Strength in Weakness

Sunday 17 July
READ: Psa. 61:1-2
MORE LESSON: Luke 22: 40 - 45

There was a time when Absalom conspired against his father King David and deposed him from the throne. He took over the king's concubines and sent him out of the kingdom. As David was running away from being killed by his own son, an unbeliever followed with insults and curses (2 Sam 16:5 – 13). This was a situation of great anguish for David as his own son sought his life and disgraced him. When he was in this state of great pain, he said, Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I: Psa. 61:1-2.

Though in great pain, David didn't complain or speak against God; he cried to God. Strong men also get to the place of weakness, but when they start to get faint, they don't turn their backs on God. The time of weakness and challenge is the time to come to God. The place of weakness is the right place to cry to the Lord. It is a grave mistake to leave God because you are in trouble. It is a deadly step to become embittered against God and turn away because you get to a place of discomfort.

In Luke 22: 41-42, Jesus got to the place of weakness. He had a challenge in front of Him which His strength couldn't carry through. He was demoralised and full of anguish, and His disciples were equally weakened because of the sorrow. Jesus, in the time of weakness, prayed to God. He ran to God when He got to the place of weakness and not away from God. The disciples, on the other hand, were so weak that they began to sleep. The time of weakness is not the time to sleep and cry. For instance, losing a loved one is a very challenging incident that brings weakness of heart, but the response is not to keep crying and refuse to go to church.

At the point of weakness, Jesus prayed and the Bible records that an angel came to strengthen Him. The angel strengthened Him because He prayed. In Luke 22: 44, the Bible says that being in an agony He prayed more earnestly... The more the weakness, the more should be your prayer, the more the agony, the more should be the prayer. Do not allow any weakness, agony or challenge to weaken you so much that you cannot pray anymore. Do not allow anything to so disturb you that you shut yourself away from God.

Weakness and challenges should drive you to the place of prayer because there, you will find strength in weakness.

PRAYER/ACTION
* Ask God to grant you strength in weakness.
* In the days of adversity my strength shall not fail me.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Today, I declare, even if gross darkness covers the whole world, God's light of glory shall shine upon my life and destiny, in the name of Jesus.

Make your Calling Sure

Saturday 16 July
READ: 2 Pet. 1: 10-11
MORE LESSON: 1 Cor. 7: 20-24

Everyone has his own God- given call. Some are called to the five-fold ministry, while some are called to other areas of endeavour. Whatever God has committed in your hands, you must pay diligence to fulfil it. Whatever ministry that God has given you, whether in the Church or in the secular world, make sure you fulfil it. Col. 4:17 urges, And say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfill it. This is the same urge that is being given to you today, make sure you fulfil the ministry or assignment that God has given you.

You must also know that there is no competition in God's call; do not try to be like another person or compare your call with someone else's. This is amply expressed in the Bible, For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise: 2 Cor. 10:12. Don't start doing something just because you want to be like another person who is doing it. Make sure you allow God to lead you into whatever assignment you are to do. If you realise that your motive for entering into a call was wrong or you went into a calling that is not yours out of competition, it is not too late to correct it.

Do not fight for position, but allow God to call you and put you in position and when He does, put everything in it to make your election and calling sure. Do not look at other people and envy their calls because you think that it is better than yours. Rather, do everything to fulfil the assignment that God has given you and He will be glorified in your life. Whatever God has called you to be or do, I want you to stay in it and make a full proof of your calling. There is no calling that is small; you can make the best out of whatever you are called to do.

The purpose of each calling is to glorify God, so whatever you are called to do, stay there and make sure that God is being glorified through your life. After God, diligence is the next key to success. No life accomplishment comes easy; no lazy man has a story of success. Both in the service of God and all other areas of life endeavour, hardwork is essential. Ministry work particularly is not for lazy people. If you know you are lazy, find another carreer in life; serving God takes all. The apostle is emphatic, So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things.... 2 Pet. 1:10 (NLT).

PRAYER/ACTION
* Thank God for His call upon your life and receive grace to fulfil it.
* Pray that God will grant the pastor of your local assembly grace to fulfil his/her calling.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
The wicked wishes of the enemy shall never see the light of performance in my destiny, in the name of Jesus.

Time of Courtship

Friday 15 July
READ: Heb. 13:4
MORE LESSON: II Tim. 2:22

The period between the acceptance of proposal and the actual marriage is what is referred to as courtship. It is a period of time when conjugal love develops between two people who are genuinely in love with each other. It is sure that people with blossoming love will want to do things together, but they must avoid the wrong assumption that they belong to each other. Deeper intimacy must not be allowed in courtship because it is just a shadow of marriage and not marriage itself.

