a distraction? Everything in your life that is taking your heart far away from God is a distraction. The most painful thing is that, sometimes a man is being distracted by the enemy and he doesn't know it. Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not: yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not: Hos. 7:9. The devil does not bring distraction to any mean man. He doesn't distract a fool because he is already in his net. He doesn't bother about a man whose focus is tampered with already. He doesn't worry himself about people who are already heading towards destruction but his utmost concern is about a focused child of God.

If you don't prepare against the day of distraction, the net of distraction will catch you. Distraction is like a man who went to market to buy soap to wash his clothes but as soon as he got there, he forgot what he went there to do. He began to pay attention to the noise of the market. He might end up buying sugar instead of soap. The aim of distraction is to completely change your primary aim; it is to give you fake and take the original away from you. That is why there is no man who wants to attain a higher level of success that the devil will not raise his ugly head against to bring him down by any means. You can never lose focus in life except you are first distracted. Distraction is one of the most powerful tools of the devil that he uses in destroying people's destiny. If he cannot distract you, he cannot get you.

What killed Solomon was distraction. If Solomon did not marry many wives, his heart wouldn't have been turned away from God. When Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God...: I Kgs. 11:4.

The reason why you are behaving the way you are behaving today is because something has distracted you away from God. The reason why you are no longer finding fulfilment in your destiny is because there are strange women that you have allowed in your destiny and except you chase them out by yourself, they will succeed completely in turning away your heart from God and make you zero.

Prayer / Action
* Ask God to help you stay on your purpose in life and destiny.
* Ask God to help you dismantle every picture before you that is a wrong direction for your life.
* Ask God to help you hear and see only things that are your purpose in life.

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Disengaging the Enemy

Text: Matt 17: 14-21
More Lessons: Ezra 8:21-23
Bible Reading in One Year: Jeremiah 37-40

Today, I want to give you some weapons for disengaging the enemy and enforcing victory in any situation. Prayer is a weapon of mass destruction on the camp of the enemy. By prayer you can change night to day. When everything has failed, prayer will get the job done. Although Jesus is God, He always took time to pray while on earth and each time He stepped out of the place of prayer, something happened.

When you add fasting to prayers, then things begin to happen at a high level. There are certain spiritual matters concerning you which won't get anywhere with until you have engaged the power of fasting; this is a tested fact. No wonder Jesus started ministry only after 40 days of fasting and prayer.

Another weapon is speaking in tongues. It is a powerful tool for disengaging the enemy. Many people think speaking in tongues is a religious act to be done only in church or when believers are gathered around them. No, praying in the Holy Ghost is a weapon anywhere, anytime. When you pray in the Holy Ghost, fire is emitted out of you and that gets the whole kingdom of darkness confused.
I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Matt 3:11.

The devil does not understand tongues because it is a direct interaction between you and God. When you engage in speaking in tongues, you are not in charge anymore, the Spirit begins to instruct you on what has to be done about the situation. When matters are confusing and there seems to be no direction anymore, just go ahead and pray in the Holy Ghost.

I was in a meeting where after we had prayed, sang and done everything, it looked as if the heavens were closed with brass. You could feel in the atmosphere that the presence of God was absent. When I was called up, I said, 'Lord, what do we do now? By inspiration, I said, 'Every one begin to pray in the Holy Ghost and if you can't speak in tongues just shout, ''The Blood of Jesus''.

By the time we entered into that dimension of praying in tongues, two young ladies fell on the ground, rolling and shouting that they entered a blood covenant to disrupt our meeting just before coming. I have heard several more experiences of such divine interventions while speaking in tongues.

Next time when all things seem hopeless and confusing, just open your mouth and pray in the Holy Ghost. It is not just ordinary speaking, it is fire! In fact, I recommend that you spend a minimum of one hour everyday just speaking in tongues start today.

Prayer / Action
* Ask God to baptise you afresh with the Holy Ghost.
* Ask God to rekindle His Spirit upon you in a double fold.
* Command every enemy's position in your life to be terminated today by the fire of the Holy Ghost..

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Plant your own Seed

Text: Gen. 8:22
More Lessons: Zech. 10: 1
Bible Reading in one Year: Jeremiah 33-36

It pleases Jehovah that we plant today what we want to harvest this year. We want to plant seeds of promotion, increase, appointment, jubilation, federal jobs, scholarship, fellowship, award, contract, breakforths and breakthroughs. How are we going by it? Just one way, we will announce it. Our seed planting is by announcement, by speaking, by prophetic declaration. Everyone will harvest what he or she has planted. Psa 81:10 (GNB) says …Open your mouth, and I will feed you: Pro 18:21 says, Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. That means every man reaps a harvest of the fruit with which he is fed, by the words of his mouth.

The passage we read says, while the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, … shall not cease. The earth remains and as a result seedtime shall not cease. If you don't sow, harvest is not expected. Seedtime implies that there is a time that sowing is done; there is a time to sow maize, that is the seedtime for maize and this also goes for other crops. A research on the topic: “Corn Planting and Harvest Seasons”, says that corn crops around the world have their unique production cycles of planting and harvest time frames. In the United States, corn crops are planted between April and June, and harvested between October and November. In China corn is planted mid- March through early June and harvested mid- August through October. And in Brazil, corn crops are planted early August through November and harvested February through May. This shows that each region has its own time for planting.

The seedtime is the set time and like the Psalmist said in Psa. 102:13 ... the set time is come. It means if Zion should miss that set time, they will have to wait for the cycle to return before they can be favoured. Also, in Zech. 10: 1, the Bible says, Ask ye of the LORD rain in the time of the latter rain; so the LORD shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain. This further proves that there is a time that God has set aside for men to do things and if they are not aware of that time, they remain in their state of delusion. Jesus wept over Jerusalem and declared woe unto them because they didn't know the hour of their visitation.

