Rejoicing in Death

Friday 18 November
READ: Phil. 1: 20-21
MORE LESSON: Psa. 116: 15

When a child is born into the world, it cries and the people around rejoice. If a child is born and it doesn't cry, the nurses and doctors spank the child till it cries and after the child begins to cry, people around begin to rejoice. So when a baby is born, the baby cries and everybody laughs. The reverse is the case when a man dies, the people around begin to cry. However, the man at this point has two options. Either he rejoices as the people cry or he enters into eternal weeping and gnashing of teeth. What each man will do at the point of death is dependent on where he is going after death.
Paul said, I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death: Phil 1:20-21. It is important to consciously live and prepare with the intention that one doesn't want to be ashamed when death comes. It is necessary to live with the consciousness that you want to laugh and rejoice when death comes even if people in the world are mourning. When a man is born again and lives for Jesus Christ, there is no sorrow in his death. He will rejoice in death; this is the reason the Bible says, I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope: 1 Thess 4:13.
Christ can be glorified in a man's life when he lives and even when he dies. If a man lives his life to the glory of God, Christ will be magnified in his life even in death. Death, for believers, is not a sorrowful event. It is merely a transition. The important thing is what will happen to the man after death. A child of God, after death, enters into a world of eternal rejoicing. A man who didn't live for God leaves the earth and then begins a life of eternal sorrow. You can rejoice over death by living your life according to the will of God. The first step is to give your life to Christ and then to dedicate your life to fulfilling His will on earth. You will rejoice in life, rejoice in death and rejoice in eternity, in Jesus’ name.

Prayer/Action
* Pray that you will rejoice in life, death and rejoice in eternity, in Jesus’ name.
* Declare that you shall live for Christ Jesus and that death will be a gain for you.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Father, anything waiting to spoil the day of my joy and celebration, I destroy by fire today, in the name of Jesus.

Challenging Wickedness

Thursday 17 November
READ: I Kgs. 18:18 - 24
MORE LESSON: I Kgs. 18: 31 - 39

At a time, Israel forsook God and started worshipping fake gods. It was at such a time that Elijah the servant of God took up the challenge and confronted the evil in the land. Elijah the Tishbite first locked the heavens so that there was no rain upon idolatrous Israel. After three and a half years of absolute draught, the king met him one day and accused him of troubling Israel. He replied the king, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Baalim: I Kings 18:18.
Elijah threw a challenge to Israel, her king, all the false prophets and gods; he said, Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel's table. . . and call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken: 1 Kings 18:19, 24.
What we need more than ever is for God's children to rise up and challenge wickedness in various places in the land. We need all children of God to rise up in the power of God and the spirit of Elijah and confront everything that is contrary to God's agenda in the land. This has to start from our homes, neigbourhood, workplaces, cities, states and nations. God will not come down to stop ungodly laws and practices. It is the responsibility of His children on earth. The Bible says, The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord's: but the earth hath he given to the children of men: Psa. 115:16; also Matt 18: 18 says, Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
God is committed to challenge what you challenge. This is the reason when Elijah challenged the false prophets on Carmel, Jehovah showed up and answered by fire. Never fear to confront everything that is anti-God in your family and enviroment, God will back you up. The Lord answers fully and satisfactorily. In the case of Elijah and the prophets of baal, He proved Himself and silenced the enemies and the false prophets paid for it with their lives. Every agent of wickedness in your vicinity will fall down at your challenge, in Jesus’ name.
There are several ways by which we can challenge wickedness to surrender:
1. Practical Christian Living. The life that you live challenges wickedness to surrender.
2. Effective Prayer Life: Confronting evil in the place of prayer consistently.
3. Evangelism: Be courageous to tell the wicked Jesus saves.
Jesus won, you will win.

Prayer/Action
* Today, I challenge every altar of evil in the name of Jesus to bow.
* I receive the spirit of boldness to declare the gospel anywhere without fear.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Today, I raise a standard of the Holy Ghost against every force of regret and backlash, in the name of Jesus.

