Strength for Revival I

Wednesday 25 January
READ: Psa. 29: 11
MORE LESSON: Isa. 40:29-31

It takes strength for revival to happen in a man's life. If we must be revived in any aspect of life and break out of status quo, we need strength from God. The very first thing in revival and getting strength from the Lord is a character and attitude of sincere self-assessment. You need to admit the place where you have lost fervor, where you have grown weak and where you are not doing good enough. It is when a man is sincere and acknowledges that he can be better that he will cry to the Lord for revival. Psalms 29:11 says, The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace. God delights in giving you strength and He wants to revive you. He wants you to admit your need for revival.
Strength comes from waiting on the Lord. Isaiah 40:31 says, But they that wait upon the lord will renew their strength, they will mount up with wings like eagle, they will run and not be weary, they will walk and will not faint. One of the ways to have strength is waiting on the Lord in the place of prayer, personal study of the Word of God and active service. Desire for more of God and panting after Him with all your heart will constantly lead you to the place of strength. The Psalmist said, My soul longeth even fainteth for the court of the lord, my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God: Psalms 84:2.
That is the place of strength, where you begin to desire God more than you have ever had Him, when your heart begins to ask for more of God, when you train your heart and your flesh to desire God. One of the reasons why Christians misbehave is because their heart and their flesh is asking for something that is contrary to God. So when they yield to their heart and flesh, they become weaker and weaker. Yielding to godly desire is what brings strength. It is in the place of prayer that we derive strength, according to Psalms 84:7: They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God. When you fill your life and time with God's presence in prayers, spiritual activities, fellowship with brethren, worship and the Word, you will be a person of strength. Strength is needed for revival and it takes strength to move forward. The strength you need is in God's presence. The place of prayer is the place of strength.

Prayer/Action
* I receive strength for what is left in me that is about to die, in Jesus’ name.
* My hope will not be deferred as I wait on the Lord, in Jesus’ name.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
I decree, darkness will not have a memorial in my new year, in the mighty name of Jesus.

He is all you Need

Tuesday 24 January
READ: Job 23: 10-12
MORE LESSON: Matt 6: 31 - 33

There are many things that men seek that are important needs in life; for example, man seeks what to eat. Every man on earth is doing something for food. People go out in the morning and come back late at night with little or no time for anything else in order to ensure that they and their families can feed. All the schooling, working, business and moving up and down that people do always boil down to the issue of bread. Many times when you try to make people go after spiritual things, they ask, 'How does that put food on my table?' But today you must know that getting Jesus is more important than getting food because He is the bread of Life (John 6: 48). This is better understood when we read John 6:27 which says, Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you: John 6:27 (NKJV).
This, of course, is not to advocate laziness and not doing anything for a living under the guise of spirituality. Every believer should be hard-working and have a job in his hand, but our priority in life should not be what to eat and possess but to know God and advance His Kingdom. That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear, There is more to life than food, and to your body more than clothes ...So don't worry about these things, saying, 'What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?' These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs: Matt. 6:25-32 (NLT). God is all you need; He is more important than the things you count as important.
The most important things that man cannot live without in the natural world are air and water. And these two are the most abundant resources on earth. But you need Jesus more than you need air and water. The Spirit of God in you is more important than air, The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life: Job 33:4. The words translated 'spirit' and 'breath' in the Bible actually mean 'wind' or 'air' in the original language. So the Holy Spirit is the air you need to live. Jesus also is the giver of the Living Water which, if a man drinks, he will never thirst again (John 7: 38, John 4:13-14). Jesus says He is the water of life. Jesus chooses to compare Himself with the most essential thing in the life of a man because not having Jesus can be compared with not having the most essential thing in life and destiny.

Prayer/Action
* Jesus, I make You number one in my life, therefore let everything I need become gifts for me, in Jesus’ name.
* Jesus, come and occupy Your rightful place in my life and destiny, in the name of Jesus.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
I am the light of the world; I shall be a solution, not a problem, all through my lifetime, in the name of Jesus.

Enemies of God

Monday 23 January
READ: Matt. 27:23-31
MORE LESSONS: Job 8:9-13

I have never been surprised to hear people talk of enemies. After all, it was human beings that crucified Jesus of Nazareth, even when they could not point at one thing that He did wrong. All allegations against Him were proved wrong, yet they insisted He must be killed. Thank God Jesus resurrected on the third day, triumphant over all enemies. Jesus’ predicament was a clear case of enmity; on this basis, one then wonders why God too has enemies. He created man in His own image and loves him but man reciprocates with enmity. An enemy of God is anyone who breaks the law of God for whatever reason. You are an enemy of God when you break His commandments as I John 3:8-9 says, He that committeth sin is of the devil..., Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin…. If the Bible says someone is of the devil it is the same as saying you are God's number one enemy.
Sin, whether one or many, makes a man an enemy of God. Committing sin is beyond breaking the law of God and it extends to doing anything against God's interest to a person, a people or the work of God. It includes knowing what to do and refusing to do it (Jam.4:17). All enemies of God will pay a great price in life and in death, The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God: Psa. 9:17.
As God’s children we have a responsibility to tell all people the consequences of being God’s enemy, which is hell. We must express our concern about the eternal punishment of hating God and tell sinners with compassion that God will forgive them if only they change their ways, Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon: Isa. 55:7. Your spiritual status with God is a choice, choose Jesus for a happy eternity!

Prayer/Action
* I declare, from today I will not live a life of sin that will make me an enemy of God, in Jesus’ name.
* I will not be part of law breakers in my church, office, school etc I will not join the multitude to commit evil, in the name of Jesus.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Jesus, You are the light of my year 2017, I shall not walk in darkness, in the name of Jesus.

Friends of God

Sunday 22 January
READ:John 15:1-15
MORE LESSONS: John 14:23,

One of the greatest and most beneficial relationships on the earth is that of man becoming a friend of God. This relationship is most beneficial because it has both earthly and eternal blessings. It is also the highest level of relationship a man can ever have, relating with the Most High God as a friend.
Abraham was no doubt a friend of God and that was why God did not keep anything from him, And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do: Gen.18:17. Moses was even directly referred to in the Bible as a friend of God, And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend…: Exo.33:11.
This great privilege is, however, not received without a condition. John 15:14 says, Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Obedience, therefore, is the condition for a good relationship with God. If you want to become a personal friend of God like Abraham and Moses, then brace up for a life of total obedience to God in all things.
The starting point, however, is to accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, invite Him to be in total control of your life and He will come in. He says in Rev.3:20, Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. That is an open invitation by the Almighty for friendship. Be a friend of God, TODAY! Only friends of God will spend eternity with God in Heaven, but His enemies shall perish in hell. Even before going to Heaven, friends of God will enjoy the cover and greatness of Heaven on earth. God will be jealous for their sake, defend them, give them silver and gold and they shall not be feeble (Psa. 105:37).
They will call upon God and He will answer them, He will be with them in trouble, He will deliver and honour them, He will satisfy them with long life and at the end show them His salvation (Psa. 91:15-16). All these benefits and more are yours as a friend of God, so go for them.

Prayer/Action
* Jesus, I pledge to do Your will for the rest of my life; make me Your friend, in Jesus’ name.
* As a friend and partner with Jesus I will be obedient to my own part of the covenant like Abraham, in the name of Jesus.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
As the wind does not blow without effect on the trees of the forest, so I shall not have an ineffective year, in the name of Jesus.