There is a time for planting and I announce to you that today is your planting time. This is the time to plant, so open your mouth and begin to plant all the seeds you want to harvest this year.

Prayer / Action
* Raise a song of praise to God for being the God of harvest and thank Him for the opportunity to declare a Word.
Take a Scripture promise that is relevant to your request before God and confess it all through the day. Here are some: Isa. 45:1-3, Psa. 91:1-10, Psa. 121:1-8, 3Jn.2

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Prayer Pillars

Text: Acts 4:23-31
More Lessons: Jam.5:17-18
Bible Reading in One Year: Jeremiah 30-32

A pillar is a load carrier in a building or structure. Without strong pillars, a great house or structure cannot stand. A pillar, therefore, is the main strength of a structure. A pillar is called by whatever material it is made of, hence you have concrete pillar, pillar of cloud, pillar of prayer, wooden pillar, etc.
Like any strong building, the Church of Jesus needs strong pillars, one of which is prayer pillar. The prayer pillar in any church is the intercessor, individual or group. The New Testament Church did not survive without it and no church of God today can survive without it. A church is strong to the extent of its intercessors or individuals lifting the church or its pastors up in prayer because the work of God moves on the wings of intercession. Therefore, where there is no intercessor the work drags and suffers great setback no matter what else is done.

The glory of the New Testament Church is her prayer pillar. The early Church prayed:
1. in every watch hour (Acts 3:1).
2. as an apostolic band (Acts 4:23-31).
3. and the building shook (Acts 4:31).
4. and the earth quaked (Acts 16:25-26).
5. and the prison doors opened (Acts 12:1-11).
6. a without ceasing (Acts 6:4).
7. until something happened (Acts12:5).
8. and changed the world (Acts 17:6).

The greatest need of the Church today is that of men and women who will raise prayers up to Heaven for the Church and her pastors. Are you one of them? The recruitment exercise is still on; join those who lift Moses’ hands up and not those who criticise everything that is done in church. Whatever we do for the church or in a church building has eternal reward.

Prayer / Action
* Pray that God will use you as an intercessor to make a difference in your church and in the world.
* Pray that God will raise faithful intercessors to pray for your church, world evangelism and for your spiritual leaders.
* Make a covenant never to close your church service, family altar or personal prayer time without a prayer for your spiritual leader.

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War with your Word of Promise

Text: Isa. 62:4-7
More Lessons: Mk. 4:11-20, 1 Tim 1:18
Bible Reading in one Year: Jeremiah 27-29

Yesterday, we began to see that God is pleased to call us His wife, not in the natural perspective, but in the sense of taking responsibility over our lives and destiny the same way a husband would for his wife. But there is an issue, and that is the fact that this is a promise and promises must go through a process for them to be fulfilled. On your walls, Jerusalem, I have placed sentries; They must never be silent day or night. They must remind the LORD of his promises and never let him forget them. (Isa. 62:6 (GNB).

They must give Him no rest until He restores Jerusalem and makes it a city the whole world praises. Verse 6 says we must keep watch over the promise in prayers until it is fulfilled. As beautiful as the promise is, we must have an understanding that there is what we are to do- remind the Lord and never let Him forget His promises. Is God forgetful? No, how can he!

So why remind Him? We remind Him because that is how the realm of promises has been designed. Paul speaks about warring with prophecies in 1 Tim 1:18 (GNB) saying, Timothy , my child, I entrust to you this command, which is in accordance with the words of prophecy spoken in the past about you. Use those words as weapons in order to fight well. God's promises are weapons with which we fight a good fight. If you relax because God has spoken, you are ignorant of the demographics of the workings of words in the realm of the spirit.

The Word will always come as a seed, that is the first point you must understand and every seed that is planted will require cultivation. For a good farmer , the day you break the bush is not the beginning; you don't count harvest day until the seed enters the ground. God is the sower, but you are to cultivate and nurture what is planted. The way you cultivate your land will determine how much yield you get, which is the reason some people in Jesus’ example had thirtyfold while others had sixty and hundred folds. Remind God of what He has said by nurturing the seed He has planted and defending the land where it is planted; that is, your heart. You must guard your heart with all diligence for that is the target of the enemy.
Secondly, I want you to take note of the word, Satan cometh immediately…: this is a serious matter. Realize that Satan is always looking for ways to disrupt God's programme, which is the reason Jesus called him Satan, meaning adversary. There is an adversary that must be placed where he belongs, so Paul says we should war with the words that we have received. And in Isa. 62, the Bible says to give God no rest, which implies persistence and consistence in following up the Word that the Lord has spoken. What you do with the Word determines what becomes of you eventually.

Prayer /Action
* Ask God to help you persist in prayer until the Word is performed in your life.
* Pray that the Word of God in your mouth will not miss its target.
* Pray that the heavens will not rest until the promise becomes a reality .

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God's Wife not Forsaken

Text: Isa. 62: 4
More Lessons: Isa. 43:1-4
Bible Reading in one Year: Jeremiah 24-26

When God takes delight in you, it means that you become the King's favourite and whatever belongs to the King is available to you. When the Lord delights in a man therefore, he cannot be forsaken or forgotten. So, for you to be called the Lord's delight is higher than any other precious name. This year, the Lord shall delight in you and your land shall be married.

