Believing is Seeing

Wednesday 22 June
READ: John 11: 30 - 40
MORE LESSON John 20: 24-29

Many people want to see God's glory made manifest in their lives but they want to see God do it first before they believe it. Are you trusting God for admission into school, marriage, employment, provision, healing, breakthrough, success or any other miracle? Do you insist on seeing it before you believe it? Then you have reversed the spiritual order and that is why the expectation is not forth coming. According to God’s standard, Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? John 11:40.
However, men say, If I see then I will believe. They say 'seeing is believing' but the Scripture says 'believing is seeing'. You don't have to see what you are trusting God for before you believe God has met your need. You don't have to see the medical report before you believe you are healed and you don't have to see the evidence before you believe it is done. As a matter of fact, the scriptural procedure is that you believe first and see the evidence later because it is your faith that God sees and commands the result. Only believe it and you will certainly see it, But as many as received him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: John 1:12. It is when you believe and receive Him that Jesus gives you power to become what He wants you to be but some want Him to first give them power and then they will believe Him.
When Jesus resurrected and showed Himself to the disciples they all believed because they saw Him. Thomas had gone out when Jesus came; he missed one church service and that was costly for him because everybody at that service had a visitation from the Lord. So please don't miss church service. When Thomas came back to church, he insisted that he would not believe Jesus had resurrected except he saw Him. In other words, seeing is believing. Jesus kindly reappeared when Thomas was around and said to him, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing: John 20:27. He immediately believed but he was reprimanded, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed: John 20:29.
Today, many condemn Thomas' doubt but each time they want to see the miracle before they believe God they are doing the same thing that Thomas did. Step up today; believe, declare and thank God for a miracle even when you have not seen it and you will see the glory of God.

Prayer/Action
* Ask God to help and increase your faith today.
* Give thanks to God for every pending request you have before Him.
* Rebuke the spirit of fear and doubt around you.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
I pull down every plan to surchange my destiny and God’s programme for my life, in the name of Jesus.

Peace for the Nations

Tuesday 21 June
READ: Prov. 14: 34
MORE LESSON: Isa 57: 21

One of the greatest quests of the nations of the world is peace. There are peace keeping forces, peace movements and peace slogans like, 'Peace for Development', 'Say No to Violence' etc. The United Nations was created for the major purpose of maintaining peace in the world but there have been more wars since its creation than can be imagined. This shows that the strategy for peace in our nations must go beyond peace movements and the bilateral negotiations that political leaders engage in.
In Isa. 57:21, the Bible says, There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked. This statement was made by God Himself; not a prophet, an apostle, a king or even an angel. When God says there is no peace for a particular set of people, there is no appeal, the only way to find peace is to exclude yourself from that category of people. No peace for the wicked; wicked man or wicked nation – as long as there is wickedness in the heart, there will be unrest in the environment. How can we find peace through round table discussions and peace treaty when the hearts of the people doing the discussion are wicked? The only way that there can be peace in the nations is when the heart is changed.
Hearts changed one at a time leads to global peace. It is individuals that make up families, families make societies and communities. When we have peaceful individuals we will have peaceful fathers and mothers at home, peaceful children in the schools and on the streets, peaceful workers in our sectors, peaceful leaders in the society, peaceful nations and a peaceful world. When individuals are not peaceful and the leaders are filled with wickedness in the heart and blood in their hands, there can't be peace in the nation. Remember, Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people: Prov 14:34 (NKJV). If wickedness covers a nation there cannot be peace in that nation.
If men will come to the Lord Jesus Christ, then as the Scriptures says, A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh: Ezek 36:26. When the hearts of men are changed through accepting Jesus – the Prince of Peace-then the peace in the hearts of men will flow into the nations. It is by finding peace with God that we can find peace with fellow men. The secret of peace is righteousness and the strength of righteousness is faith in the blood of Jesus. If individuals will make peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ, then the nation will have peaceful men and the world will have peaceful nations. Without Him there is no peace.

Prayer/Action
* Pray for peace today beginning from your home, church, community and the nation, in Jesus’ name.
* Speak prophetically to the four corners of the nation, let peace reign, in Jesus’ name.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
Every evil ceiling of limitation placed over my life and destiny, in the name of Jesus, scatter by fire now.

