Forgive

Tuesday 1 August
READ: Eph. 4: 31 -32
MORE LESSON: Col. 3: 12 – 15

There are many people who carry offenses and bitterness around. A believer may be outwardly serving diligently and passionately and it looks as if everything is alright. However, God who searches the inward parts looks inside his heart and He is turned off. Unforgiveness turns God off a life and destiny. The reason many people do not experience miracles, lifting and breakthrough is because they abhor unforgiveness in their hearts. Until there is forgiveness, there is no answered prayer. Mark 11: 24 -25 says, Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. And when ye stand praying, forgive.... Scripture directly links answered prayers to forgiving people that have wronged us. Unforgiveness kills; many times people die suddenly and we start asking God questions. Men can only see the outside; only God sees the inside.
A lot of people carry subtle killers like unforgiveness, bitterness, pride and resentment on the inside and until its result materialises we may not know. This doesn't imply that everyone who dies suddenly carries such. The truth however is that many kill themselves and then people question God. Why give yourselves high blood pressure and mental problems because someone offended you? Unforgiveness is the reason many people do not experience break-throughs but only break-downs.
There are people in the Church who cannot speak to the person sitting next to them because of offence. Some hate others so badly that they don't look the direction of the person anymore. They are not free to look around; you can't be so offended by a person that you subject yourself to suffering. It is cheaper to forgive and live in peace and health.
In Matt. 5: 23 – 24, Jesus admonished that if you have anything to offer to God and you know that there is someone that you have offended or has offended you, go and make peace with the person before you present that offering. We must personally make the choice to go out to forgive and ask for forgiveness. Never find it difficult to apologise and ask for forgiveness. It is unavoidable to offend and be offended while relating with people; mutual forgiveness is the way out.
Living in unforgiveness is like swallowing poison; a person cannot drink poison and expect someone else to die in his stead. One can't carry bitterness, anger, unforgiveness and expect the object of his anger to be affected. We only affect ourselves with our unforgiveness;
the other person is bouncing around joyfully. This is why you should set yourself free and let it go by forgiving. Receive today the grace to forgive.

Prayer/Action
* Pray that unforgiveness, bitterness, pride and resentment will not have a hold over
you.
* Ask God to give you power to forgive and grant you the joy of forgiveness.
* Pray that offences from men will not make you sin against God.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER
God of Zion, Shepherd of Israel, thank You for the free gift of August, I give You my praise, in the name of Jesus.

The Interpreters

Monday 31 July
READ: Gen. 40: 1-22
MORE LESSON: 2 Pet. 3: 14 - 18

There is power in accessing God's revelations through people to whom He has committed His Word. There are people of God to whom He has given special understanding in certain areas, whose teachings are the solution to your present predicament. You might have prayed and read the Bible and you seem not to be getting the answer on your own but when you search carefully you will realise that God committed the answer to certain people and it is your responsibility to learn from them. God's servants are like interpreters that are rich in God’s Word and can help you understand and apply the Word to your present situation in simple and practical terms.
This is why it is very paramount to read good books by proven servants of God. Reading devotionals, listening to tapes and CDs of genuine men of God are ways of getting the Word of God through His servants. I have met some believers that think they have all knowledge; they don't consult books or messages, they don't write when others preach. They claim they can get everything they want direct from God and do not need intermediaries. Jesus is the only intermediary between God and man but there are interpreters that God has chosen for different areas of Christian life and special revelations are given to them.
It is analogous to the fact that everybody can read and even have a copy of the Constitution but lawyers are specially prepared to interpret the law and one may get into trouble if he is in court and insists that he does not want a lawyer because he can equally speak English. In fact, there are different lawyers with different specialties for different fields. You must learn to obtain God's counsel through the teachings of His servants.
In the more lesson of today, Peter who was a senior apostle testified about Apostle Paul that there were some special revelations and the wisdom that God had given to him and he advised others to receive revelation through Paul or else they would be damned if they twist scriptures. Maybe some of them felt that until God sent an angel personally to tell them about justification by faith, they would not agree with Paul telling them that justification is now by faith and not by the law anymore. However, God had already committed that gospel to Paul and He expected them to learn from him. It was either they listened to him or missed from God's agenda for the season.
Today, God's word to you is that as much as you personally stay to get revelations from God through His Word, you must not neglect the ministry of His servants to whom He has committed His word so that your blessing can be holistic.

Prayer/Action
* Give God thanks for the leader of your local assembly and for the revelations of God through him, in the mighty name of Jesus.
* Pray that he will remain a voice for God, relevant for all seasons, in Jesus’ name.
* Pray that the grace of God will also fall upon you for a great work, in Jesus’ name.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Father, as July draws to an end let them that trouble my soul be closed down with July, in the mighty name of Jesus.

Obtaining good Counsel

Sunday 30 July
READ: Prov .11: 14
MORE LESSON: Prov. 24: 6

It is important to get counsel before you take decisions in life. There are different ways of obtaining good counsel, but all the ways must ultimately point to God, who is the only good Counsellor. You can get good counsel through the Word of God, the voice of the Holy Spirit to you or through people that God has positioned to supply His counsel to you.
There are people that God has chosen as His representatives to counsel. It is not every believer that has developed themselves to the extent of obtaining God's counsel on every matter on their own. So while they gradually grow to the point where they can hear God clearly on every issue, the Lord has made provision of people who are more mature in the Body of Christ through whom they can obtain God's counsel. If you are a counsellor, know that you are God's representative; you should not just give people counsel based on what you think is a nice idea. You should hear God on behalf of the people. In fact there is nothing wrong if someone comes to you for counsel and you tell him to give you time to hear God on the matter. A good counsellor is not an alpha omega who always has all the answers, he is merely a representative and spokesman for God.
There was a time when the king of Babylon didn't know how to resolve an issue and he needed counsel; so they sought Daniel who had an excellent spirit. If a whole king needs counsellors, then there is no reason why any man should feel too big to obtain counsel from other people. There are people to whom God has given the answer to your question, you will save yourself a lot of troubles when you go and meet them. Even if you are also a counsellor; you need to know that a counselor also needs to be counselled sometimes. The truth is that so many believers are embarrassed to go for counselling because they think it shows that they do not know. On the other hand, it is the people that know who go for counselling – at least, they know that they need counsel. The one that doesn't go to be counselled is the one that doesn't know - he doesn't even know that he needs to be counselled.
In my years as a pastor, I found that most times in the church, when you check the people that come for counselling, the workers and leaders are not part of them. It leaves me wondering whether being a worker or a leader means that one knows everything. Even as pastors, we need counselling and we go to those that God has given a higher measure of grace to get it. There is safety and progress in getting good counsel. Pray for the grace to get good counsel.

Prayer/Action
* Ask God to fill you with the Spirit of counsel and might, in Jesus’ name.
* Pray that you will not lack good counsel at any point in life, in Jesus’ name.
* Pray that God will fill your leaders (spiritual and physical) with wisdom to direct you always, in Jesus’ mighty name.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Rock of Ages, my confidence and defence is in You, let me not be ashamed and let not my enemies triumph over me, in the mighty name of Jesus.

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.