You shall Not Die but Live

Sunday 26 February
READ: 1 Sam 2: 6
MORE LESSON: Psa 118: 17

The Lord killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up: 1 Sam 2:6. Today, be it known to you that the land of your sojourn will not swallow you; this land will not receive your dead body. As children of God, we are confident that we cannot be victims of untimely death. This confidence is hinged on the text of today; it is our God who determines who lives and who dies. Your Father is the one who has the power to kill and make alive; and He won't use His power against you. It is not death that kills, it is merely an instrument to make dying happen. Just like it is not the pencil that draws; it is the artist. The pencil is merely an instrument; it cannot use itself to draw if the artist doesn't hold it. Satan cannot kill you; death cannot kill you; co-incidence cannot cause your death; your Father has the power of life and death.
Jesus said in Rev 1:18, I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. For every door, there is a key. He who holds the keys determines who enters and who doesn't enter. Unscriptural preaching and folklore have made many think that it is the devil that holds the keys of death. But that is a big lie; the devil always likes to make you think that he has the power that he doesn't have so that he can look big even when he knows that he is small. Jesus has the keys of life, death and even hell. It is Jesus who determines what happens and who goes where.
You shall not die this year. You came into the year to live and make the dead live; you didn't come to die. You are a life giving spirit; you are not a prisoner of death. All attempts on your life, either by men or demons, are efforts in futility. It is those that rise against you that will fall for your sake. Those that try to kill you will die for your sake. This land is the land of your glory, not your grave. You will shine forth and evil will bow before you.
The Lord kills and makes alive; this year He has decided to make live. However, the enemies of the Church should better repent and change this year because the Lord has declared death for all sworn agents of wickedness. But as for you, peace is upon you as you go out and come in, now and forever more.

Prayer/Action
* Every date and covenant with death over me is cancelled, in Jesus’ name.
* My life shall not be lived in pain, in Jesus’ name.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Father, I declare today that for the rest of my life I shall be an agent and tool of the gospel light and I shall never be less, in the mighty name of Jesus.

The Brook of Cherith

Saturday 25 February
READ: 1 Kings 17: 1 – 16
MORE LESSON: Isa. 33: 16

Elijah the Tishbite pronounced a drought upon the land of Israel because they had forsaken God. One would wonder whether he forgot that he was also resident in the nation when he was commanding the heavens closed over the land. The truth is that Elijah knew that even though he was in the land, he could not be affected by the famine because he served the God who provides for His own irrespective of famine or drought in the land. Our God promises His own that they shall not be ashamed in the evil time, and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied (Psa.37:19).
When the drought became so gruesome in the land, God led Elijah to Brook Cherith. There are some things worthy of note about Elijah's adventure at Cherith. The first is that it was a place of security and refuge for him. Elijah had declared drought so the king and all the army were on the lookout for him. They travelled from nation to nation with weapons, searching for Elijah but God had provided a hiding place for him at Cherith. God told him, Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan: 1 Kings 17:3. Cherith is a hidden place; this shows that no matter the evil in the land, there is a hiding place for you. God will keep you in the cleft of His rock and the evil in the land will not touch you.
A man could be kept in a place of refuge and he dies of hunger and thirst in that place. This is why God also makes Cherith a place of divine provision. There was no food and water in the land but God commanded food to be brought to Elijah by the ravens. The ravens are very small birds and they are normally too small to carry food for a man but the strength to carry the food for Elijah came upon them. Ravens are flesh eaters but they carried Elijah's food without eating it. This is because God had commanded Elijah's provision.
So Cherith is a place of divine protection and commanded provision. It is amazing that in a time of a nation-wide famine and drought, God secluded a place for Elijah and made it such that no one could compete with him for it. It is logical to infer that since there was no water in Israel and Cherith had water, the people would naturally flock there to go fetch water. However, the Bible points out that they looked for Elijah all over and couldn't locate him; this means that no one came to Cherith. God will take you to your own brook of Cherith where you will enjoy protection and provision without any man contending with you for it.

Prayer/Action
* I receive the protection and provision of Cherith for my life and family, in Jesus’ name.
* Every contention for my portion in destiny shall fail, in the name of Jesus.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
The sun shall not smite me by day nor the moon by night, pestilence and famine shall be far from me throughout the year, in the name of Jesus.