The period at which two people who have the conviction of God that they are meant for each other and so choose to acquaint themselves with each other is very important because it is like the first stone in foundation laying. Courtship is the first step in preparation for Christian marriage and not the actual thing, so parties involved must exercise caution and great discipline as they are not yet married. Christian courtship must not involve petting, caressing and any type of sex or sexual arousal, but a time to pray and plan the future together. If two people in courtship will focus solely on marriage and godliness not carnal appeals, they will be able to run a successful courtship without sin. Therefore, Christian courtship involve the following things:

1. Not a time of series of do's and don'ts but a time to depend more on the truine God, His Word and His Spirit. The two parties must fully surrender to the Lord and allow Him to rule in their life.
2. Long period of courtship extending over several years may not be so desirable and may be dangerous. It can lead to unwanted sins and pregnancy if care is not taken. It is better if the two people in courtship have their marriage date in view so that they can work towards it without distraction.
3. Courtship time is a time to learn to understand each other and every necessary marital demand such as the dowry, the partners’ backgrounds and cultural beliefs.
4. Courtship time is a time to know your in-law to be. It is good to plan to visit the two families together. It is necessary to see each other’s relations and know them. There is danger in going to the altar of marriage without knowing your partner’s people.

5. It is a time to fix the wedding date and plan things in preparation. Courtship must not accommodate physical passion, kissing, petting, carousing, and sleeping together, they are sinful in a Christian courtship. To do these is to deceive yourself and lay a foundation for a difficult and unbearable pain in marriage.
You can trust God for a pure courtship by surrendering totally to His Word and His Spirit. I had a five year long courtship and by the grace of God without sleeping with my partner. It wasn't easy to do that but my anchor was God’s Word (Prov. 6:32).

PRAYER/ACTION
* Father, give all our youths the power to enjoy courtship that is void of sin, in Jesus’ mighty name

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
I shall advance in destiny and nothing shall be able to turn me back, in the name of Jesus.

Trouble with Riches

Thursday 14 July
READ: James 5:1-6
MORE LESSON: I Tim. 6:9

King Solomon (the richest king who ever lived) in his attempt to express his view about the importance and worth of money said that money is a defence and it answers all things (Eccl. 7:12, 10:9).

Money is the universally accepted medium of exchange, be it Naira, Dollar, Pound, Euro, etc. With good amount of money, one can do a lot of good things. The Bible says God gives us power to get wealth, and truly speaking, some people have enjoyed this “power” to an extent that they have so much more than can be counted. A good example of this is Abraham and Lot as expressed in Gen. 36:7. But to my amazement, the rich always contribute very little when it comes to issues that do not concern them. A popular author, Vance Packard, says that the USA has at least 800 people worth more than 100 million dollar. How much do they give to the church and charity? Less than 2%!

There was this story told by a man who while on a visit to Haiti, saw a poor elderly woman at a missionary station walk miles for a meal, which she shared with a young girl. He said, “The very poor are much more generous than the very rich”. Right from the Old Testament prophets until now, many of the rich have exploited the poor. Apostle James in our text today warns that the wealth of those who oppress the poor “will be a witness against them and will eat their flesh like fire (James 5:3).

Silver and gold belongs to and must be used to serve God and humanity. But a great percentage of the rich people are very strong and can hardly part with what they have without any hope of return. Realising this, we should honour the wealthy who are generous and pray for the stingy and mean ones that they will be as lavish as they can out of their abundance. Every rich believer should share testimony with rich believers in Macedonia as stated in II Cor. 8:1-6, specifically, vs 4-5 say, Praying us with much in treaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.

Rich believers must first give themselves to the Lord in full surrender and serve Him actively with their possessions. Using your money to spread the Gospel, take care of your priest, the needy in your assembly and the neighbourhood is a must for you. You must also not rob God in tithes and offerings; bring all, ten percentage of all earnings belong to God whether you are in business or you are a civil servant. In addition, you must give pledges, mission offering, building offering, prophet's offering, Sunday offering, first fruit, etc.

PRAYER/ACTION
* Today I receive the power to give generously in my assembly, in Jesus’ name.
* Father, let Your Gospel spread through me, in Jesus’ name.
* I receive the heart to minister to the saints’ need, in Jesus name

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Father, thank You for making me Your battle axe against all satanic onslaught in my generation, in Jesus' mighty name.