Men who would not Bow I

Thursday 7 May
READ: Dan 3:14 - 18
MORE LESSON: Rom. 8:35-39

These are days when it is challenging to stand in the faith, but there is no challenge we see now that has not been faced by men before. Our fathers faced the challenges we face today but they never failed God. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were Hebrews in the land of Babylon and Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, made an idol and told all the people to bow to it. It was either they bowed to the idol or were thrown into the fiery furnace. If you were the one in such a situation, what would you do? Don't be too quick to beat your chest and say, “I would not bow, I would rather be burnt”. Examine yourself in the light of similar situations you face before you make your claim: if you are told to do something wrong or be sacked at work, would you bow? If you are asked to give bribe or lose a contract, job or fail an examination, would you stand or devise some 'spiritual' rationalisation for your compromise? If religious terrorists hold you and say you should deny Jesus or be killed, what would you do? I know people that have changed their faith to secure or maintain a position. Those have bowed to the idol of Babylon.

Many of us have not faced great challenges as the Bible heroes faced and we have already run out of church. Men are quick to deny the faith in our time but Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego boldly declared, ...our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up: Dan 3:17-18 (NKJV).

It is only men who will not bow that will stand as testimonies and witnesses of God in this end-time. When Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were thrown into the fiery furnace, the Lord God showed up for them and the king saw what he had never seen before: He saw the King of Heaven in the fire and king Nebuchadnezzar bowed to King Jesus. It is only the people that refuse to bow in this world that will cause the world to bow to Jesus. The reason our communities, workplaces, schools, institutions, states and nations are not bowing to Jesus is because believers easily bow to the same things unbelievers bow to. Today God is asking you to decide to be one of those that will not bow.

Prayer/Action
* Pray that you will not bow to any challenge you may face.
* Ask God for grace to stand firm in faith and never to fail.
* Pray that you will stand as a testimony and witness of God in this end time.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
I use the token of the Blood of Jesus and all it speaks to silence all the speaking from strange altars into my life and destiny, in the name of Jesus.

Moving to the Next Level

Wednesday 6 May
READ: Exo. 14:1-15
MORE LESSON: Joshua 1:2-5

Movement characterises life. At every point in time, we are either retrogressing, stagnant or advancing. There are forces that are responsible for our movement, either forward or backward. As children of God, we are mandated to move forward for God is a forward moving God. There are certain disciplines that are needed in moving forward and such include prayer, the Word of God, faith, consistency, persistence, diligence and having a good self-esteem, among others.

It is the grace of God, which comes upon a man that makes him do the extra ordinary in life. So it is God's grace that moves a man forward. Abraham moved forward from his own land to the Promised Land because God had prepared something better for him. God wants to launch you into the next level where you get something better than you can see now. God is not through with you yet; for there are more things that He wants to do in your life. Many have lost excitement in life, happiness in their homes and the passion to forge ahead in life because of the challenges all around. But Jesus can bring life to that situation again. If you are yet to accept Him as your personal Lord and Saviour, you have to do that today. And if you have lost the spiritual drive to move ahead with Him, you can always come back to Him to refire you. Moving ahead means experiencing new and better things in life, and remember that if anyone is in Christ, ...he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new: 2 Cor 5:17 (NKJV). So being in Christ is what qualifies you to move to the next level in life.

However, unless you dedicate your life to Jesus Christ, all other disciplines you undertake to move to the next level are but mere empty activities. Call on Him to come into your heart today. For as many as have accepted Him and live a holy and righteous life, it is time to move forward in their walk with Him. God is ready to take you to Canaan, so don't underestimate yourself by thinking that you don't have what it takes to move on. Trust in God to empower you for what is ahead because He has greater things in stock for you.

Prayer/Action
* Ask God to move you to the next level by divine force.
* Ask God to give you an extraordinary idea that will move you to a higher level.
* Pray that all opportunities that come your way today will produce in you a greater glory.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
Lord, let Your great love and power preserve me from the arrows of untimely death, in the name of Jesus.

