Speaking in Tongues

Tuesday 19 May
READ: Jude 1: 20
MORE LESSON: Rom. 8:26

I know of a woman who had never been to school and couldn't speak English. She wasn't born-again till her son, who was a pastor, died. When her son died, instead of becoming bitter, she decided that she was going to dedicate her life to her son's God. So the following Sunday she went to church, got saved and was baptised in the Holy Ghost. She was uneducated but she began to speak in tongues. The typical uneducated woman was shouting, Oh God, my God, I will praise You, I will give You glory and honour in Queen's English. After she finished speaking in tongues, the people around spoke to her in English but she didn't understand a word of it. She replied in her local dialect, What are you saying?

Every believer can and should receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues. It is a promise meant for all believers, And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues: Mark 16:17-18 (NIV). It is not right to think that speaking in tongues is a gift reserved for some. There is a difference between speaking in tongues, which is meant for all believers, and the gift of diverse kinds of tongues, which the Holy Spirit operates through some believers as He wishes. The gift of diverse kinds of tongues is the manifestation of the Holy Spirit where a person receives an immediate supernatural ability to communicate in a language (mostly another earthly language) that they didn't learn naturally. There are several testimonies of men that go to a place and under the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, they start preaching in the language of that location without having learnt it before; that is the gift of diverse kinds of tongues in manifestation. It is not every believer that has this gift but every believer can and should speak in tongues. The analogy to this is that all believers have faith but some believers are further graced to have the gift of faith.
Every believer should harness the power of speaking in tongues. When you speak in tongues, you speak mysteries to God and settle issues that you don't even know about (1 Cor. 14: 2). When you speak in tongues your spirit man is strengthened to be strong in the Lord (Jude 1: 20) and you disband demons and wage war against the enemy (Eph 6: 18) . Through it you connect with the Holy Spirit and other gifts of the Spirit begin to find expression in your life. I pray that you will not be found lacking in any good gift, in Jesus’ name. Speak the supernatural language to the supernatural God and your life will transcend the natural.

Prayer/Action
* Thank God for the gift of the Holy Spirit.
* Ask God for the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of a new tongue.
* Ask God for fresh in-filling of the Holy Spirit and power.
Spend a minimum of 30mins to pray in the Holy Ghost daily.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
I shall shine more and more and no force of darkness shall be able to stop me,in the name of Jesus.

Persistence

Monday 18 May
READ: Matt. 15:22-28
MORE LESSON: Matt. 15: 22

The story of the Canaanite woman shows how you can get anything through persistence.
She needed healing for her daughter at a time when the era of ministering to the Gentiles had not come. She could have claimed that Jesus was not going to heal her daughter because she was a Gentile but she neglected the barriers and asked the Lord to have mercy on her. She knew that the Lord is merciful and always willing to help. I want you to know that it is God's will to meet that pressing need you have if you do not give up.
This woman cried to Jesus, O Lord, thou Son of David . . . verse 22. She acknowledged Jesus as the Messiah. When many Israelites who were the children of the promise didn't believe or accept Jesus as the Messiah, she already knew Him as the Messiah, the only One who had the answer to her prayer.
You will persist with God only when you believe that He alone holds the answer and solution to your problem.

The woman cried to the Lord but the Lord didn't answer a word; however, she wasn't deterred. She kept crying after Jesus and the disciples. The disciples wanted the Lord to send her away and probably tried to but she refused to leave. So the disciples begged Jesus to send her away or do something because, as they said, ...she crieth after us: Matt 15:23. They had to report her to Jesus and that was what she actually wanted; she wanted the attention of the Master. When she got it, the first thing she did was to worship Him (verse 25). Your persistence should not only be in asking the Lord but also in worshipping Him.

Don't stop worshipping the Lord because you have not got what you want from Him; in fact that is the time to worship Him more. Jesus told her, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs: Matt 15:26. This is where many people would have left in anger but the woman knew that it takes humility to be persistent. Jesus was not being derogatory here, rather He was testing the woman’s humility in persistence. It takes humility for a man to go back to a place where he has failed before and start all over again, not minding whether people mock him or not. The woman answered, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table: v27. Jesus knew she had passed the test of persistence and He answered, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt . . . Persistence was counted as faith to the woman. You shall acquire your desire if you perspire and do not retire but re-fire.

Prayer/Action
* Pray that all the blessings due you will get to you today , in Jesus’ name.
* Ask God for grace to persist in the place of prayer and not give up.
* Pray against every obstacle that can hinder you from getting the blessing God has for you.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
My portion is with the great; I shall not be less, in the name of Jesus.

