Faithful Helpers

Text: Col. 4:7 (NLT)
MORE LESSON: 1 Chron. 12:22, 38

In life, everyone needs a helper. That helper is somebody who recognizes what God has called him to do, who believes in your calling and is willing to support you. Leaders today, spiritual, business, secular and political, need people to work with. They need people that can be trusted with responsibilities, individuals or groups that can work together with the leader for a common goal. Such must be people that are called to support the leader and not to contest for right of authority, self actualization but the leader's interest. In the home front, the husband needs a faithful helper as a wife, and the wife needs faithful children. May God give you faithful helpers, in Jesus’ name.

The whole of 1 Chronicle 12 talks about helpers who came to David to help turn the Kingdom of Saul to him according to the Word of the Lord: people with sincere and perfect hearts (1 Chro. 12:38); men and women of proven integrity , brethren of honest report, full of faith (Acts 6:3-8) that can be entrusted with responsibilities. They should be those that are ready to put their life on the line, risk it to make sure that the Word of the God does not fail (1 Chro.12:23).
Destiny helpers that can go all the way to work and not people like Judas Iscariot who know your secret and give you out to the enemy for selfish gains are cherished by leaders (Matt. 26:47-48). Helpers that can stand with you as pillars to support you, pray with you and not to pull you down.

Faithful helpers are people that will wait and travail with you and not sleep at the peak of the fight of destiny (Matt. 26:36-40). They are people the leader can trust and who will go along with him even when the going gets tough. When others are falling by the wayside, faithful helpers will stand until victory is guaranteed. They are not people who want applause and praise for what they have done or are doing. Also, such are not people who are slothful in the Lord's business but fervent men and women rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulations, trials and persecution and people who are strong in the spirit (Rom 12:11-12).

Helpers that are faithful are those that cannot be discouraged by what they see, hear, but are inspired by what the Spirit of God says. Helpers that will stand for the truth and can defend it in spite of opposition are the one the church needs (Num. 13:30). Paul mentioned people like Tychicus ...a faithful helper (Col. 4:7), Onesimus ...faithful and beloved brother...(Col.4:9), a profitable son (Philemon verse 11) Epaphras ...a servant of Christ (Col.4:12) Titus - a son and co labourer (Titus 1:4), as faithful helpers who supported Paul's ministry. May God send faithful helpers to you today, in Jesus’ name.

Prayer/Action
* Lord, send faithful helpers to the church.
* Lord, today, I pledge to be a faithful co-labourer in the Vineyard.
* I make myself and time available for the Kingdom assignment.

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Nothing Missing, Nothing Failing

Text: Gen. 1:28
MORE LESSON: Job 5:23-26

The word “missing” connotes loss and “failing” implies lack of success. These twin words are the architects of misfortune and frustration. When a man incurs loss, he is bound to fail and when a man fails, he is bound to incur loss. The desire of God for man is not to miss anything nor fail, but to multiply and be fruitful. Gen. 1:28 says, …And God blessed them and God said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. Loss, failure and frustration originated from the point that the first Adam disobeyed God and in the process lost his place of comfort and birthright to Satan …And unto Adam He said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree..., cursed is the ground for thy sake, in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of your life: Gen. 3:17.

Since God spoke these words to man in Gen 3:17, Satan has been determined to manipulate man's destiny. Since then man’s efforts to be fulfilled have been characterised by losses, failures and frustration. This battle started with Adam and Eve who while in the process of fulfilling God's desire to replenish the earth, lost one of their children (Gen 4:8). Job lost all he had laboured for in life in one day (Job 1:12-19); King Saul lost his throne in Israel; likewise Samson who was ordained to deliver his people from the hands of the Philistines encountered loss, failure and frustration. Except God helps your efforts and struggles in life you are bound to fail. This is why the Psalmist said, Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it, except the LORD keep a city, the watch man waketh but in vain: Psa. 127:1.

You can position yourself for God’s help when you make up your mind to link up with Him and continue in His ways. Then your destiny will be secured, your labour will not experience failure or frustration and whatsoever you lay your hands upon shall be blessed. Even if in the process of working for more blessings you encounter failure and frustration, God will restore you as He did to Job …And God turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends; also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before: Job 42:10. What qualified Job for hundred-fold restoration was his continuous relationship with God despite the trial? Remember, when he heard that all he had laboured for were lost, he fell down and worshipped God (Job 1:20). I want to assure you that as you continue to live in the fear of God, the Lord will continue to send you help from His sanctuary and deliver you from failure, in Jesus’ name.

