Resurrection

READ: John 20: 19-20
MORE LESSONS: John 20: 1-20
Bible Reading in One Y ear: Luke 1-3

Resurrection from the dead began with Jesus Christ. Until Jesus died and resurrected there wasn't a record of anyone who died and resurrected. This is the reason the Bible calls Him the firstborn from the dead, (Rev 1: 5, Col 1: 18). Any one seen after his death before the resurrection of Jesus was a ghost. When, without passing through the door, Jesus entered the room where His disciples were gathered the second time after his resurrection, He said to Thomas, ''Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands and reach hither thy hands and thrust it to my side. . .v 27. This is to prove that He wasn't a ghost. Ghosts don't have physical bodies that can be touched. Jesus is the resurrection and the life; the first born from the dead. You might ask, ''What about the dead that were raised in the Old Testament including the ones Jesus raised?'' No, they were not the first, they only had a miracle. Jesus however fulfilled prophesy. All of them needed someone to raise them up; Lazarus died and needed Jesus to call him forth, the same with the widow of Nain's son. Nobody stood at the entrance of Jesus' tomb to call Him forth but by Himself, He did as He said, ...I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father: John 10:17-18.
Also all of the people that were raised finally died again, even if it was in their old age. But Jesus, after His resurrection lives forever. So Jesus is the first to resurrect; and by every standard, His resurrection was a new thing. What perfected the work of redemption was not His death but His resurrection. If Jesus had not resurrected His death would have been a waste, there would have been no difference between Him and Adam and other Old Testament prophets. But we thank Jesus because He rose again. Our victory is in the resurrection. It is in the resurrection that Jesus was able to say, “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?: 1 Cor 15:55. By resurrection, He went beyond death which is the limit of mankind and removed the punishment placed upon man. He also collected the key of death and life from the devil by His resurrection.
Resurrection is what perfects redemption. It is the beginning of a new life. If the resurrected Jesus is in you, you should not be down. Everyone who has accepted Christ should live a resurrected life. This is your inheritance.

Prayer/Action
* Father, I claim my victory today by the power that rose Jesus from the dead
* Ask the Lord to remove every force that limits you today.
* Declare that henceforth, you will live a resurrected life in Christ Jesus.

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The Precious Blood of Jesus II

READ: Matt. 27: 24-31
MORE LESSONS: I Pet. 2: 22-24
Bible Reading in One Year: Joshua 22-24

In continuation of the shedding of the Blood of Jesus from different parts of His body and the application to our lives, we realise that His Blood was shed by the stripes He received to purchase our healing. One of the parts of His body where the precious Blood was shed was His head on which thorns were pressed into as a crown. And then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. "Hail, king of the Jews!" they said: Matt 27:29 ( NIV). The head represents the destiny of a man. The implication of the Blood shed from the head is that we have been redeemed from every curse. When man sinned at the beginning, God pronounced a curse on the ground to bear thorns and thistles and the man to labour much and get little (Gen 3: 14-19). When Jesus came, the same thorns and thistles were made into a crown and placed on His head. The Blood that came out destroyed the curse and redeemed man from the curse. If the curse God placed at the fall of man can be redeemed by the Blood of Jesus, it will do more much on the curse placed on you by men.
The head represents the best of a man while the thorn represents the curse against the best. So when blood came out of the head it simply was saying: “The curses are destroyed and the best of your life will now start to come out.” His Blood was also shed from His hands that were nailed. Beloved, the Blood that came out of the hands of Jesus was for a purpose. The hand is the place of productivity. You have the right to stretch forth your hands and demand by the Blood that was shed from the hands of Jesus that every non-productivity, poverty and life of labour be terminated. Your hands shall begin to bring forth result, in Jesus’ name. They also nailed His legs. This also has an implication for you; the legs are for movement, that is, making progress. When a man is stagnant in destiny, he needs to engage the Blood of Jesus. By the reason of the Blood that was shed from His feet, every blockage in your pathway in life is cleared, Amen. He begins to make a way where there is none and by the Blood that gushed out of His side we have victory over barreness of all kinds. The Blood of Jesus is the key to all round victory. I apply the blood to every location of any challenge in your life. Take your victory now. Don't watch the enemy ruin your destiny as if you are helpless. Jesus Blood is available and sufficient.

Prayer/Action
* Lay your hands on your head and plead the Blood of Jesus on your spirit, soul and body.
* Command every stranger to bow out of your life now by the authority of Jesus’ Blood.
* Speak to every part where the blood was shed and command the blessing therein to manifest upon you.
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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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