The Rich Man in Hell

Tuesday 15 November
READ: Lk. 16: 19 - 31
MORE LESSON: Mark 10: 23 - 25

The story of the rich man and Lazarus has made many people to erroneously believe that wealth is sinful and poverty is synonymous to holiness. They claim that since the rich man went to hell and Lazarus went to Heaven, then it is good to be poor and poverty will make you righteous. This ideology is unscriptural. Those that advocate this doctrine forget that Lazarus went to meet Abraham in Heaven and Abraham himself was a super-wealthy man. So it wasn't wealth or poverty that led the rich man or Lazarus to where they went. The rich man went to hell because he refused God and lived in sin. If any man lives in sin and refuses salvation in Jesus Christ, such a man will go to hell whether he is rich or poor. If Lazarus, in his abject poverty, had not accepted Jesus as Lord and Saviour, he would have suffered on earth and still gone to hell.
Lazarus could have been rich and still made Heaven if he had learnt the ways of God as far as prosperity is concerned. A person can be saved and if he doesn't learn the principles of God for prosperity, he will still be poor; that is what happened to Lazarus. God doesn't have problem with His children being wealthy and prosperous, He only has problem with riches taking a man's heart away from God. This is the reason Jesus warned, ...how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God: Mark 10:24 -25.
A man who is rich and spends his wealth on sin and self, taking no account of the things of God, when he closes his eyes in death, he will not escape hell. However, a man who is rich and submits his life to Jesus Christ and uses his riches to further the course of the gospel, when he leaves this earth, he will find himself in eternity with Jesus Christ. God has pleasure in the prosperity of his servants (Psa. 35: 27). This prosperity should not take us away from God but make us come nearer to Him and give our all to Him.

Prayer/Action
* Father, let Your blessings upon my life draw me closer to You, in Jesus’ name.
* I receive the grace to use my gifts, talents and worldly goods to serve God, in Jesus’ name.
* I will not be poor in life, in Jesus’ name.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
All prophecies of fall and failure over my life, by the blood of Jesus, I destroy you, in the name of Jesus.

The Fire of God

Monday 14 November
READ: I Kgs. 18: 38
MORE LESSON: Psa. 97: 1 - 9

There is a God that answers by fire. It is this same God that sent fire from Heaven on the altar that His servant built on Mount Carmel. He Himself is the consuming fire (Heb. 12: 29). When Elijah called on God to send fire from Heaven, he asked that four large jars of water be poured on the altar three times. This fire of the Lord burned the sacrifice, the water, the wood and all the altar. Ordinarily, 12 jars of water poured on a sacrifice would have prevented fire from burning. But the wonder working God made water to burn like fuel. 1 King 18: 38 says that the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. How much more also your enemies? Water naturally would have prevented fire from burning but God's fire burnt water. Whatever wants to prevent your destiny from working, the fire of God burns it up today.
The fire of God burnt stones! Stones are hard but no matter how hard that situation of your life might be, the fire of the Lord will handle it. May be that situation has been difficult and unyielding despite all that you have done, then it is time for you to send the fire of God to it. All problems that constitute a mountain in your life will be burnt down by God's fire. The fire of God is a multi-action agent; it even burnt dust. Dust makes people dirty and brings shame and reproach. When a man dresses well and falls down and becomes dusty, he feels ashamed. The fire of God can burn everything that causes shame and reproach in your life. The fire of God will mess up everything that is messing you up. Whatever makes people to ask where your God is, will be visited by fire today. When the fire of God fell, it also consumed wood. Wood is supposed to assist the burning of fire but on Mount Carmel, the wood was helpless because there was no fire. The prophets of baal had wood but it didn't help the situation as there was no fire.
Only after the fire of God fell that the wood burnt as it was supposed to. There are things and people that are around you and are supposed to help you but are not, don't fight them or get angry with them. It is because fire has not fallen from Heaven, when the fire of God falls, they will respond to you hastily.
The answer to life's problem is in calling on the God of fire. Today God will send His fire into your situation and turn things around.

Prayer/Action
* Lord, let Your fire fall upon me to rekindle my love and zeal for You, in Jesus’ name.
* I command the fire of God to fall and consume every unpleasant situation in my life, in Jesus’ name.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
I prophesy, my tomorrow shall be better, greater and more glorious than my today, in the name of Jesus.