Jesus Only!

Saturday 26 March
READ: Phil 3: 8 - 11
MORE LESSON: Matt 6: 33

Paul was a man that was successful by all standards of his time. He was a doctor of law and among the ruling class of the tribes of Israel. He had a great career ahead of him and he was doing well. When he had an encounter with Jesus, his priority in life changed. He forsook all the things he had and followed after Jesus only. Paul said, But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ: Phil 3:7-8. When you read the account of Jesus' disciples you will realise that all of them left something to go after Jesus. Peter left his massive catch at his fishing business. James, John and Andrew left their boats in the sea and followed Jesus. Matthew left his position as a tax collector where he was making money from the people. It is not everyone that is called into full time ministry but every child of God must certainly have testimonies of things that he has sacrificed in his pursuit of God.
I want to let you know that the only right thing to pursue in life is Jesus. When you have Jesus, you have access to all things. Matt 6: 33 says, But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Seek Jesus and His righteousness. Sacrifice, serve, give and do all you can for the expansion of the Kingdom. Some people deceive themselves by saying that they are pursuing life goals and that when they get all they are running after, they will bring it to serve Jesus. You don't seek things to come serve Jesus with. That is not the right order, seek Jesus first. Just as you are, keep seeking Him. When you pursue Jesus, all things will pursue you. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. Jesus is the possessor of all things (Heb 1:2). With Him, you possess all things.
Someone would say that “I am born again. I have Jesus already. So let me pursue other thing”. Getting Jesus is not a once and for all event. You must keep following and desiring Him. Every single day of your life must be spent desiring and seeking more of Him, According to 2 Cor. 3: 18, But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. Beholding Jesus is a continuous exercise.
I boldly assure you that as you pursue Him, nothing good in life will elude you. When you make Jesus your priority in life,all things will follow you.

Prayer/Action
* Father, deliver me from anything that will shift my attention from Jesus.
* Father, help me to keep following and desiring You daily.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
I declare that my enemies shall not live to rejoice over me and my family, in the name of Jesus.

From Darkness to Light

Friday 25 March
READ: Lk. 24:30-35
MORE LESSON: Act. 9:18-19

Spiritually, darkness has been the greatest challenge on earth. No wonder Jesus came as the light of the world. The Bible says the whole world lies in darkness and until Christians begin to shine their Jesus-given light, there is no hope for the world. However, no matter the intensity of light, if the eyes of people are not opened, the light is useless. As it is that people can remain in darkness no matter how wide open their eyes are if there is no light, people can also remain in darkness not because they don't have eyes; but because their eyes are not opened.
The Kingdom of God is the Kingdom of light, so everyone in it must have the power of sight. Flip Wilson said: “What you see is what you get”. Being able to see into the spiritual realm has a lot of advantages. One day God wanted to commission Jeremiah into ministry and one of the things he wanted to be sure the prophet had is the power of sight. He said, Jeremiah, what seest thou: Jer 1: 11, and until God was sure Jeremiah could see correctly, He did not perform His Word. God wants all His children to be seers. Blindness pegs a man's destiny and makes him live a beggarly life. A man with open eyes has access to divine secrets and will live a prosperous life.
Luke 24:31 says: And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he
vanished out of their sight. The evidence that a man's eye is opened is that he is able to see the Lord. When you see and know Jesus as your Lord and Saviour and see God at work everyday, then your eyes are opened. Before a man can see correctly his heart must be inflamed like the disciples that Jesus talked with on the way; their hearts burned within them and their eyes were opened. Beloved, until you begin to hear the voice of Jesus and read His Word, your eyes of understanding remain closed. But when your heart burns, then your eyes will begin to see. What are indications that a man is not seeing correctly or does not see? This happens when:
i. he cannot see God's provision and plan for his life,
ii. a man does not know what to do always,
iii. a man's pathway in life is not even or is awkward all the time,
iv. one does not see beauty, good, success and victory, but evil all of the time.
v. a man does not know his true state by thinking he is what he is not.
But when a man sits, talks, eats with Jesus, his eyes will definitely open ( vs.30-31). May your eyes of understanding be opened, and may you begin to see all that is necessary for your progress, in Jesus’ mighty name.

Prayer/Action
* Oh Lord, let the scales in my eyes fall now, in Jesus' mighty name.
* Father, open my eyes today and deliver me from all manners of darkness, in Jesus' mighty name.
* I receive my sight right now, in Jesus' name.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
I decree that no evil wind shall succeed against me this day, in the mighty name of Jesus.

