Looking unto Jesus

Text: Matt. 14:22–32
MORE LESSON: Heb. 12:1-4

And immediately Jesus stretched forth His hand and caught him and said to him, 'O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? Matt. 14:31. Doubt, fear and sinking in the midst of the storms of life are events of events usually experienced by a man who is no longer focussed on Jesus. But when a man has set himself before the Most High everyday and in all things, he can be sure of strength to withstand whatsoever may come his way. The scripture says, And the rain descended, and the floods came and the winds blew, and beat upon that house and it fell not; for it was founded upon the rock: Matt. 7:25. When a believer exhibits undivided attention on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of eternal salvation, he can be sure he will not sink in any storm of life.

There are countless negative effects of not looking unto Jesus: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled Heb. 12:15. Roots of bitterness and defilements are examples of what can spring up when a believer is no longer focussed on the Lord. And on the other hand, if a man can see the Lord clearly and follow Him all the time, he is sure to get to the highest height in life. And He said unto them follow me and I will make you ....Matt. 4:19. Prov. 8:32–36 gives a long list of other things the believer should do to have his gaze fixed on Jesus.

Some of which are:
(i) Keeping the ways of the Lord (verse 32). God's ordinances, statutes, doctrines, laws and commandments as expressed in His Word should be kept.

(ii) Hearing and not refusing God's instructions daily (verse 33). That means, going to where we can hear God's Word.

(iii) Hearing the Lord Himself and developing an intimate relationship with God, (verse 34).

(iv) Watching daily at His gates, i.e. through quiet time, fellowshipping.

(v) Waiting at the posts of His doors, i.e. steadfast ness, consistency and diligence in seeking Him (verse 34).

(vi) Finding the Lord and just seeking Him. It is only those that find the Lord that can be said to have sought Him, the aftermath of which is divine favour.

(vii) Not sinning against the Lord because it will amount to deliberately doing wrong to oneself (verse 36).

(viii) Loving Him (the Lord) so that the believer can have abundant life. (Verse 36).

Beloved, anyone who does these things will never be distracted but will find enthusiasm to constantly seek the Lord and obey Him in all things.

Prayer/Action
* Jesus I fix my eyes on You; let my foundation be established upon the Rock that will not be moved.
* Father, help me to follow Y our instructions daily and grant me an intimate walk with Your Spirit.

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Created for Good Works

Text: Jn. 2:13-17
MORE LESSON: Rom. 12:11

The text being considered today is a pointer to us as believers that having been created in Christ for good works (Eph. 2:10) we could be zealous for them (Titus 2:14). The word translated 'fervent in spirit' means to boil with heat. As used in the text above, it means to have a burning zeal to do the will of God. One can be either ''lagging in diligence'' or ''fervent in sprit'' but whoever desires to please the Lord must not only prefer but also manifest the latter. Know that your spiritual fervency is required for your relevance in spiritual service.

Rev. 3:14–16 presents us the case of the Church at Laodicea which was chastised because of their lukewarmness. This tells us about God's zero tolerance for lukewarmness. It is however, sad to know that the fervent spirit is lacking in some who parade themselves to be God's people. Some believers in Christ unfortunately are guilty of ignoring, procrastinating, and even running down that which needs to be done in the body of Christ for the Kingdom of God. They have lost the fire and enthusiasm of the first century Church. This is the time to rise and take after the likes of Nehemiah who in the midst of every distraction, persecution and mockery still proceeded to go about his service to God and His people.

We are actually not ignorant that the state of the world today makes it increasingly difficult to serve God. The inevitability of making ends meet and to survive has made many to substitute service to God with service to self. But as true as this may be, it is only believers with the fervent spirit that will not compromise their burning faith and service to God come what may.

The scriptural admonition today is very important now than ever because the days draw near when God shall make a division between the one who serves Him and one who does not serve Him ...and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not (Mal. 3:18).

Prayer/Action
* Father, kindle your fire in my spirit.
* Father, let the grace to serve You with fervency more than ever before come upon me today, in Jesus’ name.
* List three things you can do daily to keep your spirit fervent and determine to do them consistently.

