Deeper with God

Saturday 8 April
READ: Ezek. 1:1-10
MORE LESSON: Psa. 27:4-12

Everyone desires open heaven in life; no one wants dryness, dullness or fruitlessness, yet there is no open heaven without taking steps to go further with God. Consider the testimonies that David recorded in Psa. 27: 1-3, The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.
All these testimonies are anchored on verse 4 of Psa. 27, One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life…. The blessings and experiences that are got in God are proportional to your consistent walk with the Lord. Several people see others enjoy open heaven, clear vision and progressive accomplishments and wonder why they do not have similar progress, they question the faithfulness of God. What God gives one, He is willing to give the others but there is a path to it. A person, who spends endless hours watching telly without control, does not restrain his eating habits to allow deliberate times to fellowship and commune with God in prayer, cannot enjoy open heaven.
So how can one have open heaven that leads to great visions of God and subsequently to great fulfilment? The principles of God are ever the same, do the following:
1) Create time to cultivate your relationship with God by personal fellowship and communion. Quiet time before the Lord must never become a tradition or be perfunctory. Some people's quiet time is one way, only speaking and no listening. As you worship God and speak to Him, allow Him also to speak back to you.
2)Take time with the Word of God to read it often, meditate upon it, fellowship with the Word, confess and believe it. Do not relegate the Bible only to the times you take it to church.
3) Cultivate listening to your spirit taking the instructions of the Holy Spirit by acknowledging His presence daily and allowing His guidance in your daily walk and work.
4) Love the house of the Lord as the psalmist said above, both for service and worship.
5) Choose to obey God rather than men even when you are said to be foolish. All these patterns, when conscientiously cultivated, will open the heaven upon you and like the prophet in today's reading you will see visions of God and enter the supernatural.

Prayer/Action
* I receive fresh grace for sweet times of fellowship with the Lord, in Jesus’ name.
* My heaven will not be shut, in Jesus’ name.
**Deliberately write your day of special appointment with God that no one will make you shift, alter or break, consciously observe it.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Today I release the power of life and good living into my destiny, in the name of Jesus.

You are Special

Friday 7 April
READ: Gen.1:27-31
MORE LESSON: Psa.82:6

God's works daily declare God’s glory, The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork: Psa. 19:1. Among all of God's creation none shares the image of God except man, I have said, ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High: Psa. 82:6. God in His infinite wisdom chose to make you and I the high point of His creation, the only one made just like Him; that is why you must be careful what you say about yourself.
Some abuse parts of their body and say negative things about themselves. Repent of all such today, you are special to God and He made you in His image. You have nose because God has one, eyes because He has eyes. What a glory to be made in the image of God. Rather take the stance of David the psalmist, I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well: Psa.139:14. Does your soul recognise this fact? Start praising God for how you are made, your physical features, temperament and talents. You are uniquely packaged as you. Accept your unique colour, height, voice, gifts and calling. Cease to compare yourself to others. Learn good attributes and attitude from others but accept who you are. It's being echoed to you this glorious day that you are special.
The biblical value of how special you are does not just end with being made in God's image. You are of great worth and value to God. The simplest way to know the worth of something to someone is by how much that person is willing to pay for that thing. God was willing to pay the greatest price with His Son's life to redeem mankind from the penalty of sin. Would God have paid that great price for a nobody? No; you are special.
Know this today that even if you are not sure of the love of any other, God loves you. Jer.31:3 says, ...Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. He loves you so much and paid the price for you to become a member of His family. Accept His love today by receiving the Lord Jesus into your heart and surrender all that you are to Him. If you are already a member of His family, appreciate God for all He did and is still doing to ensure your special place in His kingdom is kept. Walk tall today because you are the son of the Most High. Do not let anyone nor any situation put you down; even when you fail, rise again because God your Father is at hand to help you.

Prayer/Action
* Lord, thank You for making me special and unique in Your own image and likeness, in Jesus’ name.
* Hence forth I will walk as the child of the Most High, never bowing my head in shame because I know that I am special.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
There is a breaking forth into new grounds for me this new month and satan cannot stop it, in the name of Jesus.

