The Strength of Relationship

Saturday 13 June
READ: John 11:1-12
MORE LESSONS: I John 3:1-2

The value that God attaches to relationship is epitomised by Jesus' relationship with Lazarus as recorded in our text. First, in verse 1, Lazarus is referred to as a “certain” sick man and then we learn that Lazarus and the other ladies, Mary and Martha, are from the same town. In verse 2, we are told that these ladies have a relationship with Lazarus, he is their brother. I'm sure by this explanation, God wants to emphasise the importance of relationship.
Another level of relationship is introduced is verse 5, Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. This is Jesus' relationship with the whole family. But of particular interest today is the information in verse 11, …Our friend Lazarus…, which is a personal relationship between Jesus, His disciples and Lazarus.

The strength of this personal relationship is noticed when Jesus gets to the graveside of Lazarus, Jesus wept; John 11:35. Such is their closeness that in spite of knowing that Lazarus is going to rise, Jesus still feels so much for Lazarus’ temporary affliction by death. In fact, the Jews standing-by note, Behold how he loved him! v 36.
All this is a wake - up call to every believer that Christianity is all about loving one another, caring and feeling for one another in the household of faith. Regardless of denomination, tribe or tongue, the Church must be one.

Prayer/Action
* Ask God to help you to be faithful and committed to your relationships.
* Pray that the Church will teach the world to love and be a practical example of God’s love to one another.
* Pray that the Church of Jesus will be delivered from the arrows of tribe, colour, doctrines, hatred and hypocrisy.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
You dry bones of my destiny, come alive today, in the name of Jesus.

Defend your Love for God I

Thursday 11 June
READ: Jn. 13:1
MORE LESSONS: Rom. 8:35-39

The greatest gift of God to man is His love for man. Through this love, He sent Jesus to us, pardoned us and gave us all things richly to enjoy. The strength of our Christian faith is also based on this love. Because He loves us, He gave us all things; understanding and acceptance of God’s love are therefore the root of our relationship with Him. The moment you lose focus and understanding of His love for you, everything between you and God comes crashing down.
In essence, you accept Christ into your life because you believe He loves you, the moment that love fades out of your heart, your relationship with Christ is broken; therefore, to protect your redemption, you must sustain your love for Christ! There are many things out there threatening your love for Christ; which must not be allowed because they have the capability to take your redemption from you. Today's reading mentions some of them - tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, sword, sickness, delay in marriage, barrenness, joblessness, imagination, crisis, failure, financial difficulty etc. It takes knowing that God loves you to be able to overcome these things. They are actually sent as arrows against your love for Christ.

The point is, whatever you lose in life should not take your love for God away. Whatever can make you doubt God's love for you is a risk to your faith, so keep your love for God at all costs; whatever you lose in life, don't lose your love for God and everything will be secure.
You will recover whatever Satan takes from you as long as your love for God stands.
How do you defend that love? (1) Read, keep and believe God's Word ever. (2) Keep company with people who love God, genuinely and in all situations (3) Get permanently busy for God. (4) Let prayer be the bus stop for all your pains. The moment a matter is handed over to God in prayer, let it remain there, no pity party, no complaint and no giving up! Keep your love for God burning and your eternity will be sure, and every other thing will be added here on earth.

Prayer/Action
* Tell God, “I will always love You, with or without the challenges of life”.
* Say like Job, Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him Job 13:15
--I have decided to follow Jesus (3x) No turning back, no turning back. The world behind me, the cross before me (3x) No turning back, no turning back.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
I will walk the path and run the race, and shall not be weary or faint on the way, in the name of Jesus.

Defend your Love for God II

Friday 12 June
READ: Jn. 15:1-15
MORE LESSONS: Rom. 5:8

It is the love of God for us that made us more than conquerors, Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us Rom. 8:37. Without His love, we cannot conquer. Therefore, we must keep and jealously guard His love for us. No matter the arrows Satan throws at us. We must not do anything to hurt that love because if we lose God’s love, we lose His favour.
Job remains an example any day! The more arrows Satan shot at him, the more he established his commitment and love for God. I noticed with great challenge that while the arrows of Satan were being shot at Job, he was not struggling to defend his possessions (human and material), rather his concern was how to keep his faith and love for God who loved him. No wonder his confession was, Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him Job 13:15. At the end of the day, Job had double for all his loss.
This is a lesson for us all today; we must recognise that every affliction of the believer is targeted at his faith and love for God. Therefore you must learn not to make any earthly thing a priority over your faith and love for God! Your battle should not be for things that Satan is struggling to get from you, rather you must see and work against his ultimate desire to steal, to kill and to destroy your eternity. When he attacks your finance, it is not because he needs dollars, he is out to get you to deny Christ's love; when he strikes with barrenness, sickness, failure etc, it’s all about getting the believer to doubt God's love and fall out of grace.

Therefore, you must guard your love for God such that no matter what betides, your love for God is intact, My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother Prov. 6:20. That is Solomon's submission for defending the father's love. Jesus urges, If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love Jn. 15:10. Jesus kept the commandments and remained in God’s love. You too must keep Jesus' commandments to remain in His love; not this only, you must also bear fruit, and the fruit must be sustained. Then ….that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you Jn. 15:16.

Prayer/Action
*Declare that “in all these things, you will be more than a conqueror” (Rom. 8:37).
* Pray that nothing will be able to separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus!
* Pray that God will uphold you with His right hand of power and keep you from falling.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
I command all my goodness and blessings to locate me at my address this year, in the mighty name of Jesus.

Honour God with your Firstfruits

Wednesday 10 June
READ: Neh. 10:35 (NLB)
MORE LESSONS: Ezek. 44:30

In our text, Nehemiah confessed the sins of Israel in backsliding from the Lord. He prayed and pledged a complete return to the Almighty. In repentance, the people promised to always bring the first part of every harvest to the Lord's temple. The first part of a harvest is what the Bible calls the firstfruits.
When a believer begins to backslide, his/her giving to God is the first casualty. To forget to give to God your tithe and first- fruits before spending out of your income is a proof that your love for God has gone cold. To become stingy in your giving to God shows that excitement for God and His household is now a secondary matter and many believers are in the backsliding state (Prov.14:4).
But when a man's heart is burning with love for God he will give with great excitement, he will tithe and honour God with his firstfruits. Your salary in a new employment, the first profit in a new business, the first produce of your farm, the difference in your new and old salaries when you are promoted, the first money you earn in a new year, these are all examples of firstfruits. You are to bring your firstfruits to God’s servant in the house of God. He will receive them and command the blessing of the Lord to rest upon you and your work. It is this blessing of the Lord that will make you rich with no sorrow added (Prov.10:22).

Giving your firstfruits opens Heaven upon your life. When you give your first- fruits, you are working in obedience to God's Word and He will make you to eat of the good of the land (Isa.1:19). When you put God and His Kingdom first in the affairs of your life, He will surely add other things to you(Matt.6:33). Honouring God with your substance connects you with abundance (I Sam.2:30). Finally, when you give God your firstfruits, you trigger the release of His blessings upon all the work of your hand. He will see to it that you become rich (Prov.10:22). Give God the firstfruits always and He will defend and preserve the remaining harvest from wasters (Prov.3:9-10).

Prayer/Action
* Give thanks to God because He is the One who gives strength to His people.
* Ask God to help you obey Him in all things.
* Ask God to forgive you any act of disobedience in your financial responsibilities and restore all the blessings due you.
* Ask God to stop devourers that could be working against you because of a weakness in the area of finance.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
The enemy shall wait in vain for my failure, andall who secretly desire my fall shall be disappointed, in the name of Jesus.