The Precious Blood of Jesus I

READ: 1 Pet. 1: 18-19
MORE LESSONS: Matt. 27: 24-31
Bible Reading in One Year: Joshua 19-21

In today’s text, Bible tells us that we are not redeemed with corruptible things but with the precious Blood of Jesus. It goes ahead to describe silver and gold as the corruptible things with which we were not redeemed. This means that silver and gold, as precious as people esteem them, are contemptible and corruptible when compared with the Blood of Jesus. What makes the Blood of Jesus precious is that it is without sin, spot and blemish. The Blood of Jesus is perfect and so when it is engaged, the result it produces is always 100%. In other words, whatever battle is fought with the Blood must result in complete victory, and forgiveness obtained by the Blood is always total. Whatever the Blood washes, does not retain any stain anymore and whenever the Blood heals, no bit of infirmity remains or relapses. Wherever the Blood shows up, everything that is required for the operation is complete.
There are five different areas of shedding of the Blood of Jesus at His crucifixion and each one has its significance and application. They are the head, the body, the hand, the leg, and his side. Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified. Matt 27:26 (NIV). A long whip with sharp tools was made, after which his dress was removed and He was given thirty-nine lashes. His blood vessels were torn, His flesh cut and blood flowed out. The first shedding of His Blood at crucifixion was from His body by the whip, which implies that by His stripes we are healed. Satan has no right to afflict your body anymore with any kind of sickness, pain or disease because Jesus has borne the pain for you. Remember the Blood is perfect so it brings 100% healing. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed: 1 Peter 2:24 ( NIV). By the Blood of Jesus, therefore, we have forgiveness of sins and healing. As long as you are a born-again child of God you can by faith reject any type of disease on the basis of the provision of the body of Jesus that was bruised for you.
In my few years in ministry I have seen thousands of people gain their health back by standing on this provision, including healing from several terminal diseases. And Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb.13:8). He can do it again.

Prayer/Action
* Today, appreciate God for His Blood that was shed for your sake.
* Ask for the Blood of Jesus to avail for you in every area of life.
* Pray that the Blood of Jesus will not be in vain over your destiny.

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The Cross for Forgiveness

READ: John 11:49-52
MORE LESSONS:I Jn. 1:8-10, Act. 2: 36-40
Bible Reading in One Y ear: Joshua 16-18

Calvary is all about forgiveness. The forgiveness that Jesus wrought for us on the cross is holistic and it has different aspects to it. The first aspect is that we obtain forgiveness from the Lord. When we confess our sins and ask for forgiveness, we obtain mercy because God is ever willing and ready to forgive us. He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy: Prov 28:13 (NIV). The second aspect is that through the cross of Christ we also obtain forgiveness for the nations. As recorded in the Scripture, Caiaphas, the High Priest, prophesied without knowing it that the One Man Jesus Christ should die for the nations (John 11: 49-52). This means that through the work of the cross, God in the depth of His love, is willing to forgive us and also forgive our nations. Standing on the basis of the scriptures, we could pray for forgiveness for our individual families, lineage, tribes and nations. If we do, we are going to see many members of our family give their lives to Christ in rapid successions, and also see a revival of righteousness in our nation having received of forgiveness by the work of Jesus Christ at Calvary.
Forgiving one another is also a product of the cross of Christ. It is all about offending one another but making up and forgiving one another in love, which leads to the mending and healing of relationships among us. There will always be offences; somebody will do or say something that you don't like. Even between a husband and wife there will be offences, how much more in a church with many more people. However, we must not allow bitterness and strife. If you see a brother doing something wrong, don't gossip; rather go and discuss with him to resolve the matter. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behaviour. Instead, be kind to each other, tender hearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you: Eph 4:31-32 (NLT). The reason we pray for so long and the answer is not forthcoming is explained in Jesus’ prayer: If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you: Matt 6: 15 (NLT). I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you've received it, it will be yours. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too: Mark 11:24-25.
The last aspect of forgiveness is that you should learn to forgive yourself for the sins and mistakes of the past.

Prayer/Action
* Ask God for forgiveness over any sin still standing against you and give Him thanks that they are eternally cleared.
* Stand in the gap, and like David, plead for God’s forgiveness for your nation, tribe, and family.
* Command the testimony of salvation over every member of your family for whom you have received forgiveness.

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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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