When Jesus was Born

Text: Matt. 2:1-12
More Lessons: John 1:29
Bible Reading in one Year: Revelation 1-3

Christmas celebration is always full of fun and joy. At Christmas, people go out of their way to make sure they are happy. New clothing, house painting, shopping, carol services and different other ways of expressing joy are always on display. But the contrary was the case when Jesus, the object of our celebration at Christmas, was born. The whole world could not unanimously welcome Him because He did not come the way the world was expecting; He came in the way He could solve the problem of the world. He came a Saviour, born in the lowest place, looking so helpless to identify with our situations. Jesus came to forgive us. Lewis says “forgiveness from Jesus Christ is like a tape-recording of your life wiped completely clean”. This is exactly what Jesus came to do, and He did it; when Jesus was born, God gave all we need in one package called Jesus Christ.

Although when Jesus was born, the world could not celebrate His birth as we do today . Certain men had full details of what he came to do. Some examples are:
1. The Sheperds: Lk.2:8-13,
2. The wise men: Matt.2:1-12 says ...where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him: This group of people from the east saw the star of Jesus, followed it and brought gifts; GOLD which signifies his kinship and the best, FRANKINCENSE which is a symbol of prayer, a desire to communicate with God and a symbol of entering into a relationship with Him, MYRRH which is also a symbol of death acknowledging what He came to do.
3. Herod: Herod having been told the purpose Jesus was born sought Him to kill Matt. 2:4-8, says, …Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also: v8. Herod decided to kill Jesus, but he could not. And because Herod could not kill Jesus, Christianity cannot be stopped. Even though some church buildings are sometimes burnt, the church will remain.

All these people did what they knew to do when Jesus was born. And as we celebrate the birth of Christ again, what will you do about it? The shepherd heard the tidings of His birth, they went and spread the glad tiding. The wise men brought Him gifts. Herod sought to kill Him. Do something about the birth of the Messiah today. Happy Christmas to you, in Jesus’ name.

Prayer / Action
* Give God praise for sending a messiah to redeem us all-once and for all.
* Ask God for grace to spread the good news of the saviour-king to all. Brace yourself, win a soul for the saviour today.

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Distraction III

Text: II Sam. 1 1:1-2
More Lessons: Jam.1:21-25
Bible Reading in one Year: Jeremiah 49-52

Let me begin with this truth. In the grave yards today, you will find many bodies of people who had gone down to the grave prematurely because the devil distracted them. World leaders are among them, presidents, governors, prime ministers, ambassadors, great men of God and many others are there in the grave. The bullets of the enemy got them and they could not fulfill their God-given destiny.

There are governors today who are supposed to be pastors and there are pastors today too who are supposed to be governors. Quickly trace it back and check where exactly the enemy got you. There are many business men today who are so confused and are not finding fulfilment because they yielded to wrong calls. Know this for sure that, whenever God calls you, the devil will also call you and his aim is to distract you. If you yield to his call, you will never get where you are going to.

There are pastors today who were meant to be missionaries and there are evangelists who were supposed to be bishops. There are bishops today who were supposed to be arch bishops. You can keep on and on, the list is very long. But I want to ask you “Don't you think that the devil has succeeded in distracting you by the reason of where you are today? Don't you think you are a local champion where you are today? You are the local government chairman of your area today in your state, don't you think you were supposed to be the president of that country?

Don't go to the grave without fulfilment. It doesn't matter the distraction of the enemy in your life, you can make it again. May be you are a car mechanic today and hardly can you get 1000 naira in a day to feed your family. All you need to do is to trace the track back and identify where the enemy got you and be who the Lord has ordained you to be. There are so many market women today selling all manners of goods but among them are supposed presidents wives, doctors,ministers, virtous wives and so on. But sometimes ago, in the course of life journey , the enemy distracted them and they were not careful enough, so they fell victim of distraction and are where they are today . They are now mean women in the market working like donkeys and will do with very little to result. Except you consistently look into the perfect law, you will not be able to overcome the distraction of the enemy.

Prayer / Action
* Rebuke every force and agent of distraction in your destiny.
* Ask God to forgive and restore you wherever you have missed it in life.
* Ask God to defend your destiny by the power of His Word and Spirit.

