It is a Test

Monday 22 January
READ: Hebrews 11: 8 - 19     
MORE LESSON: Genesis 22: 1- 18 

The Lord promised Abraham that he would be the father of many nations. Abraham and Sarah left their native land in obedience to godly instructions and walked with God into the unknown. When they were called, they didn't have a child of their own and they had to wait on the Lord for twenty five years before they eventually got Isaac.  When the Lord spoke to Abraham one more time and asked him to lay down Isaac his only son, it was a sacrifice one too many.

Have you ever gotten to a point in your Christian walk where it looks like the cross you are asked to carry is too heavy and you do not have the strength for it? When God demanded for Isaac, there were many questions in Abraham's mind. Why Isaac and not Ishmael?  Why did You give me a son that You would take back? Abraham didn't have the answers to all his questions but he still obeyed. Abraham is called the father of faith because he obeyed God even when he didn't understand all the details.

Faith is obedience to the Word of God even when you don't know how He will work things out for you. Faith is when, like Jesus, you say, …Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done: Luke 22:42.
Abraham took Isaac to the mountain, tied him up and raised the knife but God quickly called out of heaven and told him that it was a test of faith which he had passed. Abraham got a promise of blessing that was sealed with an oath. God had something great in mind all the while he was making Abraham pass through the difficult road.

I want you to know that God has something great in mind for you no matter the situation you are going through today. You might have left all to serve God in the ministry and things seem as if they are not working. You have believed God's word for fruitfulness and the children are yet to come. You may have a calling of excellence over your life but right now you are struggling in your academics. You may even be serving God and there is no evidence of results in your own life.  I want you to know that God has a backup surprise for you. Just keep walking on in faith even if you do not know how He will come through for you. This phase is a test and when you pass the test of obedience and faith in the face of challenges, you will see God rise up and give you that which is beyond your wildest dreams and expectations. It is a test! 

Prayer/Action
* Give God thanks because He has you in mind in all you are going through.
* Pray that your present test and trail of your faith will end up in glorious testimony.
* Pray that you will not fail in the test of your faith.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Thank You Jesus for these 365 days of 2018, it's a gift from You, I shall be a victor and not a loser, in Jesus’ name.

Contending for your Destiny

Sunday 21 January
READ: Numbers 27:1-7            
MORE LESSON: Matthew 13:24-25    

There was a man in Abuja, Nigeria’s Federal Capital, who when the government came to demolish his house said, I built this house with my pension and it is everything I have at the age of seventy. I invested into this house. This is everything I have worked for all my life. If you want to demolish this, I'm not stopping you but I will stay inside; demolish me with the house so that after the demolition, I won't be around to feel the pain. The authorities had demolished several big houses but for this man's small house, they negotiated and paid him his money. He was also able to salvage some of the building materials, and was better off because he contended for his house.

The reason why the enemy is still   planting in your life is because your Christianity lacks the power of contention for ownership. You don't contend for what is yours which is the reason for the gradual encroachment into your destiny and you stand as a spectator saying, 'It is well.'  In fact, sometimes some believers say, 'May be it is the Lord's will'. But it is not the Lord's will for you as a human being to, for example, be swimming in your dream. You need to speak concerning that your business, and it will not collapse; whatever it takes- fasting, prayer or sacrifice. If you have to reduce the food you eat so that you can plunge back the profit into the business, or if it will take going back to learn from others, do everything you need to do. That is contending for ownership. Even when you hear testimonies of what is happening to other believers who accommodate oppression, insist that oppression is not okay with you.

Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints  Jude1:3.
When it comes to your matter declare: “I know who I am; I know what belongs to me, and I will not allow satanic encroachment one inch”. Don’t allow the enemy to plant trees in your life so that you will not end up looking for how to uproot them. In medicine, prevention is better than cure; dealing with mosquitoes is cheaper than  buy anti-malaria drugs.

Like the Zelophehad daughters, take your case before the Judge of all flesh and you will have as much inheritance as you deserve.              

