Worship the King I

Sunday 30 October
READ: Matt. 2: 11
MORE LESSON: 2 Sam. 6: 21 - 22

The wise men came to the Child Jesus and fell prostrate on the ground in worship. These men were not small both in age and status but they fell prostrate before a child. This shows that when it comes to worshipping God, no man should claim age, wealth or academic qualification. All these should be put aside for the worship of the King.
I can relate to this from experience as my maternal uncle was a prominent king and I remember that on the day of his coronation, all the children and younger siblings of the king were called and were educated on the importance of the new role and status that we were about to assume. From that experience, I learnt a few things on the honour of a king.
1. The king never bows to anyone but all bow to him. I noticed to my surprise that even when the mother of the king came to greet him, the king merely brandished the horse tail that he was holding in his hand to her. I expected the king would prostrate to greet his mother as is the custom in the Western part of Nigeria. In Africa, especially in my native region, when you meet an elderly person, you prostrate in honour, more so when you greet your parents; you simply go on the floor. However, for the king, his mother kneels before him and he waves the royal emblem to acknowledge her greeting. You can't worship the mother of the King; you only worship the King. Even the mother of the king worships the king.
2. The king ordains some chiefs and many of them are elderly people. In fact, in the case of my uncle there was a particular elderly woman that was ordained into the official position of the 'mother of the king'. However even though these men were all chiefs, they all, including the said 'mother of the king' bowed to the king. The fact that God called a man and ordained him doesn't mean he should stand tall as others worship the king. We must all lie prostrate before the King.
3. In my culture, you prostrate before an elderly person. However, when you want to greet the king, you don't only put your two hands on the ground and your chest on the floor, you also turn from one side to the other as you roll on the ground before the king. While you do all the rolling, the king merely sits, nods and waves his horse tail at you. It is all about willingly throwing away your self-dignity as you acknowledge the king's higher dignity. King David understood this in 2 Sam. 6: 22 when he chose to become undignified before God –the King of kings.
Beloved, it is time to worship the King of kings.

Prayer/Action
* Declare as you bow to the King of kings that every situation will bow to you today, in Jesus’ name.
* Worship the King because His dominion is an everlasting dominion.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Any battle packaged against me to delay my God-ordained blessing and breakthrough be destroyed, in the name of Jesus.

Clash of Kings

Saturday 29 October
READ: Mark 5: 1-17
MORE LESSON: 1 John 4: 4

There was a mad man in the region of Gadarenes. The man was in such a bad shape that people stayed as far as they could from him. Whenever the madness got a thorough hold of him and nobody was present for him to destroy, he would begin to inflict damage on himself. Even when he was chained, he would break the chains and take stones to cut himself. The mad man was ruled by very principal demons which had turned him also into a principality. He was a ruler in his own kingdom. How else do you explain a man living all by himself in the grave yard, far from men and society? The demonic forces that ruled the man were so many that they described themselves as legion. This army of darkness turned the man to a king of terror as he did whatever he liked and nobody dared to go near him. No police man or soldier could arrest him, no king could command him. He was king of his own kingdom; a kingdom no one else wanted to be in with him. Jesus went visiting this region and deliberately walked this path that nobody dared to walk.
Of course, Jesus is also King in His own Kingdom. So when Jesus showed up at the grave yard that day, there was a clash of kings and kingdoms. The king in the cemetery saw the King of kings and without contradiction, the lesser king had to bow to the greater King. The disciples and all who were present must have stood holding their breath as they watched what would happen. The man walked towards Jesus and Jesus walked towards him. The spectators were already premeditating on what to do if the man pounced on Jesus, messed Him up and then approached them. The onlookers stood in fear as they pondered whether that was going to be the end to Jesus' life and ministry.
As the two approached each other, suddenly the mad man recognised the greater King and fell prostrate on the ground and bowed down before Him. The Bible says that he worshipped Him (Mark 5: 6). The legion of demons that ruled this man recognised the greater King in Jesus. This confirms Jesus as King as the mad man and all the demons in him bowed and worshipped Him. The onlookers stood in awe as they realised that truly Jesus is not a mere man; He is the King of kings. The demons began to beg Him to send them out into the swine and not into the desert. The same demons in the mad man that would listen to none, submitted and begged Jesus. When He commanded them to go out of the man, they ran out as quickly as they could. The Real King had shown up, all other kings must bow.

Prayer/Action
* In the name of Jesus, every throne and king contending over my life, I command you to bow to the Lordship of Jesus.
* Jesus, rise as King for me and prevail over every kingdom that has risen up against me.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Every evil embargo to limit my destiny in 2016, be lifted now, in the name of Jesus.

