How to get Revelation from God’s Word

Wednesday 22 April
READ: 2Tim2:15
MORE LESSONS: Psa.119:18

If you desire to find revelation from God's Word, whether as a preacher or a believer, one of the things you must learn to do is to ask several questions about the scriptures you read. There are two ways to read the Bible; you can read it like a piece of literature and secondly read it line by line, precept by precept and ask questions about what you read. This way you will be reading the Bible as a divine Word of God.

You can read the Bible as a literary text the same way you do when you have the Bible on tape playing. Sometimes, as you are listening to that Bible on tape, you could have the Spirit of God click on one verse. You can stop, note that verse down for an in-depth study later. But primarily there is a place for just listening to the Bible running. There is a place for just reading the Scripture, just running over it. You could take a book, for example, the book of Matthew. Let me tell you that there is no book in the Bible that is difficult to read when you do it that way. You can take Matthew, for example, and without a need to make marks, to pencil anything, to underline, just read it. You just sit down today and in a few hours, you can finish the book of Matthew. When you finish doing that, you can come back and start noting the parts that struck you. After all these you can now do what we call 'thorough study'.

In order to have a good understanding of such scriptures, sit down and look at the scriptures, take a pen, a notebook, and then read the portion that hit your spirit all over and ask yourself several questions like: 'who was speaking here?' 'Who was he speaking to?' 'What actually could be happening?' Create a scenario in your mind about what could be happening when the matter was spoken. Imagine what the portion in question looked like the day it happened. Thereafter, get some study aids and in addition pray over what you read. As you do so keep your spirit connected to God for the revelation knowledge of His word as such affect your life and relationship or fellowship with Him. In all these, remember that God values an intimate communion with you by the instrumentality of His Word through your deep study, mediation and prayers.

Prayer/Action
* Ask God for indepth understanding of His Word by His Spirit.
* Ask God to help you create time for reading and studying His Word
* Rebuke every wandering thought and lack of concentration while reading the Word.
* Ask God for special ability to understand and interpret His Word.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
I shall serve the Lord with all of my life and He shall bless my bread and my water.

Do not Despise the Holy Spirit

Tuesday 21 April
READ: 1 Thess 5:19 – 21
MORE LESSON: Eph. 4:29-30

It is a common practice among some believers that any where they see the Spirit of God in a way that they do not understand or have not seen before, they immediately take up a judgmental attitude and start condemning it. It is very important that we retain an attitude of openness and reverence to the manifestation of the Holy Spirit both in our lives and our congregations. When we see people moved by the Holy Spirit in our midst we should not be quick to brand them as wrong, weird or operating by strange spirits. The Church of Christ has become rigid against any move of the Spirit, because in a bid to be cautious against fake manifestations, we suspect every move of God. Caution for believers is strongly advised and necessary but we should be open to and encourage the genuine move of the Holy Spirit through tested and proven people and congregations.

In Matt 12:31-32, Jesus healed a man possessed by an evil spirit and some people started judging Him in their hearts that it was a demonic power that He used. He warned them that they were sinning against the Holy Spirit. Similarly, whenever you condemn the words, works or actions of a genuine servant of God acting under the direction of the Holy Spirit, you are despising the Holy Spirit. In the early days of my ministry, I preached on the Holy Ghost in a church where there was a very critical professor and his wife who ran down everything I preached. They stood up after my sermon and chided me and also condemned speaking in tongues and every manifestation of the Holy Spirit that I preached on. Even though some people started speaking in tongues in the meeting without me laying hands on them, some were skeptical and despised the move of the Spirit that day.

Two weeks later the man and his wife came to my house and started pleading that they were sorry for what they did. I told them not to worry because I didn't take it against them, it was God they opposed; not me. Then they opened up and showed me the arm of the wife which developed leprosy soon after their verbal attack on me in their church. When I saw the affliction, compassion welled up inside me, and I made them realize that I knew nothing about what happened to them, neither did I pray against them.

The truth is that despising the Holy Spirit is a very dangerous thing. They repented and told me that they now believed in the Holy Ghost. I didn't know what to say but I just pleaded with God for mercy and anointed them with oil. God is merciful: He healed that woman.

Today do not grieve, despise or disobey the Holy Spirit. And in case you have in any way despised any servant of God who acted or spoke under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, I want you to know that there is still mercy for you. God will show mercy if you repent.