I don't know if you've ever given attention to that word- “...and thy land shall be married”? It means that whatever looks like you are being delayed or abandoned, God is ready to turn around. “Your land shall not be forsaken” can only mean that your life will receive divine attention. Every area of your life where you are experiencing loneliness and emptiness shall receive a filling from God. Your testimony is about to change because God's promise to you is valid and nothing can stop it . The Goodnews Bible Translation renders the verse this way: Your land will be called "Happily Married," Because the LORD is pleased with you And will be like a husband to your land. This further points to the fact that God is taking responsibility over your life like a husband that is happily married to his wife. So you can be assured that God is with you at all times; you cannot but be confident. Can you imagine your being “God's wife”? The wife of a president is held in high esteem as is her husband. How much more you that God has called His wife; you cannot be less than what God has made you to be- “happily married”.

A land that is married is fruitful and productive. If God says He delights in you, it means for instance that if you are supposed to have had three children by now and you are yet to have even one, He can give you four at once. It is not too much for Jehovah because He says, …and thy land shall be married. I have not stopped believing God for what He can do. You will be disappointed in me if you expect that one day I will announce that I have waited and I am tired. God forbid! Until I see Him face to face, I will keep believing Him that good days are here.

You are stepping into a miracle that the enemy cannot reverse. No demonic eraser can touch it, in Jesus’ name. We are stepping into a dangerous dimension of fruitfulness in every area of our lives that the enemy cannot stop. I want you to know that there is a seed of greatness that God has planted in us and no devil can uproot it. Rejoice, wife of God, for your land is happily married and not forsaken. Face today with this confidence that you are “married” to God and He is with you all of the time.

Prayer / Action
* Give God praise for being the Hope of the hopeless, the Peace of the restless, and the Assurance of the downcast.
* T ell God that you have absolute confidence in His promises for your future and will never give up on God no matter the negativity around.

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Make a Demand on Heaven

Text: Neh.2:1-6
More Lessons: Matt.7:7
Bible Reading in One Year: Jeremiah 21-23

Occasionally in life, you are opportuned to stand before great people and you are asked, What can I do for you? It is usually an opportunity to make a great request but sometimes you mess it up and ask for peanuts. Nehemiah stood before the king and asked for permission and help to return and rebuild the broken walls of Jerusalem; he got it, … So it pleased the king t o send me;…. v6. Herodias’ daughter, prompted by her mother, stood before Herod and asked, ...Give me here John Baptist's head in a charger . And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath's sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her: Matt.14:8-9.

She got it. Elisha asked Elijah for a hard thing and got it (2kgs.2:10-14). Solomon, himself a king, had the rear privilege of being urged by not less than the King of kings to make a request; he got it: Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honour: Chron.1:7-12.

When you know how to make your request to Jehovah, it is as good as standing before the Almighty God Himself and it is an opportunity to ask for the great desires of your life. Each time you notice the presence of God in a place, either a worship time in or out of church; or an unusual presence of God's glory all around you, it is as good as hearing God say, What can I do for you? Never let such opportunity pass you by; make a request, step into a great worship or anything that will make you a partaker of the glory of the divine presence.

Today , write a prayer request of the greatest desires of your heart; create an atmosphere of God's presence by praise and worship (singing) or by prayer, and present your requests to the King of kings, then expect an answer . Just as others got answers, you too will today. Thus saith the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me: Isa. 45:11.

Prayer / Action
* Thank God for the honour and blessing of being allowed into His presence.
* Ask God to grant your desires by His greatness.
* Rebuke every barrier and road block to your answer.
* Declare that your pain will become a testimony today.
* Thank God for the answers.

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Serve the Lord with Joy and Gladness

Text: Deut. 28:47
More Lessons: Is. 12:3, Neh. 8:10
Bible Reading in one Year: Jeremiah 17-20

Before God, certain matters are concluded by our actions and the posture of our hearts. From the passage we read, it is clear that if you don't serve God with joyfulness of heart, you will serve your enemies; it is not negotiable. If you don't serve God with expression of joy and gladness, you will become a cursed child but if you do, you are blessed.

While I was ministering one day, I made a declaration: “The Lord is lifting someone here above his colleagues”. Everybody shouted, ‘Amen’, but a lady was there, who did not only shout, but also jumped on top of her chair to say the amen to demonstrate how she will be higher than everyone when the lifting comes. That word did not fall to the ground; today, she is lifted all round. She testifies today of a home, children, and millions in assets. She simply served God with joy and excitement; she looked like a crazy fellow that day-jumping at a prophetic word but she is a testifier today. So if you can express yourself with joy and gladness in the presence of God in whatever way you can, with joy and gladness, you will surely be blessed. \

There are believers who serve the Lord just for service sake. This could be because they have prayed over certain issues in their lives and are yet to receive answers. They attend every meeting called in church but deep inside of them, they are not joyful. God was speaking here to the children of Israel who were yet to enter their promised land, in answer to their prayers. Though they were still following and doing all that was expected of them, God's score card for all they were doing showed that they didn't do it with gladness. As a result they were cursed; they were committed into the hands of their enemies. Friend, you must understand that God is faithful and whoever will come to Him must believe that He is and is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him.

Never allow the devil to tamper with your joy because the joy of the Lord is your strength and with joy shall you draw water out of the well of salvation. Serve God with gladness, whether He answers your prayer or not. God is seeking those who love Him for who He is, and not for things He can give. Most times, God delays in giving us things we desire the most just to prove our hearts. You pray, fast, and do many other activities, but in all these things God is looking at your heart and checking if it is for love, and if it is with joy and gladness. A generation of believers who just love God and serve Him with joy regardless of their conditions must arise. Will you be a part of this generation?

Prayer / Action
* Lord, I give you thanks and glory with all my heart; I will live to praise and serve you with joy.
* Lord, grant me beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.
* Rebuke every evil force of downcastness and depression in your destiny.