Becoming Mighty III

Friday 24 February
READ: Judg. 6:11-16
MORE LESSONS: Psa. 50:14-15

The encounter between Gideon and God's angel in our main text remains one of the strength building passages in the Bible. Among other things, that angelic visitation tells us how deeply God is interested in getting us out of our trouble zones. Israel was under constant raid by the Medianites and just when it looked like God had forgotten about them, He showed up. In the midst of your troubles, don't ever think that God has forgotten you. The Bible says that He is close to the broken hearted.
On your own part, remain conversant with the Word. In verse 13 of our main text, Gideon asked a great question,… did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt but now the Lord hath forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of Medianites. Here Gideon was exhibiting spiritual capabilities based on his understanding of spiritual things. An understanding of spiritual things makes a man mighty. He was invariably saying that if God was with Israel in those years that their fathers told them about, why did God abandon them to the dictates of the Medianites?
He was sure of what relationship Israel had with God before and what God did compared to what was happening in his days. Out of that understanding arose in Gideon the burden for a change.
A lot of people want to be mighty but they lack spiritual understanding as to
what to do. The problem of finance in the church for instance, is not about money but rather it is about people who lack the understanding of what God wants to use money for in His vineyard. Mighty men are men who have spiritual understanding of how things work. Gideon had an understanding of how things work in the spiritual. In verse 14 the Lord looked upon him and said, Go in this thy might. The angel said to him when he finished his submission, you are correct and loaded with enough information as source of strength, so go in that might and perform the dictates of God. The same way as the angel listened to Gideon, God is always eager to listen to your prayers. The angel gave Gideon instructions to go and act and with that Gideon stopped the argument and began to obey the angel.
One of the secrets of mighty people is that they are teachable. A man that cannot be taught can never be mighty. Be teachable; don't confront your teacher, or whoever is leading you. Spiritual mentors are to be obeyed in all godly instructions. Because Gideon was teachable, at the end of his life he was a mighty man. May you be teachable and be mighty in the vineyard of the Lord.

Prayer/Action
* Ask God to give you a teachable heart, in Jesus’ name.
* Ask God to continue to endow your spiritual mentors with grace and counsel all the time, in Jesus’ name.
* Receive the Spirit of might, in Jesus’ name.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, make me the envy of my generation beginning from my family to the uttermost parts of the world to Your glory, in the name of Jesus.

Becoming Mighty II

Thursday 23 February
READ: Judg. 6:11-16
MORE LESSONS: Josh. 1:1-9

Becoming a mighty man goes with a lot of responsibilities. The Bible personalities who were mighty did not become so by sleeping all the days of their lives. They had an intimate relationship with God and they also kept the commandments and instructions of God and of God's prophets. They studied the Word of God and applied it to their situations.
When I hear people say that the grace of God is upon them, I ask how much of the Bible they have read. I do not have respect for church titles without evidence. I do not celebrate people who are church leaders but refuse to master the assignment in their hands even from the point of knowledge. If as an ordained minister you cannot sit down to learn under others, you won't last. The ordination would become a reproach because the man who is too proud to learn will fall suddenly.
There is no way a man can come to church only on Sundays and be a strong man in God. This way, you may be mighty in other areas but definitely not in the things of God. Break from everything that limits your knowledge of God because it reduces your strength daily. Sit down with the things of God like Bible studies, quiet time with God, fellowship attendance, evangelism and the likes. Every Bible Study fellowship you miss in 52 weeks of the year reduces the strength
of your destiny. Every time you refuse to sit down and do quiet time, you grow less in strength and risk the danger that the day brings your way. Gideon said, “God cannot be with me and this thing will happen”. In other words, when God is with a man, he is a winner.
In verse 13, Gideon made an observation about what Israel was going through and wondered where all the miracles were, about which their fathers told them. Gideon was making reference to events in the past that made Israel great and wished such could be repeated so that Israelites would triumph over the Medianites and regain their might. Gideon knew God's Word when he said their fathers told them about the miracles in Egypt on to Canaan. Because Gideon had the right and correct knowledge, the angel marked him down as the man needed for the assignment at hand. Gideon knew what God did before, which He could do again.
How much of God's Word have you stored in your spirit? Joshua was advised to hold onto the Word of God day and night and thereafter, he would experience good success. You should do same.

Prayer/Action
* Father, let me not carry a church title without evidence of God's grace upon me, in Jesus’ name.
* Ask God, by His Spirit, to prompt you always to study/read His Word, in the mighty name of Jesus.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Father, I acknowledge Your greatness in my life and I give You praise, ride on my back to do Your pleasure, in the name of Jesus.