Prayer/Action
* Ask The Lord to forgive you, if you have in any way despised the Spirit in word or action any time past.
* Ask God for divine wisdom to differentiate genuity of spirits and instructions.
* Say to the Holy Spirit, “I reverence and adore you”.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
I shall delight myself in the Lord, and He shall fight my battles and make my enemies His enemies always.

The Working of Miracles

Monday 20 April
READ: 2 Kings 2:9-22
MORE LESSON: 1 Cor. 12:10

Elijah was a man of God that experienced and had so many miracles performed through him by God. He was used to raise the dead and call fire from heaven. Ravens brought him food. He experienced unceasing flow of oil from a cruise of oil and so many other miracles. When he was to be taken miraculously to heaven in a chariot of fire, the double portion of the grace and mantle of the Holy Spirit upon his life was passed to his servant Elisha. Elisha went ahead to witness, experience and had so many more miracles performed through him that even after death; his bones still raised a dead man (2 Kings 13: 20-21). Moses also witnessed diverse and strange miracles operate through his ministry. These servants of God, among many others, are examples in the Old Testament of men that God gave the gift of the working of miracles.
One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit to believers in the church is the gift of working of miracles. Miracles are God's supernatural intervention in the ordinary course of nature to do that which is naturally impossible or unexplainable. Miracles show the supremacy and sovereignty of God over natural laws and occurrences. The life and ministry of Jesus Christ was characterized by innumerable miracles. He healed the sick, raised the dead, walked on the water, multiplied food, turned water to wine, calmed the storm. There are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen. John 21:25
I want you to know that miracles are your portion by faith in the name of Jesus. Every believer in Christ should experience and perform miracles as God wills. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. John 14:12-13. By faith in the name of Jesus Christ, you can command miracles.
In extension, there are some chosen vessels in the Body of Christ that are especially graced by the Holy Spirit such that miracles are worked through them in a higher dimension than the other believers. Such people are said to have the gift of the working of miracles. It is right to prayerfully desire this gift from God. But desire earnestly the greater gifts . . . . John 14:12-13 (ASV)
Salvation and faith in God are the most essential conditions for operating in the miraculous. If you believe today by the power of the Holy Spirit, signs and wonders will follow you, Jesus said- And these signs will accompany those who believe.... Mark 16:17
 
Prayer/Action
* Ask God for the gift of miracles.
* Ask that miracles will be a permanent feature in your walk with God.
Make a demand on God for a miracle and believe God for answer.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
Today, I shall hear the Lord’s voice of guidance behind me saying, “This is the way, follow it”, and I shall not miss my way.

Together with your Family

Sunday 19 April
READ: Josh 24: 15
MORE LESSON: 1 Sam. 8:1-5

When God calls a man to walk with Him or to do a work for Him, He expects the man to carry his family along. Any man or woman of destiny and purpose in the Lord should know of a certainty that his spouse and children are partners with him/her in destiny and purpose, and should treat them as such. When God called Noah out of the perverse world of his generation, he told him to answer the call with his family carried along. And the LORD said unto Noah, come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. Gen 7:1
God recommended Abraham to be the carrier of His covenant because God was sure that he will bring his wife and children into a covenant walk with Him. For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him. Gen 18:19

Joshua didn't just stand for the Lord, he vouched for his family to serve the Lord; . . . but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Josh 24:15

Many people who do great works of faith and of ministry do not have a good example to show in their marriages and family. This is not the will of God but the error of man. It is God's will that any man that serves him in whatever capacity should bring his spouse into the walk with God. Any vision you pursue should include your life partner. Some men believe that they are so anointed and competent that they think that the only contribution that their wife has to make in their life and vision is to cook meals, clean the house and give birth to children. Some women also never build capacity and develop themselves for the vision, purpose and ministry of their husband but think that once they get married and they can cook good meals, all is settled.

God's will is that couples be partners in life, purpose, vision and destiny. The responsibility to make this happen is on both the man and the woman. It is also each person's responsibility to add value to and develop the other for the destiny that God has prepared for them together. I pray that your family will be one in purpose and vision; the father, mother and children will all enter into God's prepared destiny for you. Your family will not be like Lot's family that one was godly and some fell by the way side in Jesus’ name.

Prayer/Action
* Pray for your pastor’s home that his family will not miss heaven.
* Ask God to grant His servants the wisdom to begin ministry from their own home and family.
* Pray that children like Eli’s children and Samuel’s children will not be the portion of our minister’s families

PROPHETIC PRAYER
The Lord is my sun and my shield, the Lord will give me grace and glory, no good thing will He withhold from me, in Jesus’ name.