The Power of Counsel

Strength For Your Days Wednesday, 12 March
Text: Esther 1:13-14 (NL T)
More Lessons: Prov .20:18
Bible Reading in One Year: Hebrew 8-10

Today's scripture tells about the critical nature of counsel. King Ahasuerus had a very challenging matter in his hand. It had to do with his home, kingdom and his personal comfort. Unknown to him, it had to do with the purpose of God. Rather than taking unilateral decision, he chose to take counsel from his seven highest officials and he got it right. King David of Israel had two great counsellors that advised him in the times of peace and war. One of them was Ahitophel, whose counsel was like the counsel of God. The man was so anointed that when he switched from David to Absalom, David had to pray that God would rise and defeat the counsel of Ahitophel. By experience, David knew how powerful a wise counsel is in the affairs of life and in determining how a battle goes.

Do you want to do great things for God? Do you want to win in the battles of life? Then you must avail yourself of wise counsel. Get advice from people who are well informed. By the time you pick from here and there, you will be better informed and be able to come to sound conclusion. Are you faced with crucial decision to make? Do you have in your hand a project and you don’t know what to do? Are you confused about a vital matter? Seek wise counsel. Gather vital information, analyse your findings, the pray and ask God for His mind. You will surely get to a conclusion that will be best for you, For by wise counsel thou shall make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety Prov. 24:6.

Finally, always make sure you align your decisions with God’s Word because there are so many psychologists and self ordained prophets out there, giving evil and carnal counsel. Beware of them. Any counsel short of God’s Word is evil and must be totally rejected. Everyone who sincerely seeks God will find Him, …I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you Psa.32:8 (NLT).

Prayer/Action
* Give thanks to God for the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of counsel.
* Rebuke every spirit of confusion and ask for a clear direction in the affairs of your life.
* Ask God to bless you with wise counsellors.
* Reject every spirit or force of confusion over every area of your life.

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Helped by His Presence

Helped by His Presence
Text: Psa. 97: 5-10 More Lessons: Exo. 3: 11-18
Bible Reading in One Year: Hebrew 5-7

Jesus did not experience failure at any moment during His life on earth and He wants us also to live a life free of failure. This can only be achieved when you have all round strength. The extent of your strength determines the results seen in your life, either physically or spiritually. However, strength comes not only from within but strength can also come from above. One of the secrets of strength from above is the presence of God with a man. The hills melted like wax at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth: Psa. 97:5.

The earth cannot stand the presence of God and there is no mountain that can stand the presence of God. When you have God with you there is no mountain that can stand in your presence. Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob: Psa. 114:7.

The presence of God was the secret of the strength of the people of old who shook the world in their generations. It was the presence of God with Moses that made him become a god unto Pharaoh even though he was a stammerer. God who called him stood by him and he became unstoppable.

God was also with Joshua. God helped him and because God was with him, even the sun stood still for him until he finished the assignment God gave him. There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them: Josh 1:5-6. So the Lord was with Joshua; and his fame was noised throughout all the country: Josh 6:27.

David enjoyed the presence of God. Even Saul got to a point when he had to confess that the presence of God was with David. That was after he had done all he could to kill David but couldn't succeed. On one occasion Saul encamped David and there was no way David could have escaped but Saul received news which made him leave and that was how God delivered David from the hand of Saul. David had many battles but he prevailed in all.
Only the presence of God with a man can make him untouchable to his enemies (I Sam.23:23-29). God's presence is with you, and no situation will be able to stand against you, in Jesus’ name.

Prayer/ Action
* Thank God for the power of His presence. * Ask God to help you stay away from anything that can take His presence away from your life. * Ask God for the power of His presence all through the rest of your life. * Pray that the power that makes mountains melt like wax should fall upon you today.
Take a fast use today's prayer.

