Champion Forever II

Tuesday 10 April
READ: I Samuel 17:29-50
MORE LESSON : Nehemiah 6:1-4

What makes a champion is not a physical criterion else someone like David would never have been a champion. Note that even the Bible refers to Goliath as a champion (v23) and David as a youth (33) based on their physical appearances. In fact, Goliath himself looked at David and …disdained him…because… he was but a youth…. v42. However, at the end of the battle, the true champion emerged, So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David: I Sam. 17:50. Goliath, with all his height and arms, was flat on the ground, so David prevailed over the Philistine by God and His Word (v45).
You too can become a champion by the knowledge of God's Word in your heart and in your mouth. Just get to know who you are in God and face every battle by what He says you are and the champion in you will come forth. To stay a champion however, is not automatic; there are certain rules that you must obey: (i) You must be a man of purpose. Jesus came with a purpose (Matt.1:21). While waiting for the result of an exam, find something to do. Don't be lazy. (ii) Be disciplined: Esther did a three-day marathon, Daniel also fasted, and Paul disciplined himself to run the race of life. Be disciplined to get to where you are going. (iii) Sacrifice: this goes along with discipline. The Bible says to buy truth and sell it not; buy good Christian cassettes and books for your use. (iv) Exercise faith: believe God for what you want. Nehemiah refused to be distracted by Samballat and Tobiah who invited him four times (Neh. 6:1-4) to meet them. Being a master is the secret of greatness. Work by these principles, serve God and you will remain a champion. It is God’s desire that you should stay a champion forever, not for a while as He has said in His Word.
1. But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day: Prov. 4:18.
2. They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God: Psa. 84:7.
3. And thine age shall be clearer than the noonday; thou shalt shine forth, thou shalt be as the morning: Job 11:17.
4. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber: Psa. 121:3.
Stand on these promises and be a champion for life; His promises guarantee it.

Prayer/Action
* Ask God to help you prevail over all ‘goliaths’ standing tall before you.
* Ask God to equip you with all that is needed to remain a champion.
* Declare; ‘I will stand victorious where I was disdained or defeated before’

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER: In the name of Jesus, I refuse to swim in the river of impossibility.

Champion Forever I

Monday 9 April
READ: Exodus 19:1-6
MORE LESSON: Revelation 5:7-10

One of my prayers for you is that you will be lifted and stay lifted in life. It is better not to be lifted than to move forward and later retrogress. It is often said that one should be careful with the people on one's way up because one may meet them on the way down. But you and I will not have to come down, in Jesus’ name. As you go up, trust and hold on to God who is able to keep you up. With Him, you will definitely not need to come down,
And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth: Rev. 5:10. A lot of people rise and fall and their coming down could be so shameful that to get up again becomes difficult. You would rather maintain a level from where you cannot fall, no matter how low, than to go up the ladder and fall.
No man is born a champion, rather champions are made. Even Jesus was not born a champion because the Bible says He was born an ordinary man (1 Jn. 4:2). However, He was different from all because He prevailed over sin (Heb. 4:15). The man who prevails over sin will approach the height that Jesus reached. All men are born equal but they are made along their journey of life. To be made, you have a role to play in hard work, faith and righteousness. A lot of people believe God for great things without doing anything; you will never attain much with such attitude. Faith is believing God for what you work for. Champions set goals and work for their goals. As a chosen people of God, the Israelites are champions; in fact, God refers to them as select, …peculiar treasure unto me above all people:… Exo. 19:5. God promised them all this, if they would obey the voice of the Lord and keep His covenant.
This is still God's condition for all who will be great and remain great. God is a champion at making great things out of nothing. Examples of this can be seen all through the scriptures. There are men like Peter the fisherman who became the head of the Church; Matthew the tax collector who became the author of the first book of the New Testament; David, an ordinary shepherd boy who became a king, among others. God still needs more champions that He will make peculiar, a kingdom of priests and holy nation, to make a showpiece on the earth. However, the condition remains the same, obedience to whatever God says, because the best of God is reserved for the godly and righteous! Dare to live for God and become a peculiar person on the earth.

Prayer/Action
* Ask the Lord to lift up your hand in triumph continually.
* Pray that the situations you go through in the journey of life will not mar but rather make you the champion God wants you to be.
* Ask God to help you tread the path of obedience to His voice and command.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER: Heavenly Father, send me a fresh fire to live a life worthy of Your holy power, in the name of Jesus.

