Reprogramming your Mentality

Text: Rom. 12:2
MORE LESSONS: Prov . 23:7
Bible Reading in one Year: 2 Chronicles 23-25

The mind of a man is the seat of his thoughts, reasoning, values, words and actions. The behaviour and life of a man are a product of his mind. Christians put a lot of emphasis on the spirit, spiritual exercise and spiritual growth, and that is right and necessary . However, you should not forget to develop your mind, reasoning and intellect because the spirit of a man can only relate to this physical realm through the soul, which contains the mind. So no matter how much a man has grown spiritually, he is still limited if there’s no corresponding change in his mind.

Personal development, education, study, attending conferences and seminars are ways of improving your mind, Be renewed in the spirit of your mind: Eph 4:23. The biblical account of the growth of Jesus is revealing, Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man: Luke 2:52. That is mental, physical and spiritual development in that order. Many strongholds that people battle with are in their minds.

It is not every poverty, sickness or failure that is a spiritual attack; most are as a result of poverty and failure mindset that has been so ingrained in a person by the reason of his background, environment and experience; thus the person always thinks, talks and believes poverty and lack. So many people do not sincerely think it is possible to live a sickness-free life, some can't imagine themselves wealthy and great.

Your mind needs to be renewed by God's Word till you see yourself in agreement with what God says about you.
Many times people struggle with sin and lust and they want laying on of hands, binding and casting to be delivered from sin. Of course there are several cases of people who need deliverance from the hold of sin but more often than not, freedom from the hold of sin will be by the renewal of the mind of the person, by the washing of the water of the Word of God because the mind is the battle ground of temptation and sin. When a man gets born again, his spirit becomes brand new and perfect but the mind is the same with the same memories, feelings and thought patterns.

Therefore, the Word of God needs to reprogramme the mind for total liberty and maturity in the faith. You need to expose your mind much to the Word of God so that it can think in agreement with the mind of Christ.
Today I want you to take the responsibility of realigning your thinking with the Word and reprogramme yourself for success in God.

Prayer/Action
* Ask God to purge, deliver and renew your mind for a greater life.
* Ask God to help you reprogramme your mind by removing all negativity.
* Pray that your mind will always align with the Holy Spirit.

Pass Through to Get to

Text: Acts 27:18-24
MORE LESSONS:2 Cor. 4:8-9, 17
Bible Reading in one Year: 2 Chron. 20-22

In our first reading, Paul has appealed to Caesar in Rome and at take off, God tells him he is going to get to Rome. But the journey on the sea turns out to be a terrible experience because the wind is contrary to them. In fact it’ s so bad that for 14 days they can't eat, they go into an unplanned and unproclaimed marathon fast for 14 days. However, the Angel of the Lord assures Paul, ...Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee: Acts 27:24. It happens as the Lord says, the ship is lost but the people are saved, and they all get to Rome.

This story paints a picture of many in the journey of destiny when experience and situation turn out to be very terrible. Many people at such times start doubting God and ask questions like, Why I in such a bad time as this when God told me the destination will be good? I want you to know that nobody gets to without passing through. You should not count such times when you are passing through as bad times but as a passage t o your glorious destination. There are things you have to pass through in order to get to where you are going.

As a student you might be going through stress, making sacrifices and to eat might even be a difficulty now but by the time you finish school brilliantly and your certificate starts opening doors for you, you am will thank God for all the things you endure as a student. Difficulties should not always be seen as bad times because sometimes they are to make you on your way to where you are going. When you are still in the process of going through, it might be difficult to believe and accept that God is aware of your plight but when you begin to reap the harvest of the pain, then you will thank God for taking you through the pain and stress.

Paul knows that those fourteen days are just a passing time and not a permanent situation, so he could encourage the others in the ship. Eventually they get to where God intends taking them to. No matter what you are passing through today , I want you to be encouraged in the Lord because you will still get to your glorious destination, When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee: Isa 43:2

Prayer/Action
* Declare that every challenge you face will become a testimony for you.
* Prophesy that no evil time will swallow you up.
* Declare that every test will become a testimony.

Overruling a Season

Text: Dan. 2:21
MORE LESSONS: Psa. 57: 1-11
Bible Reading in one Year: 2 Chronicles 17-19

As a child of God, you must know how to get events, times and seasons to align with God's will and purpose for your life. One portion of the prayer that Jesus taught His disciples is Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven: Matt 6:10. So when God's will is not being done in a season of your life, what to do is to overrule that season.

I want to let you know that there is no season that you cannot overrule. If hard times, difficulties and bad seasons come your way, you can overrule them. Don't allow seasons to rule you, rather you overrule them. Everyman, even the righteous, may go through an unfavourable season one time; so it is not the fact that you are in a challenging time that is the problem. The problem comes when you allow that difficult time to prevail over you. You are to prevail over bad season by overruling it.

Let us look at some principles of overruling a season from the Bible, Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities' be over past: Psa. 57:1. David was a man who experienced many adverse seasons that needed to be overruled. From this scripture, we see a secret that he knew , . . . until these calamities be over past. David said this calamity will pass, and it did.

Even in the midst of calamity David had the hope and expectation that the situation would change. The first thing to do to overrule your bad season is to be convinced of the possibility of change. You have to believe that a bad season is nota permanent state. Unfavourable seasons are not to be accepted.. . . for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge. This is the expression of faith and trust in God. Many are not able to overrule their negative season because they do not stand in faith but rather panic in fear . Only the still can still the storm. Faith and fear don't work to get her. Unfavourable seasons are not to be feared and panicked over . Faith is the victory that you need.

Finally , For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith:Mark11:23. You overrule by the words of your mouth. Seasons change as you declare words that are empowered by the Holy Ghost.

Payer/Action
* Make a decree that evil season will not thrive in your destiny.
* Command every contrary season to change today and bow out of your life.
Using the following scriptures, take 10mins each on 3 different occasions today and declare your victory over any evil season- Dan.2:18-21, Lk. 21:15

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.