No Dry Day

Text: Jer .17:7-8
MORE LESSONS:1 Kings 17: 1-16
Bible Reading in one Year: 2 Chronicles 14-16

Elijah was a man very zealous for the Lord. When Israel forsook the way of the Lord and turned to idols, He single-handedly declared drought upon the nation, As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, but according to my word: 1 Kings 17: 1. When there is no rain and dew, the plants cannot thrive and famine sets in. So Elijah triggered a national famine. Did Elijah overlook the fact that if Israel experienced famine, he would partake of it? Did he forget that if there is no food in the nation, there would be no food for him as well? No, Elijah knew but he understood something that we need to understand today,

The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be forever. They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied: Psa. 37:18-19. As it turned out, Elijah was fed throughout the period of famine. You need to get to the point where you sincerely know that rain or no rain; God can take care of you. Salary or no salary, connection or no connection, job or no job, He can ceaselessly supply your needs.

In Elijah's case, God led him to the brook Cherith and sent ravens to bring him food daily. But it was not the brook and the ravens that were the source of his provision, it was God. So when the brook dried up, God the source of the supply opened another channel. Next time a man closes a door on you, don't run helter-skelter; God is your source and He will open another means. God sent Elijah to a widow in Zarephath and did a miracle so that the cruise of oil in the widow’s house did not dry throughout the famine.

There was famine in the land but they didn't know a single dry day; that shall be your portion, in Jesus’ name. You need to know how this happened to Elijah so that you could apply it to your life. As earlier said, Elijah was zealous for God, he was a God-addict. He didn't start seeking God because of the famine, he had been irrevocably committed to God. It is possible to experience surplus and abundance no matter the economic problems in your nation, but you must be relentlessly committed to God. Secondly, Elijah's trust was not in the rain, brook, ravens or the widow; he understood that these were just channels. His trust was in God. As you trust God with all your heart, you will not experience a dry moment anymore, in Jesus’ name.

Prayer /Action
* Pray that your destiny will never go into famine.
* Pray that God’s supply for your life will never go dry .
* Ask God for ceaseless blessings financially and otherwise.

"Marry” God, don't “Date” Him

Text: Isa. 54:5
MORE LESSONS: Psa. 42:1-2
Bible Reading in one Year: 2 Chronicles 10-13

These days people do all kinds of things. Boys and girls go into a relationship to observe and score each other. If they pass, they get married if they fail, they fall out. They call it dating but it has no basis in the Scripture. When that doesn't work, they cry and say that they are incompatible. Trial and error is not the way to live. Accurate and genuine result in life is birthed only by a commitment generated by an unwavering conviction in your spirit. Marriage is a commitment made in sickness, in health for richer, for poorer; till death do us part. God detests divorce and strongly condemns it. When you marry a person you have made an unconditional life time commitment to the person.

Now when a woman dates a man, she doesn't have a right to his name, his estate or property; anything she gets from him no matter how big she thinks it is, is just a meagre free will gift. A married woman on the other hand has rights to her husband's estate; she bears his name, so all that he has belongs to her, just like Jesus gave His name and access to all that He has to the Church, His bride, And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: John17: 22.

In the same way, in your relationship with God, there are things and realms you can never access till you make a lifetime unconditional commitment to Him. When your service to and stay with God goes beyond what He does for you and what He doesn't or what is happening to you and what is not, then you are subscribed to full access to all His riches, glory and power because then you are married to God. The reason many are not having maximum benefit from their relationship with God is because they are more or less in a 'dating’ relationship with God. They want to see whether it will work or whether they will benefit, so that if they don't they can quickly try other means.

Today, no matter what you are going through, I present to you the secret of victory, fruitfulness and glory—stay married to God, don't be in a dating relationship with Him. Stay committed in all circumstances.

Prayer/Action
* T ell Jesus the Husband of the Church, “I give You all my heart, I live for You only”.
* Ask God to receive your love for Him like in the beginning.
* Pray that nothing will separate you from the love of Christ.

