The Rich Man And Lazarus

Saturday 5 September
READ: Luke 16:19-31
MORE LESSON: Matt. 16: 26

I saw a video where the image of a former Miss Nigeria when she won the beauty pageant was compared with how she looked before she died. The difference was unbelievable. That clip showed the temporariness of physical beauty. Of a truth, spending all your money and effort on only making up your body and looking good is simply not wise. While your body should be cared for, your spirit is what really counts. The body will end up in the coffin as meal for maggots. Many people spend all their lives preparing their body as good meal for the maggot. Do not let your adornment be merely outward — arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel — rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.

In Luke 16: 19 – 31, Lazarus was a poor man who begged at a rich man's table. He died and was carried to Abraham's bossom. The rich man also died and despite all the fine dresses, gold and possession he had, he found himself in hell. We should value spirituality and eternity above earthly possessions by putting the priority on our spirit above our body.

We should know however, that it is not because Lazarus was righteous that he was poor. It is not God's will for a man to be righteous and poor. People become poor as a result of their choices. Poverty is a choice. When a man is tight- fisted and refuses to give, he is making a choice for poverty. Refusal to give to the course of the kingdom is courtship with poverty. When a man focuses on hard work without God, he is choosing poverty. Sin and walking crooked ways also lead to poverty for a believer. Lazarus wasn't poor because of righteousness. It takes spiritual understanding to access wealth.

I pray that God will open your understanding and you will access secrets that will make you rich and righteous. We have so many in scriptures who were righteous and rich; Abraham, Isaac, David, Uzziah- the 16 year old king who prospered as long as he pursued God and many others stand as testimony that you can be righteous and prosperous. We are not commending Lazarus for being poor nor are we saying that the rich man went to hell because he was rich. But we are emphasizing that any man that focuses on the temporary things of the world – possessions, good looks, beauty, fame etc. at the expense of his spirituality and eternity is making a mistake. I pray you will not gain the world and lose your soul in Jesus’ name.

Prayer/Action
* Say, “I shall not inherit the earth and loose heaven”, in Jesus’ mighty name.
* Tell God heaven will remain your priority forever.
* Reject every poverty-induced character in your life.
* Pray for wisdom to be heavenly minded though earthly conscious always.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
All extinguishers of spiritual power, I render you impotent this month in my destiny, in the name of Jesus.

The Profit of Pain

Friday 4 September
READ: 2 Cor 4:17
MORE LESSON: Psa.119:71

Every affliction in the life of a believer has an expiry date. However, while it lasts it should make a believer take a stand of faith. Trials work for us a far more exceeding weight of eternal glory. Though nobody wants or likes affliction, yet the Bible says even when they happen they work for benefits. This seems a hard message but it is true that no matter how bad the afflictions are, there are certain benefits attached to them. That is why David said, It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes. (Psa. 119:71). David had profits from his pains. He discovered the statutes and rules. He did not suffer in vain but made gain out of his pain. I pray for you that you will not suffer pain in vain but you see and enjoy gain out of your pain.

There are many people in the scriptures that had pains that became gains. A good example is Job who had a lot of pains but at the end of the day, the pain did not consume him. As for the gain, he had double of everything he lost. Job today has become a reference point of prayer for those who are afflicted, that the same God that helped Job should help them. It simply means then that Job became an example of someone who gained victory over affliction. Affliction is not altogether bad. Paul confidently said that he reckons, admits, and counts the suffering of this present time as a prerequisite for a gain that is weightier than the pain. (2 Cor. 4: 17). Paul was another person who suffered a lot of pain for the sake of the gospel but he never gave up. He stayed on knowing full well that his suffering is not in vain. That affliction in your life is but for a moment, don't give up but rejoice that God has counted you worthy of a greater gain.

The depth of your pain will lead to the height of your gain. The foundation of a bungalow can never be compared with that of a sky scrapper. While the man building a sky scrapper is still digging his foundation, the other man building a bungalow would have completed his building and probably moved in. Your pain is not the same as that of your brother, friend, or colleague. It may be similar and can even bear the same name but before God, your case is unique. Draw lessons from others but never judge the dynamics of your conditions by those of others.

Prayer/Action
* Pray that your pains will become gains in all areas.
* Pray that your pains will not swallow you up in life and destiny.
* Tell yourself that weeping may endure for a night but joy is coming for you in the morning! Hallelujah.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
Father, break every yoke in my life this month and let Your glory not be hidden in my destiny.

