Zealous for the Lord

Text: Num 25:1-13
More Lessons: Exo. 32:22-29
Bible Reading in One Year: Ecclesiastes 1-3

Israel had transgressed the law of God by committing sin with the Moabite women. While Moses, the servant of God, stood on the altar and was rebuking them for the evil they had done, one of the Israelite men took a Midianite woman. He probably put his hand round her neck and leaned over her as they walked like they were not concerned with what the man of God was saying, determined to go into the camp to commit sin. Phinehas went after them with a javelin and stabbed them to death. Thereafter, Jehovah turned His anger away from the house of Israel because Phinehas was zealous to avenge unrighteousness on behalf of God. God also made a covenant of a lasting priesthood with him.

The zeal and enthusiasm with which you serve God can determine what you get from Him. The reason many people are serving God and are not getting a return for their services and giving is because they are not doing such acts zealously. Anything you are doing for God reluctantly is a waste of time and energy, you will not get a reward. Worse still, you can even incur God's anger and punishment. Be zealous to do right and to serve God.

But it is not just enough to be zealous to do right; you must also be zealous to do something about the wrong that is happening around you. Phinehas took spear and avenged iniquity. Many of us need to learn a lesson from this. Sometimes while doing things right and you see a colleague doing wrong but you don't bother to correct him, you have aided the wrong act. Phinehas was living right; if he was not, he wouldn't have been able to correct someone else. But he also didn't stop at just living right, he went ahead to confront wrong. If you see a brother doing wrong and you turn your face the other way or encourage him, you have partaken of the sin. Instead, he needs to be confronted and corrected.

God's blessing to Phinehas was that he and his descendants shall be priests for all times. By this one zealous act, he rescued the nation, distinguished himself and got his unborn children blessed. Some of the blessings we are enjoying today are the products of the zeal of our parents. This is where parents have to pay due attention to their lives. If as parents, being in church three times a week is already a problem, what will the children inherit? This man left an unforgetable heritage for his children; this should be our zealous pursuit in this generation.

Prayer/ Action
* Pray that you will serve God in an extraordinary way all your life.
* Pray that the spirit of immorality will not prevail over you.
* Ask God to help you live a consecrated life.
* Pray that you will never be a partaker of sin.

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Prevailing II

Text: Est. 6:1-13
More Lessons: Est. 7: 1-10
Bible Reading in One Year: Numbers 34-36

And Haman told Zeresh his wife and all his friends every [thing] that had befallen him. Then said his wise men and Zeresh his wife unto him, If Mordecai [be] of the seed of the Jews, before whom thou hast begun to fall, thou shalt not prevail against him, but shalt surely fall before him. And while they [were] yet talking with him, came the king's chamberlains, and hasted to bring Haman unto the banquet that Esther had prepared: Est. 6: 13-14. Haman was the enemy of the Jews when they were in exile in Babylon, and because of his hatred for Mordecai, he vowed to see the entire nation of Israel destroyed in one day. While he was working at it, things started to turn against him. The evil he planned for the Israelites was given back to him; God gave him 'back to the sender'.

Zeresh, Haman's wife and his wise friends had advised him, ''We wish you would stop fighting against these people because Mordecai is a seed of the Jews and you surely cannot prevail over him. You have already started to fall before him and you will continue to because he is born of Abraham.'' (v13). Haman's wife and friends were speaking from revelation and knowledge because earlier in Scripture, God had said to Abraham: And I will bless them that bless you, and curse him that curses you: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed: Gen 12:3 (NKJV).

These people understood that anybody who curses a believer will bear the curse and anyone attempting to work against us is planning his own death. We don't have to do anything physically against these people; just by praying, the enemy gets into the grave. Mordecai prevailed just because he was a seed of Abraham and the word from God had already gone ahead of him that anyone who blesses the seed of Abraham is blessed and anyone who curses him shall be cursed. He prevailed by the covenant God made with his fore-father Abraham. Similarly, the enemy cannot stand against you; you are the seed of Abraham by faith, and you only need to activate the covenant. As Mordecai, the seed of the Jew, had greater strength and influence than Haman, so shall you always prevail over everything that confronts you, in Jesus’ name.

I wish your enemies will have the wisdom to know that they should no longer attempt to work against you because from today things have started turning against them, in Jesus’ name. Praise God!

Prayer/Action
* Ask for the strength of God that never fails over your battles.
* Ask the covenant of Abraham to go to work in your matter.
* Ask God to turn the battles against every Mordecai confronting you.

