Newness of Life

Wednesday 12 October
READ: Romans 6:1-4
MORE LESSON: Rom.8:5-11

The scriptural passage above clearly shows the connection between grace and the new life that is in Christ Jesus. Before salvation, the man lives in sin and under the control of its force. The man cannot say ‘No’ to sin because satan, the architect of sin, is his master. When the man surrenders his life to Jesus, he is baptised into Christ's death in the eternal spirit realm. One of the ordinances of God is that death should terminate any covenant that runs in a man's flesh. When the man dies, the power of the covenant is broken. Therefore, by the baptism into Christ’s death, the man dies, and the power and victory of sin over him is broken, For he that is dead is freed from sin: Rom.6:7. In that singular exercise of sincerely confessing Christ as LORD and Saviour, the man dies and he is buried with Christ by baptism into death. More importantly, the way Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so is the man raised from the dead to walk in newness of life as explained in Rom.6:4. This is a great mystery which the human mind cannot comprehend. At a moment of saying ‘yes’ to Jesus, an operation took place over your life in the eternal spirit realm; you died, was buried and resurrected into a new life. Hallelujah!
The new life in Christ Jesus is a life aided by grace, which can be defined as God's enabling power working in a man's life. Grace and sin do not co-habit; no man continues in sin in the face of grace. Grace helps a man to live above sin, …where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord: Rom.5:20-21. That is why Rom.8: 12-13 says, Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
You must reckon yourself dead to sin as Rom. 6:6 urges us, Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. Anyone who continues to serve sin is not under grace. If we claim to be under grace and continue to practise sin, we lie, as the truth is not in us. You have a responsibility under grace not to allow sin to reign in your mortal body. The enabling power to say no to sin comes from the Holy Spirit, but your part is to live and walk in the Spirit. That is why Gal.5:16 says, This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Will you make up your mind to walk in newness of life that is in Christ Jesus from today?

Prayer/Action
* LORD Jesus, thank You for the gift of a new life inYou.
* Thank You Jesus for the grace to live above sin. I surrender every part of my body to glorify Your name.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
All evil accursed things in my home or family affecting me and my family negatively, I destroy you today by the blood of Jesus, in the mighty name of Jesus.

Thou shall Not Steal

Tuesday 11 October
READ: Exo. 20: 15
MORE LESSON: Eph. 4:28

Stealing is something that is gradually becoming a vogue in the world. Politicians, civil servants and business people take things that are not their due and feel it is a normal thing to do. People take things that do not belong to them and feel that it is not a big deal. Students steal materials into examination hall and think there is nothing wrong with that. However as believers, the command of God has not changed; it says thou shalt not steal...: Exo. 20: 15.
When I was young I used to think that there is nothing wrong with a child taking his parents' belonging even when he is not permited. One day, however, as I was studying the Bible I found out that anybody that takes his parents' belonging without telling them is in the company of armed robbers. When we were in secondary school, we had a popular slang called ''tapping''. We would take people's things and say that we only 'tapped'. For example, if we pick somebody's pen we would change the case and if anyone asked, we would say we only tapped it. When I became a child of God, I knew that whatever euphemism people use for it, stealing is stealing. If you take what is not yours whether at home or at work, it is stealing and all thieves will find themselves in the lake of fire.
Eph 4:28 says, Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. God wants you to be productive and righteous. He takes the issue of you taking anything that belongs to another person very serious. This is the reason if there is anything in your possession that is not yours, you have to return it. Men steal what they think that they will never be able to rightfully have. So men take money illegally, steal materials and things because they feel it is a quick way to possessing these things. But it matters to God how you get whatever you have. It is not enough to have something, how you get it counts. How did you get your car? How did you get a wife? A man takes another man's daughter without the parents' consent and camps her with him in the name of marriage. That is not how to get a wife; you just stole a whole human being! It doesn't matter that she agreed to live in with you. The parents that God gave her to, and raised her up, need to give her to you because she is rightfully theirs.
If you have stolen anything before, this is the time to return, ask for forgiveness and make amends (Luke 19: 8). Thou shalt not steal.

Prayer/Action
* Repent of any act of stealing and promise God that you will never do it again, in Jesus’ name.
* Pray for everyone who steals (either part-time or full-time armed robbery) that God will convict them of their evil act, in Jesus’ name.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Father, I prophesy against every dream, vision or revelation of evil against my year, in the mighty name of Jesus.

