It must be God's Way I

Thursday 9 July
READ: Luke 4: 5 - 8
MORE LESSON: Luke 12: 50

Jesus had a vision to go and die on the cross and resurrect. He needed to die and resurrect so that He might win the whole world back to God and strip the devil of the authority he stole from man. The Cross was the way to redemption. It was the divine method and strategy for bringing man back to the life that he lost. Jesus' death on the Cross of Calvary is God's way of redeeming man.
But the devil came to Jesus and tried to convince Him, 'I know your vision and goal. You want to take the key of life from me and restore the dominion that man lost. Well, that is fine. You don't have to go through the horror of death of the Cross to achieve that. Let me propose another way of fulfilling your vision. Just worship me and I will give you the whole world and its dominion.' When the devil told Jesus to worship Him and have the dominion of the whole world, that temptation was not just about materialism. The devil was actually tempting Jesus with an easier alternative of fulfilling His vision. He was proposing to Him to choose bowing rather than dying as the means of achieving His destiny of becoming Lord of all.
It is a very difficult temptation when you are presented with an option that will take you to where God has promised you but the option is not God's predetermined way of taking you there. This is because it is not enough to insist on fulfilling God's vision for your life, you must also insist on fulfilling it only in God's way. There is always a cheaper way of achieving a vision. But a person who is determined to please God will insist that it is only the way that God endorses that he will take even when all the other ways look like they will lead him to where he wants to go.
So Jesus knew how God wanted Him to achieve His purpose and nothing would deter Him from doing it that way. He made up His mind that He was going to follow God's methodology – the Cross. It was because of this determination that He defeated the devil. Know today that the devil may not even wrestle with a man about his vision but he will be ready to do all to get you adopt the wrong way or method of achieving it. God gave you a method and a way, you had better follow it. If other people are succeeding by their methods, thank God for them. But stay on the one God gave you. It is not mere succeeding that is the most important thing, it is succeeding by God's way. Be careful to follow God's way in fulfilling your God given vision and don't give the devil any chance to mar your testimony.

Prayer/Action
* Ask God for grace to insist on God’s will and grace in all things.
* Ask God to help you face challenges with courage and trust in God’s promises.
* Ask God for wisdom to do His Will.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
God of Boaz, Abraham and Jabez overturn every arrow of impossibility in my life and make me an amazing testimony, in the name of Jesus.

Grace for Impact

Wednesday 8 July
READ: I Cor. 15:10, Titus 2:11-13
MORE LESSON: Jn. 1:17, Rom. 5:1-2

Grace is defined as the free and unmerited favour of God as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the blessings of God bestowed on man. Grace is the ability of God which is made resident in man and makes him to do things beyond human capability. Impact, on the other hand, is a marked effect or a strong influence on someone or something. A man can make impact when the force of power that rules the universe, that is the power of God freely given to man by grace, is behind him.
To make impact therefore, you must do the following:
1. Value your prayer life, (Jer. 33:3, Mk. 1:35) and sharpen your prayer life. Your life cannot progress more than your prayer life. Show me a man of prayers and I will show you a man of exploits. If Jesus Himself had to pray so much while on earth, you can't do less.
- The disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray.
- Jacob prayed to prevail against Esau's army.
- Hannah prayed to remove the stigma of barreness.
- Daniel prayed and became reknown; he succeeded and ruled in a land of captivity.
2. Value God's Word. You can’t be better than the information you have. The Bible says to let the Word of God dwell in you richly. Your success and prosperity are attached to the Word of God (Josh. 1:8). It is only the Word of God that can order your life so that iniquity will not prevail (Psa. 119:133). The Word of God must be regarded more than your physical food (Lk. 4:4). It is the level of God's Word in you that helps your prayer life.
3. Live a life of unconditional obedience. Abraham became the friend of God because of his unconditional obedience to God.
4. Live a sacrificial life, giving up everything for God and the Kingdom of God.
5. Live a selfless life. Always look beyond yourself and your circumstance and you will live beyond your generation.
6. Your intimacy with God determines your ability to attract His grace, mercy and composition which will make you to experience His benevolence. This is what characterized the life of David; and no wonder his impact remains till date.

