Freedom from Deception

Thursday 8 September
READ: John 8: 42-45
MORE LESSON: Rev. 12: 9

One major tool that satan uses in getting people into the lake of fire is deception. The devil is a born liar thus we are warned in 2 Cor. 2:11, Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices. When he is lying, he is just being himself (John 8: 44). He has deceived so many people and he is still deceiving many. The first mention of the devil in the Bible is in Genesis 3 and he appeared as a deceiver. He deceived Eve and led her to sin against God and Adam followed suit. It is still the deception of the devil that makes men sin against God today and the result is destruction and damnation. One of the highest deceptions that the devil can sell to any man is to make him believe that he (satan) doesn't exist, or that there is no Heaven and there is no hell. What a deception! Imagine a man spends all his life believing that there is no hell but finds himself there, too late to come back and make amends. It is a man who is a victim of deception that blows himself up with a bomb, expecting to open his eyes in a paradise with seventy virgins but he opens his eyes and sees eternal gulf of fire. May you never fall victim of deceit, in Jesus’ name.
The deception of the devil has made men refuse the free offer of salvation through the blood of Jesus. Deception has made even believers to live in disobedience to the principles of God. A deceived child of God doesn't pay tithes because he thinks he will have more money that way. Deception makes a Christian to commit secret sins and do other things that the world thinks smart but are actually detrimental. Satan is in the business of deceiving men, colouring and beautifying things that are poisonous and dangerous. The deception is so pitiful that some people proudly say they are satanists and publicly declare that they serve satan, thinking he is their friend and benefactor. Satan is nobody's friend because even those that serve him, he punishes, destroys and afflicts eternally in hell. Accept Jesus today and be free from deception, Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me: Jn. 14:6.
As a believer that is privileged to be rescued from the deception of satan, you should make getting other people out of the hand of the deceiver your priority. Preach the truth, make people who have been deceived to know that Jesus is the Son of God and that he is the only One that can save. Every child of God has a responsibility to free others from deception, by exposing lies and declaring the truth where ever we are found. The believer must not join agents of satan to spread lie, and deceive others. We must teach and live a truthful life always. Be an agent of the truth today.

PRAYER/ACTION
* Holy Spirit of God, help me to discern every satanic deception that has become a doctrine.
* Today, false and deceptive ministers of satan will be exposed and disgraced.
* Every agent of deception in my life shall be exposed, in Jesus’ name.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
I prophesy, the way of the Lord shall prosper and advance me, I shall not turn away from it, in the name of Jesus.

Don’t be Negative

Wednesday 7 September
READ: Prov. 4: 20-24
MORE LESSON: Rom. 4: 17

You must watch your thoughts with all diligence because a man's thought will definitely become his reality in life, As a man thinketh in his heart so is he: Prov. 23: 7. If a man thinks negative, no good thing can ever come out of such a man. Negative people are difficult to live with as they are a menace to everyone around and to themselves. If somebody does wrong, they amplify and broadcast it. If the person does well, they wash down and castigate it. They complain if somebody dresses well, and complain if he doesn't dress well. A negative man affects others negatively but he himself suffers the worst effect of his negativity. A negative man always sees the negative in people and situations, not knowing that it is he that is negative. It is like wearing dark glasses, everything including the sun looks dark to you, but these things are actually not dark, it is your eyesight that is dark. A positive man sees the positive in everyone and situation, Unto the pure all things are pure....: Titus 1:15.
The switch from negativity to positivity is simple. All it takes is to switch the direction of your thought. Positive is nothing but going the opposite direction of negative. So instead of going this way, you go the other way and the change is remarkable. So when you feel like saying something wrong about someone, you just decide to say something nice about him. Instead of believing something is wrong, you just trust and believe that it will be right. For you to be positive, make sure you say only positive things about people and situations. At the onset, you might still feel negative, but never talk negative; make sure you only think positive. As the Lord begins to fill you with His thoughts and words more and more, positivity becomes more and more natural to you. It is difficult to change from negativity to positivity by human willpower but when you submit your mindset to the Lord and allow His Word to dominate your thoughts, positivity becomes easy and natural.
It is negativity that makes a student believe that a particular course is difficult. As a school boy, I heard so many negative people tell me that mathematics was so difficult that it could not be passed. I believed that negative thought and it sure did affect me. It was after I had left school that I discovered that if I had believed that mathematics was simple and that I could pass it, I would have performed gallantly in it. As a student, don't ever join people to believe that any course is difficult. May be you are not a student, but there is an area of negativity that someone wants to introduce into your life, you should simply refuse to be negative. A positive mind produces a positive life. In the final analysis, man is negatively disposed to the extent of how much God’s Word dwells in him, Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee: Psa. 119:11.

