Faith of Our Fathers

Wednesday 17 June
READ: Heb. 11:1-10
MORE LESSONS: Josh. 10:12-13; Dan. 3:16-18

Doubting Jehovah and His Word contradicts faith. It is a very grievous sin that amounts to confronting the Almighty God. Atheists (who do not believe in God) are liars because every human being has a subconscious awareness that God exists. When your actions show that you doubt God's existence, you annoy Heaven. You need faith to please God and avoid the sin of doubt. What then is faith?
Faith is an act and is different from believing which is just accepting a thing; faith is acting on what you believe and it brings result. What brings result is not just believing but faith. Many of us believe big but act small which is why many people don’t make progress.
Faith is a proof of believing; the action that follows faith is a proof that you believe a thing. We have so much faith in doctors concerning our health than in the Word of God which declares that by Jesus' stripes, we were healed over 2000years ago. Faith and believe are different even though you need to believe first before you can exercise faith.
Faith is one step ahead of believing and comprises securing information, believing the information and acting on it. As Christians the information you need is the Word of God which is why the Bible says that faith comes by hearing the Word of God. Most people in churches are key carriers not key users. Being in possession of a car key will not move the car until you put it into the ignition hole and turn on the engine.
You must do something with your key. That is, for every Word of God that you receive, you must act on it in faith by getting up and doing something. Somebody who receives a letter of appointment, for instance, does not sit at home and expect to collect a salary at the end of the month. Many of us receive and keep God's Word in our pockets only to go about grumbling. If you believe that it is the Lord that heals you, then act on it and stand up in good health. Go ahead and celebrate.

Prayer/Action
* Ask God to strengthen your faith in the face of any battle.
* Confess that you will stand on the promises of God without fainting henceforth.
* Like the elders of old, declare that you receive good report by faith and your future is bright.
* I pray, in the name of Jesus, that your faith will not ever fail you.
* Take a step of faith today on something you have been believing God for and watch God go to work for you.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
I shall be a thousand times more than I am today, my descendants shall possess the gates of their enemies and all born from my loins (physical and spiritual) shall be great all-round,in the name that is above every name, the name of Jesus.

Walking in Covenant

Tuesday 16 June
READ: Gen. 17:1-8
MORE LESSONS: Psa. 89:34-35

When you stand in covenant relationship with the Almighty, it implies that your problems are His problems because whatever painful thing that happens to you, affects Him. If you establish a covenant of this nature with God, He has no option than to defend you because of the agreement that exists between you and Him.
The point is that every man who wants to conquer in life must have a personal relationship with the God Almighty, a relationship with Jesus Christ as the Lord and Saviour of his life. A deep relationship with God brings a manifestation of God in any crisis.
Every believer should know that whatever happens to him affects Jehovah. So, there will be a way out no matter how long it takes because you are walking in a covenant relationship with God. Everyone who desires an impact and revelation of God must walk with the perfect understanding of who God is. Men who find, know who God is so that when trouble comes, that knowledge of God gives them victory before a miracle happens; but ignorance of who God is can kill you before help reaches you. No crisis can swallow a believer who has a personal relationship with the Almighty.

Crisis will come, but He has promised to help. In serving God, a problem can be an opportunity to discover God afresh, and the more of Him you know the greater height you can go. Abraham would not have been what he is today without a covenant walk with Jehovah. Because Abraham kept his own part of the covenant with God (walk with God) by circumcising all the males in his house, plus himself as God commanded, being the sign between Abraham and God, God could not keep back His own side of the agreement, He gave Abraham children as He said (Gen 21:1) and blessed him in all things (Gen 24:1).
The key to God’s blessing is living in obedience to His agreement with man. The first of that covenant is to keep His commandments and get His blessing. There could be other personal covenants you have with God which you will do well to keep, but our first covenant is the commandments which we must keep to be blessed.

Prayer/Action
* Ask God to write His laws upon the table of your heart that you may walk permanently in His way.
* Ask Him to help you keep your covenants with Him and do His good will.
* Ask God to pour upon you His covenant blessings that cannot be reversed.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
The Lord will help me, therefore I shall not be confounded.

Injury Time

Monday 15 June
READ: Rev.12:9-12
MORE LESSONS: Rev. 22:7-12

Injury time is about the most risky period in the game of football. When the entire 90 minutes time is over and it is injury time, it is usually far limited a time than the extent of play. This is the time that a little mistake could make the difference between the two teams. Injury time is when mistakes committed are hardly corrected. In the Christian race, suffice it to say that we are already in the injury time; or what we generally know as the end time. Our passage for today says the dragon and his angels were cast out into the earth. That is the origin of demons. When they got to the face of the earth their activities were not less than their rebellion in heaven.
The consequences of Satan being cast down onto the earth is seen in verse 12. The earth is cursed by the coming of Satan because he fell with great wrath. We have a wounded, defeated and angry enemy that has understandably refused to accept defeat and go to hell alone.

Satan's greatest problem is that he has limited time. Man is the enemy of Satan because he has what Satan lost in heaven and God had given him dominion over everything He created. Man has the ability for anything on earth as God has the ability for anything in heaven. Satan does not have ability for anything at all. The dominion that Satan sought for and lost in heaven was given by God to man. Satan is angry because he has lost it all. He lost it in heaven and he lost it on earth. The only thing left for Satan is to fight with limited time. So whatever Satan is doing, he puts all he has got into it and he does his warfare with great speed.
If from the fall of Satan he had a short time left, how much less time left for him in this end time? Because we are in the injury time how angrily do you think that Satan will operate? We are at war and Satan is working harder than ever before. War is ongoing but unfortunately, quite a number of Christians are asleep. This is not the time to relax or relapse; you are in this battle destined to be a victor, not a victim.
Considering the danger in lukewarmness, the Bible encourages those doing good to continue in their godliness. However, God warns the ungodly that the time is fast approaching when the Son of Man shall return with rewards for everybody as determined by our works. Though God’s eternal desire is for us to be rewarded for good works done in His vineyard; nevertheless, the ungodly will not escape His wrath and judgement.

Prayer/Action
* Pray that the Lord will make you a victor and not a victim.
* Ask God to reverse anything in you that can make you miss heaven.
* Pray that you will not be a victim of Satan’s last minute membership drive.
* Make up your mind to serve God in a renewed strength and service till rapture.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
I am an eagle, therefore I break myself loose from the company and power of chickens, bats and all low flying creations; I shall mount high, in the name of Jesus.

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.