The Home and the Nation I

Friday 14 October
READ: Eph. 6:1-4
MORE LESSON: Prov. 22:6

The situation in the nation is alarming. Crime, economic instability, immorality and vices are on the increase. When we listen to news, all we hear are things that are heart troubling. We need to pray earnestly for our nation. It is now obvious that things are no longer the way they used to be. Things are taking a downward turn and is worrisome.
National progress begins from the home. Crime, irresponsibility, laziness, corruption, immorality and other issues can only be dealt with successfully when we start the change we want to see from the home. We have been blaming the government, the army, the school etc. and everyone else apart from ourselves. But we need to start fixing problems and not blame. Parents should take responsibility that even if they can't control what happens in the nation, they will make sure their home reflects God's desire for the community. If all parents make this decision and follow it, then we will build a good nation. We need parents who will declare like Joshua, ...but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord: Josh 24:15.
You can make your own contribution to the development of this nation. Perhaps you are not in any public leadership position and therefore you think you cannot make any change in the nation. However, you can be the change you want to see. Decide for yourself and your family to do what is right as your own contribution to the nation. Looking at the home in our nation, we see that there is so much that needs to be done. The fathers need to step up to the role of providing, protecting, guiding and bringing up their families in the way of the Lord, the mothers need to step up in their role of creating a family where the love of God, care and wellbeing are evident. The children need to step up to their role of being worthy ambassadors of Christ, presenting the home they come from in good light. The youths are the ones that will take up the mantle of leadership in our nation; however, the truth is that it is not the way many of them live and behave now that will take them to that place of leadership. There is need to change our values and mindset.
The home is the birthplace of positive change and development. Until the home front is alright, the nation cannot be alright. It is time for parents and children to rise to the challenge of being worthy examples in the world and determine, I and the children whom the Lord hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion: Isa 8:18.

Prayer/Action
* Ask God to anoint your home to accomplish God’s purpose for building it, in Jesus’ name.
* Ask God to raise godly offspring in our homes.
Cover your home with the blood of Jesus.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Every evil personality troubling my Israel, receive the stone of destruction, in the name of Jesus.

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.