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Breakthrough

Text: Mark 2:1-12
More Lessons: Psa.40:1-4
Bible Reading in One Year: Jeremiah 13-16

Unlimited blessings and all-round fruitfulness are the will of God for all His children. But by experience, it is clear that it does not just happen. An advancement or recovery in life depends largely on how you handle your troubles and failures. The world looks like a thicket of troubles and uncertainties and finding one's way in it requires certain things.

Breakthrough is one of the things that cannot be achieved or sought for casually, but by continual strong desire and labour. 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. In other words, for believers in Christ Jesus, breakthrough and success come by our relationship with God and what we do with the opportunities He creates for us. When you have an opportunity to serve, breakthrough comes. When people struggle and manage in life, it is because they are yet to break through. May you have breakthrough in all your endeavours, in Jesus' name. When you have a desire, you must make a decision. To overcome obstacles of life; strong decisions must follow the desire to have breakthrough.

There are vital lessons of life from what the friends of the man attacked with palsy did. First, if the door is shut against you, you can create your own way (v .4). Sometimes you have problems getting to what you want because there is no access through the generally known way. The men in our text removed the roof (v.4). If you want to have breakthrough, you must be ready to go contrary to the normal; do the unpopular and unusual to find a way where others cannot. Second, be ready to let go something in order to break through, …and when they had broken it up,….v4. For the people to have access to Jesus they broke the roof; that is, confront the obstacles to your desire for the joy of fulfilment; be ready to sacrifice something. Third, to have a breakthrough you must recognise opportunities and take advantage of them. Fourth, v5 of our text says, When Jesus saw their faith…. This means it is the labour as a result of faith that can bring breakthrough.

A Christian shows his faith by his works; For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also: Jam.2:26. God always wants you to wrestle and not turn away when you are confronted with obstacles, so He invites you to bring your strong reasons. Jacob was a good example, he had to wrestle to win. (Gen. 32:24 - 28). Here, Jacob prevailed and broke through. You also will prevail and break through all troubles and hindrances, in Jesus' name.

Prayer / Action
* Oh Lord, open my eyes to the ways and agents of my breakthrough, in Jesus' name.
* Lord, I receive the power to wrestle in the process of breakthrough, in Jesus' name.
* I prophesy that I will break through as Jacob did.

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Provoking the Extraordinary

Text: 2 Chron. 1: 6-7
More Lessons: 2 Kgs. 3:26
Bible Reading in one Year: Jeremiah 9-12

God required offerings and burnt sacrifices from His people in the Old Testament and several people offered to God every now and then. But Solomon did something that was extra-ordinary and so he got an extra-ordinary result. In the scriptures we read, Solomon went up to the altar and offered a thousand burnt offerings unto the Lord. He was actually required to offer one burnt offering by law but he decided to give a thousand, And Solomon went up thither to the brasen altar before the LORD, which was at the tabernacle of the congregation, and offered a thousand burnt offerings upon it: v6. He went an extra thousand times beyond the ordinary requirement, no wonder he provoked the extraordinary from the Lord.

There are some dimensions of giving and sacrifice that you make and God in heaven will be moved immediately to do something beyond the ordinary for you. In that night did God appear unto Solomon, and said unto him, Ask what I shall give thee: 2 Chron 1:7. God could not wait till the next morning. That same night, God came to ask Solomon what he wanted that much that made him to sacrifice so much. When he asked for what he needed; God must have said, 'You gave extra above what I requested of you; I also will give extra above what you request of me.' So God gave him far above what he asked. He got the extraordinary.

Some people set out or budget a token every month to give the Lord and then change it into many low currencies. They strictly make sure that their gifts to the Lord do not exceed that which they have set aside. Friend, you can't harvest where you didn't sow. How well you sow also determines how well you will harvest. But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully: 2 Cor 9:6.

The king of Moab, Abraham and even God Himself went the extraordinary mile sacrificing their first and best sons for an extraordinary result and they didn’t miss it. Only the best can reproduce the best, both within and outside of God’s Kingdom.

Prayer / Action
* Give thanks to God for not hiding from us the secrets of breakthrough.
* Ask God for grace to be a giver and sower.
* Pray that your sacrifices and sowings will find instant results like Abraham and Solomon.

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The Manifest Glory

Text: Heb 12: 26-29
More Lessons: Ex 19: 16-25
Bible Reading in one Year: Jeremiah 6-8

One dimension to the glory of God is that it is the visible manifestation of God. God's glory is the clear and obvious evidence of God presence in a situation. It makes everybody know for sure that God is involved or present in the matter. This explanation is not to make you have the impression that the glory of God is just a cloud, an imagination or some physical phenomenon. Of course, when God comes to manifest Himself visibly to you, that's glory; but the point is that the glory of God is God showing up in your situation. When you seek the glory of God, you are seeking for the manifestation of God. May God manifest Himself to you, in the Name of Jesus.

In Exodus 19, God visibly visited His people, and the whole universe; the whole creation began to tremble. That's God manifesting Himself. People were warned not to come around the glory lest they be destroyed. The manifest glory of God is a dangerous weapon against every enemy, situation and mountain that confronts you.

Also, in the New Testament, Paul and Silas were in the prison, and as they sang and gave praise, the Bible says there was an earthquake. The place quaked, the chains were broken; that is the visible manifestation of the glory of God. There are certain prisons of life that can only be terminated by the visible manifestation of the glory of God. When certain matters become impossible in your life, ask for the visible manifestation of the glory of God. When He shows up, there is thunder, lightning and earthquake against your enemies.

