Breaking the Padlock

Text: I Sam.1:5,10-21 

More Lessons: Jer.33:1-3

I saw a revelation some weeks back when I knelt down to pray. The Lord opened my eyes and gave me a picture of a hall like a warehouse loaded from wall to wall. There was a door, which was not a surprise to me. What surprised me was that there was an unusual padlock on the door. The padlock was placed at the lintel, close to the roof in the same way that padlocks are closed to people’s destinies. Pondering over the matter I heard the voice of the Lord say to me, “Son, break this padlock that your people may be able to enter into their inheritance”.

Until the padlock against your destiny is broken, you will labour without results. By the power of the Holy Ghost and the anointing of God upon me, I break that padlock against your breakthrough, in the mighty name of Jesus. In today’s passage, two women are spoken about and compared with each other. I notice that Hannah was the one on the negative side while Peninnah was on the positive as far as child bearing was concerned because Hannah had no children. The matter was beyond Elkannah…But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the LORD had shut up her womb v5.

If God locked the place, it means there was a precious priceless Samuel inside it that God didn't want to come out until he was needed to fulfil a divine agenda. Obviously therefore, Hannah may not be said to have been barren after all. That her womb was locked means that she had children but they were locked inside her womb waiting for the God-appointed time of their delivery. Jehovah Himself made sure that Hannah did not have them until there was the need for Samuel to be born and grow to occupy the space provided because of the ungodliness of Hophni and Phinehas, Eli's children.

When God Himself locks the door to whatever you are believing Him for, only Him can unlock that door. Hannah knew this better when that year she got to Shiloh, rather than answer Peninnah, who was taunting her, or report her to their husband Elkannah, or even report to Eli the Chief Priest, Hannah went straight to cry unto God who locked her womb, and God answered her. The God that answered Hannah will assuredly answer you. As you enter the new year, may the enemies’ padlocks on your life be broken.

Prayer/Action

* Command all satanic padlocks against your goodness to be broken now, in Jesus’ name. Repeat this prayer all day long.

* Like Hannah, add a covenant vow to your prayers, it breaks padlocks.

* Put aside distractions and cry unto God to unlock every padlock in your life.

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Enemies of Might

Text: Hos.7:8-9 

More Lessons: Judges16:1-30

I prophesy that you will be mighty in Jesus’ name. Where are the mighty men of our time? Just to take a fast or attend Bible study once a week is a problem for many. Every Bible study you miss in the year reduces the strength of your destiny. So, calculate how many you have missed this year and see what you are left with. Every time you refuse to do your quiet time, you become less; the beginning of that day is on the negative. Everyday you can't say this is what I read and learnt from the Bible, everyday you have no meditation nor revelation from God, you become less.

Mighty men are teachable and sacrificial. They don't only have an idea and vision, they work towards it. Don't always dream, don't always talk, work the talk. If you want to be a lawyer, make friends with lawyers, talk with people who read law, ask questions from those who are practising and sometimes go to the law court and see lawyers at work. Buy and read the books and one day it will happen. Do not ever plan to be a small person in life. There is nothing wrong in starting small but don't stay small and in order to avoid staying small, work at greatness. Be teachable, be disciplined, add knowledge, add value to your life every day. Let something in you cry out, “In the name of Jesus, I must be mighty. I receive grace to manifest”.

At 75 Abraham just started, so don't think you are too old to become mighty. Greatness should follow a man till he enters the grave. Don't think you are too small, Samuel started as soon as he was weaned, probably at age five. There are some things that will not allow a man to manifest the might of God. Tell them to catch fire. Some of such things are laziness, procrastination, early gratification of pleasure, evil company, sin, ignorance and disobedience.

Say now, Father in the name of Jesus I step into a mighty life; I shall not be small but I shall be mighty. In the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, I am a mighty man, anything contrary to might in my life, I command it to catch fire. I command the mighty man in me to arise and manifest. I prophesy that I shall not die small, I shall be a mighty man. The anointing to manifest mighty things fall upon me. Anything that prevents mighty things in my life, die, in Jesus’ name.

Prayer/Action

* Ask the Lord to hedge you from every enemy of might.

* Command the might of God in you to begin to manifest on the outside.

