A Thousand Times Increase

Friday 24 April
READ: Mark 4:3- 8
MORE LESSON: Deut. 1:10-11

In the parable of the sower, we see what happens when seed falls on different kinds of ground. The different types of ground denote the different kinds of hearts with which people receive the Word of God. According to the text, some seed fell by the wayside, some on the rock and some among thorns and they all didn't bear fruit. However, some fell on good soil and were fruitful. But even on the good soil, there were different levels of fruit bearing. The Scripture says that some gave thirtyfold, some sixtyfold and some a hundredfold yield. A thirtyfold return is commendable when compared to the unfruitful grounds; but it is not comparable with a hundredfold return. So we can see that fruitfulness is in levels and glory also is in levels.

In Gen 26:12, Isaac sowed during a time of famine and received in the same year a hundredfold harvest and God blessed him. He had a hundredfold and was also blessed by God. So even as great as the hundredfold is, it is not all that there is to the blessing of God. Reading further we can see other evidence of the blessing of God on Isaac's life in addition to the hundredfold that he received, And the man waxed great and went forward and grew until he became very great. For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him: Gen. 26:13-14. It is God's desire for you to receive the hundredfold increase and also be so blessed that the evidence is clear. God wants to bless you till you become the envy of the unbelievers around you. When you are blessed, it shows. It is not appropriate to keep saying that you are blessed and there is nothing to show for it. From today you will have evidence of God's blessing on your life, in the name of Jesus.

The hundredfold increase is wonderful and it is God's will for you to be a hundredfold of what you are right now by this time next year. But I have discovered that the hundredfold growth is not all there is to God's blessing. In Deut 1:11, Moses blesses the children of Israel, The LORD your God hath multiplied you, and, behold, ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude. The LORD God of your fathers make you a thousand times so many more as ye are, and bless you, as he hath promised you! Deut 1: 10-11.

Even though God has already multiplied Israel to be as the stars of heaven, Moses still prays that God will make them a thousand times more. That is a thousandfold enlargement. There is truly no limit to God's capacity to bless. He has surely blessed you or else you wouldn't be where you are today. But I tell you there is more, believe God for more. Ask Him not for a hundredfold but a thousandfold abundance, and more.

Prayer/Action
* Thank God for the availability of extra blessing.
* Ask God for an overflowing blessing all through life.
* Pray that your destiny will increase more and more to the end.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
Every enemy of my destiny shall hear noise today from the Lord and flee,in the name of Jesus

'Come Forth'

Thursday 23 April
READ: John 11:43 – 4
MORE LESSON: 1 Sam 17:48 - 50

God has deposited something in you to make you great and you have to make it come forth. Lazarus was a great man but he was buried before he could fulfill his destiny. However, when Jesus showed up on the scene his story changed. When Jesus shows up in a matter, the situation has no option but to change. He commanded Lazarus to come forth and he that was dead came forth. He didn't stop at that, He commanded him to be loosed from the grave clothes that was used to bind him.

Lazarus, a situation, which was concluded to be over, came back alive at the command of Jesus. The Spirit of Jesus lives in you and so you can do what He did. We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak; Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you. 2 Cor 4:13-14. For what God placed inside you to come forth, you must use your mouth to command it. You can make declarations in prayers for the deposit of greatness in you to come forth.

For the deposit of glory and greatness in you to come forth, it doesn't stop at prayers and declarations. David in the Bible was a man that made the royalty that God put in him come out. It all blossomed when he used the sling against Goliath. I'm sure he was not born with the sling, he learnt its usage. So for the greatness in you to come forth, there are skills you have to acquire through learning and there are steps you have to take by faith like David took against Goliath. There are ideas and divine inspiration inside you that you have to execute for the deposit of God in you to come out. It may be a trade, a business, a project or a ministry. When the power of God takes hold of that talent and idea, it becomes anointed and greatness comes forth out of it. Putting what is inside you to use will earn you greatness irrespective of your background, tribe or gender.

There was a lady mechanic that was invited to Aso Rock (the Nigerian Presidential Villa) sometimes ago because she was doing something extraordinary. Through that she also made news in the newspapers for being a lady auto mechanic.
Whatever your gender or background, seek divine direction and locate what God has deposited in you to earn you greatness, command it to come and then tirelessly engage it in usage till it earns you glory and greatness.

Prayer/Action
* Pray that you shall not be cut off before your greatness.
* Ask God to bless the work of your hand and take you to greater heights.
* Command every hidden gift and talents in your life to come forth into manifestation from today.
* Proclaim that you shall not be hindered in destiny.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
I have set the Lord always before me, He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved no matter the situation.

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.