The Hebrew word for glory is Kabod and it literally means weight. The glory of God is weighty; so when the enemy or situations perplex you throw the glory of God (the manifestation of God) upon/to them and you will see that they can't handle it. When the enemy rises against you, don't fidget or panic. Just invoke the glory of God. The glory brings you courage, boldness and power and it also threatens and destroys the enemy. It announces to the world that God is present and made manifest in your situation.

Prayer / Action
* Worship God for who He is in all creation.
* Ask for His weight of glory over every situation of your life.
* Declare that God will manifest His glory in everything that concerns you this year.

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Prayer Warfare

Text: Psalm 35: 1
More Lessons: I Thes. 1:6
Bible Reading in one Year: Jeremiah 3-5

A long time ago, I confronted some demonic people in a village and then they came to my window and cried a traditional song called the dirge- a song for the dead. I grew up partly in a traditional environment so I know what it means when they come to sing a dirge for a living person; they were indirectly telling me, 'You are a dead man!” I didn't keep quiet; I called my wife to be a witness as I pronounced judgment on the man that sang the song. I said, 'The man that did this will die in 21 days.' That man did not survive it. If I kept quiet and folded my hands, maybe you will not have the preacher that I am today.
In Psalm 35, David uttered some prayers against his strong enemies that sought to destroy his life. Plead my cause oh Lord with them that strive with me. Fight against them that fight against me.... These prayers are written in the Scripture, which reveal God's will and are authored by the Holy Spirit. So it is God's will to raise spiritual altars of prayer and fight those who fight you. It is God's will to come to your help by using His shield, buckler and spear against those that seek to destroy your soul. Some people say that this type of prayer of warfare is wrong and it is prayed only some believers and denominations that are fanatical.

It is scriptural to wage war in prayers to destroy anything that wants to destroy you. You should activate the scriptures over your life by confessing and praying scriptures of warfare against everything working against you and then your joy, gladness and prosperity will come. Let them be ashamed and brought to confusion together that rejoice at mine hurt: let them be clothed with shame and dishonour that magnify themselves against me. Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the LORD be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant. And my tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praise all the day long: Ps 35:26-28.

When you wage war in prayers and overcome, then your joy and prosperity come and your prayer of warfare becomes prayers of praise. You have a right in God to send back to sender any arrow an enemy sends again you. In fact, if they shoot you in one way, tell God to shoot them in seven ways: The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways: Deut 28:7.

Prayer / Action
*Give thanks to God for being the Father that can defend His children.
* Pray that no enemy will gain an upper hand against you in destiny.
Use the following scriptures in prayer today at either 10 am, 12 noon, 1pm or 6pm -Psa.35:1, Psa. 18:29, 37-44.

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A Good Result

Text: Heb.11:2
More Lessons: Gen. 1:31
Bible Reading in One Year: Jeremiah 1-2

Good results are positive impacts and achievements. The issue is about having something to show for your labour, being outstanding among equals; it is achieving, prevailing, impacting, conquering and being a champion. The word 'good' denotes that there are certain achievements in life that are negative. This implies that not every result is positive; there are results people call good but which are not. For example, it is good to be wealthy but a man who made money by dubious means does not have a good result. Bagging a first class degree is a good result but a first class got by cheating is not a good result. Having good result is not just in having an achievement but in having an achievement that is positive.
It is possible to have good result. The best things should be done by God's children; electricity, cars, the telephone and many other scientific exploits were by Christians. The best universities in the world started as Christian universities. The best university today on this side of Africa is a private Christian university. The first private university in Nigeria was established by a Christian bishop.

Being a Christian is not about living pitiably. The God you serve is not one to be pitied, so you must not be. Redemption, salvation and righteousness are about showing off the beauty and glory of your God who created the sun, the moon, the stars. We are called to represent the glory of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who calls those things that be not as though they were, and they answer Him. The whole of creation is a proof of a God of good result. This beautiful world, including you, is a product of Jehovah's good result, for you are beautifully and wonderfully made.

Therefore, His greatest desire is that all His products will also in turn be a source of good result. He wants you to do great things; be an inventor, a ruler , a great mover, an achiever (III Jn. 2). He has also given you promises on how to achieve this: Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not: Jer .33:3. The age of thinking that Christianity is for mediocrities and the weak has passed: therefore, think great, act great, prepare great. Go for the great things from today and I see God helping you to achieve them according to His promise: Thou shalt know also that thy seed shall be great...: Job 5:25.

Prayer / Action
* Before you go out today, anoint yourself for good result, breakthrough and help.
* Prophesy to your destiny to stay above every spirit of smallness.
* Ask the Spirit of God to fall upon you today and produce a God-kind of life.
* Proclaim yourself a celebrity in destiny by the power of God.

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The Royal Wedding Gown

Text: Matt.22:2-13
More Lessons: Rev. 16:15
Bible Reading in one Year: 2 Timothy 1-4

Wedding day is a very important day and event of life. Everyone’s wish is to make it special and memorable; everything has to be beautiful and grand. Moreover, what the bride and groom wear really matters. Wedding day is not a time to be nude and indecent as some people think.

