Be Steadfast

Thursday 12 March
READ: Luke 22:28-32
MORE LESSON: Rev.3:21-22

Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations, and I appoint unto you a kingdom as my father hath appointed unto me: Lk.22:28-29. These are words of assurance for every believer. God knows the pains, tests and trials we go through to keep the faith. He knows the struggles, fears and troubles we experience because of the faith. In some parts of the world today there is great persecution of Christians, putting pressure on them to renounce the Christian faith. God is aware and He encourages, ...therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for as much as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord: I Cor. 15:58.

The encouragement to all is to stay steadfast because there's a Kingdom appointed for those who continue in the faith. It’s not enough to say yes to Jesus, accepting Him as Lord and Saviour; one must continue in the faith and endure to the end, But he that shall endure to the end , the same shall be saved: Matt.24:13.

There is divine provision to enable steadfastness in the faith, notable of it all is the prayer of the Lord Jesus, But I have prayed for you that thy faith fail not; and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren: Lk. 22:32. Say this to yourself this morning and be strengthened, The substance of my life that gives me identity with Christ will not be tampered with because Jesus has prayed for me. Be strengthened, in Jesus’ name. This is the crux of the matter, be encouraged when going through hard times because Jesus your advocate stands for you, that your faith will not fail. His blood will fight for you, His name will defend you and His glory will cover you. Be strong, But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you: I Pet. 5:10.

Prayer/Action
* Pray that help and strength will come for all brethren going through persecution worldwide.
* Pray for yourself that nothing will take you away from Christ.
* Ask God for grace to stand in Christ to the end.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
All my hidden stars will turn to rising and shining stars this year, in the name of Jesus.

Vessels of Praise

Wednesday 11 March
READ: Luke 11: 14 -28
MORE LESSON: Ps.89:20-21

Jesus was a vessel of praise. He passed through this earth and many that came in contact with Him gave praise to God because of what flowed from His life. In the reading of today, the life that Jesus lived made many to give praise to God for His mother.
Some people passed through this earth as vessels of disgrace instead of being vessels of praise. By His lifestyle, Jesus gave us clear examples to emulate and be vessels of praise. By the life Jesus lived and by His works He brought blessing on His family, society, and the world. It was glaring and clearly visible for all to see.

Ways to be vessels of praise:
1. Be a problem solver, not a cause of problems.

2. Sacrificially offer to God in substance, service, cash or kind.
Give in relation to what is left, not miserly gifts to God and tag them your widow's mite (Matt. 5:42). Giving sacrificially also means looking around to meet needs in the church, in the lives of God's servants and church members.

3. Worship God in challenges. Anna became a widow just after seven years of marriage and decided to serve God in the temple, worshipping Him with prayer and fasting. She did not rush to remarry as a young widow to satisfy societal or family expectations. She chose rather to serve God in the temple, choosing to please God rather than please herself or others though it wasn't sinful to remarry. She became a permanent vessel of praise as we still read about her more than 2000 years after the events.

4. Avoid secret evil acts that can bring shame if leaked to the public.

5. Mind your company. Don't company with evil doers no matter the pressure.

6. Be careful who you choose as mentor and partner. An unbeliever should not be your counsellor and model.

Finally, live a life of sacrifice and righteousness. Jesus by sacrifice became an eternal blessing. You too can become a reference point by choosing the path of sacrifice for others and a godly life.

Prayer/Action
* Today, as I step out of my house, I will be a vessel of praise and not of disgrace.
* Men will give praise to God because of my life from today.
List five ways you can be a blessing in word, thought, action to people and start doing those things listed.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
I receive angelic visitation with great evidence throughout this month, in the name of Jesus.

