The Need for Help I

Friday 28 August
READ: Gen 2: 18 – 20
MORE LESSON: Gen 1: 26 - 31

God created man in His image and likeness and gave him dominion over the fish of the sea, the fowls of the air, beasts in the field and over all the earth. Being in God's image is already great enough, but God didn't stop at that, He went ahead to bless man with the power to be fruitful, to multiply, replenish the earth, subdue it and dominate over all creation (Gen 1:26–31). Man is obviously in a highly privileged position among all of God's creation. However from the Scripture, we discover that as blessed and favoured as man was at creation, something was still missing in his life: despite the blessing, power and dominion, there was a need in man's life,
And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him: Gen 2:20.

From this scripture, we see that despite all the blessing bestowed on man at creation, there was a need in his life, and the need is help. When God finished the creation job in Gen. 1:30-31, He declared that everything was very good but later He took a look at man and said that it is not good for man to be alone (Gen 2: 18); he needs someone to be there to help him. So the only need in man as perfect and blessed as he was at creation was the need for help. So God decided to make him a help meet for him. The understanding of this scripture should not be narrowed down to only marriage; the point being made from this scripture is that as blessed as man was at creation, he needed help. This shows that even a blessed man has the need for help: every man needs help – and man, in our context, is not gender specific.

The source of help is God; it was God that created help for man in the garden. So no matter how comfortable or privileged a man appears to be, like Adam in the garden, he still needs the help of God. A man may be rich, educated and socially privileged so much that he doesn't know that he needs help but today I want to bring it to your notice that every man needs help; every man needs God. It is when you get God that He gives whatever form of help you need; for Adam God gave him help in form of Eve, for you it might be another form of help you need. Whatever help you need is in God and He will give it to you as you come to Him acknowledging your need of Him. You need the help of God for your life here on earth and for a secure eternity; come to Him today and receive help.

Prayer/Action
* Give God thanks for making help available for all creation.
* Ask God to connect your destiny with His help today.
* Pray that you will never run short of God’s help.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
I celebrate the God of heaven, the one who rules and reigns in my life forever; ride on Jesus.

The Exploits of Nehemiah

Thursday 27 August
READ: Neh. 2: 7 -8
MORE LESSON: Neh. 6: 15 -16

Nehemiah was a man who did exploits. When we talk of exploits, many people think it is only for men of war but Nehemiah is an example of a man who did exploits without being a warrior. He was a slave in the kingdom of Persia where he was a cupbearer to the king. However, he had a dream that an average slave will never even think about. A slave who had no money had a dream to rebuild his nation’s fence and reinforce it. You can imagine how much it will cost to build a fence around a whole city but Nehemiah conceived the thought. Great exploits always start with having a great thought in your mind. You cannot be greater than the greatness of you vision, so people who will do exploits must dream big. You never do any exploits until you have succeeded in the place of dreaming and planning big.

Another factor that helped Nehemiah to achieve great success was that he was passionate about what he wanted to achieve. Neh. 1: 3 -4 shows this; And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven. Brilliant success does not just come because you wish for it. The passion to achieve must apprehend you, reflected in your fasting, praying, speech and countenance. A man with a great dream must have a great passion for it or else his dream will ever remain a dream. Brilliant achievements do not come to idle people. Your quest for exploits must drive you to work hard. Laziness is incompatible with doing exploits. Nehemiah made up his mind that Jerusalem must be built again, he worked at it and he achieved it.

It was his passion that made way for his performance of exploits. In Neh. 2:1 – 4, we see that he was so passionate about his dream that the passion changed his countenance without being conscious of it. The king noticed the expression on his face and asked him what he wanted. He prayed to God for favour and God crowned his desires with success. It is by the favour of God that a man is crowned with brilliant achievements. God's favour through the king met with his passionate pursuit of his dream and it became a reality. As you go out today and for the rest of your life, God's favour will rest on your efforts to achieve your dreams and you will do great exploits, in Jesus’ name.

Prayer/Action
* Say to yourself, “ I shall dream big, and God will perform it”.
* Pray about every great idea on your inside to receive the power of performance.
* Rebuke every form of road block on the pathway of your success in life.
* Give God thanks for the promised greatness He has given all His children.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
Holy Spirit of God, move into my life afresh and do new things with my destiny, in the name of Jesus.

