Example to Follow I

Sunday 21 August
READ: Isa.51:1-2
MORE LESSON: Gen. 12:1-10

There is a clear instruction in today's reading that calls all seekers of God to attention, Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him: Isa.51:2. Abraham is one unique man whose name is a reference point, across all religions and generations. His life before God is a pivotal story in the history of Jews and Christians. All worshippers of God are told to follow the pattern of Abraham in serving God. What was the peculiarity of father Abraham that Jehovah God could ask men of all generations to emulate him? Some people have suggested that Abraham lives on though dead because he is the father of faith, the friend of God and the centre of covenant that God instituted with both physical and spiritual Israelites. I quite agree with all these but the real reason why Abraham's life is still speaking though dead for thousands of years now is OBEDIENCE. This characteristic of Abraham is what God asks us to look on to in this great patriarch's life. Abraham had his faults as every man born of a woman has but he uniquely obeyed God.
The fifteen chapters of Genesis (11-25) are stringed with Abraham's life of obedience to God. We will trace some together so that each one of us will really be able to “look to Abraham”. He obeyed God when he was told to leave his roots and origin in his father's house to follow God (Gen.12: 1-5). He obeyed God by preferring Lot to himself though he was older and brought Lot, his nephew, out of Ur. He asked Lot to choose first and he would choose after Lot, Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves: Phil.2:3.
Abraham obeyed God in paying of tithes (Gen.14:20). No wonder he was a prosperous man, as his servant testified (Gen. 24:35). Do you want to be great? Then, follow Abraham's pattern and tithe all that God gives you as income so that you can enter into material prosperity like father Abraham.
Abraham obeyed God by believing God's promises to him even in contradicting circumstances, And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb. He staggered not at the promises of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith giving glory to God: Rom.4:19-20. Will you be considered righteous in God's sight? Then believe the promises of God no matter what you are passing through now.

PRAYER/ACTION
* I receive help from God to emulate Abraham the father of faith.
*Lord, give me strength to live a life of obedience to You.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Father, I dedicate my life to You, release Your grace in my life, make me a reflection of Your light to disperse darkness everywhere I go, in the name of Jesus.

A Great Rain

Saturday 20 August
READ: I Kgs. 18:1-2. 41-46
MORE LESSON: Gen. 7:18-19

Rain, the outpouring of water from the sky is always a great blessing to mankind. Whenever God sends rain upon the earth famine and dryness come to an end, there is beauty and fruitfulness and man and beast rejoice (Act. 14:17). However, God has used rain for other several reasons outside of provision.
At the time of Noah, God sent rain to separate and distinguish obedient people from disobedient ones. God had sent rain in times past to end men's trouble and put an end to enmity between people and every great rain results in a flood.
In our text, today, God says, I will send rain upon the earth: v1. This is a sure Word from God. And as God has done, I speak to you now: Your heaven is thick with clouds of abundant rain of God's goodness which is falling upon your destiny right now, in Jesus' name. The wind you have been experiencing is actually for a particular rain that God is bringing your way. Get ready. Like Ahab, arise and prepare for the rain because it is now.
However, may be you also need to do like Elijah the prophet to have it; he had to pray to get it. Noah had to build an ark according to God's prescription to fully benefit and avert being destroyed, when God's rain of wrath fell, And the waters prevailed and greatly increased: Gen. 7:18. When water prevailed upon the earth, it could not prevail over Noah's ark because he moved in obedience to God's instruction, but rather, the ark prevailed upon the water, The ark went upon the face of the water. As you stay in obedience to God, and His Word, you are sure to prevail over that which prevails over others, you cannot be a victim but a victor.
The Word of God must prevail in every situation of your life. What should matter to you in all situations is, “Thus saith the Lord' and that is how to stay above when others are sinking. When the water was fifteen cubits upward (Gen. 7:20), the water only lifted Noah and his family above everything by 15 cubits. Noah stayed above every other thing for 150 days. When we live in complete obedience to God's Word, we live in a possibility realm, no matter what is happening elsewhere.

PRAYER/ACTION
* Father, help me to do according to all Your commandments, in Jesus' name.
* Father, let the earth be broken for me and let Heaven be opened for me.
* In the flood of life, Lord Jesus, let my ark float.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
I have a God that has never failed, I shall never fail any more, in the name of Jesus.

What will God Do?

