The Earth is the Lord’s

Monday 17 October
READ: Psa. 24: 1 - 2
MORE LESSON: Psa. 115: 15 - 16

The Bible says in Gen 1: 1 that God created the heavens and the earth in the beginning. This silences the scientific theory of evolution which submits that the earth came to be as a result of a big bang. The earth belongs to God and He is the Owner of everything. If God owns everything by the right of creation then He is the only Land-Lord. Everyone else is a care taker; even the landlords that collect rent from others are not lords after all. Even our house landlords are tenants on the earth. Jehovah is the only Land-Lord because the earth belongs to Him.
Everyone should live with a mindset of stewardship. This means that you treat everything you possess on earth like they were committed to your trust by God. You were given to take care of them as a steward and you will give account of everything that you have on earth. It is important to know that no matter how much you labour for things on earth; they will never become your own. You can only be given in trust to manage them for a while. Materialism has so much taken over the world that all people think about is how to own things and own more things. Acquire all you can, however do not forget the real truth that it is not yours. The real Owner can still take it any day. The mistake the rich fool in the Bible made is not that he was rich, it was that he didn't have the mindset that both he and his riches belonged to God (Luke 12:13-21). It is good to be rich but the rich should have a mindset that recognises that all that they have belongs to God. The poor should also know that all things belong to God and He is rich towards all (Rom. 10: 12). If everything belongs to God, why does a child of God live with a sense of lack? The entire earth belongs to your God, so live without a sense of lack. Do not believe that everything is difficult and there are no resources available to you. The whole earth belongs to your God.
All men should learn to honour the God of all the universe who is the Owner of everything. Be conscious that no one brought anything into the world and no one will take anything away. The best thing to do is to connect to the Owner of all things by giving your life into the hands of He that owns the universe. When you become a child of the Owner of Heaven and earth, then you become a part-owner, a joint heir with Him. You are blessed, in Jesus’ name.

Prayer/Action
* Thank You Lord for making everything beautiful for me.
* Lord, because You own the world, let everything work together for my good.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
I set confusion in my enemies camp this week and I scatter them, in the name of Jesus.

Building a Great Nation

Sunday 16 October
READ: Prov. 14: 34
MORE LESSON: Rom. 12: 2

As I travel around the nations of the world preaching the gospel, I have noticed that everywhere I get to, I see Africans doing great things and making contributions to economic, social and technological development. I have met great people being the best in what they do overseas, only to discover that they were born and raised in my country. Therefore it is not the colour of the skin that determines your capability. God didn't make one race to be superior to another; therefore you can become the best anywhere in the world if you will believe. I know that God created everyone in this nation with the capacity for greatness.
The evil report about our nation and continent in the international media can be changed. The crimes, poverty and evil that have been associated with our world can be corrected if we will change our mindset and belief system. There is need for the minds of the people to be renewed so that we can change our values and precepts as a people and as a nation. There is nothing wrong with the pigmentation of skin or with the geographical location of any race, we only need to change whatever is wrong with the way we think. The principal and most worthy agent of mind renewal is the Word of God. It is the Word that starts building confidence in you and make you know that you are not inferior and whatever anyone is doing you can do as well. The Word is the agent of change that we need in this nation. The Word of God in our hearts will make the difference. Every institution, including government institutions should raise the Word of God to its proper place and we will see that we will be able to build a great nation.
The Word therefore is an instrument of national development. Teaching the Word of God should not be left to the Church. In fact, training children in the Word of God is best done in the family. Each parent should take full responsibility to teach the Word and create a paradigm for change in their children. The government should also realise that the issue of having God's Word being given its rightful place in the system of the society is not about religion. It is an issue that affects the development or lack of it in our nation. Therefore government should know that they have to make laws that favour the Word of God in our system and not against it if we must achieve national greatness and development. Every nation that allows the Word a free flow will never lack development. The rejection of God’s Word is the beginning of all evil in our society and the home should be the beginning of such lessons.

Prayer/Action
* Ask God to grant you an unsatisfiable appetite for His Word, in Jesus’ name.
* Grant our nation the grace to be righteous, in Jesus’ name.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Any power that wants me to suffer for an offence I did not commit, be exposed and disgraced by the Holy Ghost, in the name of Jesus.

The Home and the Nation II

Saturday 15 October
READ: I Sam. 2: 22 - 34
MORE LESSON: I Sam. 4:10-11

As goes the family, so goes the nation. In the quest to search out the cause of the challenges confronting the nation and the way to overcome them, we must begin our search from the home. I have looked through the Scripture and I have found that the first change that a nation needs must begin from the house of the leader. It is imperative to note that we are all leaders whether we are famous or not, whether we are in public position or not. As long as you have someone you are accountable for and influence, you are a leader.
A nation is simply a combination of several homes. The armed robbers that cause havoc in the nation come from homes. The man that ties a bomb round himself and goes to explode it, killing multitude of people in the name of whatever cause, also comes from someone's home. The corrupt leaders that leave masses of people in pain and carry the wealth of the nation for selfish gain all come from homes. It would have made a whole lot of difference if someone had ingrained the fear of the Lord in their mind right from the home and be convicted against all the wrongs they are doing now.
In the Bible, Eli was the leader of the nation of Israel in his time. The Lord God is the Ruler and the King of Israel. He, however, placed human leaders over them to do His will in the nation. The time came when God began to warn the leader and the nation of Israel that they were tilting towards destruction. The reason was because the children of Eli were doing abominable things. These children were sleeping with women in the sanctuary, touching what they were not supposed to touch, and doing all manners of wickedness against God. The Lord called the home to order but the father, instead of enforcing the fear of God in his home, began to talk softly to his children. Even the man, the children and their family were destroyed in one day. The ark of the Lord which symbolised the presence of God in Israel was taken by the enemy and the nation was defeated.
God wants to heal the land but He wants to start from the home. The greatest mistake of our nation is the sin of abandoning the home-front, locking God out of the family. When our families and our homes remember God and return to Him, the nation will become all that God intends for it. Today is the day to repent of any way that you have been running your home contrary to God's plan, return to Him, take your home to God in prayer and pray for our dear nation. Everyone who comes from one home should spend time today to pray for that home. Pray that your family and you will not fail God.

Prayer/Action
* Ask the Lord to help your family not to fail.
* Pray that God will lead our bachelors and spinsters to make the right choice of marriage partner.
* Ask God to visit and mend cracks in any home, in Jesus’ name.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
I expose all satanic set up planned to bring me down, in the name of Jesus.

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.