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Forgive and Rise Again

READ: Matt. 26:31-35, 69-75
MORE LESSONS: Micah 7: 8
Bible Reading in One Year: Hebrew 1-4

Peter was an influential figure in Jesus' team. When Jesus predicted His suffering and death, Peter boasted and vowed that he was going to die with Jesus but all it took was a little damsel to question him; he swore and denied ever knowing Jesus. He fulfilled what Jesus had prophesied: Before the cock crows thou shalt deny me thrice . . .and he went out and wept bitterly: Matt 26:75. He did what needed to be done: he wept bitterly in repentance. He told God, “I thought I couldn't deny you but I did, I'm sorry .'' After crying, Peter forgave himself and continued with God; and later in the book of Acts we saw the same Peter become a preacher . Peter was not the only one who missed it during the trial and suffering of Jesus. Another person was Judas Iscariot who led people to come and arrest Jesus. He sold Jesus for thirty shekels of silver; he allowed Satan to get him inside. A theologian suggested that may be Judas thought after betraying Jesus into the hands of the enemies, Jesus would be too powerful to be arrested and then he would have made away with the money without any guilty conscience. This still shows that Judas was being ruled by the love of money. However, he was disappointed when Jesus allowed Himself to be taken. Destiny had already determined for the Son of man to go as it is written concerning Him but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed (Matt 26: 24).
After Jesus was crucified Judas also repented: “I have sinned, I have betrayed the innocent blood” (Matt 27: 4). He refused to spend the money. He went to buy a plot of land: …and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out: Acts 1: 18. He committed suicide. It was Peter that stood up and selected a replacement for Judas. Read Acts 1:15-20. Was Peter not also guilty? Yes he was, but he accepted forgiveness; and rose again. What about Judas; would God have forgiven him? Yes. But he didn't accept the forgiveness; he killed himself! The difference between the two of them is that one forgave himself while the other one refused to forgive himself. When a man refuses to forgive himself in destiny , he is digging a grave for himself. Learn to forgive yourself so that you will not go the way of Judas. It's time to forgive and rise again. If you can just forgive the mistakes of yesterday and face tomorrow , there is hope for you. If your destiny is cut down, don't just sit down weeping; don't commit suicide. Begin the process of healing by first forgiving yourself like Peter did. That's what the Word of the Lord says-Forgive.

Prayer/Action
* Ask God to help you break the siege of unforgiveness over your life and others.
* Command destruction upon every weapon of quilt intended to destroy your destiny.
* Ask that the blood of Jesus will cleanse you of every wrong doing and give you grace to go on.

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Breaking the Force of Dryness

READ: Luke 9:10-17
MORE LESSONS:II Kings 4: 1-7
Bible Reading in One Y ear: Leviticus 24-27

The people mentioned in the text probably had food at home before they came to Jesus but after some days in the desert they were hungry. There was an abundance of the Word of God for the people but they lacked physical food. You need physical prosperity plus your spiritual vitality so that there won't problem. With God there ought not to be any form of dryness. When the disciples complained to Jesus that there was no food, they were announcing what they could see physically but Jesus told them to give food to the people because He saw what they couldn't see. Jesus was teaching them that to break the siege of dryness, you need to see w hat others can't see There are physical solutions to dryness but there is also a spiritual solution. Physical solution for a hungry man is to go and work. You have to do something your hands to end your drought and dryness. Even pastors, whether full time or those involved in 'tent making' like Apostle Paul need to be hardworking. Being a pastor doesn't mean going from house to house doing nothing and being a burden to people. When the Bible says he that does not work should not eat, it is also talking to the pastors.
To break the siege of dryness, change your confession: stop words. The disciples said what they had was too small but it was that same small that fed the five thousand. If you know what to do with your small, it can become great. Jesus took that which they called small, lifted it up to Heaven and blessed it and they ate and still had left-over. God's blessing ends dryness! Learn to present what you have for God to bless; ask for a blessing on your projects, businesses and work and the dryness on them will end. Also, speak prophetically to your dryness to end. Crying has never solved a problem. Learn to speak life! You can also end your dryness by divine wisdom. Go for divine wisdom to generate ideas on what to do and how to do it. The wisdom of God also links you to the right people and location to do it. Sometimes you only need to understand the principle of financial management.
There is a divine wisdom for sowing, saving, avoiding wastage and investing tomorrow. When you finish praying, take a step. Do something about the little you have. If you have a property, you could sell it and use the money for a profitable business. What is the need for a car you cannot fuel when you don't have a job? Sell it. Put the money into something productive; you will later buy a better one. The disciples kept serving the small food they had by believing in what Christ had said. If you want to terminate your dryness, sow a seed (Pro. 11:24). That is foolishness to men but with God that is the way.

Prayer/Action
* Rebuke the forces of famine over your work, in the name of the Lord.
* Release the power of increase and overflow upon your endeavours today.
* Lift your voice and pronounce blessings on your work, business, career and destiny.
* Ask your spiritual head to speak a word of blessing to your business this week.

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