Be Wise

Saturday 7 November
READ: Luke 12:16-21
MORE LESSON: Eph 5: 15 - 17

The Bible talks about a man who was rich but foolish-he was called the Rich Fool. I wonder, “How can a rich man be foolish?” But then I realize that you could be rich but foolish, you could be pretty but foolish, and you could be learned but foolish. If a professor of Biology goes to the herbalist's shrine and he is given green water laden with spirogyra, and he drinks it happily because he wants spiritual power, isn't that the height of foolishness? He should have been the wiser for all his education.

When a Christian patronizes herbalists because he needs power; it is foolishness. He gives all the money, chickens and goats God blessed him with to herbalists, spiritualists and false prophets. It is foolishness that makes a man carry the property that God blessed him with and donates such to the devil. A wise Christian knows that all the defense, fortification and power he needs becomes resident in him when he gives his life to Jesus. He doesn't need to run up and down looking for solution because Jesus – The Solution Bank – lives in him. It is foolishness to run helter-skelter, looking for what God has already deposited in you. Believers that do not know what they carry are foolish. However, this is the time to be wise and stir up the deposit of God inside you so that you can kick the devil far from you.

A wise man is strong. Yes, a man of knowledge increases strength. (Prov. 24: 5) The wisdom you need is in knowledge. First of all, if you have not accepted the Lord Jesus as Lord; you need to have the knowledge of Jesus as Saviour and Lord. Jesus is the end to all life's nightmares. You need to know Him as Lord. If you are saved but do not yet know the riches of glory that is in you, the knowledge of God's Word is what you need to enter into your inheritance. Because only those that do know their God shall be strong and do exploits (Dan 11: 33)

A man was praying on a mountain in his village as it was his custom. Then all the herbalists in the village came with charms to make incantation against him, claiming that he was disturbing them. He neglected their threats and continued with his prayer. At a point they got angry and shouted, 'can't you see us with all our incantations?' He replied, 'I can see you, so what?' They told him they have come to fight him and he bid them welcome. He then invited them to come closer to him, and they began to complain of an invisible barricade. They eventually turned back in disgrace.
This is the type of God you carry. If you however, do not know it, you could pay dearly in the enemy’s hand. The wise man is the one who is ruled by the spirit of God on his inside. Be wise and accept Jesus.

Prayer/Action
* Release the spirit of wisdom upon your destiny.
* Lay your hands upon your head and prophesy to your destiny to begin to manifest the wisdom that rules in all areas of life.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
In the name of Jesus, I shall make major headlines this month for good and notable miracles in my society, in the name of Jesus.

Get Connected

Wednesday 4 November
READ: John 1:12
MORE LESSON: I Cor. 6:17

For a gadget to function, it has to be connected to the power source. A microphone works only when it is connected to the speakers. A bulb has the capacity to give light but if it is not connected to a power source or if not switched on, you won't get any illumination. So the primary secret to shinning as light is to be rightly connected to the power source. There is power in the name of Jesus but for the name to work for you, you have to be connected to it. Connection with the name of Jesus is what guarantees the flow of the power of God in your life. Jesus is our connection point; His name makes the power flow.

The emphasis here is simple: when you are connected to Jesus, the power of God is present for you. I want you to understand today that you don't need to struggle about the power of God; all you have to do is be connected to Jesus and every other thing will follow. Can I announce to you that all that your heart has been longing for that you have been running up and down for are in the name; just get connected and when you are connected, you don't struggle over power, light, dominion and every other thing you need. The Bible says, as many as receive Him… - that is connection. To receive Jesus is to be connected to Jesus. To be connected with Jesus is to have the power of God flow upon your life. God is not a respecter of persons.

Whatever any man does in God, you can also do. All the exploits people do through God is not because there were born with the ability, it is because they are connected with God. Everything I do today, I am not doing as I was born by my mother, I am doing all as I am connected to Jesus. If you will get fused with Him, you will do more. John 1: 12 says, as many as ...He gave them power to become… I notice that so many people today look for power just anyhow- power to do just anything- unknown to them that God has made provision for power. God has made provision for all you need in life and destiny. That provision is Jesus. Jesus is the power of God over everything you need for life and destiny. So get connected!

Connection is free, Jesus paid by dying on the cross of calvary over 20 years ago that anyone who willingly comes to God desiring to become God’s own only need to ask for God’s pardon and by accepting that he had been a sinner but desires God’s pardon by the blood of Jesus, shed on his behalf. By accepting Jesus to lead your life, your sins and punishments are permanently behind you. Say YES to Jesus now!