Favoured by the King

Wednesday 26 August
READ: Neh. 1: 1-9
MORE LESSON: Neh. 2: 1-8

Nehemiah was brought from Israel as a war captive and he became the cupbearer in the king's palace. He had a vision to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem but he personally didn't have the means to fulfill his heart desire for God's kingdom. Nevertheless, he decided that he would not be deterred by his financial limitation because of his lack of personal resources. He chose not to look at what he had but what God had to bring his aspiration to pass. So he fasted and prayed. One day Nehemiah took drinks to the king as he always did but the king, instead of facing his drinks and enjoying it, he looked at Nehemiah's face. The king noticed that he was not looking happy and then asked him why he was sad. It was an offence to be gloomy in the king's presence and he could have been punished by death. Because of God's favour on him, instead of the king punishing him for appearing sad in his presence, the king decided that he would do everything to remove the cause of his sadness and make him joyful. So the king asked Nehemiah what he wanted him to do for him. When God favours you, kings of the earth will favour you.

Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven. Neh 2: 4. Even though Nehemiah prayed before he met the king, he prayed again when the king asked him what he wanted. It is only when God favours you that men can favour you. It was because God answered Nehemiah's prayer that the king granted all his requests ...And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me. Neh 2: 8 KJV.

When God favoured Nehemiah, the king granted his requests by providing all the materials needed to rebuild the walls destroyed by his own predecessors. Nehemiah went ahead to rebuild the walls as he aspired. This great feat was not achieved as a result of Nehemiah's burden alone but God’s favour which He granted him through the king. A slave became a man of achievement and he was even promoted to be the governor of the land through the King's favour.

Today is the day you will find favour with God and this favour will be expressed by men; kings and nobles, opening up their treasures to you in Jesus’ name. This did not just happen for Nehemiah worked assiduously for it by praying, weeping, mourning and fasting, his own way of showing great commitments and love for his Father’s land - Jerusalem. It was not in vain, God answered. Don't wait for favour like magic, do all that is needful spiritual and physical then wait and see the salvation of the Lord in a special way.

Prayer/Action
*Prophesy it upon your life that nothing will stand on your way to achieving great facts in destiny.
* Declare that like Nehemiah, you will not trust God in vain.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
Father, I receive the force of righteousness to take over and rule my life right now, in Jesus’ name.

Good Success

READ: Josh 1: 7 - 8
MORE LESSON: Psa. 115: 13 - 15

When we talk about good success, it is absolute and complete success that God represents. God is an epitome of excellence and success and so everything He created is to be successful. You are created by God and you should have good success because you are fearfully and wonderfully made (Ps. 139: 14). Good success is a character of God's kingdom. Salvation doesn't only mean to be free from sin, it also means freedom from all mentality that is not coherent with the mindset of the kingdom. Failure is not part of the kingdom lifestyle: you will find it difficult to successfully witness to people to accept Christ when your life does not have a symbol of success. As believers, we should make a success of our work, businesses, careers and academics, then, we will have a solid basis for telling the unbelievers to follow us to Church.

Good success has some characteristics. It is progressive and involves continuous addition. A successful man may start small but he doesn't remain small. The way water drops little by little until it becomes a mighty ocean, so does success accumulate till it becomes good success. Little success, a little more and a little more and you become great. Another characteristic of good success is that the continuous progress is made by means that are pleasing to God and approved by Him. This implies that a doctor, who performs abortion to accumulate money, even if he builds houses and buys cars through his abortion specialist practice, it is bad success. It is a bad success when you put charm in your shop to draw more customers; you may be making money, but the source is wrong.

God gives good success. The psalmist in Ps. 121 understood that his help was from nowhere but God and He had to lift up his face unto Him. God is never against good success for He expects His children to be successful and live in this reality (1 John 1:2). God spoke to Joshua and told him of what he needed to do so that he will be guaranteed good success. It is the Word of God that gives good success by renewing our mind and making us live by the principles of God. Therefore, good success comes when you receive the Word of God, allow it to change your thinking, start to live according to its principles and continue steadfastly in it. Good success is yours in Jesus’ name.

Prayer/Action
* Command the forces of success to begin to work for you.
* Lift a standard against the spirit of failure in all its ramifications.
* Invoke the spirit of excellence upon your destiny with evidences following by the power of the Holy Ghost in Jesus’ name.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
Every force of sin, error and mistake that the accuser is using against my open door, be broken to pieces now, in the name of Jesus’.