Because You are Blessed II

Monday 14 August
READ: Gen. 39: 7-21
MORE LESSON: Psa. 105:17- 22

Righteous men go through difficult times and they wonder 'why me?' At such times people might even point at what sin they must have committed. However, it is possible that the adversity is not because of sin but because the blessing of God is on your life.
Joseph was the well-favoured and highly blessed child of Jacob. However, from childhood, it was always the story of one trouble or the other for him. He escaped death narrowly from the hands of his brothers only because they decided at the last minute that they were better off making money from selling him than killing him. He landed as a slave in Potiphar's house and God's blessing began to find expression on his life so much that his master noticed that his household was blessed because of Joseph's presence. All of a sudden, his master's wife lied against him because he refused to compromise his righteousness. Thus Joseph landed in prison.
In all these seeming calamities, there is a testimony that was constant about Joseph. From his father's house through the house of slavery to the prison, the Bible says ...the LORD was with him, and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper: Gen 39:23. Therefore all the adversity and difficulties were not because the Lord had forsaken him, rather it was because the Lord was with him. He passed through difficulties because he was blessed, not because he was cursed.
You would notice that in spite of the difficulties, he prospered. Everything he laid his hands upon prospered despite all the opposition. This is the evidence that God was with him and was working out something in his life. The Lord will not leave you without a memorial of His blessing. If you look diligently, you will see evidence that you are blessed in spite of the challenges.
Joseph was thrown into prison because he was blessed. In the prison, he prospered and was in charge of fellow prisoners. It was through his prison experience that he met the person that mentioned his name to Pharaoh. In one night, Joseph moved from the prison to become the prime minister.
Anyone who saw Joseph as prime minister of Egypt would exclaim that he was such a fortunate and blessed young man. But they wouldn't know what he went through to get to the place of blessing. He didn't start becoming blessed on the throne of Egypt. He was blessed all along in the pit, prison and as a slave. I want you to know that you are blessed in spite of your situation and it will soon be obvious for all to see. What you are going through may not be pleasant but it is because you are blessed. So refuse to be distracted, don't concentrate on the pains and the questions, just keep a close walk with God in all situations and your sweat will turn to sweetness.

Prayer/Action
* Pray that in all you go through in life, the presence of the Lord will not leave you.
* Pray that you will be conscious of the abiding presence of God all your days.
* Declare that you are too blessed to be cursed, in Jesus’ mighty name.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Father, I receive grace and favour for unusual preference wherever I have a request this month, in the name of Jesus.

Because You are Blessed I

Sunday 13 August
READ: Gen. 39: 21 - 23
MORE LESSON: Gen. 49: 22 – 26

Joseph was a blessed man but the story of his blessing is a rare case. He was blessed but he passed through very difficult situations that made it look like he wasn't blessed. In actual sense, it was the outworking of the blessing upon his life that made him pass through those adverse situations in life. The good thing about Joseph is that he maintained a good attitude through it all. He understood that the reason he was persecuted was because he was blessed and not because he was cursed. Many times you pass through difficulties not because you are not blessed but because you are blessed.

Joseph had lost his mother as a small child and his brothers were jealous of him because his father loved him. Right from childhood, he knew adversity. The brothers tried to kill him and eventually sold him to human traffickers. Looking at his life on the surface, one would think that he is a child who had ill-luck. On the other hand, all the things he went through were all because he was the one that the Lord had chosen to be blessed more than his brethren. All the difficulties you are going through could be because you are blessed.
Joseph was sold as a slave to Egypt but, in the house of his slave master, the Bible records, And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian: Gen 39:2. Can you imagine a slave being called prosperous? that was Joseph for you. He was a slave but he was prosperous. In fact, it was the blessing upon his life that made his master to prosper. Joseph was doing well until the wife of his master started to entice him to commit adultery with her. He refused and persecution started again. He eventually ended up in the prison. Why? Because he was blessed! The blessing on Joseph's life was so obvious the woman wanted him to sleep with her. The woman would have partnered with the devil to corrupt and destroy the blessing on Joseph's life.
This is a lesson for all; Joseph was blessed but he needed righteousness to sustain the blessing because the Lord will not be with a sinner. The prosperity of the Lord belongs to the righteous. Joseph passed through a lot of hardship and persecution both of which were an outworking of the blessing upon his life. If it was someone else, he would have become bitter and started complaining, 'Why are all these happening to only me?' However Joseph maintained a right attitude from the pit to slavery and from slavery to the prison till he finally got to the throne. So all that he passed through was because he had a blessing upon his life that was on its way to happen. He ran the race with patience, godliness and commitment to his God-given dream and he made it to the throne. The pathway to the throne can be thorny but the godly will not turn back.

Prayer/Action
* Give God thanks for choosing you for the blessing, in Jesus’ name.
* Pray that the blessing of God in your life shall be sustained and nothing will rob you of it, in Jesus’ name.
* Prophesy that all adversity is working for your good, in Jesus’ name.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER
By the efficacy of the blood of Jesus, no litigation against me and my family in hell shall stand; I declare them null and void today, in the name of Jesus.

