Prepare to meet your God I

Monday 25 July
READ: Amos 4:12
MORE LESSON: Isa. 40:3

Therefore thus will I do unto Israel, and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet the Lord. The way people live today, one would wonder whether they are conscious that a day is coming when all things on the face of the earth will be over. People live for money, self and material pursuit. The desires of many men these days are more towards things of the earth than heavenly things. These are truly the last days as people have lost natural affection and perversity is idolised. Many kill for position and fame. Riotous living among youths is on the increase and even adults are partakers of atrocities. When you go to our schools and institutions, you will see how young boys and girls live in unrighteousness as if it is the order of the day. All manner of reckless dressing, some with the consent of parents, occult and fetish things have taken over everywhere, including the Church.

It is at such a time as this that everyone has to pay attention to preparing to meet the Lord. The increase of unrighteousness shows that the coming of the Lord is here. So instead of waking up in the morning and pursuing money till evening to come back home, eat, sleep, and leave again the next day to continue the vicious cycle, men should prepare for the coming of the Lord. There is more to life than food, drink and material things.

Israel was once like that in the text of today. They forgot about God and everybody was just doing what they liked and running their lives as if they had no God. God sent His servant Amos to go and speak to them to either return to Him or He would visit them with His anger. And He said, if you will avoid my anger, prepare to meet your God. This is the message for this time and season. Both the young and the old, parents and children need to return to God. We need to examine our lives, and begin to remember that after this place, there is another place we are going and if we don't prepare for it now, it will meet us unawares. Death can come at any time and it will be very disastrous to leave this face of the earth without having any contact with God. Do not be deceived by the fast pace of the world today that keeps men busy as if there is nothing else apart from daily survival and acquisition. Take a pause to reflect, break out of the rat race and prepare to meet your Lord.

PRAYER/ACTION
* Father, I receive grace to live each day ready to meet the Lord, in the name of Jesus.
* Ask the Lord to deliver you from every distraction of this age.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
I step into this week in the power of the Holy Ghost, nothing shall fail, in the mighty name of Jesus.

The Flashlight

Sunday 24 July
READ: Psa. 119: 105
MORE LESSON: Psa. 18: 28

The study and understanding of the Bible is vital for life. Light is crucial to life because it is life through light that plants synthesize food and animals eat plants. So light is actually a basic source of food. It is only in light that men walk around well for there are so many difficulties associated with trying to walk around in the dark. The Bible therefore says, Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path: Psa. 119:105. It is in the Word of God that we get divine guidance. People always go around looking for someone to tell them what lies ahead. People patronise seers, prophets, diviners and horoscope because of the quest to be guided into tomorrow. Some businessmen pay huge sums to hire consultants, experts and forecasters, all because of the uncertainty of tomorrow. One of the greatest limitations of humanity is the knowledge of tomorrow.

The Word of God is the giver of assurance for tomorrow. The Bible in your hand contains enough divine direction to tell you the mind of God about what tomorrow ought to be and how to enter into it. With the Word of God, confusion about tomorrow is removed. You can know tomorrow without confusion or guess work, all you have to do is search and locate it in the Word. A man that lives by the Word is not confused about tomorrow and does not stumble. The Living Bible puts it in an exciting way, Your words are as a flash light to light the path ahead of me and keep me from stumbling: Psa. 119: 105 (TLB). The Word of God is a flash light showing you the path ahead; it clearly shows you the future so that you will not stumble as you go through life.

As you become full of the Word of God, confusion about what to do, where to go, how to go, disappear. You find answers and directions and walk accurately in the light. Where is your Bible? How well do you read it? Have you ever got a direction on how to go in life and what to do in life through the Bible? If you cannot point to certain decisions, guidance and answers to life's questions that you have personally discovered through reading the Bible, then you have not started reading no matter how much of the theory you have read.

Today, I commend you to the power of the Word of God that is able to keep and strengthen you and solve all the riddles that surround your life. Read the Bible, imbibe the Word of God and the Father of Light will show and lead you in the pathway for a successful tomorrow, in Jesus’ name.

PRAYER/ACTION
* Today, I receive illumination through the Word, in Jesus’ name.
* Oh Lord, let Your Word that I read today unveil every form of darkness in my destiny.
* My destiny will shine more and more through Your Word, in Jesus’ name.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Every strong man of delay and stagnancy, I terminate you right now by the power of the Holy Ghost, in the name of Jesus.

