Thursday, October 20, 2016

Valuing the Word of God

Thursday 20 October
READ: Mark 6: 1-6
MORE LESSON: Matt. 13: 13 – 17

It is a very dangerous thing to become too familiar with the Word of God because then it loses its potency in your life. Many people stay in church year after year and attend meeting after meeting but they get nothing out of it because they do not take the Word serious. It is not that the Word of God has lost its power; it is that such people take it lightly. God gives His Word and teachings and some just accumulate revelations and they never put them to use; when you put so many bulbs in one place and you do not allow the light to express itself through any outlet, it becomes blinding. That is what has happened to many Christians who have become blinded by many revelations and their lives lack the reality of the Word because they never put it to use; they only keep accumulating head knowledge.
Many ministers of the gospel have noticed that the same teachings and declarations that they proclaim to their congregations without results bring amazing results and testimonies when they go out. It is risky to get so used to God's servants that you make light of what they say. This is one of the reasons destinies are remoulded, people promoted and lives changed and it looks as if some are being left out. The best thing you can do for your destiny is to always take the Word of God and His servants with maximum esteem.
God Himself walked the earth and touched many lives but there were those who didn't benefit from Him because they made light of Jesus Christ saying, Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at Him: Mark 6:3. He came and saved people from their sins but some people are still waiting for the Messiah up till today; they missed their hour of visitation because of familiarity.
Today, I have come to charge you to hold each word that comes from the Lord with great esteem; whether the word comes through His servants or in your personal study, celebrate it and honour it, For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them: Matt. 13: 17. It is your time for a positive change as you honour God's Word and go out to put it to use.

Prayer/Action
* Lord, I shall not take Your Word lightly and it shall not lose its potency in my life.
* The Word of the Lord shall profit my life, in Jesus’ name.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
This year, my enemy shall wait in vain, in the name of Jesus.

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

The Extra Oil II

Wednesday 19 October
READ: Matt. 25: 1-13
MORE LESSON: Eccl. 9:8

I remember conducting a wedding in one of our churches and the bride delayed for so long. She was probably taking all the time to dress up. After a while, I told them to start the service and it started. The order of the service continued and this lady was still nowhere to be found. Close to the time allotted to the actual joining and exchange of marital vows, the lady arrived outside and sent to the ministerial seat that the processional hymn be sung for her to enter majestically with her train. I sent back to inform her that she should gather the flowing gown in her hands and run straight to the altar if she is still interested in the joining. She should come or else we would skip that item and close the service. Of course, she rushed and she sat quietly down beside her husband who had been troubled waiting.
I called them to the altar to be joined, she looked at my face and broke down in tears. It is not pleasant to see a bride being joined while crying, so I allowed her to finish all the crying. In fact, I was prepared to wait and allow her cry, finish crying, do her make-up and regain her composure before I continued the actual joining. However, she and everyone in that service had learnt the lesson that a wedding service before God should be approached with reverence. It is not a day to keep God and man waiting while you take all the time to dress and make up. I also discovered that the wedding day is a terrible day for a bride to cry.
In Matt. 25: 1-13, we also see five ladies that wept bitterly on their wedding day. Theirs was more terrible because their tears would last for eternity. The reason was that they were not prepared for the bridegroom and were careless about eternal things while they focused on less important things. Jesus is coming back and since we do not know the day of His arrival, it is imperative not be careless with the things of God. If any man misses the coming of the Lord, there will be no opportunity to reverse the damage. The five virgins who cried on their wedding day did so because they didn't have extra oil in their lamps.
The extra oil means going an extra mile in the things of God. The difference between the wise and the foolish virgins was the extra oil. It is the extra you do for God that stands for you and makes you an uncommon man in common situations. The coming of the Lord is so close you can't leave anything to chance. God is not only demanding your all, but the extra mile also. In all you do for God, go the extra mile, it shall not go unrewarded.

Prayer/Action
* Surrender your life to God afresh today.
* Receive grace to be faithful to the end, in Jesus’ name.
* Ask God for grace to be able to warn others about Heaven and hell today, in Jesus’ name.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Anything in me, spiritual or physical, attracting strange occurrences to my life or family, be exposed today, in Jesus' name.

Tuesday, October 18, 2016

The Extra Oil I

Tuesday 18 October
READ: Matt. 25:1-6
MORE LESSON: Rev. 22: 12

Jesus told a parable, using it to describe what His coming will look like. He said there were ten virgins - five were wise and five were foolish. Both the wise and the foolish were waiting for the coming of the bridegroom in the night. The wise five took extra oil in addition to what was inside their lanterns. The foolish five took their lanterns, put oil inside and forecast that it was enough. However the bridegroom delayed and all the oil burnt out.
Eventually the bridegroom came in the dead of the night and all the virgins got up to go and receive him. All their oil had burnt out but the ones that had extra oil, had something to pour into the lamps afresh and therefore met the bridegroom with their lamps still burning. The other five who had no extra oil had their lights gone off. They couldn't meet the bridegroom with lights gone off, so they quickly went to look for oil. But before they returned, the bridegroom had entered in with the ready five and locked the door. Afterwards, came also the other virgins saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not: Matt. 25: 11-12. Definitely, it is a painful thing for a bride to be told by the bridegroom that he doesn't know her. How can a woman come to be wedded only to be told by her bridegroom that he does not know her? The bridegroom said to the five foolish virgins, I don't know you, and they were locked out forever. They left home fully dressed for a wedding but never returned home with a husband. And I want to say to you that there is a great day coming. Jesus, the Bridegroom of the Church, is on the way. The five virgins that had extra oil were prepared.
All the ten were virgins, which means they were saved but some were prepared while the others were not. The issue of going with the Lord when He comes is the issue of preparedness. I want to ask you whether you are busy with the mundane affairs of life or you are living in preparation for His coming. You need the extra oil; you need more zeal than you have ever displayed. You need more attention to the things of God. You need more consciousness that the end is near and live with that consciousness. In a short while, the sound of the trumpet shall be heard and the Bridegroom will come. Only the people with the extra oil and lamps still burning bright will go with Him.

Prayer/Action
* Receive power to be conscious of the end time, in Jesus’ name.
* Pray that the negative prophecy of the end time will not be fulfilled on you, in Jesus’ name.
* Pray that God will help you to proclaim the goodnews in this end time, in Jesus’ name.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Father, this month, do for me what I cannot do for myself, fight my battles and grant me victory, in the name of Jesus.

Monday, October 17, 2016

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.