Vainglory

Saturday 12 August
READ: Phil. 2: 3
MORE LESSON: Matt. 5: 13-16

When men seek self glory it is vain. Vainglory is the glory that a man seeks for himself without allowing God to bestow it on him, ...so for men to search their own glory is not glory: Prov. 25:27. It is when a man does things to be seen and praised by men. Whatever you do to get praise for yourself will not attract the praise of God. If you seek your own glory, you will not see the glory of God on your life.
There are people who give money in church and they are offended because the pastor did not announce, “we thank God for Brother X who the Lord used to meet this need”. The pastor is in trouble if he acknowledges and praises the input of many in the church anonymously. The question is, 'Are they doing it for man or for God?' If you are doing it for God, then you don't need the praise of man. Do not let men give you all the reward you will get because they have praised and blown your trumpet; rather let God who sees in the secret reward you openly. Some brethren even complain, “Our church shows no appreciation, you come for meetings, contribute to the work and serve in the workforce and no one even says thank you.” Are you doing it to be thanked by men or to be rewarded by God?
Gal. 5:26 says, Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. Vain glory stems from pride of life; it is when self wants to be seen and praised. Pride is a terrible destroyer as demostrated in the fall of Lucifer from Heaven to hell to become the devil. He was a beautiful angel who said in his heart that as attractive as he was, he was not getting due attention because God was always the subject of attraction. So he wanted to be seen and praised as well and he thought the best way to do it was to exalt himself above God so that all the attention that God got would come to him. Consequently he was cast down to hell. Pride always precedes a fall and vain glory will always lead to loss of God's glory.
If you want to amount to anything great in the hands of God, pride and vain glory must be cast out of your life. You must learn to do everything to the glory of God. This is not to say good deeds should not be appreciated in church or anywhere but that appreciation should not be the motive and purpose of doing anything for God, so that if you are praised give glory to God who enabled you to do what is praised and if not there should be no offence, all must be to the praise of God. Showmanship has no eternal reward, only a clap is its reward. All things should be done that God be praised, not us; that is the will of God.

Prayer/Action
* Pray that your service shall not be to seek vain glory nor the praise of men, in Jesus’ name.
* Pray that you will not miss the reward for your services in God’s vineyard.
* Ask for grace to be spiritually minded in your spiritual service, in Jesus’ name.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Father, the mercy You have shown me shall be extended to all my family members, none shall see death before seeing You, in the name of Jesus.

The Offering of Cain

Friday 11 August
READ: Gen 4: 3 – 15
MORE LESSON: Heb. 11: 4

Cain and Abel were brothers; born of the same parents. They both offered sacrifices to God. The offering of Abel was accepted while that of Cain was rejected. When Cain's offering was rejected, he became very angry. If God rejects a man's offering, anger should not be the next thing; rather he should find out why his offering was not accepted and make amends. God even told Cain that he had a second chance to get it right and become accepted, If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? Gen 4:7 (NIV). However, like many people today, when Cain was corrected, he became angry and reacted against God instead of making amends.
Obviously Cain wanted to glorify himself by his offering and not to glorify God. If he really wanted to glorify God, he would have gone the extra mile to seek to know what God wanted when God rejected what he brought. It is when a man wants to glorify himself that he takes things personal when not approved. If you really sing to glorify God, why do you feel slighted that you are not chosen to lead a song? If you preach to glorify God, why do you get angry that the people didn't clap for you as much as they clapped for the other preacher in a meeting. A man who is out to glorify God with his offering is not after the praise of men.
Cain's offering was not accepted and so he was 'very wroth' (verse 5 KJV). 'Very wroth' is an advanced stage of anger. Cain was so angry that even God's attempt to pacify him was turned down, he refused God's warning and advice and he killed his brother. Cain became the first murderer in creation, and so he was damned.
Cain merely brought an offering to God but he ended up becoming damned for it. Men have brought offering to God and they lived because of it while some did and they died because of it. The difference is the heart; when a man brings offering to God, it must be brought on God's terms and to God's glory. It is when men want to offer to God on their own terms and to their own glory that they are destroyed for it. The offering of Cain is the offering done with a selfish intention. It is like the offering of a man who gives to church and thinks he has earned the right to start controlling the pastor. It is the service done to flaunt self and promote personal agenda rather than God's agenda. Today, you must pray to God to purify your heart and intention so that you may offer to God in righteousness (Mal. 3: 3).

Prayer/Action
* Pray that your life will be an offering of continual praise to God, in Jesus’ name.
* Pray that your offerings and sacrifices will be acceptable to God, in Jesus’ name.
* Ask that by the mercy of God you will know what He requires of you and walk in it, in Jesus’ name.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER
This month I shall not live in ill health, I shall not waste my resources on sickness, I shall prosper in my body even as my soul prospers, in the name of Jesus.