Do not bear False Witness

Monday 10 October
READ: Exo. 20: 16
MORE LESSON: Prov. 19: 5

The text of today says, thou shall not bear false witness against your neighbour. One of the ten commandments of the Lord is that you must not testify something which in actual fact you do not know about. Do not tell something about another person which is not true. Do not bear a record or a testimony which you do not know about. This basic law of God addresses an issue that is very common in our society today. You see people saying what they do not know about. They cook up stories that don't exist and beat their chests saying they saw it in the newspapers. People do not find it difficult to swear even when they know they are not telling the truth. Lying and false witness has become the order of the day in the world but the Lord is warning us against it.
This involves taking an oath in court and then telling lies. It includes writing a legal affidavit that is not true. It involves taking an oath of swearing into an office or profession and then acting contrary to it. Lies told in biodata are not excluded, be they for academic, political, economic or social gains. Using false age to get a job, admission or write an application is false witness. God is concerned about people bearing false witness. This is the reason the Bible says, A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall not escape: Prov. 19:5. God is saddened by a man giving a testimony against people which is not true. False witness has caused death for people. Innocent men have lost their lives to false witness. People suffer for life because of the lie told against them. Therefore the Almighty God is saying that He is the God of vengeance against people who give false witness. If you do not want the vengeance of the Lord to burn against you, you must stay away from all forms of falsehood.
If you have been a victim of false witnesses, I want you to commit the mater to God who alone can vindicate you. If you have been bruised, hurt and broken because of a lie that somebody told against you, handover the matter to God. It doesn't matter how long the truth takes to show up the Lord will eventually justify you. Truth cannot be defeated. The Bible says we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth (II Cor 13:8). All the people that thought they were working against you by lying and bearing false witness will be caught in their traps. It will eventually be obvious that they worked for you because the Lord will turn the table around and everything will work out in your favour. The Lord will fight for you and the truth will prevail, in Jesus’ name.

Prayer/Action
* Declare in the name of Jesus that every agent of falsehood shall be exposed.
* I reject every form of false declaration for worldly gain, in the name of Jesus.
* No matter what happens I shall stand by the truth, in Jesus’ name.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
My Father and my God, today, I ask You to defend Your interest and investment in my life by Your might, in the name of Jesus.

Thou must not Covet

Sunday 9 October
READ: Exo. 20:17
MORE LESSON: : I Tim. 6: 6-10

One of the commandments of God is that you must not covet. Covetousness is an evil that is silent so people may not know how grievous it is. A covetous man is not far from stealing, it is just that he has not done it physically, due to lack of the opportunity. When a person is covetous, he is not content with what he has so he is always running beyond his capability, which makes him commit sin against God and against man. God's command is, Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's: Exo. 20:17. Anything that is not yours, don't look at it with desire as if it should just become your own.
The antidote against covetousness is contentment. The Bible says, But godliness and contentment is great gain: 1 Tim 6: 6. God's desire for you is that you should be content with what He has given you and what He has done for you. This doesn't mean that you should not desire and work for greater things and increase. It nevertheless means that you should not struggle to have what other people have by all means. It means you should not lust after something that belongs to another. It is covetousness that makes a man have his wife and still long for another girl outside or another man's wife. Stay with what God has given you, appreciate it and celebrate it. Whatever God has not given you or has not yet done for you, thank God for it and be happy for the person that has it. God will give you your own at His appointed time.
One of God's topmost desires for you in the world at this time is the desire for you to be satisfied with what you have and live in peace. Do not bring woes, struggles, evil and crimes on your soul because of the drive to possess. Lack of contentment is the secret behind all manner of crises, crime and evil in our nations and entire globe today. Some people have reached a climax of covetousness such that even when they have great things, they are happy with it until they see someone with a better thing. Then they lose all their joy over what they have been happy possessing and start desiring that of the person that is better than theirs. That is not God's plan for you whether in life or in ministry; be content with what you have. God bless you and impart upon you the grace for contentment, in Jesus’ name.

Prayer/Action
* I receive grace to be contended with God’s doings in my life.
* Oh Lord, remove selfish desire in my heart today, in Jesus’ name.
* Father, anything that will not glorify Your name in my life, let me not have it.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Every agenda of error and mistake packaged to embarrass and humiliate me this month, catch fire, in the name of Jesus.