God's Favourites 3

Monday 11 January
READ: John 11: 3 - 5
MORE LESSON: Jer. 31: 3

Three were many sick people in the Bible that Jesus healed. Some were healed by Him sending His word to them, some touched Him, some came to Him and prayed Him to come touch their loved ones at home. However, when Lazarus was sick, Mary and Martha merely sent word to Jesus, Lord, the one you love so much is sick. Martha, Mary and Lazarus had taken the extra effort to have a close relationship with Jesus. Jesus always went to their house and whenever He did, Mary would sit with Jesus and let Jesus talk at length with her while Martha would be in the kitchen to cook for Jesus. When Lazarus was sick, they didn't care how busy Jesus was with His great assignment to the whole world, they just sent word to Him. In the text you will see that they even didn't tell Him to come, they merely told Him that Lazarus was sick. They expected Him to know that He should leave everything He was doing and come to help them. That is relationship speaking for Mary and Martha with Jesus. When you cultivate relationship with the Lord so much and become His favourite, He bypasses many to attend to your case.

Eventually Jesus arrived two days later and then both Mary and Martha met Him and said the same thing, Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died: Jn. 11:32. In other words, ''Where have You been? What took You so long? Now he is dead!”

Lazarus was already dead! But dead or not, Jesus wanted to see Lazarus. So He asked them where they buried him and He went to the grave side. When Jesus got to the tomb of Lazarus, Jesus wept: Jn. 11: 35. He then went ahead to call Lazarus from the dead and bring him back to life. Lazarus was not the only person that Jesus raised up from the dead in the Bible. But Lazarus' case has become a memory verse for all today. This is because of the special attention Jesus gave him due to the favour of intimate relationship. How many others did Jesus cry before raising them from the dead? None. When you become God's favourite, when everybody comes asking, He will give special attention to you. And even when He does something generally for people, He adds an extra touch to yours.

You need to get intimate with God to the point that you become a favorite with Him. I emphasise again that God has favourites, everybody is not the same with Him. He loves the whole world and wants everyone saved but when you talk about God giving attention to people, He has favourites. When you become His favourite, your trouble becomes His trouble and your pain becomes His. When you take it upon your heart to win God's heart, you become the envy of men.

Prayer/Action
* Pray that your matter will attract Heaven to rise up for you.
* Pray like Esther, David and Solomon so that Heaven will select you for favour, in Jesus’ name.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
The windows of heaven shall not be shut against me this year; the dew and the rain shall come to my land in their seasons and my harvest shall not fail, in name of Jesus.

God's Favourites 2

Sunday 10 January
READ: Isa. 3: 10 - 11
MORE LESSON: Mal 1: 2 -3

In Isa. 3: 10 -11, God made a remarkable statement, Say to the righteous that it shall be well with them, for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, For the reward of his hands shall be given him. This leaves one wondering whether it is not God that created all humans. Why would He look at some and say it shall be well with them and then look at others and declare that it shall be ill with them? This shows that where a person stands with God depends on what he or she does. Being God's favourite is not a chance happening and it is not a right reserved for some. It is a gift from God based on the level of relationship with Him.

It is like what obtains between parents and children. It is not right for parents to have favourites among children but it is eventually a child that determines whether he wins the parent' s heart so that the parent would go an extra mile for him. A man can have children and there is one who serves at home; helping the father and the mother. He wakes up in the morning and cleans the house, assists in everything and obeys the instructions that he is given, whereas there is another who gets up in the morning and escapes from the house to hang out with peers. He then comes home to see if food is ready, eats and steals out again. He might even cause trouble outside and they come and summon the parents that are peacefully staying at home. The parents will give him food and even pay his school fees because of a sense of responsibility but such a child will not get the same level of tips and gifts as the one that pleases the parents.

This is the same with God. Many Christians are not going out of their way to please God and become His favourites. God is merely blessing them because of faithfulness to His word - a sense of responsibility. God so loves the world (Jn. 3: 16), however there are great heights of favour and love that God bestows upon you when you pay the price to become His favourite.

I find this easy to understand when I remember that I love everybody but the access my wife has to me and everything I have is not the same that everybody else has. My wife has a right to everything I have but someone else, even though I love him/her with the love of God, will only get a part of all that I have. There are favourites with God and you can get so committed to the Lord that you come into the class of His favourites. Make your choice now!

Prayer/Action
* Ask God for grace to please Him always.
* Lord, I choose to be Your favourite. Please help me.
* Pray that you will find favour with God and men.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
As the Lord liveth, 2016 will not record my obituary or any evil memorial about my destiny, in the mighty name of Jesus.