Part of a tract about a girl who was privileged to do her wedding shopping in the US reads: “I tried up to five beautiful wedding gowns before making my final choice. I settled for a tube-like gown that had a small jacket on it”. That night, she had a dream that a man in a silk robe sat in front of her and began to chat her up.
Stranger: Why did you choose that wedding gown?
Me: It was the one that fitted me best.
Stranger: Do you know that half of your breasts was revealed when you wore it?
Me: But there is a jacket to cover the exposed part of my breast.
Stranger: When you get to the reception, will you not remove the jacket?
Me: Removing the jacket at the reception is the fun of the gown.
Stranger: With your breasts out for public consumption?
Me: But we would have left church.
Stranger: At the reception, will there not be unbelievers there who will blaspheme my name? Those who will say, “See what she is wearing, and she calls herself a Christian”
Me: People don't think like that anymore, moreso it is this tube-like gown that are reigning now.
Stranger: You seem to be adamant on wearing the tube.... What if I ask you to return it and pick a decent one, that covers the upper part of your body?
Me: But I like this one I'm not sure I want o return it
Stranger: You are my precious daughter and I know you would not like to hurt me just as I would not like to hurt you.
Me: Who are you, please?
Stranger: I am the Holy Spirit, and your body is my temple, holy and I will keep my temple your marriage holy. I will also keep your body holy. If you insist on wearing it, can you cope with breast cancer?
I woke up sweating. By mid-day, I returned the gown to pick one that would not expose my breast.

In that shop, she met the daughter of a very popular king in Nigeria, who did not even go to the section of tube styles. When she asked her why she did not try the tube styles, she said, “My father says that royalty does not dress indecently”. This story teaches some eternal lessons. from the Holy Spirit: 1) Royalty does not dress indecently. 2) Every believer is born of King Jesus and so is royal.

Prayer / Action
* Repent of all forms of indecency whether in word or in deed.
* Ask God to purge you of every mentality that is inconsistent with the divine royalty in Christ Jesus.
* Declare that your mind is conformed to the mind of Christ.

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God's Best

Text: Col. 1:9-12
More Lessons: Matt. 6:32-33
Bible Reading in one Year: 1 Timothy 4-6

Immediately man was created, God gave him His best as we can see in Gen.1:26-30. Man was not supposed to struggle to have the best of all things. But immediately sin entered into the garden, man lost the divine provision. Moreover through the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross to save mankind from eternal destruction, all God's provision was channelled through the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, it is only those who are in Christ Jesus that can have God's best. Being in Christ is belonging to God's Kingdom on earth. And all of God's provision is accessed through the Kingdom principles. God has given the believer all he needs, but he can only have them through Christ Jesus.

Here are some of the things the believer can do to access the fullness of all that God has for him/her. The believer must:

a. Have a good and fertile heart. What you get from the Word of God depends on the response of your heart.

b. Must not settle for less; the fullness of God's provision must be enjoyed by the believer (Heb. 12:15-17). And we can only have them through our knowledge and by constantly appropriating the promises.

c. Focus on Jesus: ever y serious believer must know that there may be times of difficulties or hardship in the process of following but we must persevere and hold unto Christ (Heb.12:1-2), filling your heart and mind with the word of God.

d. Mediate on God's Word, daily so that the believer's mind and spirit can be filled with God's Word (Josh. 1:8, Psa. 1:1-3).

e. Make friends with the Holy Spirit who always wants to be intimate with believers; and as we open up to Him we can enjoy His love and help (John 16:12-15, Rom. 8:14).

f. Hear and obey God's voice promptly. As God speaks to us, those who want to enjoy His promises must obey God's instruction without delay (Exo. 15:26, Deut. 28:1-2).

g. Be careful how and what you hear in order to have a consistent spiritual growth (Mk. 4:23-25, II Tim. 2:16-18).

h. Make sure your priorities are right by being in the spirit and always seek directives and clarification from God and godly men.

i. Let God choose for you. When the believer allows God to choose for him in all things, he is bound to always choose right.

j. Give God your best and have God's best without struggle. All of God can be ours if all of us can be God's.

To have God's best, you must put the eternal before the temporal.

Prayer / Action
* Pray that your life will not go less than God’s best for you, in Jesus name.
* Ask for grace to abide in Christ and do His perfect will everyday.

What is Faith?

Text: Rom. 10:6-17
More Lessons: Matt. 21:21
Bible Reading in one Year: 1 Timothy 1-3

Faith is one strong force that connects heaven to the earth. And for the believer, having faith in God makes all things possible. The inability of a believer to trust fully in the Lord is a spiritual attack from the pit of hell. Moreover, to refuse to believe in God is to doubt and that insults God. What then is faith?

a. Faith is not a supernatural charge or feeling; it is the consciousness of “God has said” and therefore it is true: Phil. 4:19, Gen.1:3.
b. Faith is a by-product of knowing God's Word: Rom. 10:17.
c. Faith goes ahead; it doesn't stop or wait until everything is clear: Mk. 5:25-29.
d. Faith is knowing your place, your right, your privileges and your authority in God: Lk. 7:8.
e. Faith is a product of the spirit, the inward conviction called assurance; you cannot explain it, yet you know it.
f. Faith is the reality of greater is He that is in me than him that is in the world.
g. Faith is not having confidence in physical manifestation or physical evidence but it is always in simple words: Lk. 1:37.
However, there are several enemies of faith that must not be tolerated by the believers. Some of which are:
1. Ignorance- the believer must be knowledgeable in the Word of God: I Cor. 2:12.
2. Hope mentality- this is the attitude of always pushing things to the future; it is an enemy of faith.
3. Mental assent- this is believing but not acting while faith is active and acting.
4. Sense knowledge- this is the mentality of unless I see it. It is contrary to faith: Jn. 20:24-29.
5. Unbelief- it may be due to lack of knowledge and is contrary to faith because faith is full persuasion with proofs.

Dearly beloved, to be a believer who has active faith, you must be a man of prayer. Prayer is a process of joining force between you and God; without prayer God is limited.

Prayer / Action
* Ask God for a personal encounter with the spirit of faith.
* Pray that the enemies of faith will not prevail over your heart and mind.
* Ask for faith enough to pray until something happens.

