Christian Leadership

Saturday 24 December
READ: 1 Cor. 11: 1
MORE LESSONS: Mark 10: 35-45

Being a leader is a huge responsibility which is given to us and for which we must give account. Christian leadership, contrary to the world system, is not about seeking title, position or power but commanding emulation through positive spiritual influence. Spiritual leadership is about your life being a worthy example to people spiritually and in other aspects of daily life. Each time you exert positive influence on people's lives, you are leading. This is the reason why when a person gets saved through you, it is said that you led him or her to Christ. A wise man once said, You are a leader if you have ever attempted to get someone to do something right. Another wise man said, If your actions inspire others to learn more, do more and become more, then you are a leader.
This understanding makes leadership accessible, available and possible for all and sundry; you mustn't be president, chairman or head before you lead. You can lead whatever your position in an organisation, group or family. All you have to do is to be a positive influence and add value to that place with or without recognition. Christian leadership is not about having all the privileges and having every one serving you. It is about serving others. It is pouring your life and resources to further God's cause and the welfare of the people. If there is somewhere or somebody whom you can serve with your God-given ability, you are already progressing in leadership.
Christian leadership is about caring, nurturing and raising people; it is both a privilege and a responsibility. You can exercise leadership as a father or mother in the family, as a person positively impacting your friends, a teacher or coach influencing young people for Christ; you can exercise leadership one-on-one. It is not only when you face a crowd or you are in a big position that you are in leadership. In fact, it is faithfulness to God in little and seemingly unimportant areas of leadership and tasks that you do either in church, at work or at home that determines how God commits bigger things to your hands, He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much: Luke 16:10.
Christians should not lobby, seek or rush into leadership positions, most especially in the Body of Christ. They should allow God to place them according to the measure of grace He has given them, Don't be in any rush to become a teacher, my friends. Teaching is highly responsible work. Teachers are held to the strictest standards: James 3:1 (The Message). However, if God has made you a leader, His grace is sufficient for you even in your weakness. I pray you will not fail in your assignment, in Jesus’ name.

Prayer/Action
* Ask God for grace to be a leader indeed.
* Pray that you will not fail in your responsibility as a leader and that you will not mis-use the privilege.
* Pray for the leaders of your local assembly.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
As the pregnancy of Jesus could not be aborted despite all satanic anger, so shall my destiny survive all attacks, in the name of Jesus.

God’s Nature

Friday 23 December
READ: II Pe.t 1:4
MORE LESSONS: 1Jn. 2:12-20

We cannot get enough of the Word of God which brings God to us. The environment of Heaven finds expression in the Word of God. The more of the Kingdom of Heaven we want to experience, the more of the Word we must deliberately digest. Growing in the Word of God requires discipline and a lot of effort at first, but as we make a habit of reading and meditating on the Word, we soon begin to build our lives around it with ease. Every time we receive the Word, we receive God. All of this is simply to say that the reason God gave us His Word is to make us like Him.
Beyond the breakthroughs and miracles that we receive as we walk in God's Word, the ultimate invitation of God for us is to become like Him. This is the very heart -beat of the Father. God is building Himself into us by the instrumentality of His Word; He wants to totally transform us. This is the ultimate assignment of God's Word in us; to upgrade our present reality into God's realm of dominion. God is constantly changing our lives into His image. Through every victory, deliverance and healing, God is calling us to become channels of deliverance, healing and victory to the world around us. The life of God must be seen in and through our daily living, for this is the ultimate work of the Word in us. The Living Book is given to make us living books and epistles to our generation.
We are called Christians because our biggest responsibility is to be like Christ, walking in the divine nature of Christ; a life that absolutely portrays Heaven on earth. Jesus walked the earth many years and never fell sick, rather, He healed the sick. This is because no virus or disease can thrive in the divine nature of Christ, none, not one! The divine nature is an absolute supernatural life that natural people cannot resist. And this is one of the greatest tools for evangelism.
God is calling us out of this present noise into maturity of soul and spirit. It is God's desire that every word of ours and deed beam the Gospel to that person who might never get to read a Bible, And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,...: Col. 3:17. Let us live in the consciousness that we are the living epistles of the Gospel of Christ today. For it is only through contact with the Word that we can impact our world.

Prayer/Action
* Father, help me to devote myself to Your Word.
* Father, let me manifest the seed of God in me in my character.
* Because I have the nature of God, sickness, diseases and sin shall not reign in my body.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
As mountains surround Jerusalem, so shall the angels of the Lord surround me on every journey this month, in the name of Jesus.