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Distraction II

Text: Judg. 16:1-16
More Lessons: Prov. 2:16-20
Bible Reading in one Y ear: Jeremiah 45-48

I have seen great destiny fall before, I have seen men of strength becoming a vegetable before their enemies. I have seen men that even the devil was at a time scared if they will not pull down his kingdom, collapse at the verge of finishing their assignment on earth. One thing that so many Christians have failed to realize is that, the devil is a perfect man in the department of consistency, he never gives up but Christians go to bed and sleep all through. When you are sleeping, he is working against you. When you are outside spiritual exercise, he never gives up. Delilah was one major distraction in the life of Samson that never gave up, she was a representative of Satan on earth in the life of Samson. And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death; Judg. 16:16. The kingdom of hell was not happy about the work that God was doing through the hand of Samson, if you remember , I told you yesterday that the devil does not go after mere people, not after the fools but after the wise. So, Delilah was sent to make sure the work stops. Who is that Delilah in your life that is ready to satisfy you with sin? Won't you run away, won't you rebuke her now so that you can fulfill that God's ordained assignment in your hands?

Will you not take a cognizance look at those things that are pressing you and calling you to insult God? ...Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die: Job. 2:9. What will be your answer to them? Job did not bend to that distraction, he gave a reply immediately: But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh... Job. 2:10.

What is your answer today to the distracters and the distractions of your life? Are you condoling them? The aim and future of every distraction is destruction. The consistency of the devil in the place of distraction can ruin your many years achievement. Or if you are on your way to success, you might never get there. When the enemy succeeds in distracting you, he has just succeeded in stealing the map of your destiny, you will never get there; you will only be working and never be anything in life. Be wise today and wake up from your sleep. Get angry from within you and rebuke the devil. All those women around you, telling you things that will make you draw back from God are distracters. You think they love you, no sir, they are there to accomplish a mission, there is a need for you to take to your heel now. Don't be like Samson who felt he had all the power to resist Delilah, be wise now. Abstain from all appearance of evil. I Tim. 5:22. It doesn't have to be evil, if it looks like it run and run now. Tomorrow I will be telling you about certain destinies that have been exchanged in the place of distraction.

Prayer / Action
* Ask God to deliver you from every pressure meant to derail your destiny.
* Ask God to destroy from your life every evil relationship and company that are set by hell to destroy your future.
*Ask God to open your inner eye to discover and recover anytime you are going wrong.

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Distraction I

Text: I Kgs. 1 1:1-9
More Lessons: Matt. 16:21-23
Bible Reading in one Year: Jeremiah 41-44

Brethren, I urge you at this moment to vividly look at everything around your life, is there anything that stands as a distraction? Everything in your life that is taking your heart far away from God is a distraction. The most painful thing is that, sometimes a man is being distracted by the enemy and he doesn't know it. Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not: yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not: Hos. 7:9. The devil does not bring distraction to any mean man. He doesn't distract a fool because he is already in his net. He doesn't bother about a man whose focus is tampered with already. He doesn't worry himself about people who are already heading towards destruction but his utmost concern is about a focused child of God.

If you don't prepare against the day of distraction, the net of distraction will catch you. Distraction is like a man who went to market to buy soap to wash his clothes but as soon as he got there, he forgot what he went there to do. He began to pay attention to the noise of the market. He might end up buying sugar instead of soap. The aim of distraction is to completely change your primary aim; it is to give you fake and take the original away from you. That is why there is no man who wants to attain a higher level of success that the devil will not raise his ugly head against to bring him down by any means. You can never lose focus in life except you are first distracted. Distraction is one of the most powerful tools of the devil that he uses in destroying people's destiny. If he cannot distract you, he cannot get you.

What killed Solomon was distraction. If Solomon did not marry many wives, his heart wouldn't have been turned away from God. When Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God...: I Kgs. 11:4.

The reason why you are behaving the way you are behaving today is because something has distracted you away from God. The reason why you are no longer finding fulfilment in your destiny is because there are strange women that you have allowed in your destiny and except you chase them out by yourself, they will succeed completely in turning away your heart from God and make you zero.

Prayer / Action
* Ask God to help you stay on your purpose in life and destiny.
* Ask God to help you dismantle every picture before you that is a wrong direction for your life.
* Ask God to help you hear and see only things that are your purpose in life.

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