PRAYER/ACTION
* Today, I silence every negative voice in my spirit.
* I renounce and reject every form of intimidation to cause fear in me.
* I receive the spirit of boldness and of sound mind, in Jesus’ name.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Today I detonate every time bomb of sorrow fixed for the month of September, and I declare them wasted, in the name of Jesus.

Captivity held Captive

Tuesday 6 September
READ: Isa. 49: 24-25
MORE LESSON: Eph. 4: 8-10

When a warrior goes to war and brings back prisoners of war, the people are called the captives. They are the spoils that the warrior has taken from the war and he will not allow anyone to cheaply take his gain from him. Captors love to display their captives. They take pride in humiliating their captives because the more humiliated the captives are, the more powerful the captor feels. This is why satan parades his captives, by afflicting people with sickness, sinful habits, emotional problems, immorality and poverty because he delights in showing his power by oppressing men and holding them captive.
For a captive to be delivered, it takes a force that is stronger than the captor to free the captive, ...else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house: Matt 12:29.The only way to free a captive is to first make captive his captor. When the captor is captured, the captive can be freed. When Jesus died, He went down to the lower parts of the earth and He made captive all the evil forces of satan and his cohorts that took men captive. Therefore, ...When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men: Eph 4:8.
I want you to know that satan does not have any power over you. He is a captive himself. Jesus defeated him and made him a captive so that you can be free. The implication of this is that satan cannot rule you except you allow him through ignorance of your inheritance in Christ or you give him legal access through sin. Refusal to search the word of God to know your rights will allow the devil to keep you captive even though he is already captured and you are free. If you give the devil a legal access, he will manipulate and put you in bondage and his bondage is always weighty.
However, the greatest news today is that even if you have committed sin and the devil has lawful and legal right to bind and afflict you, the blood of Jesus still speaks mercy for you. This is why the Bible says; shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captives of the just be delivered? Isa 49:24. These captives are lawfully held by mighty forces because of the wrong they did. The Word of the Lord says that ...even the lawful captives will be freed and the prey of the terrible be delivered (verse 25). Even if you had done wrong and that is why the enemy is afflicting you today, as you come to ask for mercy through the blood of Jesus, you are freed, in the name of Jesus. Settle your sin problem today by confessing and asking Jesus for pardon, and thereafter the legal right of satan over you is broken and all captivity is over. Say yes to Jesus.

PRAYER/ACTION
* Today by the death and resurrection of Jesus, I am free from captivity.
* I plead the blood of Jesus over every handwriting of the enemy against me.
* In the name of Jesus, I break every padlock and ancient doors that ever held me captive.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
I reverse any sign of shame and hopelessness and receive glory and celebration today, in the name of Jesus.

What you do Counts

Monday 5 September
READ: Gen. 6: 8 – 14
MORE LESSON: Matt. 4: 22

Today, I want you to know that what you do makes a difference. Even when men do not notice you, you count so much in the sight of God. The little you do matters a lot to Him and your contribution makes a difference. In the generation of Noah, he was not influential among the crowd because all the people had gone corrupt and he was able to preserve his family alone in the ways of the Lord. What is a family of eight among all the people of the then world? However, for just pastoring his home well, Noah made an eternal difference. It was through him that the seed of mankind was preserved. You might be a parent and you diligently labour to bring up your children in the way of the Lord. Nobody may recognise your efforts or sacrifice and you may never get an award or a plaque for this work you are doing but be it known to you that what you are doing counts so much with God.
You may be following up just two young converts with all your heart to see that they grow in the Lord. The church may never be aware of your diligence and you may never get any recognition for it. You are important and Heaven will commend your work when all things are brought to light. Everyone may be doing wrong and cutting corners and you insist on standing for righteousness and it looks like no one notices what you are doing. In fact you might be facing persecution for doing right. But I want you to know that what you are doing makes a difference. Keep standing for God because you count so much, don't count yourself out.
There was a great servant of God called Pa Akindayomi who when he was alive and pastoring, some people didn't even know him so well. He kept doing the work of the Lord diligently and raising young ministers for the Lord. The people that the Lord produced through him have become mighty workers in God’s vineyard today. Through them he has attained great renown even in death. He remains an icon today and he is celebrated because of the people he raised. I don't know how important he considered what he was doing was, as he spent time with the young men of those days, but today it is obvious that what he did counts.
You are somebody important to God and to man. Do not feel like you are nobody because what you are doing is not being seen and spoken of in the open. Please know that you are somebody and what you are doing counts.

PRAYER/ACTION
* Father, reward my service, in Jesus’ name.
* When I shall submit my talent, let me receive a well-done-good-and-faithful-servant commendation, in Jesus’ name.
* I remove far from me a sluggish and slothful spirit in service, in Jesus’ name.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
This month, things will work for my good to the shame of the devil, in the mighty name of Jesus.