Make a list of what you need to add to your life to be mighty. For the next 7 days, pray for the grace to do them.

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War against Worry II

Text: Psa.30:1-12 

More Lessons: Jer.31:31-34

Worry is a deadly mindset but much more than just being a mindset, it is a spirit that transmits that evil mindset; a demonic force that can take hold of a person's mind and soul until it totally destroys the individual. The force of worry is very slow and subtle, devouring like a cancerous cell, as it tightens its grip by spreading quickly but quietly. It is usually found to operate in partnership with other deadly forces like sin, fear, guilt, unbelief, shame e.t.c. Only those who have risen to the realisation of their relationship with God can withstand and resist this force and its works.

The eyes and ears are the doorways to a man's mind, the devil knows this so he seeks to plant seeds of worry in your heart by the things you continuously see, hear and allow to dominate your mind. He releases evil suggestions into your mind to try to derail your trust and confidence in God. This was Job’s experience as captured in Job 3:25, For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me. Job had nursed hidden seeds of fear and anxiety in his heart that almost clouded his judgment of the situations that overtook him. This is the same strategy the kingdom of darkness deploys today. But in Christ is all the power to live above the devices of the devil, Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you Jam.4:7. When you submit your mind and thoughts to God you instantly receive power to resist the devil and watch him take off in flight.

David says in Psa.23:1,The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. His confidence was in the Lord . He saturated his mind with thoughts of the Lord and he confessed it. Irrespective of the enemy’s suggestions of possible lack and poverty to him, he remained firm, grounded and rooted in the fact that his God was able to provide for his needs and wants. And it was evident in his life and rule that of a truth, God is a good shepherd to those who trust in Him. The worries of the past are history if you will trust God as your shepherd and provider always. I prophesy over your life today, on the audacity of God's Word that every seed, plant or tree of worry that my Father has not planted in your heart be uprooted and burnt in the consuming fire now, in Jesus’ name.

Prayer/Action

*Destroy every seed of Satan in your conscious and sub- conscious mind by the shed blood of Christ.

* Resist every hidden work of demons in your heart and mind, in Jesus’ name.

* Ask the Lord to fulfill all your good desires and set ablaze every negativity in your mind, in Jesus’ name.

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War against Worry I

Text: Matt.6:25-32 

More Lessons: Phil.4:6-7

What you spend your thoughts and minds upon determines what dominates your life. Your thinking determines your experience, your mind is the control panel of your life because according to Pro. 23:7, For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.... So there is unquestionably incredible power in the kind of thoughts that you allow in your mind because it determines the direction of your will and ultimately the course of your actions.

Man is naturally programmed to worry about his needs and wants. The wants and needs of man are unending so that the more you have, the more you want to have. The things of this world cannot satisfy and this is why man is unsatiable. And as the needs, wants and desires continue to grow, the worry and anxiety for them also develop roots in man's heart leaving the soul drained and parched from the unsatisfied yearnings.

This force of unending worry becomes the god of man because he is motivated by his worries and not by God's Word. Behavioural scientist and psychologist Abraham Maslow who, after studying the motivations of human behavior (actions) concluded that all human behaviour is driven by the same basic "hierarchy of needs" such as food, drink, clothes, housing, protection, security etc.

Jesus is speaking emphatically in our text about these worries of mankind and how to overcome them. The key word in the passage is …take no thought…. The original Aramaic rendering of that phrase means “to think with anxious distracting solicitude over a matter”. Therefore, it will be a total misunderstanding of the context of the instruction of Jesus to say that we are not to be prudent, careful or even thoughtful in the matters of life and wellbeing. The point is that you must never let your desire distract you from the focus of the Christian life which is the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.

God promised that if you re-arrange your priorities to align with God's Kingdom, all the things that people worry about will be yours on a platter of gold because God is able to provide for your needs. You can win the war against worry and anxiety if you will cast all your cares upon the Lord daily. Re-arrange your  priorities today, put God first and watch Him bless you beyond boundaries.

Prayer/Action

* Pray against the spirit of anxiety and worry plaguing your life and receive delieverance.

* Receive the spirit of boldness and courage for fruitful living, in Jesus’ name.

Personalise 1Peter 5:7 and recite it everyday for the next 15 days.

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