The Lord's Jealousy

Sunday 17 May
READ: 2 Cor. 11:2
More Lesson: 1 Kings 19:9 -10

When we hear the word 'jealousy', the first thing that comes to mind is being envious; that is, to feel bitter and unhappy because of someone's advantages, possessions or luck. We also see it as being suspicious of rivals, especially in regard to a loved one or being possessively watchful of someone or something. But the Bible tells us about men of God that were jealous for the Lord and even God being jealous for His inheritance. It thus appears that jealousy could either be positive or negative. Jealousy could mean having warm feelings, that is, zeal for or against someone or something. It means demanding extreme loyalty or adherence from someone.
Elijah saw the children of Israel leave God and go after Baal and he became jealous for God. He called the nation to Mount Carmel and called down fire so as to make the people go back to God (1 Kings 18: 20 - 40). God also displayed jealousy for His people when the heathen oppressed them, making Him to execute judgment on the oppressors, … Thus saith the LORD of hosts; I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy: Zech. 1:14. God indeed is a jealous God (Deut. 6:15), but God's jealousy is an expression of His zeal for His people to bring His promises concerning them to pass.

God also expresses His jealousy by punishing His people when they backslide in order to bring them back to Him, They stirred him to jealousy with strange gods; with abominations they provoked him to anger: Deut. 32:16. God shows His jealousy or anger against sinful children to move them to repentance. God is jealous anytime the enemy oppresses His people, The LORD shall go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir up jealousy like a man of war: he shall cry, yea, roar; he shall prevail against his enemies: Isa. 42:13. Man's jealousy always carries a negative impulse of envy and vengeance, which are borne out of selfishness and distrust, For jealousy makes a man furious, and he will not spare when he takes revenge. He will accept no compensation; he will refuse though you multiply gifts: Prov. 6:34-35 (ESV). Human jealousy is cruel, devilish and selfish. This is not what we are called to indulge in as Christians because the jealousy of man cannot work the righteousness of God.

But jealousy for the Lord made Paul to say, for I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ: 2 Cor 11:2. This attitude of jealousy for the things of God is what we must develop. God is jealous for you; will you also be jealous/ zealous for God?

Prayer/Action
Declare as follows:
* O Lord, let Your kind of jealousy consume me just as it was with Jesus.
* Arise O God and kindle the fire of Your jealousy for me against my enemies.
*O Lord, by Your zeal, bring to pass all Your promises concerning my life and destiny.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
Today, I forbid the forces of destiny robbers over my inheritance and divine provision, in the name of Jesus.

Glory that Speaks

Saturday 16 May
READ: Acts 4:13
MORE LESSON: Acts 3:1 – 4

There are levels of glory, beauty and results that God gives a man that even when you don't speak or broadcast it, it is obvious and undeniable. I fondly call it the glory that speaks because you don't need to announce such glory; it speaks for itself. Until the glory of God in your life begins to show without you announcing it, you haven't started enjoying glory yet. Glory is never to be covered or hidden. This is why Jesus teaches, Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house: Matt 5:15. Dormant glory is not glory. When you carry glory, people should be able to identify it. Your glory will speak expressly for men to see, in Jesus’ name.

In Acts 4, Peter and John displayed a level of glory that spoke for itself. They were on their way to church at the hour of prayer when they saw a man cripple from birth. They walked up to the man and Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk: Acts 3:6.

They didn't have silver and gold but they carried glory. Your glory is in what you carry and every born again child of God carries something. When the cripple man walked, a crowd gathered to Peter and John and began to pay attention to them. They didn't need a signpost or poster because the glory spoke for them. The Jewish religious leaders arrested Peter and John and questioned them on why they were preaching in the name of Jesus. That gave them another opportunity to say more about Jesus. So they spoke again and when they had finished, the religious leaders looked at them and noticed such level of glorious eloquence, knowledge, intelligence and power though they were ordinary, uneducated men. They were uneducated but they were not ignorant, Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus: Act 4:13.

The religious leaders concluded without anybody telling them that there was a glory in these men. They also noted that the glory of super intelligence and miraculous power in the men proved that they must have been with Jesus. Jesus didn't give them a certificate for the years they spent with Him but the glory they contacted spoke for them more than any certificate could. The Pharisees had to let them go even though they didn't want to because the man they healed was standing for everyone to see. That was the evidence of their glory. From today, God will give you results that will be the evidence of your glory.

Prayer/Action
* Say, Lord, let Your glory speak expressly in everything I do.
* Ask God for great results that announce a man’s destiny.
* Ask that your glory will speak for you in impossible situations and celebrate you.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
Father, in the name of Jesus, permit nobody to ever again say to me, “Sorry, it’s unfortunate, accept my sympathy.”