Exceptional Help

Tuesday 12 January
READ: 2 Sam 5: 6 – 10
MORE LESSON: Psa 18: 29

In today’s text, David led his army against the Jebusites who lived in the rocky fortress. When they heard that David was coming, they mocked him and told him their habitation was so fortified that a weakling like David can't defeat them. In fact, they told him that even if the lame and the blind in the land were to form the army to fight against him, they would defeat him. Obviously, David was still small and had not attained all the greatness he later had. So they under-estimated and mocked him. Everywhere you have been washed down and mocked, the help of God will lift you up and place you above your mockers, in Jesus’ name.

It was like my story in secondary school. One of my teachers once looked at me and said, 'You, even if they give you the answer script and ask you to copy, you will still copy wrongly and fail'. They believed that I would not amount to anything. But today, the Lord has brought me to a great place. After the mockery done to David by the inhabitants, he invaded that city, defeated the people of the land and took over the land. I am particularly impressed with what David did after he took that city; he named it after himself and made it his headquarters: So David dwelt in the fort, 
and called it the City of David...: 2 Sam 5:9. That is the city called Jerusalem today; the capital city of the reign of David and the headquarters of the nation of Israel. He turned the place of his mockery to an eternal memorial of his greatness. That is what God is set to do for you today.

It is the exceptional help of God that made David to prevail where he had been disdained. He stated this secret of his success in Psa. 18: 29, For by thee, I have run through a troop; and by my God, have I leaped over a wall. Today, the help of God will locate you and you will amaze critics and enemies to record an astounding victory.

I pray for you today that where people have said there is no place for you, you will become the head. That office that refused to give you a job because you are a child of God will soon be bought over by you. When you enter that office, you will enter as the CEO. An exceptional help is on the way for you this year. God will do for you what you cannot do for yourself. Lift up your hand and shout Amen!

Prayer/Action
* Father, give me honour and praise in every place where I have seen shame, in Jesus’ name.
* Lord, let me have exceptional help as I go out today.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
He that is from above is above all, so shall be my testimony this year; I shall stay above all situation, in the name of Jesus.

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.