Sacrificial Exchange

Saturday 29 July
READ: 2 Cor. 5: 15
MORE LESSON: Rom. 5: 6 - 8

Two identical twins were living together. The first was a rogue while the second was a child of God, who always implored his brother to accept Jesus but his preaching fell on deaf ears. The rascally brother continued in wanton living and revelry. One day, he ran home drunk and soaked in blood. He had fought at a party and mistakenly murdered someone. A crowd followed in pursuit as he hurriedly staggered home. He got home in the middle of the night and quickly locked the door behind him. The twin brother who was peacefully sleeping woke up as his brother dashed in and the police with a crowd banging at the door. He asked what the problem was and he cried as he narrated how a fight broke out at the party and he stabbed someone with a broken bottle. He never meant to kill the fellow but he did, and the whole lot of people and police were after him to arrest him for murder. He started begging the brother not to throw him out. By this time, the police were near breaking the door to come in and get him.
The brother looked sternly at the villain and knew that he would be sentenced to death for man slaughter. He further reasoned that he was born again and if he died, he would make Heaven but if his brother was killed, he would go straight to hell. So he took the blood stained clothe from his brother, put it on and stepped out before the police succeeded in breaking the door. He told his brother before he stepped out, 'I want to go and die in your place, promise that you will surrender your life to Jesus after I am gone'. Thus he surrendered himself to the police, who promtly arrested and charged him to court where he was declared guilty and was sentenced to death by execution.
This story depicts how Jesus died in our place so that we can escape eternal damnation in hell. He took our sins and was condemned to die even though He was innocent. The only thing He demands of us is to live for Him, having died for us. Jesus Christ took the judgement made for you so that you will not die but live. You have no right to live for yourself anymore; you should live for the One who died for you, I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. Gal. 2:20.

Prayer/Action
* Give thanks to God for giving Jesus as the sacrificial Lamb for you, in Jesus’ name.
* Tell Jesus you will not turn away from His love, in Jesus’ name.
* Declare to the Lord that you will spread the news to someone today.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER
I will trust in the Lord and He shall lead me in the path of righteousness all the days of my life, in the mighty name of Jesus.

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..