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One Thing is Needful

Text: Deut. 30:1-10
More Lessons: Luke 10:42
Bible Reading in one Year: Zechariah 11-14

One of the things that determines your worth and value in life is the choice you make. Life is full of many choices so we all require the power to choose correctly. Choosing to live is living to choose. Your future is determined by the choice you make today. It is clear that God does not force His will on man, but holds him responsible for His choices, 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 which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine: I Sam. 17:40. According to this scripture, David chose out of many stones in the brook by the power of the Holy Spirit; the greatest tool for choice making in life is the inherent power in the believer called the HOLY SPIRIT. Whenever a man chooses correctly, he gains, and anytime he makes a wrong choice he loses.

We choose daily. How? We choose by the way we live; our life style is all about choice making. When we live a reckless life today, all we are saying is, “I don't care what tomorrow holds”. In fact, what you say, wear, allow or refuse is choice making.

In Luke 10:42, Mary was able to identify the good part due to her sensitivity and discerning ability, and Jesus commended her. When we choose out of carnal considerations as Lot did in Gen. 13:8-11, we are likely to miss it.

It is good for young people to be careful when making choices especially the choice of marriage partners. My counsel is to choose the will of God; by choosing what He has chosen for us, we can be sure we got it. Though adults also make choices every day, young people need to be much more careful in choosing because they lack the wisdom, understanding and the experience the adult uses in choice making. God is always ready to assist you in choice making; all we need to do is to hand over the options to Him in sincere prayer.

Apart from the choice of career, courses to offer in higher institutions and where to live in future, every young person is confronted with the choice of a friend and marriage partner . In addition to choosing the will of God, good character, virtues and values should be other considerations when we choose. Surround yourself with good people and allow them to influence your choice. It is said that life is better, if lived in company of good people. The more good people we have around us, the warmer our lives can be. Friendship with good people can open you up to opportunities and ideas that can blow you up in good ways; deliver you from loneliness; make you realise how useful and valuable you are contributing to other people’s life; make you feel adequate because your friends can complement your life with their virtues and talents.

Prayer / Action
* Pray that you will only choice what God has choosen for you everyday of your life.
* Review some of the choices you have made in recent past and weigh them against the balance of God’s Word.

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The Right to Choose

Text: Lk. 10:38-42
More Lessons:  Psa. 25:12
Bible Reading in one Year: Zechariah 7-10

The right to choose is one of the greatest privileges believers have in Christ Jesus. And when it comes to making choices, there are usually only two things to choose from in life; good and bad, God and Satan, life and death, blessing and cursing (Deut. 30:19). The need for making right choices is a challenge we face every day. Jesus in Luke 10:42 says, But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. Ability to choose correctly is a great factor for living a successful life. We daily make choices because God does not choose for men nor force His will on men. Moreover, in choosing correctly the first choice really matters.

It is only those who choose Jesus as their Lord and Saviour and are filled with the Holy Spirit that can divinely choose. Choosing to know the Lord Jesus Christ as Peter did is the key to choosing every good thing in life. Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God: John 6:68-69. God recognises man's ability to choose and will hold him responsible for his choices. Those who believe and accept Jesus will be saved while those who refuse will not be saved (Jn. 3:16-18). Whatever happens to you depends on the choice you are making or had made.

Moreover, God even commanded man to make choices, I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: Deut. 30:19. He counselled him on what to choose. God knows what is best for His own; so with God and the Holy Spirit in a believer, mistakes and errors are strangers.

Above all, choosing to serve God is the greatest of all choices a believer can make, but God will still not force it on us (Josh. 24:14-15). There are certain ways God wants to be served; with fear (Psa. 2:1), gladness, (Psa. 100:2), following him (Matt. 6:24), with newness of spirit (Rom. 7:6), day and night (Rev. 7:15, 22:3) and in humility (Acts 20:19). And when we do, here is the promise of the Lord; If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures: Job 36:11.

Prayer / Action
* Pray that you will serve the Lord, acceptably in fear , humility and row-ness of heart.
* Ask for the heart of a servant in all obedience to make choices in alignment with the will of God only.

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Morning Rush

Text: Num 14: 21-38
More Lessons:  Prov. 18:20-21
Bible Reading in one Year: Zechariah 4-6

Morning is characterised by activities carried out in a rush; a few prayers, reading God’s word, a shower, breakfast, etc and then rush to work. But morning can be the best part of your day. I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustains me: Psa. 3:5 (NASB). The first part of the day which is called morning is usually not an easy time for people who are really busy. Waking up early in the morning for such people can be challenging. There is no doubt of the fact that different people see and use time differently. Morning people spring from bed very early ready to face whatever life may bring, while “night people's” day doesn't really begin until about 9'O clock in the morning. But long after “morning people” have gone to bed, “night people” are still full of enthusiasm. Whatever our time temperament is, God wants us to live wisely by making the best use of every opportunity we have.

Time is the currency of life; it is what we give in exchange for all that can be achieved. And God has season and time for all His purpose and for the fulfilment of His promise. Most of the time, God’s children don't know or discern when God is fulfilling some aspects of His purpose in their lives. Discernment of time and season is necessary in order to cooperate with God in purposeful actions. Jesus, at the wedding of Cana of Galilee was teaching His mother this aspect when He said, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come: Jn. 2:4. There is a set time for everything. However, to avoid morning rush, we must learn to commit our day to God's hand before using it. Each day is fresh and a gift from God. Planning our actions before the day begins makes it more meaningful. Being successful doesn’t have to be stressful. If we can plan, prioritise and schedule our priorities, we will find the day exciting and fulfilling. Early to sleep, early to rise. Making sure we have enough hours of sleep makes waking up and facing the day a delight. Rest and relaxation are important for a successful day. Have a great day.

