Enemy from the Rear

Friday 28 July
READ: 1 Sam. 30: 1 – 20
MORE LESSON: Psa. 18: 36 – 49

David and his men went out from their camp to battle in Ziklag. But before they came back, the Amalekites had invaded the land and took all their families and possessions. They were absent for 3 days and the enemy took advantage of their absence. The Amalekites were opportunists who took advantage of David's absence to wreak havoc on him. Every satanic invasion of your life and business that takes advantage of you will be utterly crushed, in Jesus’ name. Everyone that has taken advantage of you will be exploited by the Lord, He will turn the table on them, in Jesus’ name.
One of the most difficult battles to fight is the battle from the rear. It is difficult to win a battle you didn't prepare for as you never saw it coming. David went to war without leaving anyone to defend the rear. He left the house and the enemy invaded in His absence. This shows that even as we pursue things in life, we must learn to protect what the Lord has already given to us. Do not pursue gain to the detriment of what you have already gained.
David enquired of the Lord and the Lord told him to pursue the enemy and he would recover all. In dealing with the enemy from the rear, you need prayer and God's direction. It was as David pursued according to the Word of the Lord that he saw an Egyptian that lay on the ground about to die. They helped the man by giving him food and drink. David had his own trouble but when he saw another man that was in dire need, he put aside his own trouble and looked for a way to solve the man's problem. David was trying to help someone else but he didn't know that that was the key to dealing with his enemies. It is when you sow a seed of lifting to the person below you that you are lifted by those above you. After the man was restored, he led them to where the enemy was and David also attacked them from the rear. He caught them unawares just as they had earlier caught him unprepared.
In dealing with the enemies from the rear, you need prayers, the instruction of the Lord and the seed of kindness to others. For instance, an enemy in your office may hide your file, but some junior staff, whose life you have touched positively, see the file and bring it out. The enemy from the rear is watching you while you are not watching. So prayers, hearing God and sowing seeds of kindness to other people will be your defence. It is the people whose lives you have touched that will arise to fight your enemies even when you are not aware that a battle is taking place. Today, commit all your sides to God, both front and back, because except the Lord keeps the CCTV the watchman works in vain (Psa. 127:1).

Prayer/Action
* Declare that the Lord is your shield and defence, no enemy shall prevail against you, in the mighty name of Jesus.
* Cover your household with the blood of Jesus.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Father, standing on Your promises I sign up today for progress and unprecedented success, in the mighty name of Jesus.

Mr. Self II

Thursday 27 July
READ: Gal. 5: 19 - 24
MORE LESSON: 1 Cor. 13: 1 – 8

As I worked among students in my early days in ministry, I noticed that when you go to rooms where believers lived together, you would meet everywhere untidy and scattered, whereas some that kept a separate room had it tidy and clean. I began to wonder what was responsible for this. On pressing a bit further, I began to hear from those that stayed together, “I cleaned the room yesterday, he does not even arrange the shoes. Does he think I'm a fool?” Even though they were Christians, self began to take its toll on them.
When self enters the home, it brings troubles along. This is the reason you must make sure you give no room for selfishness in your life and home. One of the things that self introduces is anger. It makes you angry with the other person; you believe the other person is the problem. However, the problem is the self - seeking nature in you. This is because even when the person does wrong, if you are selfless and full of love, you will overlook the faults. Self brings bitterness and strife. You can't even smile at a fellow believer any more. It is self that makes a sister avoid speaking to another in the church because of ill feelings. Self brings envy and it is rooted in pride.
In the kingdom of sin, there is a kind of chain reaction that happens. No sin works alone; it is linked to other sins and drags them in wherever it is given opportunity. If you are angry with someone, you might become bitter about the person and so you begin to backbite or slander the victim. Before you know it you have hatred in your heart and then you behave badly towards the person that even you are surprised at yourself.
This is the reason why you must nip sin in the bud before the chain reaction starts. The way to do it is that whenever you see any manifestation of self that wants to suggest wrong to you about a person, quickly silence it by the love of God. When you don't even feel like loving the person because of something he/she has done, you have to make yourself walk in love. The love of God is the cure for selfishness. Let love find expression through you. Love both those that deserve and those that do not deserve to be loved. The Bible says that love covers a multitude of sins. So if you are walking in love towards someone and the other person takes you for a ride, you just keep walking in love. It is not because you are a fool; it is because you have crucified self. Do not let selfishness rule you, rather dominate self by God's love.

