A People of Strength

Text: Psa. 28:7- 8
MORE LESSON: Eph. 6:10-18

It is always good for every believer to appreciate God for His love for us and for paying the price for our redemption through Jesus Christ our saviour. We that were lifeless, nothing, deserving death and completely alienated from the common wealth of Israel, But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9 (NIV).
God didn't leave His children hopeless and helpless but enjoin them to daily wait on Him in study of the word for in it, we shall find strength for each day of our lives.

God is our strength and source of our strength. So we can say that strength is God's divine enablement, divinely given, imputed, impacted and released to the believer. The ability is given by the Holy Spirit to a sincere and ardent seeker of God (Heb. 11: 6). Since God is the source of strength, we must daily take time, create time to commune with Him. For a believer to face each day in his/her life, prayer must not be taken for granted. Prayer is like the oxygen we take in for life to go on. A prayerless person is always susceptible and vulnerable to attacks. To avoid that, find time to pray and live in the strength of the Lord.

Fellowship with people of like-mind. Heb. 10:24 – 25, Prov. 27:17, Eccl 4: 9 – 12. Don't allow the enemy to cheat you by isolating you to be killed and destroyed. Keep a good company of believers as friends, don't associate yourself with the world. The measure of grace and strength can be sapped and siphoned by the lifestyle of evil companion. So avoid evil company, as you would a plague (2 Cor. 6:14).Buy the truth and sell it not. Buy different versions of the scriptures, good Christian literature by reputable authors, listen to tapes of seasoned men approved of God etc. As you do all these daily, God's strength will be so much upon you, in Jesus’ name.

Find time to fast and pray and be involved in other Church activities. If you faint in the day of adversity, Your strength is small: Prov. 24:10 (NKJV). Determine to stand firm with God. Circumstances should never determine your attitude to God. Come what may, we must remain glued to God. Job's devastating experience would have made him turn his back on God, but he remained firm. He is a man of integrity and strength even amidst tragedy. What are you passing through brother/sister? Don't allow the enemy to sap your strength, remain strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. God has enough dose to give to you when you appear before Him anytime. The joy of the Lord is our strength.

Prayer/Action
* Pray that our men will be committed and dedicated to knowing God, in Jesus’ name.
* Pray that our men will know their responsibility as the head of the home and be true/ honest, responsible fathers indeed.

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Breakthrough with Ease

Text: Psalm 126:1-2
MORE LESSON: Psalm 37:7-15

Breakthrough is an important development that may lead to an achievement. A believer's life is full of so many challenges. These challenges can come from the enemy of our souls, people around or they can be self inflicted: Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivereth him out of them all: Ps 34:19. The devil (thief) cometh not, but for to steal and to kill and to destroy...: John 10:10a. Jesus our redeemer, the lover of our soul, our intercessor and mediator said, . . . I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly: John 10:10b.

As a child of God, we must be aware and conscious of the fact that God always means what He says in His Word. Jeremiah 29:11 says, For I know the thought that I have towards you saith the Lord, thought of good and not of evil, to give you an expected end; 3 John 2:3 also says, Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

On this pilgrim journey, Jesus didn't promise us smooth sailing but that in all and every face of challenge, He will be with us and see us through. (Mark 4: 35 –41). With all God's promises and provisions upon us as His own, we must have to come to terms with His truth and reality that sometimes Heaven may appear to be closed or sealed over us with all the fasting and prayers etc. over issues we are trusting Him for . God will grant grace unto us to keep moving until our breakthrough is actualized, in Jesus’ name. It takes God and our total cooperation to have a breakthrough in life. Our cooperation should not be compromised at all. It takes our persistence because, it does not come arbitrarily. It has a price tag which includes patience, persistence, obedience and holy living, among others.

A believer who keeps himself/herself holy and sanctified for the Master's use and who is heavenly minded daily should never be discouraged but persevere with God until God manifests Himself with a breakthrough in such a life. I know when God appears, it will be like a dream and the pains will melt away as if they never were. The ease, joy, excitement that comes along will be unbelievable. When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter . . .: Psa. 126:1-2. Let us keep our daily communion with Him and be rest assured that our breakthrough is His desire. Keep faith with the Master.

Prayer/Action
* Pray that much grace be given to as many as are trusting God for husband, wife, children, admission, promotion etc.
* Pray that waiters will not compromise their faith come what may.
* Pray that God will use the waiting period to further equip, empower and train our character in Jesus’ name.
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PROPHETIC PRAYER
My labour of old in God’s vineyard shall not be forgotten in 2015, it shall be a season of harvests, in Jesus’ name.

