: God is a Rewarder

Text: Heb 11: 6
MORE LESSONS: Psalm 63: 1-11
Bible Reading in one Year: Romans 12-16

God has never been known to fail anyone that seeks Him. There is a prize in God that He reserves only for seekers who will go after Him with all their heart. The best and the choicest things of God are reserved for those who will seek Him diligently. Many people seek God half-heartedly and then complain that seeking God is not giving them the desired result. The Bible makes it clear that God rewards diligent seekers,

But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him: Heb 11: 6. How diligent are you in the pursuit of God? And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart: Jer 29:13.

A diligent seeker will always want to be in God's presence and in the assembly of God's children. Diligence in seeking God takes spending time with Him and waiting on Him in prayer, fasting and studying God's Word. Fasting and prayer is not something you remember only when you are in trouble, it is an instrument for seeking God. When was the last time you fasted and prayed, just seeking to know God more? God rewards diligence in seeking Him. The priority of a diligent seeker is spending time with God; so in planning his day and programme, he carefully and uncompromisingly creates time for God. Even in the kind of job and appointment he takes, he considers whether he will have time for God.

The secret of grace, wealth, greatness, the anointing and a life of impact is diligently seeking God. Men seek for these blessings but these things keep eluding them because they do not understand that these blessings are rewards that come with a life devoted to a passionate pursuit and diligent seeking of God. Seeking God comes at a price. It will cost you time to wait on God, and resources and money to give to the Kingdom of God. It will cost you your effort and energy to serve God and to work in the church. But the rewards that God has reserved for diligent seekers far outweigh any sacrifice that might come with seeking Him.

A believer that is devoted to the things of God and another that is lackadaisical about God will never end up on the same platform, spiritually and physically. It is just a matter of time before the difference becomes clear and glaring. Today, I want you to choose to be a seeker of God because He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him.

Prayer/Action
* Ask God to help you renew your commitment to Him more than ever before.
* Ask for the spirit that thirsts and hungers for God beyond needs.
* Ask God to reveal Himself to you today.

Concerning Spiritual Gifts

Text: 1 Cor 12: 7
MORE LESSONS: 1 Cor 12: 1-12
Bible Reading in one Year: Romans 5-8

God doesn't want us to be ignorant of spiritual gifts. Ignorance of spiritual gifts has caused a lot of havoc in the body of Christ as people are carried away by every manifestation they see. Every believer has to take the responsibility to grow by the Word of God, ...that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive: Eph 4:14.
There are nine gifts of the Spirit: word of wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, gift of healing, working of miracles, discerning of spirits, prophecy, diverse types of tongues, and interpretation of tongues.

The purpose of these gifts is to glorify the person of Jesus and confirm the Word of God; it is not to show how powerful a man of God is or to promote his ministry. Any operation that doesn't seek to exalt Jesus is not of the Holy Spirit. So anyone that will safely operate in the Spirit must be well grounded in the Word of God.

A person that is not established in the Word of God and all he does is to operate in the manifestation of the Spirit is dubious. Also the manifestation of the gifts is as the Holy Spirit wills and not as man chooses, But all these worketh that one and the self same Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will, 1 Cor 12:11. A man that operates the gifts of the Spirit like a personal ability that He could use at will without dependence on the Holy Spirit is fake. For example, the fact that a man has the gift of prophecy or word of knowledge doesn’t mean t hat he must know everything about everyone and have a word about everything all the time. Any man operating as such is going into error. The gifts are as the Spirit wills.

Finally, the gifts of the Spirit are to be operated in love. The gifts are not to expose, embarrass, dominate or intimidate people but to help, edify and build them. The manifestation of gifts of the Spirit in a member should also build the body of Christ as a whole. No man should operate the gifts in isolation claiming self sufficiency, For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ: 1 Cor 12:12. The body of Christ is one and every member is dependent on others. Anybody that claims that he is so gifted that he doesn't associate with others in the body of Christ is in error .May you be grounded in God and not be led astray by the sleighs of men. I pray also that God will anoint you with His gifts, in Jesus’ name.