Forgiveness by the Blood

Thursday 22 December
READ: I John 2: 1-2
MORE LESSONS: Prov 28: 13

An important dimension to forgiveness is the need to forgive yourself of the mistakes and errors of the past so that you can overcome guilt and inferiority complex. You might be disappointed about some things you have done in the past but you need to rise again from the fall and go ahead with God. Satan rejoices in seeing us fall into sin and remain fallen, but God rejoices in seeing us get up and overcome sin. The devil always tries to remind you of the sins and mistakes of yesterday. When satan reminds you of your yesterday, you should remind him of the cross. There may be imperfections and mistakes as we live day to day but we shouldn't because of this give up on ourselves. We must learn to accept that we occasionally stumble.
Forgiving oneself is part of the blessings of the cross. A lot of people today are in crisis because they cannot forgive themselves. We should deal with guilt by the Blood of Jesus so that the enemy will not use it against us. A guilty conscience is dangerous. Most suicide cases stem from a feeling of being disappointed about something and refusing to accept help. Not forgiving oneself can be as a result of pride, as some feel too big about a mistake they made that they find it difficult to forgive themselves.
This pride gives room to satan to penetrate deeper into their lives. When you refuse to forgive yourself, you simply believe that no future or opportunity exists for you anymore. But I am glad to announce to you today that through the Blood of Jesus, there is a better tomorrow for you, My little children, these things have I written unto you that ye sin not: I John 2:1. Sin can never be justified no matter who commits it; sin has no approval in scriptures, But if any man sin…, That is a conditional statement. God doesn't expect or want us to sin but He made a provision in case it happens. …we have an advocate with the Father.
An advocate is one who pleads on behalf of another. Jesus who died on the cross of Calvary is our advocate with the Father, who pleads our case. He knows our frame and because of His righteousness, He can stand before the Father from where He points to His Blood on the cross to obtain forgiveness for us. If God has forgiven us, we should forgive ourselves. Calvary, therefore, is the place for self forgiveness, And he is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world: v2. No matter what you have done, today, it is time to say, 'Jesus, I accept Your gift of forgiveness.'

Prayer/Action
* Father, I am released from every guilt that unforgiveness has brought upon me and I accept the forgiveness by the blood of Jesus.
* I declare, no more will I walk under the condemnation of satan because I have been forgiven.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Angels of blessing, visit me today as you visited Abraham and Sarah at the crucial time of their life, in the name of Jesus.

Stirring the Heart of God

Wednesday 21 December
READ: Gen. 22: 1-10
MORE LESSON: Gen. 22: 11 - 18

God will do great and mighty things for a man who will stir Him up. There are things you do that stir God to action on your behalf. When you touch the heart of God, you will see His hand move on your behalf. 2 Chron 16:9 says, for the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him . . . . God is willing to show Himself strong on your behalf, but there are things you need to do to stir Him up.
The following are things you can do to stir God to action on your behalf:
1. Praise Him: praise moves God. When you want to stir God to action concerning your matter, you need to give Him heartfelt praise. When your situation is adverse and you still give God quality praise, you will see His hand move for you. Always be grateful and thankful for whatever the Lord has done in time past before you make the next request. Don't complain about what you have not got, praise Him for what He has done for you in the past and then praise Him in advance for the things you don't have yet.
2. Pay your vows to Him: if you make a pledge out of faith to God, and you pay your vows and pledge even though it is not convenient, you have stirred the heart of God and committed Him to action. Psa. 50:14 says, Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High. And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorify Me.
3. Make sacrifices: when you live a sacrificial life towards God and His Kingdom, you will move Him to action for you. When God saw that Abraham was willing to sacrifice his only son for Him, He was stirred to bless him with an irrevocable blessing (Gen 22: 15 – 18). When Solomon sacrificed one thousand sheep to God, God showed up that very night to impart uncommon glory on him. You can stir the heart of God by your sacrifices.
4. Live in righteousness: Enoch walked with God and he was no more for God took him because he pleased God. You can touch the heart of God by righteous living; righteousness stirs God up and sin turns Him off. In our world today, you may have to pay a price and do without some things in order to maintain your righteousness with God but when you decide to stand firm for righteousness despite the cost and price, you will stir God up to bless you.

Prayer/Action
* Sing songs of praise to God.
* Ask the Lord to remember your vows, sacrifices and to remember you for good.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
This month, I shall not sleep the sleep of death, I shall not walk into my enemy's trap, I shall live to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living, in the name of Jesus.