Lord, Send Help Again

Text: II Kings 7: 5-17
MORE LESSON: John 5:1-8

Only God can exist without the assistance of anyone; no man can. From conception, the fetus needs the mother to survive. And as soon as the baby is born, he needs the assistance of the parents to grow and fulfil destiny. Help is an action given to provide assistance or aid.

The man at the pool of Bethesda wasted thirty eight years to infirmities due to lack of helpers. This man suffered until he lost his real identity. It was easy for the Lord Jesus Christ to find out his story from passers-by who knew him as the man that was abandoned by the pool, (Jn 5:6). When asked if he would like to be made whole, the man related why his condition had not changed; I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred, he said. Helpers are men/women positioned at strategic points in life to ease one’s burden.

The city of Samaria was besieged by the Aramites. This caused a great famine in the city to the extent that some women decided to eat up their children to survive. The king was contacted and he did three important things. (1) He recognized that only God could help (II Kings 6:27). Some people are at ease with their situations and don't see any need for a helper. A man will not earnestly seek help over what he has not considered to be a problem. That is why a drunkard can mock God's Word and His preachers as he drinks his alcohol. (2) He felt really bad for the condition his people were in; he tore his clothes and mourned in sackcloth. Adulterers can watch Christian channels in the hotel as they defile each other.

They think they are rich, wealthy and so need nothing from God (Rev 3:17-18). (3) He sought to kill the prophet Elisha. This connotes that the king realized that the prophet, who was the only one with the solution to the famine, had not done enough to deliver the land. By the word of the Lord Elisha gave a humanly impossible prophecy, which broke the siege. Our nation needs the help of God. We are sons and daughters of the Prophet; mind what you say about the situation because the solution to the siege is not in the hands of soldiers or politicians but in the hands of God through us His prophets.

God uses human beings to provide help. There are genuine helpers of destinies located for each man. God is indeed our helper and shield; no man can survive a moment without His help. Peter was sinking on the high seas one day and all he did was to cry for help; Jesus heard and rescued him. You too can access God's help by calling on Him today; He can send help again!

Prayer/Action
* Ask the Lord to send you help from His Sanctuary.
* Ask God to empower your destiny helpers.
* Declare that your life will be a source of help to somebody's destiny today.
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PROPHETIC PRAYER
There is hope for my help before the throne of God in 2015 and it starts today, in Jesus’ mighty name.

Turning the Battle to the Enemy’s Camp

Text: II Kings 7:3-6
MORE LESSON: II Cor. 10:4-6

One of the English definitions of an enemy is someone who feels hatred towards one or opposes one’ s interest. It also means someone who intends to injure someone else. It is also said that an enemy that is not dealt with on time will deal with his/her victim in time. A wise man must strategise very well to be able to overcome someone who opposes his interest.

The Bible clearly says, for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but they are mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God …. having in readiness to avenge all disobedience, when your obedience is complete: II Cor. 10:4-6. The real enemy of God's children is the devil and he manifests himself in different forms. It can use a fellow human being but care must be taken not to capitalize on the person being used as the enemy. Enemies can come inform of sickness, affliction, lack of promotion, poverty, witchcraft attack, curses, spells etc.

This is why it is not very healthy to patronize spiritualists who call names of relatives as one’s enemies. The tendency to hate the person so named is high, thereby promoting unforgiveness and strife which hinder prayers Mark 11:25-26. To turn the battle into the enemy's camp, you must be holy, and be someone who forgives. When the enemy confronted the Lord Jesus with temptation, He spoke the written Word of God and the devil left Him (Matt.4:4-10).Your fervent and consistent fasting/ prayer life will keep you in constant communion with God and cause Him to fight your battles. This important Christian weapon is fast losing its popularity among present day Christians due to laziness and busy schedules. Such people prefer 'paying' so called 'prayer contractors' to pray for them; no financial commitment to any assembly can substitute the place of genuine personal communion with the Lord.

Enemy attack in form of poverty can be overcomed by a life of giving and tithing (Mal. 3:10-12). A man that withholds will tend to poverty while a liberal hand shall be made fat. Don't miss an opportunity to give to the Lord, His people, your parents, relatives and others.
Your life of holy living will guarantee your entrance and dwelling in God's presence every time. You can then abide under the shadow of the Almighty. The lepers in our text revealed a major characteristic of an enemy; it will eventually kill its victim if the victim decides to do nothing. They said to themselves, why sit we here until we die? vs. 3b. A man who refuses to do something positive to change his situation and deliver himself from an enemy will pay with his destiny.

Prayer/Action
* Ask the Lord to deliver you from every form of unforgiveness.
* Receive the grace to be strong in the Lord and the power of His might.
* Ask God to show you what to do to overcome the enemies of your life.
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PROPHETIC PRAYER
My name and destiny shall not be missing in the list of greatness that 2015 will produce, in Jesus’ name.