Eternity

Thursday 3 September
READ: Rev. 21:1-5
MORE LESSON: 2 Cor. 4: 18

2 Cor. 4: 18 says, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. There is the glory which is eternal- it consists in the unseen and it is permanent. In Rev. 21:1-5, John the Beloved gives us a picture of how he saw a new heaven and the new earth because the old heaven and earth had passed away. He talks about a city prepared for us like an adorned bride. It cannot be overemphasized that this present earth with all its glory will disappear because it is temporal.

During the Millennial reign of Jesus Christ on earth, which will happen immediately after the Second Coming of the Lord, Jesus will call each of the saints to assume glorious positions based on the reward for the works done in the body in this temporal earth. Just like the president of a nation gives out national honours, so will the Lord give us. The glory that will be accorded each man that day will not be temporal; it is for eternity. This is the reason you should do everything godly to qualify for great glory on that day. Everyone will be honoured according to the quality of work done. Some people will be decorated as generals while some on that day will receive nothing as reward. Their only consolation will be that they will not be cast into hell. I want you to labour for eternal glory by serving God with all your might in this temporal world because all the efforts and labours of believers have a fixed day of reward.

A preacher once described eternity thus: it is like a bird picking a grain of sand from one end of the sea shore and travelling to the other end for a thousand years and then returns in another thousand years to pick another. When the bird has succeeded in carrying all the sand by the sea shore to the other side, eternity is just one minute old. From the day I heard that illustration, I became conscious of the awesome length of eternity and made up my mind that I won't go to hell. If you are in heaven, it will be for that long and so it will be for those in hell. Eternity is beyond human minds. Secure your eternity by giving your life to Jesus and living your life on earth for Him.

Prayer/Action
* Speak now to your destiny, that you will not spend eternity in Hell.
* Ask that the blood of Jesus will cleanse you of any thing that could make you lose your reward in heaven.
* Rededicate your life to God’s service and for righteous living by the power of the Holy Ghost now.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
The God that does what no man can do, manifest Your great power in my life now, in the name of Jesus.

Carry the Cross

Wednesday 2 September
READ: Matt 16: 24 - 25
MORE LESSON: Heb 12: 1 - 3

Jesus said that anyone who will follow Him must deny himself, take up his cross and follow. The Christian life is a life of the cross so we need to clearly understand what the cross is and what it means to carry one's cross in total surrender to Christ. The first thing I want you to know about the cross is that the cross is a place of pain. Bible said that Jesus endured the cross (Heb 12: 2). The cross is not a place of enjoyment; it is a place of willful acceptance of pain. Jesus was crying in agony on the cross but He was not ready to escape from the pain because He saw the glory it will bring to God. He was crying and agonizing, yet He was not looking for relieve but was ready to stay with the pain if the glory of God would be made manifest by it.

This means that the cross cannot be an Adamic nature or sinful habit that you have refused to give up and then you claim that is your own cross. No, the cross Jesus carried was not a sinful habit that He kept falling into. Your cross also cannot be a sickness that you are carrying about and you have not received healing; the intent of the cross is to glorify God. Your being sick doesn't glorify God in any way. Furthermore, your cross is definitely not a wrong decision you made and are suffering for it. You should avoid the consequences of wrong decisions by making sure the word of God governs every step you take. Don't break God's principles and when the repercussion comes, you look sober and say you are carrying your cross. That is not what the cross is.

Carrying the cross is not being controlled by sinful habits, afflicted by sickness and it is obviously not wearing a big cross on your neck and strolling around claiming to be carrying a cross. Carrying your cross means willfully subjecting yourself to an unpleasant experience which you could have avoided but, for the sake of heaven, you embraced. It is when you say Lord I know I could have chosen this other easier way, but this painful way is the one that will glorify you. So I lay my neck on the altar even at the point of death.

When you willingly subject yourself to situations that are not convenient because you want God to be honoured and glorified, you have embraced the cross and there is a glory awaiting you. Jesus endured the cross and now He is seated in glory. Now that you have understood what carrying your cross is, it is time to carry your cross and follow Him.

Prayer/Action
* Like Jesus, receive grace for the cross you have to carry.
* Proclaim that you will not endure a cross without the glory manifesting.
* Rebuke every evil hanging on you in the name of bearing your cross.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
God of Israel, You led Your people for forty years by the pillars of cloud and fire, do the same for the rest of my year, in Jesus’ name.