Persistence

Friday 28 October
READ: Matt. 15: 22-28
MORE LESSON: Lk. 11: 5-10

The story of the Canaanite woman shows how you can get anything through persistence.
She needed healing for her daughter at a time when the era of ministering to the Gentiles had not come. She could have claimed that Jesus was not going to heal her daughter because she was a Gentile but she neglected the barriers and cried to the Lord, 'Have mercy on me.' She knew that the Lord is merciful and always willing to help. I want you to know that it is God's will to meet that pressing need you have if you do not give up.
This woman cried to Jesus, O Lord, thou Son of David...: verse 22. She acknowledged Jesus as the Messiah. When many Israelites who were the children of the promise didn't believe and accept Jesus as the Messiah, she already knew Him as the Messiah, the only One who had answer to her prayer.
You will persist with God only when you believe that He alone holds your answer and solution.
She cried to the Lord but the Lord didn't answer a word; she wasn't deterred but kept crying after Jesus and the disciples. The disciples wanted to send her away and probably tried to but she refused to be sent away. So the disciples begged Jesus to send her away or do something, for she crieth after us: Matt 15:23. They had to report her to Jesus and that is what she actually wanted; she wanted audience with the Master. When she got the attention, the first thing she did was to worship Him (verse 25).
Your persistence should not only be in asking the Lord but also in worshipping Him. Don't stop worshipping the Lord because you have not got what you want from Him. In fact that is the time to worship Him more. Jesus told her, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs: Matt 15:26. This is where many people would have packed their bags and left in anger but this woman knew that it takes humility to be persistent. Jesus was not being derogatory here, He was testing her humility in persistence. It takes humility for a man to go back to a place where he has failed before and start all over again, not minding whether people will mock him or not.
When she said, ...Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table, Jesus knew she had passed the test of persistence and He answered, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt....
Persistence was counted as faith to her; you shall acquire your desire if you perspire and do not retire but re-fire. Sincere seekers who truly have no alternative to Jehovah will not dare to walk away even in the face of the worst delay. Friend, difficult as it is to wait, it pays to wait on God, He will not deny you. Wait on the Lord!

Prayer/Action
* Lord, I receive strength to persist in the place of prayer.
* Pray that everyone waiting on God for one thing or the other will have their strength renewed until answer comes.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Today I prophesy, any grave, evil net, and trap set for me and my family, catch the planners, in Jesus' name.

King over Death

Thursday 27 October
READ: John 11:25 - 44
MORE LESSON: John 10:17-18

Jesus is King not just because He has power over nature and demons but also because He has power even over death. Jesus raised the dead several times. It is always a big deal to resuscitate someone who fainted and it is definitely something great to raise someone who has stopped breathing for 24 hours. However when you talk about someone who has been dead for four days, clothed with grave clothes and buried in a sealed grave, then you are talking of a really dead man. Lazarus was dead for days and the Bible records that he was already stinking; that means that he had started decomposing. Jesus got to the grave and called him, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go: John 11:43-44. Someone commented that Jesus needed to confirm that the name of the man He wanted to raise from the dead was Lazarus, because if He had merely said 'come out', all the dead people in the graves would rise up and come out. Jesus is King even over death. At the word of His command, death released its captive. Death therefore recognises that Jesus is King.
Jesus did not only raise the dead but He Himself disgraced death. He laid down His life and died on the cross and on the third day, He rose from the dead. He didn't raise others from the dead only to later become a captive of death. He could do for Himself what He did for others. If Jesus did not resurrect from the dead, one would wonder whether His Kingship extends over death. He showed His Kingship by messing up death. He defeated death home and away. This is what the Bible means when it says, if the prince of this world had known, they would not have crucified the king of glory: 1 Cor. 2:8. If death knew, it wouldn't have dared Jesus.
Do you know that Jesus actually became greater after His death and resurrection? In John 20:26, the Bible shows how while the disciples locked themselves up for fear of the Pharisees, without knocking the door, Jesus showed up in their midst. What shocked them was that when they were together and the door was locked, they had to open it for Him. This time around, the door was firmly locked and there was Jesus standing in their midst. After His death and resurrection, His form of a Spirit, He passed through walls and appeared to many people in different locations at once. The death and resurrection of Jesus actually released His Spirit to operate at a higher frequency. It is that Spirit that is in you so you can also reign over death. Hallejah! Jesus is king. The greatest terror to man is death and he will do anything to stop it but no one has been able to conquer it until Jesus did! Praise be to my King, the Conqueror of death.

Prayer/Action
* Give God praise because Jesus has swallowed up the sting and victory of death.
* Declare that death and grave have lost their power over you, in Jesus’ name.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
All satanic networks from the pit of hell organised to cut short my life, marriage, work and destiny, I declare you a failure, in the name of Jesus.