Prayer/Action
* Ask for the power to fully become God’s own.
* Ask for the connecting power of the blood of Jesus to fully connect to Jehovah the eternal source.
* Pray that you will begin to experience the manifestations o f the connected ones.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
Father, You will perform the oath that You have sworn concerning me, and none of Your promises to me will fail, in the name of Jesus.

Add and Add

Tuesday 3 November
READ: II Pet. 1:1-9
MORE LESSON: Mk. 9:23-24

It is challenging to hear Apostle Peter urge fellow believers (pastors and congregations) to live a dynamic and ever growing Christian life. The apostle said that as believers the knowledge of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ has already been given to us; …all things that pertain unto life and godliness….: II Pet. 1:3 plus …exceeding great and precious promises….: II Pet. 1:4. However, we still need some other things to add in order to be able to stand solid so that we cannot fail or fall. He outlined such things as follows: …add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity: II Pet. 1:5-7.

Three things are the challenge in this scripture passage. First, I thought we are complete if we have already been obtained with the precious faith through Jesus Christ our Saviour. This means we are already born again and on top of it, we have been given, …all things that pertain unto life and godliness and have been … called us to glory and virtue II Pet. 1:3. Therefore, there is nothing to add. Second, the things the apostle asked us to add other things to are things that look sufficient in themselves: faith, virtue, temperance, patience, knowledge, godliness, kindness, charity. In any case, the apostle did not say we do not have some of these things already, but that we must add to them. Third, all the increases have already …escaped the corruption that is in the world II Pet. 1:4.

So, what then is the lesson? It is that whatever be your height in the Christian faith, you cannot afford to stop adding. The secret of increase and growth is addition; no matter how small, just keep adding consistently and permanently. When you stop adding, you stop growing and start reducing. Even stagnancy is a reduction. May you increase more and more. This year you will not decrease; the Lord shall be your increase.

Prayer/Action
*Ask God to reveal all the small areas of your life to you and add to them.
*Pray that you will never stop increasing.
*Ask the Lord to increase every area of strength and deal with every deficiency in your life.
--Take a definite decision on what you can begin to do to increase your faith. For instance, how many books to read per week, how many hours of prayer to add each week, how many souls to harvest each day and how to intercede for them daily.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
This month, I shall be saved from all my enemies and they that hate me, in the name of Jesus.

Greatness by Service

Monday 2 November
READ: Matt. 20: 25-28, Mk. 9:33-37
MORE LESSON: Phil. 2:1-15

The world defines greatness in terms of power, possessions, prestige and positions, that is, your status in the society. Jesus, however, measures greatness in terms of service not status. God determines your greatness by how many people you serve, not how many people serve you (Mk. 10:43 MSG).
God often tests our hearts by asking us to serve in ways we are not trained or conditioned for. It is our servant heart that will reveal our maturity. No special talent/gift is required to pick trash or wash toilet. Anyone can be a servant; all it requires is your willing heart. It is possible to serve in church for a lifetime without ever being a servant (Matt. 7:16).

True greatness involves losing what the world says we should hold dear. This is Christ’s message to His disciples exemplified by Jesus Christ Himself (Mk. 10:45). True greatness is found in: (a) the way of service (b) the way of humility.
a. The way of service:
i. Service in evangelism – Jn. 1:35-42.
ii. Service in edifying others - Eph. 4:16.
iii. Serve others in benevolence - Eph. 4: 32.
b. The way of humility:
I. Reach out to those who are less privileged – Jms. 2:5.
ii. Learn from your subordinates.
iii. Interact with those that are less privileged.
iv. Help with mundane tasks.

Another aspect of service is rendering service to your leaders. Joshua for example, became the great successor of Moses even though he started as a servant (Exo. 24:13). Also, Elisha succeeded Elijah and got a double portion of Elijah's anointing by faithfulness in service. He followed till the end.

Our entire life's purpose and existence should be viewed as that of a servant; first, of God and second, of our brothers and sisters on earth. We should value our lives only in the light of how Christ valued His own. He laid down His life so that others might live. This is the only true great man (Phil.2:9).

Prayer/Action
* List out 10 character traits of Jesus that attracted you to Him
* Pray each one into your life so that you also can be like Jesus.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
Father, I declare that You are going to make room for me in this new month and I shall prosper in it, in the name of Jesus’