Labourers and Harvesters

Text: I Cor . 3: 6-8
MORE  LESSONS: John 4: 37-38
Bible Reading in one Year: 2Chronicles 7-9

A young missionary came from Europe to Africa and after investing all his lifetime in a community he had only one young convert. He lost his wife and child to malaria in the land and after all the years, he went back to his country, an old man, thinking he had wasted the bulk of his life. He would have died a bitter man, if not that close to the time of his death he met someone from the same field who gave him a report: the one convert he had for all his labour had grown to become a great evangelist and church planter in that country, with thousands of people saved and many churches planted in nations through him.

The gospel is waxing stronger and stronger in that land. The old missionary repented of thinking that he wasted his labour and praised the Lord for the harvest that others were reaping from his labour. Then he passed on to glory.

When you look at life, you realise that everything you enjoy today is a result of the labour of people who have gone ahead of you. In everyday life, technologies like cars, phones, computers and others that make life easy for us today are the results of the efforts and labour of some people in the past. Some of the labourers of the past didn’t even get the chance of benefitting from the results of their labours; it was after their lifetime that their efforts began yielding results for other people.

This is true in the spiritual also; all your labour in the spirit like your prayer, fasting, giving and diligent service to God are harvests for the future. Even if you leave this world, other people, including your children, will benefit from them. Many of us are reaping the good of the spiritual labours of our parents. This is the reason why every person should be very diligent in all the things of God because such is laying up harvest for his seed and the future generation.

The converse is also true, laziness in the things of God and all the evil that men might do today are also to be paid for by future generations, including the children of the perpetrators of evil. Many countries are suffering and struggling today because of the lack of vision, corruption, embezzlement and evil of the past leaders. Of a truth, ...one soweth and another reapeth. . . other men laboureth, and ye are entered into their labours: John 4: 37-38.

Today, I charge you to start laying up spiritual and physical labours that others will reap from even when you are gone. This is the path to making everlasting impact.

Prayer/Action
* Pray that your labour in life will never be a waste.
* Pray for a life of impact beyond your generation.
* Ask for a life filled with results.
* Pray for divine speed and fulfilment in life.

Handling Challenging Times

Text: Job 14:14
MORE LESSONS: Hab 2: 1-3
Bible Reading in one Year: 2 Chronicles 4-6

God's desire is that His children ceaselessly enjoy good times. God is good at all times and this means good for us in every season. But as believers we ought to know how to handle challenging times because even though we are blessed people, things can sometimes be really bad; we need to know what to do and what not to do at such times. Going through the Scripture, you can see that bad times sometimes come even to righteous people. The age long question many ask is, why should a good person run into bad times? Job was a righteous man who experienced a great calamity, but he declared, . . . till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me. My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live: Job 27:5-6. What a faithful worshipper of God. Job refused to speak against God or compromise in the situation; no wonder he finally came out greater and better (Job 42: 10-17). When times are really bad, you still must stand for God and for righteousness and He will finally elevate you.

David, the man after God's heart, was another man that was familiar with difficult times. On one occasion he burst out in frustration, My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword: Psa. 57:4. On another occasion he despaired, And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! For then would I fly away, and be at rest: Psa. 55:6. David felt like giving up and running away just like you feel like throwing in the towel many times but he did not. Rather he affirmed his faith in God, As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me.

Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice: Psa. 55:16-17. David went through it all and at the end he had the testimony of being Israel's greatest king in history and the reference point for other kings. When you wait for God and prevail over a problem you become a reference point for uplifting many. This is the reason you must emerge victorious over that issue. The strength of God will not fail you, in Jesus’ name. In difficult times do like David did, pray; add Job’s strategy, maintain your integrity. Finally, trust in God and wait on Him by faith till your change comes.

Prayer/Action
* Pray for God’s help never to quit in adversity.
* Pray like David- But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory , and the lifter up of mine head:Ps3:3.
* Declare like Job, all the days of my life will I wait on you, Oh God till you change my situation.