Developing Strong Family Ties

Thursday 24 March
READ: Gen. 2:15-25
MORE LESSON: Matt. 19:4-6

One of the earliest things God did to establish and consolidate all that He created at the beginning was instituting marriage, And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him: Gen.2:15-18. Marriage is an institution ordained by God for the blessing of mankind. Let us therefore examine issues about it:
1. Married life may be likened to a marathon race. The fact that you did not start well does not mean you will not end well. Great beginnings are not as important as the end. When you are tired along the line and feel like giving up, all you need is the determination to keep plugging away and moving on. Only then will you be able to make it to the end.
2. To have strong family ties, we must close up gaps between members in the family by loving them as you love yourself. Forgiveness, dialogue and togetherness enhance good family ties. Unforgiveness is usually one of the main causes of disaffection in the family.
3. One major purpose of marriage is for the man to have an agreement partner. This can be promoted by being open with the other person and agreeing quickly in adversity. Not allowing anger to linger brakes adversity like nothing else. Amos 3:3 encourages us to stay together in unity.
4. Neglecting your marriage for service to God can be a problem. This was part of what Eli did that in one day both Eli and his children died. And if you neglect your service for marriage as it was in the case of Vashti, partying here and there, it is also a big problem. Marriage and service to God must be wisely balanced by creating enough time for the two.
Moreover, for a family to have very strong family ties, there must be the altar of personal time with God as well as couples altar where burdens are shared together. Issues about how to raise the children, deflate tension in the family and similar challenges can be prayed upon at the family altar. Having leisure with family members and creating excitement for one another is a great boost. Creating time to listen to each other and keeping the terms of the marriage covenant will keep both the marriage and family in a good state.

Prayer/Action
* Lord Jesus, help me to develop a stronger sense of commitment to my family.
* Father, I receive all it takes to build good family ties in my home.
* I rebuke the power of family breaker over my marriage and family, in Jesus’ name.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
I agree with God that the prevailing forces of sin shall not have dominion over me, in the name of Jesus.

Maximising Life

Wednesday 23 March
READ: James 4: 14
MORE LESSON: Psa 90: 10

The issue of spending your life in a way that you can say at the end of life that you made maximum use of the life that God gave you is so vital. James describes life as a vapour that appears for a moment (Jam 4: 14) and after that it disappears. The psalmist also confirmed it by saying that the best of man is 70 years, and by reason of strength it can extend to eighty but it soon ends and we fly away: Psa. 90: 10. The brevity of life is so amazing that it can be truly said that the years of life actually fly away.
This is why it is important to spend your life wisely and make maximum use of it. You have to live your life with a sense of destiny and urgency. Note that years are not stagnant but flying and time lost is gone forever. If you should do something and you don't, God can still help you to do it but definitely it won't be at the time you should but didn't- that time is gone forever. If you spend life doing nothing and having fun around as if life is a long holiday, you will look back and realise that the time of life has flown by. I have noticed that Africans, especially Nigerians, love holidays. And the way they spend their holidays is not impressing. A man says it is public holiday and sleeps, plays games or watches movies from dawn to dusk not realising that it is life that is ticking away. Many spend time going to lots of places that are not necessary, doing unnecessary things, sitting, gisting and laughing away while something precious and irrecoverable is slipping by. There are so many time- wasting activities in the lives of many which they begin to notice at old age, when there is no strength to redeem the time, that they have really done little or nothing much with life. It is time to call upon God to help in this matter.
How do you normally spend your day? Wasted days become wasted years and wasted years become wasted life. Time is life; so spend your time doing things that are impactful in life and eternity. Anything that does not have a corresponding contribution to your destiny should not be allowed. The way to maximise your day is to remove everything that doesn't add to your life and destiny from each day. I have found that one of the things difficult to control in life is time. However, it is possible with discipline. Discipline is difficult for man but when you hand over yourself to God, He will help you to lead a disciplined life. Only a man who has Jesus and is controlled by the Spirit can live a disciplined life. Spend your time, which is your life, on things that matter in life and eternity.

Prayer/Action
* Pray against the spirit of procrastination in your life in Jesus’ name.
* Receive the wisdom of God to maximise your time and opportunities in Jesus’ name.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
Everything I need to make 2016 good shall voluntarily walk up to me and respond to me, in the name of Jesus.