The Beginning of Foolishness

Monday 20 June
READ: Luke 12: 16 – 21
MORE LESSON: Psa. 53: 1

The Bible tells the story of a rich man who worked hard and prospered. Then he decided that it was time for him to enjoy life all by himself. He said to himself that he had all he needed to live his own life but he forgot to consider the most important factor: he forgot God. He didn't consider that it is God who had his life in His hands and could determine his future, so he started planning the future without God. When he felt that he had arrived and he could live his life big and enjoy all the wealth he had gathered, God looked at him and said, You fool, no problem you can enjoy your wealth as long as you believe it is your own but give me the one that is my own; which is your life. Even God called him a fool. Why was he addressed a fool? It is not the fact that he was rich that made him a fool. His foolishness is in the fact that he accumulated everything but forgot God. He calculated all he had and wanted to do but he had no thought for God. It is foolishness for a man to try to do without God, as the Scripture says, The fool hath in his heart, there is no God . . .: Psa 53: 1. Each time a man or a people want to do anything without God, they walk in foolishness. Any nation that is trying to remove God from its system is walking the path of foolishness.
Let's see where the rich man's foolishness led him into. God said, Okay, since you have everything now and you feel you do not need me. Then you can keep all that is yours. However, give me that which is mine; which is, your life. He had his life taken away and he perished. It was after God took his life from him that he realised that everything without life is a waste. Since God is the giver of life; everything without God is a waste.
Prov. 1: 7 says, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge but fools despise wisdom and instruction. If the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, then living without God is the beginning of foolishness. I want to tell you that it is expedient for a man to live his life for God. It is the best thing to do, whether you are rich or poor. Live your life for God and please Him. Do not live for material things but live with eternity in view because one day you will leave everything behind.

Prayer/Action
* Pray and commit your day, way and all you have to God for direction.
* Ask God not to give you what you cannot give back to Him in thanksgiving.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
I command every satanic decree of Haman to be turned to good news this month, in the name of Jesus.

Be a Carrier of Good News

Sunday 19 June
READ: Isa 52:7
MORE LESSON: 2 Sam 1: 1-16

There was a newspaper that was always full of obituaries; the other news in it was scanty as the paper read more like a collection of who and who died in the country. The media is replete with news of hunger, wars, earthquakes and recession. So we have companies and organisations built on and profiting from selling and dispensing bad news. But as believers in the Lord Jesus and citizens of the Kingdom, our task is to publish good news, How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! Isa. 52:7. There are different dimensions to publishing good tidings. The first is to publish the good news of redemption and salvation that Jesus has purchased for the world. Preach the Word and let ...your feet be shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Eph 6: 15. The word 'evangelism' is a derivative of the Greek word which means 'good news' and has the same root as the word 'gospel'. So the message we bear as believers is naturally of good tidings.
This also extends to your relationship with people. Don't be the mouth piece for propagation of unfortunate happenings. When evil happens, it is not your duty to broadcast it, Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? James 3:10-11. Slander, backbiting and gossip should never be heard from your mouth. When people make negative remarks about others, churches, or the government and they ask for your opinion, just find at least one thing to praise God for in that person or situation.
Finally, be a giver of hope by the kind of news you carry. Some people are so good at giving current statistics of death, accident, poverty, layoff and unemployment. They know all the number of people that attempted something and failed and they won't hesitate to dish out their statistics to anybody they see that wants to try to succeed in that same thing. That is not befitting for a believer, But speaking the truth in love, you may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: Eph 4: 15. You should speak with all honesty and frankness, but they must be words that encourage and impart grace to the hearer, Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers: Eph 4:29.
I pray as you make the commitment to be a carrier of good news, glad tidings will not cease from your life, in Jesus’ name.

Prayer/Action
* Prophetically shut the door on negative news coming to you for the rest of this year.
* Pray that you will be good news where you enter and you will be a giver of same for life.
* Pray that you will not fail God in the compulsory assignment of spreading the goodnews about Jesus.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
My Father and my God, turn the good, the bad and the ugly events in my life in 2016 to my decoration tools, in the mighty name of Jesus.