The right to Choose

Sunday 6 December
READ: Josh 24: 15
MORE LESSON: Matt. 25:1-10

There are a lot of things imposed upon us in life that we actually don't want. Example of such are inheritance cases faced by some believers where they are given titles, positions or ungodly property that belonged to their fathers but which the community believes should be theirs.

It is a sign of maturity to know what to accept and what to reject. The greatest power God gave man is the power of choice. If you don't choose and you allow other people's choices to be imposed on you, God will still hold you responsible for the action. This is the reason God judges every man for his choices both temporal and eternal. 'They were the ones who told me to do it' is not a plea at God's judgment seat. Today I want you to learn that you should not allow anything that is not in accordance with your destiny to be imposed on you. If what is being imposed on you is not God's will for you and will not take you to your destination in life, you must have the courage to say no. If people imposed anything on your destiny and you accepted it when you were an unbeliever, now that you are born again, you have a right to terminate it.

It is amazing that some people accept things for courtesy reasons, even when they know such things are not in conformity with their vision and purpose in life. Some keep friends that are not in accordance with their paths of destiny because they don't want to offend those friends by breaking the friendship. Beloved, friendship is by choice and not by force, if you have a friend that wants to lead you off the path of purpose and destiny, close the book on it. Even in a courtship, as much as I encourage people not to break courtship but if you find out that you are going out with a partner that is not God's will for your life and that relationship will destroy your destiny, no matter how advanced the courtship is, you can still say no. Marriage is a lifetime commitment, so don't allow a wrong one to be imposed on you. God hates divorce so if you realize that you have entered into a courtship that is not in accordance with God's plan for your life, don't manage it into marriage because you don't want to hurt people. There is no need for long talk, just close that chapter.

Finally don't allow spiritual afflictions to be imposed on you- whether ancestral curses or adverse family traits. Because everyone in your family suffered something does no0t mean you should suffer it. Make your choice that your own life will not run that way. Choose, don't be imposed upon.

Prayer/Action
* Tell Jesus you renounce every ungodly relationships and gifts today.
* Ask God to forgive you for every avoidable wrong choice you ever made.
* Ask God to grant you the wisdom of the five virgins in all life decisions.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
Lifting up holy hands, I declare that this month every disgrace shall be turned to celebration, shame to fame, sighing to singing and story to glory, in the name of Jesus.

Don't let your Love grow Cold

Saturday 5 December
READ: Matt. 24:12
MORE LESSON: 2 Tim 3: 1 - 3

One of the signs of the end-time declared by our Lord Jesus is that the love of many will wax cold because iniquity will abound. Of a truth, when we compare the way people were passionate about the things of God in the early days and how they take the things of God now, we see that the love of many has waxed cold. Many people were radical about evangelism, prayer, personal study and Church fellowship when they first gave their lives to Christ but now it has become difficult to see these same people in Church. The few times they come to Church, if the service extends just a bit, they start complaining. These days you see Christians hurry out of Church only to go and attend village and clan meetings.

When I was young in the faith, our services were lengthy and we enjoyed it. We counted it as a crime to read anything except the Bible on Sunday; in fact we didn't even read school books on Sunday. Though sometimes we were unnecessarily religious, it showed the extent of our heart for God and our dedication to Him. But these days many abscond from Church on Sundays to attend to their business. Even Church workers and leaders absent themselves from week-days meetings. I know of people who almost swore that they would serve the Lord in the ministry in those days who have now forgotten about God's work and some are now married to unbelievers because they waited on God and, in their own esteem, He did not come through for them on time.

The Bible prophesied that iniquity will abound and we can see it everywhere. I recently saw a fellow with dreadlocks and tattered clothes. I sincerely thought he was a mad man until I was told that it was just fashion. I was shocked. These days we can hardly tell the difference between madness and fashion. Only prisoners wore trousers that sagged in those days but now, people deliberately 'sag' their trousers. The number of iniquitous things tagged “it doesn't matter” has increased; ranging from same sex marriage to divorce, immorality and corruption. These iniquities have found their ways into the Church and you have to decide that you will not be part of it. Matt 24: 12 says, and because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. This prophecy must not necessarily be fulfilled in your life. He didn't say that 'the love of all . . .' but 'the love of many will wax cold.' You can choose not to be among the many whose love will wax cold. I want you to decide that whatever it will take , you will remain steadfast in heart to the Lord. Do not let anything take away your love for the Lord. Decide that the iniquity and lukewarmness of this present world will not affect you. Do not let your love for God wax cold.