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Prevailing I

Text: Psa. 18: 29-40
More Lessons: I Sam. 2: 7-9
Bible Read in one Year: Numbers 31-33

One of the sports I used to enjoy watching is wrestling. I wouldn't take part in it but I loved to watch it. In wrestling, the hero is the one that eventually prevails over the opponent to the point of getting him to surrender or getting the opponent so defeated and pressed down that he is unable to stand before the count of three. The referee then lifts up the hand of the winner. The two wrestlers are strong but the winner is stronger and so prevails. Prevailing is a state of being greater in strength or influence; you prevail when you have a stronger and greater influence.

Another dimension to prevailing is becoming so more effective that you win. So prevailing has to do with these three; being greater in strength, being greater in influence and being more effective, by the reason of which you get on top of the situation that competes or is in conflict with you. The underlying concept in prevailing is that there is comparison of one with another and prevailing is the consequence of being greater than something or someone.

It is important that you understand prevailing from the perspective of being stronger, greater and ever staying on top. It is the will of God that you stand above and conquer the things that contest with you and conquer them. God’s will is that you don't stay under in any situation but that you be greater. You excel in an examination by staying on top of failure.

When you have a stronger spiritual strength and influence, you deal with demons, sins and sicknesses; you start pursuing things that have been pursuing you in the dream and when you pray, miracles happen. That is prevailing. Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth: 3Jn. 1:2. This scripture is actually not only referring to prospering in finances but it also refers to every area of your life. It is my prayer for you to do well spiritually, and that in business you don't bow to financial needs nor be under in any matter.

Many people are defeated because they lack strength, influence or efficiency. But King David in our text testified of God's strength to run through a troop, (v29). How? By the strength supplied by God (v32). Look at the secret of that strength: He teacheth my hands to war, …… given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up,... Thou hast enlarged my steps under me,… v 33-36. And the result in vs 37-40 include power to pursue, overtake and consume enemies. This is all because … thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle:… v39a. Today, receive strength to prevail over all your battles.

Prayer/Action
* Give God thanks for His promise of victory to His children.
* Ask God for power to be greater in strength, influence and effectiveness in all matters of your life.
* Pray that you will never be a victim in life but a victor to the glory of God.

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It Matters who You Marry

Saturday, 22 March
Text: 2 Cor . 6:14-18
More Lessons: Eph. 5:7-10
Bible Reading in One Year: Numbers 28-30

If indeed you are a true child of God, then it matters who you marry. As a believing parent, it matters who your child marries. Marriage is so central to a person's life, future, and happiness as well as the fulfilment of the plan and purpose of God for his/her life that one can’t afford to be careless about the choice of a life partner. It is an issue that should be given all the diligence and prayer it deserves.

Throughout the Scripture, God treats marriage as a very serious matter and God's covenant people in the Scripture gave the matter of marriage a very careful and proper attention. It was God that gave Eve to Adam (Gen.2:18). Abraham insisted that Isaac his son should not marry a Canaanite. He sent his servant to go and pick a wife from among his people for Isaac (Gen.28:1-4).

How properly you marry will determine how well connected you will be with the covenant blessings of God. In several places in the Bible, God warns His people not to intermarry with the idolatrous Canaanites; rather they should marry from among God's covenant people. So also our text says you cannot be unequally yoked with an unbeliever. As a believer you cannot marry someone who (is):
1. Not yet born again,
2. A backslider,
3. Living in sin and is not ready to repent,
4. Already married,
5. Eager to go to bed with you before marriage, and
6. Does not share your faith, belief, and core-values.

You are to marry by God's leading and to a person in Christ. It is important to seek the consent and approval of your parents and spiritual leaders before you finalise any marriage deal. In fact, it is better to carry them along from the beginning. May the Lord lead and guide you in this vital decision of life, in Jesus' mighty name. However, if you have already made a mistake in this regard, seek the face of the Lord for divine intervention and help. Don't take any rash decision, seek for counsel from a Bible-believing spiritual leader and carry your spouse along in any decision. Marriage needs care, so handle it God’s Word and wisdom.

Prayer/Action
* Give thanks to God because His Spirit is ever willing and ready to direct you.
* Pray for young people that God will direct them in this crucial issue of marriage and that they will hear and obey the voice of the Lord.
* Pray against any doctrine of satan in marital issues that they will no longer prevail over our youths.

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