Temple of God

Thursday 6 April
READ: I Cor.6:13-20
MORE LESSON: I Cor.3:16-17

Man makes great presumptions about the issues of possession. Many times man does not think deeply about the issue of divine ownership. This attitude is common with the issue of man’s body. Several say, “ It is my body, I can do what I want to it, put what I want on it, go where I like with it and use whatever I want on it; after all it is my body”. This is a great contrast to what today's texts tell us about the body, Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body. Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot?.... know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's: I Cor.6:13b,15,19-20.
This is the declaration of God concerning our body, which calls for carefulness, especially as God warned, If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple you are: I Cor. 3:17. An attempt to destroy the body leads to judgment and destruction by God. This also implies an automatic curse upon evil spirits sent to destroy your body by demonic illness and affliction. This morning I decree the judgment of God by fire on anything that attempts to destroy your body, in Jesus’ name.
What do I do to keep this body holy for God?: (1.) I must glorify God with my body, that is, use the body to do things that please God, that bring glory to God whether by sight, hearing, perceiving, eating or acting. Things that please God that I must use my body for include singing to Him, praises, prayers, testifying of His works, evangelism, godly visits, working in God's house and doing good (Acts 10:38).Check yourself daily, do you glorify God with the things you do with your body? (2.) I must not allow the body to break down through carelessness or presumptuousness in what I eat, wear, touch or handle. I must play my part in the preservation of the temple of God by eating correctly, avoiding things that destroy the body such as alcohol, tobacco, excess sugar or salt and unhealthy foods; exercise, rest and disallow negative emotions that open doors for physical breakdown, especially through worry and anxiety.
Because the Lord is for your body, He is under self-imposed obligation to preserve His temple and He is able to keep whatever is committed into His hand with accurate precision. Commit your body to Him this morning and He will preserve it blameless to His second coming (I Thess. 5:23).

Prayer/Action
* Lord, I dedicate my body to You afresh as Your holy habitation, preserve it for me all the days of my life, in the mighty name of Jesus.
** Take a little moment to reflect on how you handle your body, discard habits that are destructive and make resolutions for health-preserving habits for your body.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Defeat or loss shall not be found in my life anymore, in the name of Jesus.

He gives Strength

Wednesday 5 April
READ: Acts 9:18
MORE LESSON: Isa. 40:29-31

Saul, who later became Paul the apostle, had an encounter with God. He was directed to God's servant, Ananias, so that he could be filled with the Holy Spirit, and that his eyes be opened. He had become blind as a result of the Light from above that appeared to him and was very weak because he had not eaten for three days. Acts 9: 19 says, ...when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus (NKJV). Just as food strengthens a man in the natural, what brings strength in a man's spirit is the Word of God. The Word of God is the meat of the spirit; it is the nourishment of the spirit. When a man constantly takes in the Word of God, he becomes strong. Similarly, it is the Word of God that opens your eyes and makes all blindness to give way. You need to eat the Word so that you may receive strength for each day of your life. According to Jer. 15: 16, Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts.
Psalm 29:11 says the Lord will give strength to His people. This is just as a parent wakes up in the morning and naturally thinks of what to put on the table for the children. Just as the mother wakes up early to get ready lunch packs for her children as they go to school each morning, so also the Lord daily serves His children with strength. The Bible says, the Lord will give strength unto his people, the Lord will bless his people with peace. The Lord blesses His people with peace. He serves them with strength on a daily basis, The Lord daily loads His people with benefits: Psa. 68: 19.
The Lord does not leave His people weak; one of the benefits He gives to His people is strength. This is the reason why whenever you notice weakness in your life, you must reject it because it is not the will of God. God desires that you will be strengthened daily. Whatever strength you desire, be it spiritual strength, physical strength, strength of wisdom, strength of the mind, strength of direction, the Lord will abundantly make it available to you, in Jesus’ name. He will replace every weakness of your life with His own strength, in the name of Jesus.

Prayer/Action
* Ask the Lord to make your point of weakness your point of strength.
* Ask that the power of God will swallow up your areas of weakness, in the mighty name of Jesus.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
As the sun does not struggle to shine and the day does not struggle to break, so is my destiny this year, it shall not struggle to advance, in the mighty name of Jesus.