Prayer/Action
* Pray that the true Christian character will be seen in all that you do, in Jesus’ name.
* Ask God for grace to live a crucified life, in Jesus’ mighty name.
* Destroy the manifestation of flesh you have been battling with, in Jesus’ name.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER
As the Lord lives I shall not be a slave in destiny, I shall rise and not be beneath, in the mighty name of Jesus.

Mr. Self I

Wednesday 26 July
READ: Phil. 2: 3 – 12
MORE LESSON: Luke 12: 17 – 20

Selfishness is the source of all sins in a man's life. At the root of every sin is the desire to gratify self. Col 3: 9 says, Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds. Self is the 'old man' - the selfish nature that makes man to sin. When self is exalted in a man's life, he always thinks of himself above others and wants to be seen as number one. Self is that unregenerated part of a man that is unhappy when he sees another person with something better than what he has.
Selfishness is the root of all wrongdoing. Sin has its source in a man thinking of himself only without giving a thought to what the other person or God wants. This is the reason a man will take another man's property without giving thought to how the owner would feel. It is why a politician would embezzle billions of naria and use it for himself and his family while countless others are left in poverty and lack. That is why a man would leave his wife and children at home and be pursuing young girls. The man is only thinking of gratifying himself; he is not thinking of his wife or the children. Selfishness can be seen even in ministry when the desire to be seen as a powerful minister is what drives a man and not the desire to see people helped and God glorified.
The rich fool in Luke 12: 17 – 20 was so full of himself and didn't care about anyone else. In his monologue recorded in the Bible, he used the words 'I' and 'my' more than ten times without taking a thought for anyone else. It was because of selfishness that he was destroyed. Phil 2:3-4 says, Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. All works of the flesh (Gal 5: 19 - 21) are the manifestation of selfishness in a man's life.
So how do you get out of selfishness? Love is the solution. You should not think of yourself only, you must think about the well-being of others as well. You should not live for self only, you must love your neighbour as yourself. When you love God with all your heart and your neighbour as yourself, you will not do things that will hurt God or harm your neighbour. Thus you will stay away from sin.

Prayer/Action
* Declare that the old man is crucified in you and you will no longer live to gratify its desires, in the name of Jesus.
* Ask God to help you walk in true love towards all men, in Jesus’ name.
* Bind self in your life and release yourself to God's leading, in Jesus’ name.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Father, every covenant of terminal disease known and unknown to me, I terminate it over my life and family, in the mighty name of Jesus..

Godly Friends

Tuesday 25 July
READ: Prov. 18: 21-24
MORE LESSON: Dan. 2: 14 – 19

One of the secrets of success in life is having the right association. You must surround yourself with the right people if you want to go far in life. Among the people around you, your friends have a lot of influence over you. This is the reason having godly friends is not just for good companionship, it is one of the principles of success in life. Decisions are vital in the school of success, and your friends considerably influence your decisions.
As a child of God who is filled with the Spirit of God, you must develop friendship with people of same Spirit. They are the ones that can make the right contribution to your life. If you surround yourself with unbelievers, in the day of trouble, they will counsel you with the wisdom of the devil and sink you deeper in the quagmire of trouble. If you have friends that are filled with the Spirit of God, when you need help, they will speak words of God into your life and you will be lifted. To a large extent, your association determines your destiny.
Daniel had a problem because the king had instructed that all his wise men and counsellors be killed because they couldn't give him the answer to his puzzle. When they got to Daniel’s house to kill him, he begged them to give him time and quickly ran to meet his friends. He didn't start looking for godly friends that day; he had developed a viable relationship with them earlier. Don't think you can be hanging around with the wrong guys and then on the day of trouble, you look for emergency spiritual friends, it won't work. Daniel called his friends and they prayed all night. The mystery was revealed to them as they prayed and the Lord saved Daniel and his friends.
It is important to have the right friends, therefore be careful about your friends. Many times God uses your immediate companions to counsel you and satan uses your immediate companions to destroy you. Your friends are closer to you than everyone else and they are the first people to identify that you have a problem and they can influence you positively or negatively. Make good friends. Make friends with God's children in the house of God where all of you believe the same thing and are brought up to hold on to the same truths. You need godly friends in the journey of life.

Prayer/Action
* Ask God to surround you with godly people, in Jesus’ name.
* Ask God to deliver you from relationships that take you far from God.
* Pray that you will be a God sent companion to people around you in their time of need, in the mighty name of Jesus.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER
I command the forces of good news to show up for me and fill my day, in the mighty name of Jesus.