Fruitful in all Seasons

Friday 12 January
READ: Genesis 21:  1 - 2           
MORE LESSON: Psalm 92: 12 -15

Abraham was a hundred years old and Sarah was ninety when they had their first child, Isaac. The birth of Isaac is a testimony that God can make one fruitful even in old age. We serve a God who is not limited by times and seasons. In fact, God lives outside the scope of time, so He is not subject to the law of time. In the natural, there is a time and a season for certain fruits and another time and season when they are not available. In the same vein, humanly speaking, there is an age of childbearing and a time when medically a woman passes the age of childbearing. The good news is that God is not bound by these laws.

God suspended the law of times and seasons and gave Abraham and Sarah a child when it looked like the season for it was gone. There is no seasonal limitation in fruitfulness when God is involved. This is the reason Psa. 92:12 – 14 says, The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing.

Those that are planted in the courts of the Lord will flourish in the courts of our God, so there is no limitation to their fruitfulness; they will be fruitful even in old age. The presence of God has a rejuvenating effect. Therefore even when some cells are dead due to the aging process, the Life that comes from God's presence will activate them. In the presence of God, there is no time, only endless eternity. Consequently, twenty years can be compressed into a day, for  with God one thousand years is a day with Him (Psa. 90: 4). So when men think you are too old to be productive, successful or fruitful, you are just starting your day of fruitfulness.

Abraham was called to destiny at the age of 75, at which age, other men have retired. But a man started the journey of destiny at seventy-five and still achieved generational greatness. Jesus Christ lived for thirty-three years only but no other person can come close to the greatness and impact that He made in His short life. Even  men that lived to be nearly a thousand years did not have the level of impact that Jesus made in three and a half years of ministry. Therefore, it is not about how young or old, it is about connecting to the God of all seasons. From today on, your greatness, success and fruitfulness will transcend seasons, in Jesus' mighty name.      

Prayer/Action
* Ask God to cause every seed that you sow to bring forth a hundredfold return.
* Declare that your loins/womb is blessed with fruitfulness.
* Prophesy that the devourer shall not eat up your seed in 2018.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER
In 2018, help and helpers will not be missing in my endeavours, in the name of Jesus.

Jesus in My Boat

Thursday 11 January
READ: Matthew 8:23-27    
MORE LESSON: Hebrews 4:12-16

Any man who embarks on the journey of life without Jesus in his boat has signed up to be sunk by the boisterous storms that may arise. The devil is always working tooth and nail to make sure he scuttles the assignment that God gives His children and that is why we cannot afford to sail on our own. To have Jesus in your boat means to have a personal relationship with Him. It is evident from our text above that despite the fact that the disciples had Jesus physically present in their boat, they were not relating with Him because He was fast asleep. Many of us are going through situations because they have stopped servicing their relationship with the Master. As a result, though He is in the boat, the boisterous storms of life threaten to sink them. Arise and awake the Master and watch Him bring a great calm to that storm, in Jesus’ name.

When the disciples went to wake up Jesus from sleep, He didn't need to start struggling to help them remove the water from the boat, He simply spoke the Word, Peace, be still. The Word is strong and powerful; apply His Word to any situation and you are sure that situation will definitely change. He spoke to the storm and the storm responded. He spoke to few pieces of fish and a few loaves of bread and they multiplied and fed thousands. Nothing, no matter how difficult, will refuse to respond at the name of Jesus. At His Word there is response; all situations respond to His Word.

When Jesus told His disciples that He would be leaving in John 14, they were scared about His going because with Jesus around they had no problems that were not fixed. He healed Peter's sick mother-in-law, He sent Peter to get money out of a fish. There was nothing He didn't provide, His presence was the answer to any situation. They were never scared or afraid while He was around. But then He was going away and they were sad. When Jesus leaves a man's life, that man needs to be sad. It doesn't matter the security around a man, if Jesus is outside that security, there is no safety; that man is in grave danger. That was what the disciples perceived. They knew that everything minus Jesus was zero.

There will be crisis when Jesus is outside a situation; any situation without Jesus is a hopeless one. Jesus is the guarantee of a glorious change. Jesus told the disciples not to be scared about His going but they were not convinced, so He gave them assurance that whatever they will ask the Father in His name will be done. Whatever the person of Jesus can do, His name can do also. You can confront death in the name of Jesus and it will yield because it is guaranteed. Is Jesus still in your boat?                                        
   
Prayer/Action
*Pray that you will sail through the journey of life successfully.
*Pray that you will not be igorant of the fact that Jesus is always with you in the journey of life.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER
I decree the sound of abundance of rain, glory, and celebration in 2018, in the name of Jesus.