Prayer/Action
* Repent for everytime you have planned and prioritized wrongly in the past.
* Ask God for wisdom to plan, prioritise and stay in God’s purpose.
* Thank God because it is His will to make you successful.

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Do not Sleep

Text: Acts 20:7-11
More Lessons:  Prov . 6:6-1 1
Bible Reading in one Year: Zechariah 1-3

Sleep is a natural periodic state of rest for the mind and body in which the eyes usually close and consciousness is completely or partially lost. Spiritually, it is a state of complete or partial unconsciousness, slumbering or loss of prophetic vision, and spiritual indifference often has great consequence.

However, there are times when sleep of the night is highly beneficial; after a duty is completed (Psa. 132:5), when it is necessary for good health (Psa. 3:5) and while trusting the Lord in times of need or pain (Psa. 4:8). But when sleep becomes excessive and done at the wrong time, it can lead to a great loss (Prov. 10:5). Some people have a problem of not being able to stay awake in church during services or night vigils. But the question is, is the problem your own doing? Do you come to church eager to be blessed or just to answer roll-call?

In our text today, Eutychus fell asleep and fell off a three-storey roof during Paul's sermon. But Paul raised him from the dead and went on preaching. Always sleeping during prayer or fellowship can be a sign of spiritual weakness, carelessness or spiritual attack on the believer. In fact, the Bible admonishes the believer not to love sleep because it is a great cause of poverty (Prov . 20:13).

Every adult should sleep to live and stay healthy and not live to sleep. As the coming of the Lord is very much at hand, spiritual slumbering is one of the attacks of the devil on the believer, which is why Apostle Paul in Rom.13:11 said, ...knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The Bible is written so that we can escape the perils of the end time. And if we will be able to escape, we must not sleep as others, Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation: I Thes. 5:6-8. Believers must wake up and be on duty for God in His Kingdom.

Prayer/Action
* Pray that the powers that make people spiritually indifferent to the things of God will not prevail over you.
* Ask the father to restore, sharpen and revamp any area of your spirit-man that is drained, or by His Spirit. cold, weak.

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The Way to Follow

Text: Matt. 4:18-22
More Lessons: Lk.5:11
Bible Reading in one Year: 2 & 3 John, Jude

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. Jn. 14:6. Showing people the way and providing the way is one of Jesus’ missions on earth. Because this world is made by the Lord, He is the best person to choose for us the direction to follow in it.

There is no one in Christ who should be confused; Jesus has been made the way, the truth and the light for all believers. Not knowing how to do what we should do was dealt with on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came to empower man. There are so many ways provided by God for us through which we can find direction, mentorship and example. Some of these ways are: the Word of God, the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, spiritual leaders, prayers etc. However, in our daily living many people prefer to seek other means. It is easier for young people to choose ideals or idols after which they pattern their lives. Rock singers, movie stars , television performers are followed today even by Christians because of their glamorous lives. Youths sometimes think that following this type of life will result in real happiness, but fun and games are not all there is to life.

In fact, you become what you follow. When Jesus called His disciples, He promised to make them what He is. He made no promises of either prosperity or fun. Instead, He called them to join Him in His work of soul wining. And how did the men react to His call? The Scripture tells us that Peter, Andrew, James and John left all to follow Him. Here is a list of things to pursue as we follow the Lord in the narrow way.
a. Love – I Cor. 14:1
b. All that is good – I Thes. 5:15
c. Righteousness and Godliness – I Tim. 6:11
d. Faith – IITim. 2:22
e. Patience – I Tim 6:11
f. Meekness – I Tim. 6:111
g. Peace – Heb. 12:14
h. Holiness – Heb. 12:14
i. Soul winning

Beloved, Jesus is still in need of ardent followers. As His call comes to you, will you follow Him in His prescribed ways?

Prayer/Action
* Ask the Lord for strength to follow Jesus even when it is painful and unpopular to do so.
* Declare today that you are walking in love, patience, meekness, righteousness and peace.

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What Kind of Fruit?

Text: Matt. 7:15-20
More Lessons: Luke 3:9
Bible Reading in one Year: 1 John 3-5

Jesus, in John 15:1 said; I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. He clarified this statement by comparing people to trees, vines and plants. Fruits are products of life. Many people may not be able to identify an orange tree unless they see an orange fruit growing on it or an apple tree unless they see an apple growing on it. As trees are identified by their fruits, so do people identify Christians by the fruits they produce.

Literal fruit bearing depends on the type of soil, the amount of rainfall in the year, the season and cultivation. In the same way, bearing fruit spiritually depends upon some factors:
1. Death to self: a Christian remains unfruitful unless he/she dies to self and the world. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit: Jn. 12:24. When as Christians, we love what the people of the world love and do what they do, we become unfruitful. But when we become new creatures in Christ Jesus we can bear good fruits, (Rom.7:4).
2. Abiding in Christ: living in Christ entails living a life that is pleasing unto God by consistent obedience to the word and the dictates of the Holy Spirit. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. Jn. 15:4 Jesus is the vine while the believers are the branches; our faithfulness depends on our relationship with Jesus. It is as we yield to God on a daily basis and live a life of constantly abiding in Him that we can bear expected fruits (II Pet. 1:5-8).

The Bible makes us to understand that God wants us to produce the fruits of righteousness (Phil.1:11). God is honoured by fruitfulness. As true believers, you should see that your life, attitude, behaviour and influence are different because what people see in you is your fruit. What kind and how much fruit do others see in your life?

Prayer/Action
* Ask the Holy Spirit to destroy every seed, tree or fruit growing inside you that the Father has not planted.
* Declare that you receive grace today to bear fruits of righteousness every day of your life.
* Ask for the Spirit of obedience to flood your life.

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