Humility

Friday 5 June
READ: Eph. 4:1-3
MORE LESSONS: Jam. 4:10

The Christian life is a walk; we progress a step at a time. Walking requires life, strength, freedom and balance, and a day by day progress towards a God-given goal. We should live as people who have been set apart by God and not do anything that would discredit the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Apostle Paul admonishes and pleads with us on how we should walk as Christians:
With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; v2.
This describes the quality of being humble and the absence of pride or self-assertion.
Humility makes unity possible and visible and today’s text brings out clearly some evidences of genuine humility. Before a man can say he is humble, he must possess the listed characteristics.
Lowliness: anyone who is lowly in mind will not think of himself alone but will see other people as more important. As it was reported of Jesus in Phil.2:1-11, Paul also served the Lord with all humility (Acts 20:19). This should be the attitude manifested by anyone who is humble.
Gentleness: It is another word for meekness. Meekness is not weakness; it is power under control. The meek person does not deliberately hurt others, even though he has the power to do so. Those who are meek keep their power under control. Num 12:3 tells us, Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth. In Matt.5:5, Jesus said, Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Longsuffering: Being able to suffer long: in other words, ability to bear with people. The ability to bear with one another is also important for Christian unity. When we bear with others in love, it builds and gradually changes them.
Humility: We need to put on the cloak of humility because God resist the proud and gives grace to the humble person. Someone has said that humility does not consist merely in a person's thinking of himself in low terms but rather it is not thinking of himself at all. The Lord Jesus perfectly exemplified this attitude. He never considered His own desires. He only did the Father's will. He did not go to the cross because of Himself, but because of sinners. He was beaten for our transgressions, He went to hell to set us free because we were bound to life imprisonment there. He was born so that you and I can be saved from sin and He is sitting at the right hand of the Father today, interceding for you and I. Can you work for others? Can you suffer because of your neighbour?

Prayer/Action
* Pray that God will clothe you with the garment of meekness and selflessness.
--Sacrifice something very precious to you today by giving somebody who may need it as much as you do.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I shall be singled out for glory and praise this month, in the name of Jesus.

Fasting

Thursday 4 June
READ: Matt. 4:1-10
MORE LESSONS: Isa. 58:6-9

Fasting is one of the fundamental pillars of the Christian faith. Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ gave us a sound example in fasting when He did so for forty days. What do you think Jesus was looking for? Power? Which power? It was not for power and I think it is erroneous when people tell us that Jesus fasted for forty days and it was only after then He was able to begin to manifest power; that is an error. Jesus didn't need a fast to move the earth. At 12 years of age, He sat down with doctors of the law answering questions to the amazement of His hearers. If on that day He wanted the earth to shift, it would have obeyed Him. It is not to say that we don't find power when we fast; there are a lot of manifestations of the power of God when we fast.
Jesus taught us two basic lessons by His fasting; first to give us a pattern that fasting is one of the ways we can touch the heart of God and bring things to happen on the surface of the earth. And secondly, He wants us to see the connection between prayer and fasting. Prayer is easier in the place of a fast. You have less energy to pray but you have faster penetration when you fast and pray.
There is what is called power habit. Power habit means, the kind of things a particular person does to have the power of God move upon his life. It differs from person to person. For some people, they cannot preach a major message except they have run three days fasting and prayer. That is how they are activated. There are ministers that if they have not sung songs, they can't push out. So when they get to the pulpit, they must sing and worship, then you kick- start them. Don't copy people anyhow; just find out which area you are gifted. It is the same thing about fasting. In the Old Testament days, people fasted and got wonderful results. Moses fasted for forty days twice, Esther and the entire Jews in exile fasted for three days (marathon), kings and prophets fasted and they all got God's attention.
In fasting, you are not bribing God by staying off food for a while; rather, as my father in the Lord once said, you are telling God that you desperately need His attention over certain issues so much that what the flesh needs do not matter to you but the spiritual communion with Him. If God answered people in the Old Testament, you are better placed today for answers if you don't give up. May God grant speedy answers to your prayers and fasting.

Prayer/Action
* Pray for strength to seek the LORD's face in fasting.

* Ask God to increase your strength through fasting and prayer

Take a day or two this week and fast over any matter that has bothered you for long.

Isaiah 58:8 gives us certain things that we can use a fast to achieve, list them out from this verse and ask God for them one by one

PROPHETIC PRAYER
Lord, in the month of June, give no one the opportunity to sympathise with me, in the mighty name of Jesus.