God's Favourites 1

Saturday 9 January
READ: Isa 43: 3 - 4
MORE LESSON: Acts 10: 34 – 35

The level of access you have to a person is dependent on your relationship with him. Relationship determines what flows in your direction; therefore what you get from a man is determined by your relationship with him. In the same way, what you get from God depends on your relationship with Him. I want you to know that God has favourites. God is not a respecter of persons and He is not partial (Acts 10: 34). At the same time, He does not give everybody the same level of favour and blessing. Remember that God destroyed the host of Egypt in the Red Sea so that the children of Israel might live. In fact, in Isa. 43: 3, God declared without any remorse that He gave Egypt, Ethiopia and Sheba as ransom for Israel. Why would God, who created everybody, strike three nations dead so that one could be preserved? The answer is revealed in the next verse, Since you were precious in My sight, you have been honored, And I have loved you; Therefore I will give men for you, And people for your life. Isa 43:4 (NKJV).

God gave up Egypt, Ethiopia and Sheba to redeem Israel because Israel was His favourite. God is impartial but His impartiality is not in the absence of favourites; it is in the fact that everyman is allowed to determine his place in God's favour. God has favourites but He gives an open chance for anyone who will do the things that are acceptable to Him to win His favour, regardless of gender, race, tribe or genealogy.

Always remember that it is your relationship with God that determines where you stand in His favour. Know also that there are different degrees of relationship with God and the choice is yours where you stand with Him. There are those who He doesn't know at all (Lk. 13: 27). But as many as believe Him become His sons (Jn. 1: 12). Some go ahead to please Him especially and become His friends, like Abraham did (Isa. 41: 8). The disciples of Jesus also served Him till their relationship with Him changed from being mere servants to friends (Jn. 15: 14 – 15). David loved God and desired intimacy with Him so much that he was called a man after the heart of God (Acts 13: 22). Enoch also walked so closely with God as a friend that God took Enoch away without him seeing death. That is exceptional favour! You are the one that determines where you stand with God.

I want you to know that you can choose to become God's favourite today. The first step is to give your heart to Him if you have not done that already. However, even after that, your righteousness, obedience, love, sacrifice, service and intimacy with God continue to place you in a position of favour with Him.

Prayer/Action
* Ask God that Heaven will remain open over you.
* Pray that nothing will hinder your access to God’s throne.
* Declare that you are God’s favourite and all benefits will reach you today.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
In 2016, God will honour my destiny with all-round thanksgiving, in the mighty name of Jesus.

A New Beginning

Friday 8 January
READ: Gen.12: 1 – 4
MORE LESSON: Isa. 51: 1- 2

One of the greatest stories of what God can do with the life of a man that will yield to Him is found in Abraham. After Abraham lived for seventy-five years, he had nothing to show for living. He had no purpose, no achievement, no child and no hope for the future. However, one day this old man had an encounter that changed his life forever and changed the world through him. He encountered the God of Heaven and earth. God called him out of his native land of Ur of the Chaldeans, a land of idolatry, to come and begin a journey of faith with the Almighty. At such an old age when many would have retired from service, Abraham started his and today the rest is history.

Whether you are young or old, I want you to know that you stand a chance at greatness. You can become a reference point for future generations and an eternal excellence. It is not too late to enter into your purpose, all you have to do is to learn from Abraham. Isa. 51: 1-2 puts this advice clearly, Yes, ponder Abraham, your father, and Sarah, who bore you. Think of it! One solitary man when I called him, but once I blessed him, he multiplied (The Message). This is a call to take a cue from the life of Abraham who at seventy five years, was childless, wandering through life aimlessly, but once He encountered the Lord, he became a phenomenon.

It is your turn for a new beginning in life. no matter how many years have gone by and you have nothing much to show for life, you can become the Abraham of this generation. It started for Abraham by obeying the call of God, and so also for you if you will hear the call of salvation from Jesus Christ today. The call of God to Abraham was a call to leave the idols of his father's house and follow the living God. You have to leave all the sins, mindset and ways of life of the past and follow after God. You must answer the call to do the assignment He has for you in life. Your greatness is in the assignment He has for you and it is never too late for you to start. Abraham started at seventy five and he still had enough time to fulfil his purpose and became so great that he is still remembered today.

You can have a new beginning today if you will hearken to the call of the Lord. Whether the call is to salvation, consecration, service, purpose or the call to do something new for the Lord; the day you hearken to His call is the day you commence a new beginning.

Prayer/Action
* Father, like Abraham cause me to encounter You today.
* Let my heart be transformed for the better today by Your encounter with me, in Jesus’ 
name.
* I receive grace not to dishonour God’s call upon me, in Jesus’ name.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
2016, I command you to open up your goodness to me from today, in the mighty name of Jesus.