Antidote to Anger I

Saturday 3 June
READ: James 1:19-27
MORE LESSON: Prov. 16:32

It is often said that anger is a thief of good moments. This is absolutely true because when we are angry nothing else seems to matter except gratifying the lust of that feeling. A lot of the wars and killings in our world today can be traced to someone's anger against another person. The human being is built with a little of this tendency but we all have different anger thresholds. Some people can suffer long before they get angry but others are easily provoked to anger by the slightest stirring. By and large, some degree of anger is important in protecting what is right. But when anger gets out of control, like wild fire it can cause more damage than was originally intended. When anger is out of control, one seems to lose discretion and right judgement. This kind of rage cannot produce the righteousness of God. James 1:20 says, For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
Fire is not evil because we need fire to cook and to keep warm in the cold amongst other things. But when fire is out of control, it is the most dangerous thing you have ever known. Anger, like a little flame of fire is not sin but can lead to sin if it is not put in check and appropriate control. The Word of God helps us channel our emotions in the right direction. Life would be more productive
for us if we channel the wrath of our anger from unedifying arguments and quarrels to the very works of the enemy in our society, family and our future. This is the kind of wrath that leads us to the place of deep intercession and warfare prayer until we can completely halt the activities of satan around us to a standstill.
Everybody can be angry about one thing or the other. In fact, God too shows anger; He is mad at the devil’s works in your life. So the real question is, What are you angry at? Is it your fellow brother that you have the power to forgive or like God, you hate what God hates and are angry at the devil too. I wish we can spend all our anger, wrath and indignation on the devil so when a person hurts us, we'll have no anger left to unleash on them except to love them. One sure antidote to anger is letting the Word of God dominate your heart. It will channel all your emotions rightly; it will teach you when to speak and when to be silent, when to say sorry and when to say, ‘thank you’. Remember the word of King Solomon, Control your temper, for anger labels you a fool: Eccl. 7:9 (NLT).

Prayer/Action
* Repent of every display of anger you have manifested lately.
* Forgive everyone that has offended you and pray for them.
* Pray that God will deliver you from every spirit of anger, in Jesus’ name.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Every demonic power programmed to make me lose good things this month, catch fire, in the name of Jesus.

He is All You Need

Friday 2 June
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 and 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 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 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 living—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) and Jesus says He is the water of life. Jesus chose 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. The exciting thing about this however is that, if you give God the priority in your life, every other thing that people labour for will come to you almost effortlessly. When we make God our priority He makes us His own priority too, and gives us free what others are dying for.

Prayer/Action
* Bind everything that causes anxiety in your life.
* Vow to make God your priority all the days of your life.
* Ask God to bless you beyond your efforts, in Jesus’ name.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Recognition, honour, and acceptance will follow me throughout this month, in the name of Jesus.

The Person of the Holy Spirit

Thursday 1 June
READ: John 14:16
MORE LESSONS: Acts 19:1-7

So much is said, debated and argued about the Holy Spirit these days in discussion blogs, articles, religious seminars, local assemblies and Christian inter-denominational meetings. It is a rather sad thing to note that throughout Church history, the major doctrinal divide that pulled the Body of Christ apart stemmed from arguments about the ministry of the Holy Spirit, His gifts, His manifestations and function in the Church. We can talk all we want but until we experience the Holy Spirit for ourselves, we can only discuss our opinions and we will never be able to capture the truth about Him.
It is not opinions, but only the Truth that can make us free. I believe that the first real discovery which will set us in motion on our way to the truth about this precious Spirit of God is the realisation that beyond the gentle fresh wind blowing on goose bumps and more than the bright and cloven tongues of fire, transcending the white little dove; the Holy Spirit is a person. He has a face. He is real! He can be felt. He can speak, hear and can be grieved. The Holy Spirit has a great sense of humour. Those who have personal experiences with Him know that He is the best friend anybody can have. Even when you are alone, with the Holy Spirit in you, you are never lonely. Many people find it easier to reckon with God the Father and God the Son as persons but when it comes to God the Holy Spirit, they just think He is merely a force or current of wind, a fume of white smoke rising to the clouds, or another explanation for mysterious things. This is the reason why many never get it right and end up in vain arguments or apostasy; they want to know about 'it' instead of seeking to know Him.
Jesus reveals Him as a person in our text ...that He may abide with you forever. He wants to be your consuming passion. He wants to invigorate you with power to walk in your destiny fulfilment. He is the Spirit of Jesus sent to enable us do greater works than Jesus did. No one born of a woman can love like God except by Him-the Holy Spirit (Rom. 5:5). One with the Holy Ghost is majority. Say, ‘YES’ to the Holy Ghost and never walk alone.

Prayers/action
* Ask God to reveal the Holy Spirit to you afresh, in the name of Jesus.
* Ask the Holy Spirit to forgive you for neglecting Him for so long, in Jesus’ name.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Father, Son and Holy Ghost, thank You for being at work in me to the extent of seeing the sixth month, glory to Your name, in the name of Jesus.

The Purpose of the Holy Spirit

Wednesday 31 May
READ: John 14:26
MORE LESSONS: John 14:12-17

Whatever God does is on purpose and for a purpose. God is only motivated by the counsel of His will. He is extravagant enough to create billions of galaxies and satellite bodies to illuminate one tiny planet called earth but He is also detailed enough to number the bio-strands growing out of the pores on your skin and mark them off when they fall. Our God does nothing without a designated purpose. The first time we felt the Holy Spirit was when He made man out of the dust of the earth and breathe into him the breathe of life - from the original rendering 'pneuma' meaning wind, force or the Spirit. It was after the dusty man received God's Spirit that he began to walk and talk, and exercise dominion over nature just as God originally intended.
The Holy Spirit is the essence of God in you enabling you to walk in His power and do His will. In every day life, when we use the word 'spirit', we often mean the essence, the behaviour or the character. For example, even if you go to the ends of the earth when you enter a Nigerian home, you just know it because of the Nigerian spirit - its warmth and hospitality. That’s the same work the Holy Spirit has come to do in the believer's life; He reproduces the very essence , power and character of God in you. Jesus, speaking in our text, emphasizes that the Holy Spirit will bring to remembrance what we have forgotten and teach us what we do not know.
He is the connector of the past, present and future; nothing missing, nothing broken. All that is required to live in health and wealth, the Holy Spirit can teach us. He asked Adam to name all the animals without a single biology lecture or textbook because He is not the spirit of information, He is the Spirit of revelation. He is not a magician so He performs no tricks. Whatever He does is permanent. He is the Christian's proof producer. He is like a mighty man on a mission, sent in Jesus’ name, echoing the voice and authority of Jesus, and leading us daily in victory over satanic tricks and lies. Jesus didn't start His earthly ministry without the fullness of the Holy Spirit nor did He end saying it is finished until He had given up the Holy Ghost.
Simply put, the Holy Ghost is a compulsory companion to all who will be leading lights in this present darkness. It is not enough to know Jesus as Lord; it’s time to experience the Holy Spirit as Comforter, Teacher, Powerhouse, and Friend. The Holy Spirit experience is heaven on earth. Find and fulfil your purpose today. Get the Holy Ghost.

Prayer/Action
* Worship the Holy Spirit right now.
* Ask God for grace to be more intimate with the Holy Spirit.
* Ask God for grace to be very conscious of the Holy Spirit's presence today, in the mighty name of Jesus.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
No evil eye, hand, thought, imagination, or mouth is permitted any more over my destiny, I shall walk in victory, in the name of Jesus.