Push

Saturday 23 July
READ: Exo. 14: 15
MORE LESSON: Jam. 2: 26

In achieving destiny, oftentimes there is the need to push. Pushing denotes exerting energy in the direction of your vision. For you to make a success of what you are doing, you need to put the whole of your weight -your ability, strength and capability-into it. Therefore you need to throw your spiritual, physical, financial and mental weight into your purpose and vision. Fasting and praying is an issue of pushing in the spirit and not merely for you to make yourself 'feel spiritual'. Acquiring more knowledge, reading books and taking courses also denote pushing. Physical work and exerting yourself at a productive venture is part of pushing. Pushing is putting everything inside you into a matter to see that it gives the desired outcome.

Failure is not spirituality, so rather than watch a matter fail in your hands, put everything in you into it. Put everything you have into making Heaven; going to hell is not an option at all. Put everything into succeeding in your academics by going to class, reading through the night, buying books at the expense of shoes and wristwatches. Push yourself to achieve a first-class grade. Put everything into your business to succeed.

Some people try something a little and then start crying and complaining that it is not working. The energy you are using to cry and complain could be used to push. This is what God pointed to Moses in Exo. 14: 15; the Israelites got to the Red Sea and started crying. God told Moses that instead of using their energy to cry, they should push forward. Stop crying to people around, by so doing, many have cried themselves into wrong hands. Pushing demands that you do something. You will not arrive in your promised land having done nothing, you need to engage yourself in something productive.

Each time people complain that God has not done something for them, it is good to ask them what they have done themselves. Before you accuse God of not lifting you, ask yourself what major steps you have taken to go up yourself. God is only committed to you when you are committed. Stop complaining that God is doing nothing, you are the one that needs to do something. As you take faith-inspired steps and push on to accomplishment, the Lord will back you up and there shall be a performance for you. To push is to say like Jacob, I will not let you go unless you bless me: Gen 32:26 (NLT). In the battle to return home and meet Esau, Jacob did every thing possible to appease his brother whom he wronged (vs 3-8), then he prayed (vs 9-12). He evaluated his strategy and rearranged (vs13-22). Finally he went back to pray in a vigil alone with God until an angel met him and he wrestled to a breakthrough (vs26-30). Beloved, push until something happens. If one strategy fails, try another- push now!

PRAYER/ACTION
* I receive grace to keep pushing until something happens.
* In 2016, I shall not give up in the fight of destiny.
* Oh Lord, renew my strength like the eagle to keep pushing.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
I connect with the blood of Jesus right now to disconnect me from all my sins and guilt, in the mighty name of Jesus.

You Can do It

Friday 22 July
READ: I Sam. 17: 45 - 51
MORE LESSON: Phil. 4: 13

The story of David against Goliath shows us that you can achieve anything you want to achieve if you will believe. David, the teenage shepherd boy of Bethlehem, chanced upon a battle where the Giant of Gath was threatening and blaspheming against Israel, her army and her God. Before David came to the battle to give food to his elder brothers, Goliath had been coming repeatedly to defy and challenge Israel. Every other Israelite had heard these insults for days, but they were crippled by fear. But 1 Sam 17: 23, says, And as he [David] talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard them. The Bible says, and David heard them, as if the others did not hear Goliath since the first day. It is the same thing that losers hear that champions hear. The difference is how they hear – their attitude and response to what they hear. This is the reason the Bible says, Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have: Luke 8:18. How you hear determines whether you win or lose.

Before you can do what you set your heart to do it is important how you respond to what you hear. When David's brother talked to him in such a way that was discouraging(1 Sam. 17: 28), David heard the words but he didn't let the words hinder him. The Bible says that he turned away from him to another. What you hear matters and how you hear matters. When David heard what would not help his destiny, he ignored it and turned to where he would hear the correct thing so that he could continue his quest. There are people and statements you have to neglect in order to do what you want to do. You sometimes need to disregard some people and what they say and apologise to them later after you have achieved what they wanted to prevent you from achieving.

You can do it, irrespective of what people say, if you will believe. The Bible says, I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me: Phil 4:13. This should be your confession, your belief and your approach to life.

PRAYER/ACTION
* Today, I can do all things through Christ that strengthens, in Jesus’ name.
* I receive boldness to face every challenge on my way forward, in Jesus’ name.
* I reject every spirit of limitation that says I cannot do it, in Jesus’ name.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Father, today by the blood of Jesus, I dissolve the roots and foundations of bad luck in my life, in the name of Jesus.