Prayer/Action
*Ask the Lord to release His fire and thunder against forces contending with you.
*Insist in prayer that life will turn to you the good side, and lines shall fall for you in pleasant places.
*Declare your life, destiny and home a no go area for the devil.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER
I am a planting of the Lord; no man born of a woman shall be able to uproot me from the land of the living in 2018, in the name of Jesus.            

Faith and Patience

Saturday 20 January
READ: Hebrews 6:12-15     
MORE LESSON: James 1:2-4         

The dictionary defines patience as the ability to endure waiting, delay, or provocation without becoming annoyed or upset. It is the ability to persevere calmly when faced with difficulties. Patience is part of the fruit of the Spirit as listed in Gal. 5: 22. Another word used in the Scripture for patience is longsuffering; so patience means to be long spirited, that is, being able to forebear. The word also connotes  being cheerful or hopeful in forbearance and endurance. Patience is endurance that is characterised by cheerfulness during the period of waiting or in the face of difficulties. Faith is the requirement for accessing salvation and other things from God; so every believer has a measure of faith, at least, sufficient to get him saved.

Many believers know that with faith we can possess what we want but their understanding of faith is incomplete.  Patience is what completes faith. The proof that you believe God is that you wait for Him, . . . he that believeth shall not make haste. Isa 28:16. Nowadays, people say if it is truly faith, then it must happen right now. But Scripture makes us to understand that, Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing: James 1:3-4.
Patience is a test of faith. How long you are willing to wait shows how much you believe. When God gives a promise and it has not materialised, the person who has no faith will quickly go out and explore alternatives. However, the man of faith will keep waiting on God because he knows that God will unfailingly come around for him.
Searching through scriptures, you will discover that the words 'faith' and 'patience' appear together most of the time because faith without patience is incomplete. Abraham, the hero of faith, was also renowned for his patience as he waited on God for years till God fulfilled the promise made to him, And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise: Heb 6:15.
Henceforth as you hold forth strongly in the patience of faith, I assure you that your fruitfulness will appear to all men, in Jesus’ name.              

Prayer/Action
* Pray that the virtue of patience will not be lacking in your life.
* Pray that patience will work the perfection of your faith.
* Receive grace to wait and hope for all He has promised.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER
My Father and my God, Thou that rules in all things, rule my year 2018, I surrender it to You, in the name of Jesus.

Faith and Love

Friday 19 January
READ: Galatians 5:6  
MORE LESSON: I Corinthians  13:1-8  

The main text today makes us to understand that faith works by love. You must walk in love toward God and  men if you want to have a productive faith life. It is easy to believe and trust someone that you love because Love Beareth all things, BELIEVETH all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things: 1 Cor 13:7. The reason many find it difficult to have faith in God is because they do not love Him with all their heart. So they are always looking for alternative solutions to their problems because they are not ready to wait on Him. They do not spend enough time with Him and so do not know Him well enough how not to doubt Him. When a man has no deep rooted knowledge of God, doubt and unbelief are natural to such a man, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment: Matt 22: 37-38. Today, remove everything that takes your heart, love and attention from God and you will see your faith soar.

And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: Matt 22:39. When a man is filled with unforgiveness, hatred, bitterness, resentment and lack of care for others, no matter how many scriptures he knows, and he can't be a man of faith. If you are exercising faith only for things to consume on yourself, you will keep 'faithing' and nothing will happen. If your motivation for whatever you are believing God for is to help others, expand the Kingdom and show God's love to people, you will get what you want, And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love: 1 Cor. 13:13 (NIV). If faith won't work without love, then love is greater than faith. Faith moves God's hand but love moves God's heart. With sincere love for God and people, you can be a man after God's heart, And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him: 1Jn 4:16. God is love. Whosoever has the fullness of love has the fullness of God, And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God: Eph 3:19.

As you make the Agape love of God your pursuit in life, faith ceases to elude you and you become a blessing to everyone around you. I pray that from today, you will grow more and more in love for God and show God's holy love to people around you, in Jesus’ name.    

Prayer/Action
* Ask God to help you to walk in love toward Him and all men.
* Pray against things that work against your faith.
* Ask God to help you to pursue love as you pursue faith.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Thou force that rules 2018, thou power of divinity, advance me all-round this year, in the name of Jesus.