If it has not been by the Lord

Sunday 1 February
Text: Psa. 124:1-8
MORE LESSON: Lam.3:22-23

I want you to learn to be grateful to God in all situations. The only thing that cannot be wrongly said in any situation is 'thank you'. There is no condition where you say 'thank you' to God and you would have said a wrong thing. One revelation you need to have that will enable you give God thanks in every situation is that; It is because of the Lord's mercy and loving-kindness that we are not consumed, because His [tender] compassions fail not. Lam 3:22 (AMP).

The enemy doesn't want any good thing to happen to you. So whenever something happens to make you glad –whether achievements, promotions, blessings or favours - remember they only happen because the Lord is on your side. And even when some things happen and it looks like they are not good, I want to categorically state to you that the intention of the enemy was for it to be worse than that; the enemy wanted to destroy you totally but God didn't hand you over to the intentions of evil men, If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when men rose up against us: Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us .Psa. 124:2-3. we should always thank God for not giving us over to the intentions of the enemies to be a prey in their hands. Y our being alive today is an indication that the enemy could not perform the evil plot that they conceived against you (Psa. 21:11).

The Lord is on your side so you should have joy no matter what happens today because there is hope and assurance for tomorrow. I want you to be deliberate about celebrating the fact that the Lord is on your side; when you proclaim and magnify the fact that the Lord is on your side, your faith will rise and your enemies and contrary situations will become weak. Then the snares of the fowler will be broken and you will escape (verse 7). When you realise and give thanks to God for been on your side despite the situation, even whatever little the enemy was able to do would be destroyed and you will totally escape and be free. The enemy could not perform their whole intentions because the Lord has been on our side. But as you give God thanks for being on your side, whatever work the enemy has done in the past will be destroyed and you would be totally free.

Finally because the Lord is on your side, I want you to know that there is help for you in all situations. (Verse 8).

Prayer/Action
* Lift your hands and give thanks to God for His mercy, favour, kindness and faithfulness.
* Thank Him for being a great God, greater than your pains and errors.
* Say with me “father, I appreciate your fatherhood over me and I will praise you all my life”
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PROPHETIC PRAYER
Oh thou month of February, February, February, hear the voice of the Lord; work for my joy from the beginning to the end, in Jesus’ mighty name.

No Thanks, No Extra

Text: Luke 17:12 – 19
MORE LESSON: Psa. 103:1-5

There is no one that God has not blessed; there are only people that think He has not blessed them enough. If you think that there are some things you have not got and so you refuse to give thanks, then you are missing a very vital spiritual principle. God's principle for receiving more is thanking Him for the ones you already have. If you are prevented from thanking God for what you have because of what you don't, you will be denied receiving those things you don't have yet. In other words, the extra you want is in thanking Him for what He has given already; so, ‘no thanks, no extra.’ I charge you today that if you want more of God's blessings, begin to thank Him vigorously and sincerely for all He has ever done for you.

In Luke 17:12 -19, we see ten lepers healed by Jesus and then only one returned to give Him thanks. The other nine hurried away to pursue the next blessing; they were focussed on going to the priest so that they might be restored to their families and communities. But the one that was more focussed on giving thanks for what he was given went back to the Great High Priest. The result is that Jesus said to him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole (Luke 17:19 KJV). The others were just healed but he was made whole. Being made whole means that the sickness was not just removed; every loss he had experienced as a result of the sickness was reversed and all blessings the sickness denied him were now endowed on him. He was given total restoration as an extra over the others because he gave thanks.

The following are ways to thank God so that you can connect with the extra from Him.
1. Constantly give testimonies of God's goodness to you. A testimony is a tool for the duplication of miracles. When you tell people about what God did for you yesterday, He will do more tomorrow.

2. Write down the things God has done for you and praise Him for them. Many people have books where they write what they want God to do for them but no book to write what He has done.
3. Create a memorial of what God has done. You can immortalise what God has done for you by doing something that will remind you and others that God did something for you.

4. Make a sacrifice to God that will cost you something. When God gave Samuel to Hannah, she brought him back to God- that is a sacrifice. God gave her other wonderful children as extra. When you give something that ‘leaves a scar' on your bank account, time, energy or property, then you are making a sacrifice.
Today is the day to thank God and as you do, extra blessings are on your way.