Prayer/Action
* Pray that the force of iniquity in this end time will not prevail over you.
* Pray that your love for God will not dwindle.
* Pray that nothing will replace the love of God in your heart.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
I hand over to You Jesus the month of December, and like never before let not the enemy have a memorial in it, in the name of Jesus.

The power in His Name

Friday 4 December
READ: Phil. 2:9-11
MORE LESSON: Acts 3: 16

I want to let you know today that there is power in the name of Jesus. The name of Jesus carries power no other name carries. The name of Jesus is the name that opens the door to the power-house of God. The Holy Spirit is the power of God. And it is the name of Jesus that opens the door for the manifestation of the power of the Holy Spirit. Whenever the name of Jesus is released in faith, the Holy Spirit goes into action and births forth whatever was declared. There is a protocol of operation in the Trinity; the Father is the God of all, the Son is the administrator of all things; it is the Son who made all things. The Holy Spirit is the power of the God Head; He executes all things. You will see people get saved, healed and delivered when you realize the operation of the God Head. I have seen the Holy Spirit work wonders at the instance of the mention of the name of Jesus in my life and ministry. I have no capability to do the things I saw happen, it is usually the God- Head at work. As you abide in the Father and use the name of the Son in faith, you will see the Spirit do wonders in your life, circumstances and others that you minister to.

2 Cor. 12:4-6 says, Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. This scripture highlights how these three Personalities work together to get things done. The Holy Ghost brings about the distribution and manifestation. The Son- Jesus Christ- administers and yet when all is done, God the Father is the One responsible for all the operations/works. God works through the Son by the manifestation of the Spirit. Eph. 2:18 expresses this by saying, For through Him (Jesus) we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. So when the Father sets out to do what He has purposed or what you have declared, He comes through the Son by the agency of the Spirit. When we understand this operation of the God- Head, we can always put the devil to flight. The reason the Son of God is made manifest is to destroy the works of the devil and to bring many sons into glory.

From today, the devil is in trouble around you. The operation of God is at work on your behalf; working all things together for your good. God, the Father is sending His Spirit to get things done for you through the authority of the name of the Son. The power of God is available to do all things as you use the name of Jesus. Go in this strength today.

Prayer/Action
* Command that the name of Jesus will begin to work for you more than ever before.
* Declare that the name of Jesus will never lose its power in your life.
* Decree that shut door against you begin to open now, in Jesus mighty name.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
I declare that all spiritual umbilical cords through which I am connected to the evil forces of backwardness and failure are cut off now by fire, in the name of Jesus.

Final Change of Status

Thursday 3 December
READ: Lk. 16: 19 – 31
MORE LESSON: Jn 5: 24

In the reading of today, there are two men: the rich man and Lazarus. Each of them had a distinct status; the rich man was living sumptuously while Lazarus lived in poverty. But then both of them had a change of status in a matter of minutes. I have noticed that a change of status can happen within a few minutes. Joseph in the Bible was translated from prisoner to prime minister in minutes. Two people are unmarried and in minutes a declaration is made and they become married. A change of status takes just minutes.

So also is the change of status from this life to the hereafter. There is only one step between life and death; it only takes the heart to stop beating and it's over. No one prays for death but it surely comes as long as the Lord tarries. Even if you have faith enough to resurrect yourself back to life, you will still die again; those who were resurrected in Bible days all died again. The Bible says that the last enemy to be overcome is death (1 Cor. 15: 26). One of the mysteries of death that I have seen is that when a righteous man is sick, even if it remains one hour to die, he gets well and becomes lively before he dies. I have seen this happen many times. So death is not a fearful thing for a child of God. Everyone will eventually die; it is what happens to your soul after you are gone that is the issue.

Lazarus died and went to Paradise to enjoy in Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and found himself in hell – the place of torment. The rich man experienced a change of status several times on his way to becoming rich on earth but he didn't prepare for the final change of status, which is the most important. Death is the final change of status on earth. When a man is told that he will die one day, it is not to frighten him; it is a statement of reality. Every man should remember there is an imminent change of status that he cannot avoid: the change from this life to eternity. The decision you make now is the only thing that can determine your fate when this change occurs.

However, if a man accepts Jesus, his change is not from life to death, his own status changes from death to life (John 5: 26). When a believer dies physically, he is alive eternally because his status has changed from death to life and so death cannot hold him. Today is the day to change your status from death to life through Christ so that you will not experience the change from life to eternal death, And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire: Rev. 20:14-15.

Prayer/Action
*Ask God to x-ray your life and reveal your eternal status to you today.
*Ask God for a cleansing by the blood of Jesus from anything that could erase your name from the book of life.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
This new month, any power holding my keys to elevation and testimony, by the blood of Jesus, I command you to release them, in the name of Jesus.