Take your Place

Sunday 8 April
READ: I Kings 18:20-40
MORE LESSON: Matthew 6:21-24

Today it seems like the reigning ministry is the prophetic. We have more prophets rising every day, exhibiting all manner of 'powers' and they seem to be taking over the cities. They go to newspaper houses and give prophecies, and journalist, as well as political leaders are running after them to ask them what tomorrow looks like. There seems therefore to be a lot of confusion as to who is fake or original.
In the days of Elijah, the counterfeits were discovered with ease. They had been ruling and reigning, carrying unholy oil around, prophesying and doing wonders. You know fake oil also does wonders but they are temporary wonders. God spoke to Elijah, and he gathered the children of Israel alongside the 400 prophets of Baal to Mount Carmel to differentiate the fake from the original because there was also confusion just as we have today.
And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word:1 Kings 18:21.
Israel could not differentiate between Baal and Jehovah; so he asked them to make a choice whether to follow Baal or Jehovah, and they answered not a word. Their backsliding was so deep and they were in such a confusion that they couldn't answer.
In the days of Moses, one day he stood up and said, “Choose ye whom to serve”, and they said, “We will serve the Lord our God” because revival was still on. When Joshua took over, he also said, ...choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell...: And the people said unto Joshua, The LORD our God will we serve...: Josh. 24:15, 24.
But in the days of prophet Elijah, because genuine prophets had gone underground due to fear, the fake men took over the centre stage. They were referred to as the prophets of Baal while Elijah was referred to as the prophet of Jehovah. Elijah believed he was the only one left and he asked that God should kill him. Then God told him there were seven thousand prophets who had not bowed to baal in hiding. The problem was that, though they had not bowed to Baal, but they were hiding their identity. When a man is given a gift and he hides it, that gift does not exist because buried gifts don't produce result.

Prayer/Action
* Commit yourself to the Lord as His servant who will stand for Him no matter what.
* Pray that you will not fall into deception of false prophet.
* Ask the Lord to, by His grace, keep and sustain all His true prophets in our land.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER: Every messenger of hell working to make me a perpetual spiritual dwarf, I command you to lose your hold over me now, in the name of Jesus.

Take your Place

Sunday 8 April
READ: I Kings 18:20-40
MORE LESSON: Matthew 6:21-24

Today it seems like the reigning ministry is the prophetic. We have more prophets rising every day, exhibiting all manner of 'powers' and they seem to be taking over the cities. They go to newspaper houses and give prophecies, and journalist, as well as political leaders are running after them to ask them what tomorrow looks like. There seems therefore to be a lot of confusion as to who is fake or original.
In the days of Elijah, the counterfeits were discovered with ease. They had been ruling and reigning, carrying unholy oil around, prophesying and doing wonders. You know fake oil also does wonders but they are temporary wonders. God spoke to Elijah, and he gathered the children of Israel alongside the 400 prophets of Baal to Mount Carmel to differentiate the fake from the original because there was also confusion just as we have today.
And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word:1 Kings 18:21.
Israel could not differentiate between Baal and Jehovah; so he asked them to make a choice whether to follow Baal or Jehovah, and they answered not a word. Their backsliding was so deep and they were in such a confusion that they couldn't answer.
In the days of Moses, one day he stood up and said, “Choose ye whom to serve”, and they said, “We will serve the Lord our God” because revival was still on. When Joshua took over, he also said, ...choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell...: And the people said unto Joshua, The LORD our God will we serve...: Josh. 24:15, 24.
But in the days of prophet Elijah, because genuine prophets had gone underground due to fear, the fake men took over the centre stage. They were referred to as the prophets of Baal while Elijah was referred to as the prophet of Jehovah. Elijah believed he was the only one left and he asked that God should kill him. Then God told him there were seven thousand prophets who had not bowed to baal in hiding. The problem was that, though they had not bowed to Baal, but they were hiding their identity. When a man is given a gift and he hides it, that gift does not exist because buried gifts don't produce result.

Prayer/Action
* Commit yourself to the Lord as His servant who will stand for Him no matter what.
* Pray that you will not fall into deception of false prophet.
* Ask the Lord to, by His grace, keep and sustain all His true prophets in our land.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER: Every messenger of hell working to make me a perpetual spiritual dwarf, I command you to lose your hold over me now, in the name of Jesus.

Living on the Mountain Top II

Saturday 7 April
READ: Mark 9:2-7
MORE LESSON: John 14:12-15

God places us on the mountain top so that we can show forth the excellency of His glory; we are His ambassadors. If you must live as an ambassador and representative of the Kingdom on the face of the earth, the only place that is convenient and correct for you is the mountain top and only privileged people are taken there. The Master Jesus had 12 disciples and only three were taken along to the Mount of Transfiguration.
The experience on the mountain top is never the same as the one in the valley. This is because the higher you go the cooler it becomes; God releases a fresh breeze. The eagles are on the top of the mountain and it is time for us to locate ourselves correctly. Eagles should stop having a nice time with chickens on the ground. Flap your wings and fly. There is strength inside you to mount high as an eagle, …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.
God is expecting us to go up and not remain on the ground. We are the ones who give direction to the world, and other people are supposed to look up to find us. It is not enough to be a light, this light must be set on a hill top; that is, higher height. Higher because for light to break over darkness it must be lit upon a hill. That a double ability.
In John 14:12, Jesus said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. Don't run down anyone because he is doing better than you; get out and do your own. Every eagle is endowed with a wing, so spread out your own and soar. Jesus said we can do better but no one has hit his standard till today. We have a long way to go. Everyone satisfied with mundane things needs to change his mind-set. Many of us have not even hit the target of the Old Testament prophets. We are not expected to be complainers anymore, but testifiers.
The plan of God is a greater height, so I want you to get out of your little mentality and be challenged to a greater height. Make up your mind to compare yourself with the Master Jesus and not be satisfied until you hit His standard. Say to yourself, “No matter how far I've gone, I see a higher height ahead of me, in Jesus’ name”.

Prayer/Action
* Pray that your life will show forth the excellent glory of God.
* Ask God to raise you and keep you at the top in every area of life.
* Ask for grace to keep pressing towards the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER: I shall serve the Lord, and He will bless my bread and my water and take away sickness and diseases from my land, in the mighty name of Jesus.