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Victors not Victims

Text: Job 22:21-29
MORE LESSON: Isa. 54:17

The Holy Bible is replete with scriptures that guarantee our victory in all of life endeavours. God’s assurance to us on victory is however, not realized when we don't take out time to search and acquaint ourselves with the vast provision of victory that we have in God through His Word. Whether we like it or not, in 2015, there will be some casting down, disappointments, sack letters, broken homes and unrealized dreams which are all associated to victims of circumstances. But none of these shall be your portion, in Jesus’ name. Your “AMEN” to this prayer will only be sufficient for you to be a victor in the midst of the year if you can be committed to observing the following steps that can be helpful in being a victor and not a victim.

1. Acquaint yourself with God in 2015 (Job 22:21). To acquaint oneself with God is to get to know Him personally. Therefore, if you must live as a victor in 2015, it is expedient that you know God so intimately, to know who He is to you and what He has for you. You should know that He is your shield and glory (Psalm 3:3); He is your very present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1). Know Him to discover that He is plenteous in mercy (Psalm 5:7) and that He will not cast you away when you run to Him for mercy and victory over sin (John 6:37). What a man knows about God and His Word and how the knowledge is applied can determine who becomes a victim or victor in the year.

2. Live by divine instructions (Job 22:22). Divine instructions are instructions given by God or through His Word or His prophets and they are often times opposed to our opinions and reasoning as humans. They however, have the capacity to keep those that adhere to them from being victims of evil. Let us be willing therefore to receive and obey the divine instructions that come from our spiritual leaders who God has set over us in order to avoid the evils that waste men. The instructions may include when not to travel, who not to marry, etc. Such instructions when followed are capable of dealing with the obstructions on the way of a man's destiny.
3. Learn to speak/pray what you want (Job 22:27-29). The summary of Job 22:29 is that we can be defended from being victims of tragedy if we can also learn to speak out what we desire as our portion when faced with unpleasant circumstances. What you say is what you will see. Choose to speak victory-related words this year and you will experience it.

Prayer/Action
* Appreciate God for the provisions He has made for your victory through His Word.
* Tell God you will not be a victim of circumstances in 2015.
* Pray that you shall not be misled to be a victim in the year.

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Great Grace for Leaders

Text: Eph. 3:7-8
MORE LESSON: James 4:6

The grace of God exists on three different levels: (1) God’s unmerited favour. (2) God's willingness to enter into a covenant of righteousness with you and bring you into His presence. (3) The anointing of God. The Holy Ghost is the anointed of God, and He extends that anointing to you. The anointing removes all burdens, destroys yokes, blesses and empowers you. The anointing will go before you to prepare the way for God to move. You can pray and believe God for this active side of grace to do the extraordinary, that is operating in the supernatural realm of the Spirit.

In Acts 4, Peter and John did a notable miracle causing a lame man to walk. The people rejoiced, and word of the miracle came to the Sanhedrin, who grabbed them and demanded that they stop teaching and preaching in the name of Jesus. After reporting what the chief priests and scribes and elders had said, they began to pray, praising God, asking for boldness to speak even more fearlessly. They asked for the manifestation of the power of grace, and grace showed up as they spoke the Word of God boldly and many signs and wonders were manifested. When you are experiencing a time of great grace, you don't need to struggle in order to manifest power! The great grace that came on the disciples will come upon you today, in Jesus’ name.

Great Grace is the power of God that enables you to do what God calls you to do. We are totally dependent on the power of God (great grace) to teach and to pastor. You can do better and function better when you operate under the auction of the grace of God. May God anoint you with this grace today, in Jesus’ name.
Man can't take any glory for doing anything. If a miracle happens when we preach and minister, thank God. But it is not us but the grace of God. You are a saint of God, with grace in you. Talk back to the devil; tell him that he can do whatever he wants, but you know that in the end, you will receive God's grace just in time. His grace will be sufficient for you to go through it all (2 Cor. 12:9). Paul knew he could face any trouble because he had a covenant with God for His grace.

Because of that, Paul said, I can do all things through Christ which strengthened me Philippians 4:13. If you stay on the Word of God, refusing to be moved by what you see, feel, and what people say, then you are going to be moved by knowing who you are in God and where you are standing. This is going to bring you the experience of victory, which will give you hope in this year.

Prayer/Action
1. Pray that you will experience seasons of grace this year.
2. Pray that this year you will function by grace in all you do.
3. Ask God for His empowering presence that comes by grace this year.
4. Declare: I can do all things through the grace of God.

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