Prayer/Action
* Commit yourself and family into the hands of God for help against loss of life, property and money in 2015.
* Ask God to help you so that whatsoever you do this year will not fail.
* Take authority over the powers of darkness that make a man to labour in vain.

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The Lord Makes a Way

Text: Exodus 14:10, 21-22
MORE LESSON: I Sam. 30:7-8

As long as one lives, challenges of life are bound to come but the Lord will make a way out for His people. In view of this, worrying and crying over challenges of life do not help any man. What actually helps a man who is in an unpleasant situation in life is getting closer to God, knowing God's promises concerning his situation and taking the Word of God back to Him in prayer . David encourages this category of people in Ps 37:1-9. Be assured that whatsoever you are passing through in life, as long as God continues to preserve you from death, He will surely one day make a way for you.

Remember, the children of Israel were desperately running away for their lives from the Egyptians and got stuck at the Red Sea. It seemed to them that there was no way further; they thought the end had come. They became helpless, discouraged and sore afraid but our text says, And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them; they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried unto the LORD... And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand and on their left: Exo. 14:10, 21–22.

Per-adventure in your place of work, others are promoted and you are delayed or denied the promotion, or you have been struggling with financial dryness and living on monthly overdrafts from banks, God is more than able to make a way for you in 2015. Also, if you are in business, and nothing seems to be working out for you, the God who made a way for the Israelites at the Red Sea will surely make a way for you out of that unpleasant situation and your business will flourish in 2015.

On what basis does God make a way for His people? 1. They must know Him; they must be born again. 2.They must believe that He is more than able to do what He promises. 3. They must persistently and consistently cry to Him in prayer 4.They must continue to move forward or take a positive action in faith 5. They must be able to wait patiently until He makes a way for them. God is always willing to make a way for you as long as you continue to abide in Him. Make up your mind today to stop worrying and crying over unpleasant situations of your life. Rather, choose to relate with God, believe that He is more than able to do what He promises, and take your matter to Him in prayer. Take a step of faith and patiently wait on Him, then He will surely bless you (Lam 3:25).

Prayer/Action
* Lord, intervened in all my affairs.
* Father, send me help from above to overcome my financial dryness.
* Change my name from borrower to lender in 2015, in Jesus’ name.

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Arrows in your Quiver

Text: Psa.127:1-5
MORE LESSON: Psa.144:11-15

Evidently, from today’s reading, God loves children and wants people to have and nurture children. Children are not “little terrors' as some erroneously put it; rather, they are agents of happiness to the man who has his quiver full of them. Careful meditation on this Psalm shows that children are a blessing; not a single negative word was used to describe them here. They are called “heritage of the Lord”, “reward from the lord” and “arrows in the hand of the mighty man”.

Why then does the latter part of the scripture today remain unfulfilled in several homes? ...happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies at the gate: Psa. 127:5. Rather, what happens in several homes is that children bring shame and reproach to parents and families through wayward living, reckless and immoral lives.

The Psalm also gives the reasons: Except the LORD build the house, they labor in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain: Psa.127:1. Several parents raise children their own way not the Lord's. They use traditions and mere principles of men. Some use the rod heavily and verbal abuses constantly thinking that will transform children into arrows in their quivers but instead the children have become rebellious, thorns in their flesh.

What is the way of the Lord to get children to become arrows in the quiver to deal with the enemies at the gate?
- First, pray before children are conceived, pray after they are birthed and never cease to pray as they grow up to become youths and adults.

- Second, dedicate children to the one who gave them; commit them to their maker who is able to keep them. Several people think baby dedication is just a religious ritual in church. No! When it is done consciously, it's a way of committing children to Him that is able to keep.

- Third, teach them the word of God consistently. Ps.119:9. The word will constantly cleanse them and guide them.

- Fourth, love them. Treat them as humans with a complete system as you; spirit, soul and body. Take time out to listen to their questions, give polite and clear answers. Don't shout them down, rather be their friends.

Children who have loving, though, firm parents cope better with issues of life than children with strict, unloving and unreasonable parents. May your children be sharpened instruments in God's power to take away shame from your life and family, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Prayer/Action
* The children in my home will bring me honour and glory, not shame and reproach.
* My happiness and joy will increase because of the children the Lord has given me.
* I receive the help of God to train my children in the way of the Lord.

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