Raised Altars I

Thursday 10 December
READ: Num. 22:1-6, 30-40
MORE LESSON: II Kgs.17:9-11

An altar is any structure that is made of earth or stone on which sacrifices are offered or a spirit is invoked or contacted. Altars are generally erected in conspicuous places mostly on a raised ground or high place. There are godly altars and satanic altars. The first altar recorded in the Scripture was by Noah (Gen. 8:20). Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses all raised altars and the entire Old Testament is filled with several altars raised both for God and satanic idols. The tabernacle of Moses and the temple of Solomon also had altars where Jehovah was called upon (Exo. 30:28, II Chro. 4:1). In our reading today, Balak was scared of the testimonies of Israel and consulted the prophet Balam to help curse the Israelites; and to do that Balam raised several altars.

No great destiny is fulfilled or altered without an altar raised for or against it. In the African society, it is said that before kings and presidents are enthroned or politicians occupy major positions, altars are raised ahead of them to spiritually facilitate, consolidate and confirm their posts. Many engage in ritual killing of innocent people, including harmless babies, to sacrifice on these altars for spiritual backing.

In today's reading, Balak heard about 
the children of Israel and what they did to their enemies. He became afraid, Now shall this company [Israel] lick up all that are round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field….Num 22:4.

King Balak knew that his army and the best weaponry available in his time and nation could not handle the battle in Israel. He recognised that there must be a spiritual force (altar) behind the people of Israel. Therefore, he sought a well-seasoned prophet, Balam, to raise an altar to curse the children of Israel. It is not always true, like some people believe, that if you have done no one any evil, you can't be cursed. Good men die before their time. What did Israel do to Balak and Moab that justified hiring Balam to curse them?

Some people are not happy at the joy, increase or expansion of others and merely seeing others flourish irritates and angers them. Such wicked people will eagerly raise altars against your life, whether you are aware of it or not. But just as Jehovah helped to change the words meant to curse to blessing for Israel, so He will arise on your behalf to frustrate tokens of the wicked that are raised against you on any altar, in Jesus' name.

Prayer/Action
* Send the fire of God to every evil altar raised against you, now.
* Send every curse back to sender, in Jesus’ name.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
December will be a better month for me in every way, in the mighty name of Jesus.

Your Prosperity: God's Pleasure

Wednesday 9 December
READ: Isa 61: 3 - 11
MORE LESSON: Psa 35: 27

Your prosperity is the pleasure of God. God is joyful when He sees you doing well in all areas of your life. In case you want to know God's will for your life, 3 John 2 shows you in clear terms, Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. Prosperity is God's will for you, advancement and good health are His desire for you. Some people say that God wants them to be poor or sick in order to teach them humility and holiness but that is a lie of the devil. God is so greater than you that He doesn't need you to be poor so that you can humble yourself before Him. No matter how rich you become, you cannot be as rich as God, so why would He want you sick, poor or beggarly so that you can respect Him as being above you. Get as prosperous as you can, God is not intimidated; He is happy when you are blessed.

Do you know that your well-being is as important to God as your holy living? Your holiness pleases God (Heb 12: 14) and your prosperity gives Him pleasure (Psa. 35: 27). Job 36:11 says, If they obey and serve Him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures. God says those that obey and serve Him will live in prosperity and pleasure; that Bible verse is talking about you. From today, delete the mentality of poverty and smallness from you. Say to yourself that you will be wealthy and thereby glorify God. There is a promise of prosperity for your life as Isa 61:5-6 says, And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vine dressers. But ye shall be named the Priests of the Lord: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.

As a man thinks in his heart so he is ( Prov. 23: 7a), so today reject thoughts of poverty, stagnancy, smallness and meager living. Choose to make progress, choose to be successful; choose to be wealthy and healthy. As you make these decisions and you back them up with proper practice of God's principles of success, greatness and wealth, I declare that you will spend your days in prosperity and your years in pleasure, in Jesus’ name.

Prayer/Action
* Declare your name deleted from the sphere of poverty and smallness forever.
* Decree that the counsel of prosperity and well being will manifest in your life from now on.
* Command the flood gate of divine breakthrough open to you now according to God’s promises.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
Thank You Father for Your unfailing and ever increasing kindness over my life.This month, do more, in the name of Jesus

Silent Labourers

Tuesday 8 December
READ: Lk. 2: 36 - 38
MORE LESSON: Matt. 6: 1 - 4

It is common for workers in the vineyard of God to desire to be in positions where they can be visible to all. But the Lord actually esteems those who can humbly labour in the secret place where no one sees them. Such people obtain great rewards from God who sees in the secret and rewards in the open (Matt 6: 1 – 4). In the Bible, Anna was an old woman who had been a widow for 84 years. Instead of complaining, she stayed in the temple day and night for all the years fasting and praying to God to send the Deliverer of Israel. Her silent labours were part of what ushered in Jesus Christ (Luke 2: 36 – 38).