Prayer/Action
* Ask God for the gifts one by one.
* Pray that the gift of God in your life will glorify only Jesus.
* Ask God for deeper understanding in the things of the Spirit.

From Egypt to Canaan

Text: Heb 4: 1-3
MORE LESSONS: Heb 3: 7-19
Bible Reading in one Year: Romans 9-11

God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt to lead them to the promised land of Canaan, the land flowing with milk and honey . They were to pass through the wilderness as a test of their faith in God before they would enter into the Promised Land, And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no: Deut 8:2.

The Israelites complained and murmured against God each time a challenge arose. Thus they sinned and rebelled against God again and again; because of this many of them could not enter into the rest that God had prepared for them.

This is an illustration of the Christian journey in life. God has brought us out of the world of sin (Egypt) and He is leading us into the promised land of all our inheritance in Christ and to Heaven where we will be with Him forever. As we pass through the wilderness of this life, many times we face challenges that are to test and prove us. We should not be like the children of Israel that doubted God and fell in the wilderness. Rather we should hold on to Him to the end. Do not be like the children of Israel that kept longing for the fish, melon, garlic and cucumber of Egypt.

Those are believers that keep longing for the things of the world and the sinful pleasures of the past. Rather keep your eyes fixed on the glorious inheritance that God has reserved for you both in this life and in that which is to come. Do not cast away your confidence in God and do not disobey Him.

Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draws back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul: Heb 10:38-39. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief: Heb 4: 11.

The Bible tells us to labour to enter into the rest that God has prepared for us. In other words, with determination avoid anything that could prevent you from entering into your Promised Land and diligently pursue the things that are needed for you to enter into your inheritance. You will not fall in the wilderness of life; you will enter into the Promised Land, in Jesus' name.

Prayer/Action
* Pray that you will not miss heavenly Jerusalem.
* Pray that no challenge will take Heaven from you.
* Declare that your spiritual pilgrimage will not end in disaster.

Good Gifts are for You

Text: James 1: 17
MORE LESSONS: 1 Cor 12: 1-1 1
Bible Reading in one Year: Romans 1-4

God has a lot of gifts in store for His children, but a lot of believers are not taking advantage of the gifts that God has prepared for them because they are ignorant of His provision and how to take delivery of them, Every good and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variableness neither shadow of turning: Jam1:17.

Sometime ago, I was to pray for a lady for healing and for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. She wanted the healing but she told me not to worry about the baptism of the Holy Spirit because it is a gift for some and not everyone can have a gift. She also said that all fingers are not equal, so everyone cannot be gifted. I replied that it’s true all fingers are not equal, some are taller than others but if I have my choice I would choose to be the tallest finger. I asked her, If given the opportunity to work in a company as the Managing Director or a messenger, which would you choose? She said she would like to be the director. That is good response.

Some people and churches teach that gifts are not for everybody but we know that the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues is for every believer. I then told her, Even if they told you that gifts are not for everybody because some are more privileged than others, why don't you choose to be among the people with the gift since they didn't say it is a crime to have the gift, it is just a privilege. The wonderful sister agreed with me and said that I had a point.

And if you hardhearted, sinful men know how to give good gifts to your children, won't your Father in heaven even more certainly give good gifts to those who ask him for them? Matt 7: 11 (Living Bible). Whatever gift you want- spiritual, physical or financial-you can get it by asking God who lavishes good things on His children, Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, ....1 Cor 14: 1 (NKJV).

When you desire the gifts of the Spirit and ask God for them, He will give to you. As you desire the gifts of God with a sincere heart to help people and to glorify God, He will richly give them to you, in Jesus’ mighty name.

Prayer/Action
* Ask now for the infilling of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues
or a renewal if you have been filled already .
* Ask God to generously pour His goodness upon you.
* Pray that you will not lack God’s Spirit and power in your life.

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