Vessels of Praise II

Tuesday 6 June
READ: Luke 8: 1-3
MORE LESSON: Luke 21: 1-4

We are considering being vessels of praise and today we will see things that a man can do that will make him become a vessel of praise unto Jehovah, And it came to pass afterward, that He went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: AND THE TWELVE WERE WITH HIM, And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance: Lk. 8:1-3. In this text, Jesus had twelve disciples who were with Him when He was preaching the good news. These disciples became vessels of praise simply by following Jesus around. Without these twelve, the gospel wouldn't later have gone abroad. So a man can become a vessel of praise by giving his life time for God’s service.
Certain women that Jesus healed were also mentioned for always ministering to Him. Some of those women’s names were mentioned, others were grouped as 'many others....', but they all ministered to Jesus. You can become a vessel of praise by taking note of what is lacking in the lives of ministers of God and taking out of your substance to meet their needs. When God blesses some believers they usually hide behind the pretext that,'There is nothing we can give to thank God enough', and they truly give nothing. That is not correct reasoning, As a vessel of praise you should give God what you have. The widow in the Bible gave two mites, it was the least but that was her all and the best. What is left after you have given to God is what determines the quality of what you have given and whether it can be called your best or not. A vessel of praise will never come empty before God; he will always bring Him his best.
Another widow was the old prophetess Anna who was serving God with fasting and prayer (Luke 2: 36-38). She was married for just seven years when she became a widow, probably without a child. But she stayed in the temple and worshipped God with fasting and prayer. She didn't give in to self-pity neither was she fasting for money, husband or children but rather she gave herself to worshipping God with fasting and prayer. That woman was a vessel of praise. With all the challenges you are facing in life, do you still worship God? This woman was an example of worship by fasting and prayer instead of fasting for needs. You can become a vessel of praise by creating time to fast and pray for God’s work and people. It is another form of worshipping God that brings praise to Him. I pray that you will be a great vessel of praise to God, in Jesus’ name.

Prayer/Action
* Ask God to endow you with the wisdom to know what to do to provoke blessings on you today, in Jesus’ name.
* Ask God to be merciful to you so that all your services will be acceptable.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Father, let the heaven of profits open over my life, business and marriage this month, in the name of Jesus.

Vessels of Praise I

Monday 5 June
READ: Lk. 11: 27-2
MORE LESSON: 2 Kgs. 7:1-10

A vessel of praise is one whose actions cause men to praise God. Jesus was a perfect example of a vessel of praise by His works and His words. In the main text, Jesus was teaching and doing miracles and a woman was so impressed that she could not but burst out saying, And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked. But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it: Luke 11:27-28. Jesus by His work caused praises to go forth.
There are also vessels of disgrace. When people repeatedly make negative statements to God and man because of your actions, you are a vessel of disgrace. Children who are well taught but living contrary to the teachings, and causing people to make negative remarks about their parents are vessels of disgrace. May you be a vessel of praise, in Jesus’ name.
You become a vessel of praise by providing solution to problems. If you solve problems anywhere you find yourself, even when not called upon, you will be remembered as a vessel of praise. Some people only cause problems anywhere they go making themselves so difficult to get along with. Such people will also be remembered for that. Being a vessel of praise or of disgrace in life is a choice. Everyone will be remembered for something. The good that a man does will speak for him while he is alive and even after he is dead. In the same way, there are those who will be remembered for the problems they cause.
Today, I urge you to make the choice to be a vessel of praise- be the reason why somebody is happy and praising God every day from today. There is a reward for being vessels of praise. The little boy whose lunch pack was used by Jesus to feed 5,000 people obviously had God’s reward and may be the owner of the 12 baskets left over. Paul says: and let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not: Gal. 6:9. It is wonderful to be a tool of blessing (Jn. 6:9-11). Everyone who has ever received a blessing from God owes God the debt of being a blessing to someone else, because we are blessed to be able to be a blessing.

Prayer/Action
* Ask God to make you a vessel of praise, in Jesus’ name.
* Ask the Lord to make you a blessing to someone today, in the name of Jesus.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
I command the fire of God to destroy every force of wastage and destruction operating in any area of my business and life endeavours, in the name of Jesus.

Antidote to Anger II

Sunday 4 June
READ: Eph. 4:24-32
MORE LESSON: Matt. 26:36-39; 27:46-50

Some people have inherited DNA traits that make it rather natural for them to get angry very quickly. Such people can trace a whole genealogy of the work of anger through the years past and are wondering how to disconnect from that blood line pattern. There is solution for you. Ever wondered how Jesus went through the pain and passion of Calvary without getting upset for a single second but rather prayed for those who whipped and humiliated Him and asked the Father to forgive them? That is too good to be true. If it were you or I , God knows how many times we would have rained fire from Heaven before we remember the cross. But you see, everything Jesus did was about creating models by which we could pattern our lives until we become just like Him.
The first thing Jesus did that kept Him stable throughout that gruesome moment of extreme pain and anguish was that the moment before at the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed. He openly told God the weakness of His flesh. He expressed Himself in sincerity (Matt. 26:41). The reason some of us cannot break out of funny habits is because we are not sincere with ourselves and God. The first person to talk to when next you get angry is not your grandmother; it is your Father in Heaven. It doesn't matter how deep the weakness has eaten you, when you pray and believe, miracles will happen.
The other thing Jesus did to overcome all the tendencies of the flesh during that great passion of the cross was that He kept His focus on the glory with the Father that was ahead of Him. The only thing that mattered to Him was the Father’s love. It was only once we saw Him cry out with a loud voice when the Father forsook Him for a moment. When we drink deep into the Father’s love, it is easy to extend love to others even when they do not deserve it. Anger just seems to vanish when love switches on. Its power and rage are neutralised when the reality of God's unfathomable love pulses through our veins. It is easy to smile at a storm when the love of the Father matters most to you. Nobody can just press your buttons anyhow and trigger you to anger because you have felt true love. When it comes to anger, find and figure out the reason why, and let God fix it for you. God is healing our hearts by His love. Let us receive His free gift today and always.

Prayer/Action
* Receive a fresh baptism of God's love to heal your heart of every grief.
* Ask God to strengthen your love for Him and humanity, in Jesus’ name.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Holy Ghost, terminate every near success syndrome targeted at my life and destiny, in the name of Jesus.

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.