Forget not His Benefits

READ: Psa. 103: 1-2
MORE LESSONS: Psa. 103: 3-17
Bible Reading in One Y ear: Joshua 13-15

Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Psa. 103:1-2. One of the characteristics of an ungrateful man is that he is forgetful of the good things he received yesterday. It is very important that you never forget anything God has done for you; it could be through any man- a friend, a relative or a stranger. You must know that it is God who did it and you should appreciate Him first and also the vessel He used. You should be grateful for the seemingly small gifts from God like the fresh air you breathe. You do not pay for the air you breathe but have you ever thanked God for it? Your gratitude is a cardinal point to your next level.
In order not to forget what God has done for you, one thing you should do is to write them down. Many have books where they write what they want God to do for them but they don't have a book to write what He has done. This is not good enough because you may forget His benefits if you don't write them down. An important thing to do if you do not want to be forgetful of the good things that the Lord has done for you is to testify about them to people. When you testify about the goodness of God, He is glorified in heaven and then that act of God in your life is sealed such that the enemy cannot reverse or undo it.
Another good way of making sure you do not forget His benefits is to create a memorial of what God has done in your life. It is like creating a monument to immortalize what God has done. Do something that each time somebody sees he will remember that God did something for you. Several people have given things to the Church to stand as a monument of their gratitude to God and every time we see such things we remember the benefit of God to them. Also, you can make permanent the memory of the goodness of the Lord by giving a sacrificial offering – a sacrifice that hurts. When Hannah brought Samuel as a gift back to God, that was more than a memorial, it was a sacrifice. God responded by giving her five other wonderful children. When you make a sacrifice you cannot forget; neither will God. If you are just a consumer who gets all the blessings and keeps quiet, you will be forgotten. Give a sacrificial offering to God so that you will remember and also be remembered.

Prayer/Action
* Give thanks for all God has done and is doing for your destiny.
* Thank Him, among other things, for salvation and the life you still have.
* Pray that the spirit of ingratitude will not creep into your life.
* Pray that you will not hide from God and His people all His goodness to you.

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Making the Right Choice

READ: Acts 1:23-26
MORE LESSONS: Lk. 6:12-13
Bible Reading in One Y ear: Joshua 10-12

The early apostles needed to choose a replacement for Judas Iscariot, who fell by transgression and his bishopry was to be given to another. They prayed and chose Matthias. When Jesus our Lord wanted to select the twelve disciples out of the crowd that followed Him, He spent all night in prayer to God in order to make the right choice (Lk.6:12-17). When Samuel was to choose a successor to the fallen King Saul, he took a lamb to sacrifice to the Lord to make contact with Heaven for the right decision. When Peter was locked up in prison, the church prayed …without ceasing…. Acts 12:5. In life, we are constantly confronted with crucial issues needing vital decision such as who to marry, who to employ in a business, which career to pursue, where to live, who to vote for. The list is endless. Only God knows all things and He is the only One who can lead you to make the right choice. If you base your decisions on sentiment, feelings, physical appearance and outward expression you will be wrong. However, if you consult God in prayer and listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit, He will guide you to the correct choice. Do not depend on your wisdom and ability, Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths Prov .3:5-6.
The following tips will be helpful in making your choice.
1. Be very clear in your mind what you really want.
2. Do not rush any decision.
3. Consider all the options available.
4. Present all the options before the Lord and sincerely ask Him to speak very clearly to you.
5. Take your time to listen to your spirit as you pray and study the Word of God.
6 Confirm whatever you receive in your spirit by checking it up with the Word of God.
7. Whatever He says to you, do it.
Above all, stay connected to the Holy Spirit of God, who has God’s mandate to guide the believer into all truth, Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come Jn.16:13

Prayer/Action
Read the following promises of God and pray with them: Psa.32:8,
Psa.48:14, Psa.71:17-18.

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Wisdom for Soul Winning

READ: Acts 1:4-8
MORE LESSONS: John 1:37-40
Bible Reading in One Year: Joshua 7-9

The moment you give your life to Christ and get born again, your main responsibility is that of sharing the Gospel message of Christ with others, beginning from your home, your immediate family and relations to the uttermost part of the world. Sharing the Gospel of Christ is the most important thing a man can ever do in life. The people who believe your message will receive eternal life having crossed from death to life and will spend eternity in joy and bliss. Those who refuse to believe your message shall be damned forever in the lake of fire. So, it is such a serious matter that all diligence must be employed to get the best result. The following tips in addition to the Holy Ghost power upon you will be helpful in sharing the Gospel message.
1. Be natural while you are serious, do not try to sound over righteous, avoid holier-than-thou attitude that condemns people.
2. Be sensitive, listen to the Holy Spirit. Watch the mood of the person you are to share with. Pick a common subject to start your conversation.
3. Be tactical, avoid being dragged into irrelevant absurdity. Be focused on the main subject which is salvation. It takes wisdom to win souls.
4. Be prayerful. Use every opportunity to silently ask God to help you win the soul.
5. Use the Scripture wisely. Do not just quote the Word, explain the Scripture.
6. Share the testimony of your own encounter with Christ, it can be very powerful.
7. Gently, wisely but firmly press for a decision for Christ right away.
8. Pray with the person on receiving Christ, i.e. lead him or her in prayer to Christ.
9. Invite him to your church or a Bible believing church close by.
10. Keep contact with him or her until they can stand firm in Christ. Go ahead and win a soul to Christ today.
Great reward awaits soul winners.

Prayer/Action
* Pray that God will give you great passion for soul winning.
* Pray that God will lead you to a ripe soul who is ready to receive Christ.
* Pray that God will anoint you to effectively share the Gospel message souls can be saved.
* Pray that your fruits will abide.
* Make sure you speak with someone for Christ today.

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Qualified to Lead

READ: Acts 6:1-3
MORE LESSONS: Titus 1:5-9
Bible Reading in One Y ear: Joshua 4-6

Leadership is about guiding, directing, leading and solving problems. Whether in church or out of church, leadership is a key. Where there are no qualified leaders, the evidence is clear because there will be strings of unresolved problems, crises, breakdown, confusion and lack of progress. Clearly, it is possible to have people in positions of authority yet they are no leaders. This is particularly so where people are given appointments without meeting the required qualifications. When leaders were needed in the early Church, it was to solve problems and there were criteria to set a standard. The leaders were to be:
* Men of honest report,
* Men full of the Holy Spirit,
* Men full of wisdom,
* Men full of faith, and
* Men full of the power of God.
Again, when Moses needed help with the work, his father-in-law advised him, Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens: Exo.18:21. Jethro suggested the criteria as:
* Able men,
* Men that fear God,
* Men who hate covetousness,
* Men who are teachable, and
* Men who will be able to teach others.
One of the major challenges in the modern Church is lack of men with Biblical qualifications in leadership positions. Until we insist on appointing men using Biblical standard we will continue to have title holders with little or no solutions to problems in the church. Before Elisha could get Elijah’s mantle, he first qualified as a trained servant. It was written concerning him, Here is Elisha ...which poured water on the hands of Elijah 2Kings 3:11. The same was true of Joshua who served under Moses.
The qualifications for leadership are not in-born, they are acquired and everyone who desires to make a full proof of his ministry and assignment can achieve them. Thirst and cry to God for these qualities and you will have them. May you become a leader of influence, a worthy leader and problem solver to your generation.

Prayer/Action
* Pray that God will help you become a leader worth its salt.
* Pray that God will grant you church leaders that will make things happen and proffer solutions to all the challenges of life.

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