Prayer/Action
* Give God thanks for seeing the end of the first month of the new year.
* Ask God for His forgiveness over any act of ingratitude you have done in the past.
* Ask God that as you give Him thanks today, He will keep your blessings and also add to it.
* Ask God to grant you mercies to also see the end of the last month of this year.
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PROPHETIC PRAYER
Father, bring me into a good land, where my water will be sure, eat my bread without scarcity and have no lack of anything.

Goodness and Mercy

Text: Psa. 23:1-6
MORE LESSON: Exo 33: 16-19

The goodness of God is God's abundant mercy poured or showered on a man who does not deserve it. It is enjoying one good after another. Goodness and mercy are covenant benefits for all who belong to the sheepfold of God just as Moses had, For how then will it be known that Y our people and I have found grace in Y our sight, except You go with us? So we shall be separate, Y our people and I, from all the people who are upon the face of the earth. So the LORD said to Moses, I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, I know you by name And he said, please, show me Y our glory. And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy: Exo. 33:16-19.

The secret of how David had goodness and mercy following him is that the Lord was His shepherd. A shepherd tends, feeds, keeps and defends his sheep. He watches over, looks after and guides his flock. Being a sheep in God's fold qualifies you for His guidance, provision, protection, correction and all the comfort that He can give. He will lead you to a green pasture and besides still waters because He has pleasure in you. He restores the weary soul and He will not leave His sheep in danger of the shadow of death nor will He hand you over to your enemy that you cannot compete with; He makes His own the envy of all men.

A man that will enjoy all these is the one:
1. who has been admitted to be a member of God's holy family by being born again;
2. who enjoys communion with God and dwells in His presence forever;
3. who does not set his happiness in the pleasures of the world, but in the fear and service of the Lord;
4. who is under the care and tuition of God;
5. who has made God his only sure protection and confidently relies on Him; and
6. who fears and trusts in the Lord – Ps 31:19. Such a man can confidently say as the Psalmist that, Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Prayer/Action
* Father, let Y our goodness and mercy follow me and my household.
* Father, be my Shepherd and don't let me stray away from Y our fold.
* Father, let me see Y our goodness in the land of the living.
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PROPHETIC PRAYER
Confess Deut. 11:2: 2015 is “a land which the Lord thy God careth for: the eyes of the Lord thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year”.

Alone with God

Text: Exo. 24: 9-18
MORE LESSON: Gen 32: 22-24

In our relationship with God, He has always desired to have a more intimate fellowship with us on an individual basis. For all who stand out in a walk with God, they do it on a personal relationship with Him. The walk of faith is first of all a personal walk; as individuals, we must be ready to forge ahead, not regarding the contrary situations. We must also be an encouragement to one another in faith. Every child of God should know that he/she needs a personal relationship with God and just knowing God as the God of his/her parents, who already have a stand before God.

The Lord said this concerning Abraham, Look unto Abraham your father and Sarah that bare you, I called hi m al one and blessed hi m and increased him: Isa 51: 2. Then Abraham moved his tent and went to dwell by the Terebirth trees of Manre, which is in Hebron and built an altar there to the Lord Gen 13: 18. The place of his altar was also the place of his encounter with God (Gen 18:1). In the days of Enoch, he had a testimony that he walked with the Lord and God took him (Gen. 5:21-24, Heb. 11:5) Enoch had a consistent and intimate fellowship with God even though the people of his generation did not seek after God.

A consistent and intimate relationship with God is expected of every believer. Jesus called His disciples that they may first be with Him and then that He might send them. To build your spiritual stamina, you must be willing and ready to feed more at the foot of Jesus. This can be achieved by consistency in prayer, study of the Word of God and engaging in spiritual activities that will enable you to communicate with God. Such activities include evangelism and personal retreat. Jacob spent all night wrestling with the Lord in prayer; the encounter that brought transformation to his destiny (Gen 32: 24). Making time out for personal prayer and study of God's Word gives you the privilege of being alone with God.
The life of Moses is also an outstanding example for us to learn from.

We learn from him that:
1. there is always more to know about God;
2. there are still greater experiences you can have with God than what others have had;
3. what makes you a leader is your ability to stay ahead, and
4. if you can patiently wait in His presence, His glory will transform your life.
If the secret of the fathers of faith in the Bible and also in contemporary times have been God's dealings on a personal level then everyone of us must aspire to have a consistent personal relationship with God. The altar of prayer, study of the Word and communication with the Holy Spirit must be with zeal and consistency.

Prayer/Action
* Ask God to draw you closer more to Him.
* Ask the Lord for grace for a consistent work with Him.

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