Prayer/Action
* Lord, please intervene in my life; make me a man/woman of impact.
* Lord, remove from my life every form of selfishness so that I can flow to others.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
Father, before the end of this month, send additional help to my destiny, in Jesus’ name

Overcoming Satanic Intimidation II

Tuesday 7 July
READ: 1 Kings 20: 10 - 21
MORE LESSON: 2 Tim 1: 7

One common weapon that the enemy uses against the children of God is fear. The devil knows that the moment you are defeated by fear, you have lost the battle so he intimidates you to create fear. When a man is afraid, he will discover that he can no more do the things he could do before. The Bible says that ...fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love: 1 John 4:18.
The reason the enemy opposes you is to intimidate and make you afriad. The moment you decide that, come what may, you will not give in to fear, you have the victory. Fear is never of God; resist it with all your heart. The Bible makes it clear that, God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind: 2 Tim 1:7.
God is inhibited from acting on your behalf when you succumb to fear. Until you resist fear and let faith arise, you cannot see the hand of God. Did you notice how God in today’s text couldn't say anything as long as Ahab panicked before Ben-Hadad? But immediately he stood up to Ben-Hadad and refused to be intimidated any further, God spoke. Hast thou seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will deliver it in to thine hand this day; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord:1 Kgs. 20:13.
There are some languages of intimidation that the enemy uses to create fear in people. They include the following:
1. Threats: the enemy may threaten you with what he will do. This is just to create fear in you. When God is for you, who can be against you? (Rom 8: 31). Refuse to succumb to the threats of a challenge.
2. Blasphemy: the enemy can start speaking blasphemous words against your God. An enemy once said concerning Israel that even God would not be able to deliver them from his hands. That is blasphemy; it was meant to create fear. Do not panic, God will answer them Himself.
3. Pity: do not give in to self pity and pity-party from men; it is targeted at making you feel hopeless. Whatever happens, stand on your feet and walk tall in the face of the enemy.
4. Past experience of failure: do not let the failures of the past prevent you from trying. Do not be intimidated because of past failures; go for your good again.
5. Language of the alternative: when the enemy wants to intimidate you, he tells you that you cannot do something and then suggests a sinful alternative to you. Do not give in to alternative routes born out of fear.
I rebuke every intimidation of the enemy over your life, in Jesus' name.

Prayer/Action
* Prophesy against everything and everyone Satan is using to intimidate your life and declare them dead in the name of Jesus.
* Pray that the spirit of fear will not have a hold over your life.
* Declare Satan a liar over every area of your life now, in the name of Jesus.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
Today, I scatter every evil arrow meant to make me run helter-sketter, in Jesus’ name.

Overcoming Satanic Intimidation I

Monday 6 July
READ: 1 Kings 20:1-13
MORE LESSON: Isa. 8: 12 - 13

Ben-Hadad, the king of Aram, joined forces with thirty two other kings and besieged Israel. He sent a very intimidating message to King Ahab of Israel. He told him he was coming to take the best things in his land; his choice gold, the wives and children. Ahab was frightened and replied that Ben-Haded could take as much as he wanted, but should not kill the people. When Ben-hadad received the reply, he sent another message that he was not going to take anything he (BenHaded) liked but anything King Ahab liked. Yet I will send my servants unto thee tomorrow about this time, and they shall search thine house, and the houses of thy servants; and it shall be, THAT WHATSOEVER IS PLEASANT IN THINE EYES, they shall put it in their hand, and take it away: 1 Kgs 20:6. That is sheer intimidation! He just wanted to terrorize Israel. He would take all the things they liked even if he didn't need them and leave only all that Israel didn't like.
Ahab started screaming and fretting, and must have exclaimed: “This man wants to kill me; he is just looking for opportunity to come and fight me!'' Ahab then called for a council meeting with the elders of the land and told them what Ben-haded wanted and how he was afraid he would have to consent to avoid trouble. Thank God for good counsel from the wonderful elders, who told him to stop being afraid and not to consent to the intimidation of the enemy. They encouraged him that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob would defend them against Ben-hadad and the 32 nations that teamed up against them.
When the messengers got back to Ben-hadad and told him that the king of Israel refused to succumb to his threat, he was furious.
He sent another message to Ahab threatening to turn the whole the nation of Israel to dust. But God sent a message to the king of Israel saying, Thus saith the Lord, Hast thou seen all this great multitude? behold, I will deliver it in to thine hand this day; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord: 1 Kings 20:13.
Today, I have brought you a word from the Lord: do not succumb to the intimidation of the devil and evil men. Do not consent to their demands for you to submit to them in fear. The Lord will rise for you to the dismay of the enemy.
So reply them that you will not bow nor agree to those terms of surrender that they gave to disgrace you and your God. Never submit to their intimidation! When they pronounce that you will never be married except you perform certain ancentral sacrifices, say, ‘No’. When a man insists that except he goes to bed with you he will not promote you or that you will fail an exam, do not succumb. When you are told to choose between your work and an evil act, refuse evil. It is a satanic intimidation. Remember, righteousness alone exalts.

Prayer/Action
* Ask God for grace to say, ‘NO’ to every form of evil enticement.
* Pray that by the grace of God, when it matters most, you will not disappoint God.
* Pray that in the days of battle, your strength will not be small.
* Ask Jehovah to take over your battles, from today.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
Forces of delay, depression, disappointment and hopelessness, I command youtoloose your hold on my destiny. Joy, peace, and victory come and take over, in Jesus’ name.