Trust God

Tuesday 10 March
READ: Pro. 3:5-10
MORE LESSON: Psa.121:1-2

As the year progresses, there have been a lot of instability in global affairs. The certainties of five to ten years ago have become uncertain. If anyone will make it in these unstable times then such a person must trust God as God does not have variables because He does not vary. However, men vary, so trusting in men can lead to several disappointments not because those men choose to fail but because man is fallible. Only God is worthy to be trusted absolutely, I will lift up my eyes to the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help comes from the Lord which made heaven and earth: Psa. 121:1-2. Trusting in the Lord is lifting your eyes to God in Heaven. It is refusing to rely on anything else but the Lord. It is making God one's refuge.

Trusting in the Lord is to put your case in God's court and absolutely wait for Him to settle the case, Although thou sayest thou shall not see Him, yet judgement is before Him: therefore trust thou in Him: Job 35:14. There are times it seems as if God is not there because He's not acting as you presume He should, but trust Him. And though there may be no strong wind or rain, your dry valley shall be filled with water. Trust God!

Characteristics of those who trust in the Lord include:
1.They absolutely depend on God, desperate for Him to answer knowing there is no alternative to God.
2. They focus on God alone.
3. They are persistent in asking.
4. They have great peace (Isa.26:3).
5. They are zealous for God.
6. They take risks at divine cost.

Check yourself, do you trust God? Remember that they that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed because it abideth forever: Ps.125:1.
In the midst of these shifting, changing times, if you will not be overtaken and swept away by the scourge of the wicked, trust God.

Prayer/Action
* Ask God to help you trust Him without wavering.
* Ask God to help you reject all alternatives offered by people around you.
* Pray that you will never have to lean on your own understanding but on God’s leading.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
The dew of God’s mercy shall be my portion today, and breakthrough shall meet breakthrough.

Say Only What God Says

Monday 9 March
READ: Num.14:26-33
MORE LESSON: Psa. 91:2

Whenever one is faced with challenges, men are always quick to say whatever they want. But the hallmark of a real Christian is that he doesn't say what the people say, he doesn't even say what the situation says. He only says what the Lord says. Today the word of the Lord to you is, Do not re-echo the words of the enemy. Many times when the devil begins to spread lies to create panic and fear, it is even the Church that assists him to do it by shouting what satan says. But the Word of the Lord to us as individuals and as a Church is, Do not repeat the statement of the enemy. Do not accommodate negative statements about your life and future. Do not join the people of the world to say negative things about your nation. The Church of Jesus must not join the people of the world to say negative things about the future.

God tells the men of Israel that as they have said in His hearing so He will do to them (Num 14: 28). This is the reason you must not repeat what the people of the world say, Do not call conspiracy everything that these people call conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it. The Lord Almighty is the One you are to regard as Holy, he is the One you are to fear, He is the One you are to dread: Isa 8:12-14 (NIV). The Bible says you are not to fear what the people fear, rather fear God and He will defend you. Do not say what they say, instead say what God says and He will perform it in your life.

If there is a problem, violence or attack anywhere and people say all kinds of things, do not join them. You should rather say, A thousand shall fall at my side, and ten thousand at my right hand; but it shall not come near me. Only with my eyes shall I behold and see the reward of the wicked . . . no evil shall befall me, neither shall any plague come near my dwelling. He shall give His angels charge over me, to keep me in all my ways. They shall bear me up in their hands . . . : Psa. 91:7-12.

I want you to know that you cannot be helpless. You have been anointed by God as a carrier of His help. Those who rise up against you shall fall for your sake (Is 54:15). Those who raise stones against the people of God will throw those stones at their own children, and generations of their children will pay for it. As for you, the snare is broken and like a bird, you have escaped (Psa. 124:7) from all evil and negative predictions! It is well with your soul.

Prayer/Action
Prophesy the following scriptures to yourself- Psa. 118:17, Psa. 46:1-5, Psa. 128:2, Jer. 17:7-8
Tell the Lord, These blessings shall follow me all the days of my life.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
Every opposition against my advancement at work, at home, in business and career shall scatter and backfire today, in Jesus’ name.