Don't Hew the Altar II

Tuesday 5 May
READ: Exo. 20: 25-26
MORE LESSON: Psa. 127:1-2

We have seen how God doesn't want us to hew the altar with human tools by using ungodly human effort to bring to pass what He has promised us. This also applies to serving God in the ministry; God doesn't want you to 'help' His work by human effort without dependence on the Holy Spirit. As a minister, make sure that everything you do is initiated by the Holy Spirit and also sponsored and executed in utter dependence on Him. Do not try to use the flesh to birth that which is of the Spirit. You cannot serve God by mischief, backbiting, lobbying, manipulating, blackmailing people or using violence to propagate yourself or God's work. You cannot 'help' the Holy Spirit to move by conjuring up miracles and manifestations by soulish means or by using external materials (holy water, anointed pictures, cross etc.) to induce the activity of the Holy Spirit, no matter how innocent they look. That is walking on the verge of witchcraft. You have to depend solely on the Holy Spirit and not trust in 'hewn stones' for your altar as a servant of God.

A church worker or servant of God that uses human effort and tactics to progress in ministry and doesn't wait for God to lift him may gain promotion for some time. But when he begins to come down, nothing can hold him up, ...do not go up to my altar on steps, lest your nakedness be exposed on it: Ex 20:26 (NIV). Do not use human effort to ascend in ministry and thereby put yourself in a high position where God has not placed you by reason of grace. If you do, the Bible says that your nakedness will be exposed. This means that your weakness, struggles and faults will be obvious to all. However, if you allow God to promote you in ministry, His grace will cover your weaknesses. If you think your lifting in ministry is being delayed, just continue to walk faithfully before the Lord because your lifting will surely come. When it comes, those that lifted themselves and are gone ahead of you will come down and leave you staying up.

Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: Psa 127: 1. You will notice that the scripture doesn't say that if the Lord doesn't build the house, it cannot be built. It only says that it will be built in vain. What is the use of using your human calculation, effort and power to build something that is not built by the Lord, when all you build will later crumble? I pray your service to God will not be a wasted effort but that it will last till eternity, in Jesus’ name.

Prayer/Action
* Say to the Holy Spirit that you depend on Him to guide and instruct you on every step you need to take.
* Ask God for promotion that comes from the Lord in all areas of your life.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
Father, where all else have failed, let Your mercy promote, advance and defend me this month, in the name of Jesus.

Don't Hew the Altar I

Monday 4 May
READ: Ex. 20:25-26 (NIV)
MORE LESSON: Gal. 4:22 -23

If you make an altar of stones for me, do not build it with dressed stones, for you will defile it if you use a tool on it. And do not go up to my altar on steps, lest your nakedness be exposed on it: Ex 20:25-26 (NIV). This scripture can be used to illustrate a vital truth in life and ministry. God says if you want to serve Him you should build an altar. Your altar is the place of communing, walking and receiving from God. But God also says here that you should not build an altar for Him by cutting, hewing or dressing the altar with the use of tools.

The tools denote the human element. Many claim that they want to receive from God's altar but they try to 'help' God's altar by using human means. This is not to suggest that man has no part to play in walking with and receiving from God, but to let you know that any ungodly act or effort that is not from the Holy Spirit defiles the altar of receiving from God. How do you explain someone trusting and earnestly praying to God for a job and still lobbying and bribing to get a job. Many parents pay money for their children to pass exams or get admission and then 'add' prayer to it. The Bible says if you want to build an altar for God, do not use your human effort to dress the stones by your tools. Let it be built with un-hewn stones.

God had promised Abraham a son and after many years of waiting, he and his wife decided to 'help' God to get the promise. They began to hew the altar by their human strength. This brought about Ishmael who became a problem to them and everyone around him (Gen 16: 12). Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman, But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise: Gal. 4:22-23. Whenever you use human ability or lobby to get that which the Lord has promised, what you have is after the flesh, but that which God gives is after the Spirit. When you use human effort (the flesh) to obtain the promise, what you have is not from the Spirit, it is from the flesh, That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit: John 3:6.

Whatever God has promised you - prosperity, promotion, success, distinction, greatness, marriage, children or fruitfulness- it does not only matter that you get them, how you get them also matters to God. Make sure it is God that gives them to you and not ungodly human effort. Do not hew the altar with human tools. Do not 'help' God with ungodly efforts.

Prayer/Action
* Ask God to help you wait on Him in complete trust for your miracle.
* Renounce every ungodly human act and effort that defile your altar.
* Pray that God will strengthen your faith as you wait on Him.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
In the name of Jesus, this month I receive speed and direction to make up for every delay and loss.