Dr. Yongi Cho the pastor of one of the largest congregations in the whole world shared a testimony about his church in South Korea. He noticed that each time he conducted a miracle meeting, miracles would happen on a particular row, another time it would be another particular row. The rows are very long as it is a massive church but whichever row the miracle was taking place, nothing would happen on the other rows in a particular service. So he was curious and wanted to know why it was so. He asked God what the matter was and God led him to go to the church as early as 5am one morning. He saw a sister that came around and was cleaning the chairs in a particular row and praying in tongues over them. She prayed and cried till tears flowed on the seats and after she was done she left. That particular day, when the meeting started, miracles took place on the row that the woman cleaned. He then realised that it was the silent labour of that woman that was responsible for opening the Heaven for the people on that row.

Another great servant of God in Nigeria also shared the testimony of a young lady in the choir. He noticed that each time she led a song, the spiritual atmosphere became so charged with God’s presence that he could hardly preach. In fact the people would have been praying before he came up. One day before service he was praying round the church and saw someone crying and praying at a corner in the church. He went and tapped her and discovered that it was the lady. He asked her if everything was okay and she said it was. After trying to get her talk and the lady insisted that she was fine, he left. It was later in the service that the girl climbed up to sing that he realised what happened; Heaven opened as she sang.

Whether your service is in the secret or in the open, you can be a silent labourer. The success of your ministry is dependent on the quantity of your labour in the secret place.

Prayer/Action
* Ask God to make you a sincere and committed worker in His Kingdom.
* Pray that your singular effort will make a difference in God’s work.
* Pray that you will be a mighty tool in the hand of God in your generation.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
Father, in the name of Jesus, December will be a new and better season for me.

The beginning of Sorrows

Monday 7 December
READ: Matt. 24: 8
MORE LESSON: Matt 24: 8 - 13

All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.

The end-times are the times when believers need to be strong and be ready to take firm stands for Jesus even in the face of tribulation and oppositions. Jesus told his disciples that when wars, tribulations and persecution start arising against them, it was just the beginning of sorrows. He told them that greater hatred and affliction will arise against the nation of Israel and believers in Jesus Christ. So as we see the hatred against Israel and persecution against the Church, we must know that this is the beginning of sorrows – the sign of the end-time. Today, we see parents disown their children because such gave their lives to Jesus. These people are actually fulfilling end time prophecies.

There were seven believers caught in a Communist country where the weather was dangerously cold - as cold as -50 degree Celsius. Cold could be very deadly. There was an intensive cold at one time that people were beginning to turn blue and the only means to stay alive was to eat ice. This was to keep their body temperatures at that of ice; because the ice was 'warmer' than the atmospheric temperature. Imagine that it was under such atmospheric conditions that the believers were stripped of all clothing and then asked every other hour if they would renounce Christ or continue in the 'cold torture'. The torturers had an ambulance standing by to rush them to the hospital in case they renounced Christ. The brethren refused to renounce Christ and one after the other they began to drop dead. Eventually one of them got tired and said, “I renounce” and was removed from the line. Instantly one of the torturer-soldiers ran to take his place on the torture line, pulled off his dress and began to shout, “I accept Christ”, to the amazement of his fellow torturers who wondered what was wrong with him. What actually happened was that, in the spiritual realm, at the hour the brother renounced Christ, an angel had held a crown over his head and was about to place it on his head. The tortured man was just to say the final 'No' that would put the crown on his head, but he renounced Christ. Nobody saw it but the atheist soldier had his spiritual eyes opened to see all these unfold. And the mystery was that as soon as he took the place of the brother, the crown was laid on him and he died. One man did the labour and another man got the crown.

If Christianity gets to such a point of persecution today, how many people will remain Christians? Will you endure or give up? You must advance from this valley of decision unto the mountain of convictions where you will not give up but endure till the end no matter what.

Prayer/Action
* Pray that nothing will separate you from the love of Christ.
* Pray that no negative end time prophecy shall function in your life.
* Reject everything that can take your name off the list of spiritual champions.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
I decree that all present negative situations and events in my life must give way to new things and celebrations in my life,in the name of Jesus.