The Crooked Path Straightened

Wednesday 3 June
READ: Isa. 42:16
MORE LESSONS: Psa. 139:7-12

When the Almighty God decides to lead the way in destiny, the result can be awesome and unpredictably great. This is because Jehovah created the paths and He knows the ways. The forest, the sea, the oceans are all open routes to Him. Therefore, He cannot miss the way or get lost as the psalmist says, If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there, ...in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me Psa. 139:8-10. Again, God declares, For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine. Psa. 50:10-11. Such is God's knowledge of all things that there is no better guide beside Him. And now this great “map” of the universe has made a promise, …I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known…. Isa. 42:16.
There is no reason to be confused, no excuse for missing your way or making costly mistakes anymore, except you refuse to choose God’s way or despise His instructions. The believer must not be afraid of missing the way in any area of life. All that is needed is to seek the God who knows the way for direction in marriage, career and other vital issues of life. Often, we consider the way of God as tough, difficult or slow and thus many choose their own ways and the consequences usually are disasterous. God cannot be blamed for any of such sorrowful endings because He has promised that even if you are blind, He is able and willing to lead you in the way you don’t know.
Friend, patiently seek God for all decisions in life and the darkness will become light before you and crooked things straight. Isaiah 42:16 ends with an assurance, These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them. Jacob, David and Hannah are examples of people who patiently sought God and found Him. You too must seek Him by prayer, fasting, godly counsel and by His Word and all your crooked things shall be straightened out, in Jesus name.

Prayer/Action
* O Lord, straighten out the crooked path of my life.
* Lord, take confusion out of my destiny and lead me on life's pathway.
* Ask God to help you follow and patiently wait for His direction always.
Read Psa. 32:8. At regular intervals today, ask God to instruct, teach and guide you this year.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
Father, I lift my eyes to You; do not let the enemies triumph over me this month, in the mighty name of Jesus.

Be Great – Your God is Great

Tuesday 2 June
READ: Job 5:25-27
MORE LESSON: Job 8:7

Everything about God is on the greater side. God doesn't do His things small: whatever God does, even if it starts small, will never remain small. As big as the earth is, it is not the biggest planet God made. The planet Jupiter is about 20 times bigger than the earth. This is not to talk of the sun and stars which are created immeasurably big and vast, even though they look smaller to us than they are because of great distance. The entire universe is simply beyond description for magnitude. All these are just minute pointers to the greatness of God. God is beyond great and, as His offspring, so should you be. It is said that the human brain has the capacity to generate 3 million ideas per day, and one idea is sufficient to make you great in life. Every provision needed by man for greatness has been deposited in Him by the Great One. You have no reason to be small in destiny.

All the Patriarchs in the Bible that served God ended up great. Abraham, who was given up on to have a single son, ended up having eight biological children. But that was not all; through the covenant, Abraham's spiritual and biological offsprings keep multiplying in millions up to date. That cannot come from a small God. Abraham was a great man but Isaac became even greater till he waxed very great. (Gen 26: 13) Israel also became so much of a force in Egypt that Pharaoh was afraid that they would take over the land from him. When Israel was coming out of Egypt, King Balak of Moab saw them and was afraid because they were too great for him. (Num 22:1 – 5). Joseph went to a country as a slave and grew to become the prime minister there. The great man Job also, after being tested and cut down, rose and became great again. He eventually had seven sons, three daughters and twice the wealth he had before he was struck by the enemy.

David was so great that the nations around him were subdued under him. Solomon had wisdom and wealth greater than any earthly king before or after him. Esther also went to a kingdom as slave and rose to being the queen in the palace. Mordecai, from being a gateman, became one who rode on the king's horse and eventually he became the second in command in that country. These people are a collective testimony of men becoming great because they served a great God. You are serving the same God they served. Compare who you are today with whom your God is and you will realize that you need to be more. Compare what you have achieved to what your God is able to do and you will realize that you have not scratched the surface of His possibilities. Rise up and take your place. Your were created great by a great God, refuse to be small.

Prayer/Action
* Ask God to increase your greatness on every side.
* Rebuke every force of smallness in your destiny.
* Ask that you will be a god on earth as God is in heaven.
* Prophesy on seven altars of your life to become great from today.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
Oh God of my help, let this new month be filled with the rain of fulfilment on every side.