Be a Blessing, not a Curse

Tuesday 23 August
READ: Esther 6:1-3
MORE LESSON: Luke 5:1-8

One of the reasons why God granted you the opportunity to be alive, working, or schooling is to be a blessing to all who come your way. You are to use your position, profession and occupation to bless humanity. God has also programmed that through that position you will enter into His blessings and increase for your life, if only you will discharge your responsibility with a sense of service, not as a hireling. Unfortunately, many believers don't know this truth, and they handle opportunities to bless those that come their way, their offices, their business centres carelessly; they discharge their duty without a sense of commitment. Some even use their position to oppress others. For such people, their promotion has become a symbol of pain and curse for men.
In our passage today, Mordecai, an exile in Babylon, was privileged to serve as one of the keepers of the door of the king's chamber. It was his responsibility to defend the king. When his fellow door keepers plotted to assassinate the king, he exposed their plot. That was the beginning of his promotion in that land. If he had kept quiet, the plot may have succeeded, but Mordecai may lose his job after all, because a new king may not likely retain the same gate keepers.
In Exodus 1:15-21, the Hebrew midwives were handed over a decree from Pharaoh, When you are on duty and you see a Hebrew woman give birth to a son, kill him; if it is a girl let her live. It was an order from Pharaoh and whoever disobeys is doing so at the risk of his life. But the midwives approached their duties as midwives with the fear of God, and let the male children live. They were determined to be a blessing through their profession and not to be a tool in the hand of a superior officer to inflict pain on subordinates. When these midwives were confronted for failing to carry out the king's order, they simply explained with wisdom why it was difficult to implement the king's decree. Therefore, God blessed them and provided them their household (vs 20, 21). Be determined to be a blessing to others through your profession, occupation, and position of authority. Make up your mind that no one will use you to cause pain and affliction on others. Be determined to discharge your responsibility with every sense of commitment and loyalty, expose every kind of wickedness as Mordecai did. Your day of honour is at hand.

PRAYER/ACTION
* Repent of every mistake you made in using your position to cause pain for others.
* Ask the Lord to grant you the grace to serve humanity through your present occupation.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
I receive grace to do mighty exploits for God in 2016 and nothing I do will fail, in the name of Jesus.

Example to Follow II

Monday 22 August
READ: Gen.17: 1-10
MORE LESSON: Rom.4:1-10; 18-22

We continue on the instruction of Jehovah God to us all, “Look unto Abraham”. There are more areas of obedience to God which Abraham complied to, worthy of emulation. He raised altars to Jehovah as he sojourned in the Promised Land (Gen.15: 9-17). Abraham obeyed God in ensuring a peaceful marriage between him and Sarah (Gen.16: 1-6). Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it: Eph.5:25. Though he shouldn't have practised the custom of the land in child bearing but rather should have encouraged Sarah in her discouragement, he loved her and valued their marriage, thus taking Hagar in.
Abraham obeyed God in establishing covenant tokens as instructed by God in circumcision of all males in his household (Gen.17:11-27). There are various covenant tokens in Christianity. Also, if you will walk with Jehovah and have a part in Him, you must obey these tokens as spelt out in the Bible, the manual for the Christian walk. Establish memorials and permanent flow of blessings by following covenant tokens of fellowship, offerings, tithes and vows.
Abraham obeyed God in practising hospitality (Gen.18:1-9). This act hastened the fulfilment of God's promise of childbearing. The Christian who is not hospitable contradicts the pattern of love given by God, Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality: Rom.12:13.
He also obeyed God in the ministry of praying for others including his enemies and his family (Gen.18:23-33). Even God had a testimony concerning Abraham's training of his household in righteousness (Gen. 18:19). Abraham's intercession contributed to the deliverance of Lot and his family from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham obeyed God in the ultimate test of sacrificing his son Isaac to God, though God did not allow the death of Isaac and gave a ram instead, lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me: Gen.22:12.
Abraham obeyed God in ensuring his child married an Israelite not Canaanite, Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers:for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness/ and what communion hath light with darkness? 2 Cor.6:14. Be a friend of God by continual obedience to Him and He will make you a continuity for greatness in your generation as He did with Abraham.

PRAYER/ACTION
* Lord, help me walk with You that I might be a blessing to my generation like father Abraham.
**Make a list of areas in which you will obey the Lord this year and diligently adhere to them by His grace

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Today, I rebuke any destiny blockage on my pathway, I turn road blocks to stepping stones, in the name of Jesus.

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.