Bought with a Price

Wednesday 10 January
READ: Revelation 5:1-10          
MORE LESSON: Romans 5:1-2        

God made a provision for the redemption of man, and at the initial stage it was like there was nobody that was ready to uncover and implement that plan. This was because whosoever was going to open it must implement it. One could not break the seal without accepting the responsibility to carry out the instruction in the seal and that was why everybody stood still when the announcement was made. Everyone knew that the seal contained the price that had to be paid for man to be reconciled to God, but they did not know how expensive it would be. However, one thing was sure; they knew that man fell and by the reason of the sin that man committed, God was set to release judgment on him. But whosoever was going to uncover the seal must be ready to participate in the price that would cost God to reconcile man to God.

They knew that sin was one of the most expensive things on the face of the earth. God will pardon anything but not sin except the price is paid. Today we enjoy the benefit of mercy; we enjoy the cleansing of our sins and we receive the benefit of our name written in the Book of life. It didn't come on a platter of gold; as a matter of fact, it was not cheap. We are bought with a price; a price as expensive as the Blood of the Only Begotten Son of the Father.

You must not allow the devil to harass you because you have been bought with a price. You are not a borrowed material; the price for your redemption was fully and dully paid. When next the devil troubles you, you've got to show him your receipt-the Blood of Jesus. The Blood of Jesus is the proof that we have been bought. Any attack of the devil against you or anything that belongs to you is illegal. You can stand on the authority of what Jesus obtained for you and resist him and he will flee. The challenge most of the time is that we are ignorant of what Jesus has done for us and the devil leverages on this ignorance to afflict us. No wonder the Bible calls him the 'ruler of darkness’. The devil only rules as long as you remain in the dark about what God has done for you. As soon as you turn on the light of the Word of God, you disarm him.

Knowledge is the price of freedom. The more of God you know, the more liberty you enjoy from all satanic bondage. Know the full price that was paid over your life and always flaunt the receipt at the devil. God does not owe the devil anything over your freedom; rise and take your place today.     

Prayer/Action
* Give God thanks for the price that He paid to redeem you.
* Declare that you will walk in the knowledge of the accomplished work of Christ.
* Pray that the light of the knowledge of God’s work of redemption will shine through you today.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER
2018, you shall not carry a covenant of sackcloth, ashes or shame for me, in the name of Jesus.     

Dangers of Ingratitude

Tuesday 9 January
READ: Psalm 100:1-5
MORE LESSON: Luke 17:12-19

God expects us to be grateful to Him. Every loving parent teaches their children to be appreciative of the support given them by all. Most times we claim we are grateful to God yet we do not show any sign of gratitude to our fellow man. But if we are not grateful to people who we can see, how can we be grateful to God who we cannot see? The Bible calls such a person a liar in I Jn. 4:20, If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar.... We must therefore learn to appreciate God and the people He uses to help us. We must also appreciate God even for yet unanswered prayers. We must give thanks for all things.

When we live a life of not appreciating what God does for us, we heap a lot of trouble on ourselves:
1.We lock the doors of blessing. Do you know that a single “thank you” can lead to another kindness? Psa. 100:4 says, Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise.... This means anyone who is not thankful at the gate cannot access the court. Our thanksgiving at the gate is our password to entering the court. The court is where God dwells, and everything we need or will ever need is found there. But ingratitude can hinder us from entering the court.

2.We activate anxiety in our lives. No wonder the Bible says in Phil 4:6, Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. We must present our requests to God with thanksgiving. Whenever we are not grateful for what God has done for us, the good things He has done diminish in our hearts and the things He is yet to do are magnified. This is a trick of the devil to make you feel that God is not faithful and therefore afflict you with anxiety. If you learn to see what God has done and thank Him for it while waiting patiently for Him to do others, you will save yourself  the trouble of anxiety.

3.We become short sighted. An ungrateful man is one who lacks the ability to see and appreciate the good done to him. So any man who chooses to be ungrateful will always only see what has not been done for him. We do this a lot of times. When we take a record of all that God has done for us against what He has not done, we will discover that what He has done is more than what He is yet to do. But when we complain, we sound as if God has not done anything for us. This is what ingratitude can do- make you short sighted.  

Prayer/Action
*Confess every act of ingratitude to God and men.
*Ask the Lord to give you grace to be grateful.
*Thank God for everything around your life.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Father, in 2018, make a way for me that even with closed eyes, I shall not miss my way, in the name of Jesus.