Friday 19 August
READ: Matt. 11:20-24
MORE LESSON: Matt. 7:7-8

The Almighty God is a great giver, all that He created are for the children of men and ours by asking. The Bible says, ...All things are yours.... There is nothing you can ever need that is not readily available. God says this in the book of Psalms, for every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills I know all, the fowls of the mountains: Psa. 50:10-13. God has all the things you will ever need and He is fully ready to give them to you. However, many times, we don't know what God will do out of our long list of things that need to be done.
You can be sure God will do what you demand of Him when you make the demand in faith. People may not give you what is due you but people and God may have to give you what you demand. So take the step of faith now and petition Heaven about your need. Even when you do not deserve it, God's mercy will be at work to make it available. All things are possible by mercy. The psalmist, testifying about God says, For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee: Psa. 86:5.
God will also give that which is good, not what you think is good. He says in His Word, Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will give him a stone? Matt. 7:9-11. You can be sure that when you call God, the devil will not answer and when you ask for good you will not receive evil.
God also gives His children what they cannot even ask for. We don't always know all that we need, so God gives to us out of His goodness and mercy all that we need. . Matt. 21:22 says, And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall ask in prayer, believe receive. God can and will give you all that you can dare to ask Him. And since there is no limit to what God can do, there should be no limit to what you can also ask for; ask until you are satisfied.
There is nothing that is not available if we ask it in the name of Jesus, And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the father may be glorified in the son: Jn. 14:13. God wants to give you bread so that you can be satisfied and feed other people also. He will give you divine health, so that you can be well and become a healer to others who are sick. God will give you power on earth so that you can be free to deal with the enemy and his demons. He will give you spiritual gifts for effective Christian service on earth. He will give you abundant material blessings that you will not beg, but become so rich so that you can help the poor and lend unto many nations. God will give you anything you will ask Him right now!

PRAYER/ACTION
* Thank You Father for Your redeeming love that we have through Jesus Christ.
* Oh Lord, fill my life with all of Your goodness, in Jesus’ name.
* I will not lack anything that is good in my life, in Jesus’ mighty name.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
In the name of Jesus, I shall serve Jehovah in my generation, I shall not be a tool of evil.

The Benefits of Resurrection

Wednesday 17 August
READ: I Cor. 15:51-55
MORE LESSON: Jn. 6:40

Jesus' resurrection was quite different from every other person who resurrected in the Bible: The Shunamite’s son (II Kgs. 4:32-35), Jarius’ daughter (Matt. 9:23-25), Lazarus of Bethany (Jn. 11:43-44), Dorcas (Act. 9:36-40). The Saviour resurrected wholly; He went to the Father with His body, He rose from the dead to go to the Father with His earthly body. The tomb where they laid Him was empty and many people testified to seeing Him before He went to His Father (Mk. 16:9, Matt. 28:9, Lk. 24:13-15). Every other person who resurrected died again, but Jesus did not see death again after He resurrected in power (Jn. 10:18). But we know that Jesus did not resurrect alone; the Bible testifies about it, And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many: Matt. 27:52-53.
The thief on the cross also resurrected and entered into paradise with Him. And that is to say that anyone who believes in the resurrection of Jesus Christ can resurrect from any difficult situation. The grave can open and you also will come out today, in Jesus' name.
When Jesus was about to resurrect , the request of tomorrow got a today's answer (Lk. 23:40-43). The man said when Jesus gets there, but Jesus said He will give it to him today. There is nothing God can do tomorrow that He cannot do now! Ask for it for now and you will receive it now.
Moreover, resurrection is a change: Jesus moved from a mud house to the heavenly house not made with hands, He moved from the streets of dust and coal tar to that of gold, from pain to glory and He is sitting at the right hand of the Father now. If Jesus experienced that change, you also can change, and you can change anything. Change is possible, even now.
And above all other things, Jesus did not die a sinner, He died as sin. He became sin for us, He put sin to death when He hanged on the tree. The truth about it is that, it is sin that actually died when Jesus went to the cross. And because He carried the sin, when He died, sin died eternally (Rom. 6:6-10). That is to say, that since sin is dead you are dead to it, but alive unto God. So, because Jesus resurrected, you are dead to sin, you are no longer under the compulsion of sin, you can say “ NO” to all the enticements of the eye and the flesh, You are alive in God and so you respond only to that which is godly and good.
By the resurrection of Christ from the dead, every believer is free to live the life of God. Christ has been made all things for us. Do you believe? What can the resurrection power do in you right now?

PRAYER/ACTION
* In the name of Jesus, I speak life to every dead situation of my life today.
* Death and grave have no power over me any longer, in Jesus’ mighty name.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
I prophesy against every evil tag of reproach hanging around my destiny, in the mighty name of Jesus.