Back to Eden I

Thursday 25 January
READ: Genesis 2:8-15
MORE LESSON: Ezekiel 28:11-15

Eden is the paradise of God and in Hebrew it means “pleasure”or “delight”. Paradise in Greek is “paradeisos” which means “the king's private reserve” or “a unique and delightful place”. Eden (paradise) is the place where God fellowships with His sinless sanctified beings. Satan dwelt in an Eden with great glory as described in today's reading; he had perfect wisdom and beauty. He was covered with shining jewels: sardius, topaz, diamond, beryl, onyx, Jasper, sapphire, emerald carbuncle and gold. That Eden had stones of fire and was a place of great worship/love zone of Jehovah and His holy angels. Satan was in charge of worship before he rebelled and lost Eden. Before he sinned, there was perfect spiritual harmony between the worlds created by God and heaven. His sinful rebellion affected the world then and the Eden created by God.

Eden is described as a place of delightful sights and sounds, enjoyable work and worship, physical and spiritual wholeness as well as a place of the presence of God and fellowship with God. Adam and Eve also had the privilege of living in this Eden. From the Pre-Adamic era to the post Adamic era, it is obvious that Eden is a place God created for His loved ones. Eden typifies glory, beauty, communion, fellowship, exposures to heavenly realms and glory including the worship of the Most High. Eden cannot be created by man; God is the custodian and Lord of Eden. It is His private reserve and resort; He chooses to enjoy it with His created beings starting with angelic beings (Ezek. 28:13), then man (Gen. 2:8) and all His hosts (Rev. 3:23-24). When Satan deceived man, Eden was locked against man in all its glory. Man was driven out of Eden both by sight, sounds and experiences.

Praise God, hope for the joy of Eden was restored when Jesus went through the garden of sorrow: Gethsemane, to restore mankind to the garden of joy, communion and glory: Eden (Mk.14:32; Mt.26:36). Even now the acceptance and followership of the Lord Jesus can take you back to Eden. No wonder when men get saved, they sing “Heaven came down and glory fills my soul. When on the cross my savior made me whole, my sins were washed away and my night was turned to day”.

To get back into the Eden experience, get into a love relationship with God again through the Lord Jesus Christ and the Eden experience will happen in your life!       

Prayer/Action
* Lord, thank You, for creating Eden for us, Your created beings.
* Father, restore Eden experiences back to my life, which I surrender afresh to Jesus.
* Let the joy, glory, beauty and fellowship of Eden return to my life now and continually, in Jesus’ name.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER
In 2018, the gospel shall be spread by prosperity through me, in the name of Jesus.    

Discover and Surrender

Wednesday 24 January
READ: Jeremiah 1: 4 – 12         
MORE LESSON: Jeremiah 29: 11

Your destiny is not for you to decide; it is for you to discover. You don't make your destiny happen; you partner with God to let it happen. If you try to work your destiny out by yourself, you will make a mess of it but when you surrender it to Jesus, God will bear you until you arrive at His desired destination for you. Jer 29:11 says, For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
The Lord called Jeremiah when he was very young as recorded in Jer. 1: 4 – 12. He obeyed and began to serve the Lord and this assurance came from the Lord that His plans for him were of good and great ending.

Similarly, if you follow God, He will make greater things out of your life than you can ever make on your own. When God calls a man into an assignment, he should obey no matter how bleak the future looks in the face of the assignment. Every man that follows God's call always ends well. Don't do another man's work in a bid to design something that looks good for yourself.  Do not go another man's direction because you feel that the chances of success are greater in that direction. Stay with God and discover His path for your life. When you have discovered it, lay yourself down in surrender.

There are two important things for destiny fulfilment. The first is discovery and the other is surrender. When you have heard and discovered what the Lord wants you to do with your destiny, you need to lay yourself on the altar of sacrificial obedience. It is after you have laid yourself down to obey that the Holy Spirit comes upon you to empower you to fulfil the assignment . It is only the Holy Spirit that can help a man fulfil his destiny, and the Spirit will only perfect what He initiated. This is why it is absolutely important to discover what the Holy Spirit wants you to do with your life before you start pursuing selfish paths and ambitions. The greatest gift you can enjoy in destiny is the partnership of the Holy Spirit. The infilling of the Holy Spirit is received by faith but the partnership of the Holy Spirit comes through a life of surrender.

Have you taken time to wait on God to discover His plan for your life? Have you surrendered to the Holy Spirit for Him to have His way in your destiny? Don't be like Jonah who tried to run away from God and drowned his destiny. Surrender to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to lead you safely to the land of destiny.    

Prayer/Action
* Ask God to make known to you who He wants you to be.
* Ask for grace to walk in God’s purpose for your life and to fulfil your destiny.
* Pray that as clay is in the hand of the potter God will mould you into His perfect will for your life.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER
2018, from start to finish, it's testimonies and thanksgivings to the glory of the Father, in Jesus' name.

Cast out the Culprit

Tuesday 23 January
READ: Jonaah 1: 1 – 17     
MORE LESSON: I Corinthians 15:33 

The Lord sent Jonah to go and preach His message in Nineveh but he ran off from God's assignment. He boarded a ship with merchants heading off to Tarshish.  In the middle  of the sea, pandemonium broke out as a very violent wind  raged against the ship and all  on board were about to be lost. It is dangerous to enter into the same ship with a man who has incurred the anger of God. As a leader, you need to ensure that all who are inside your 'leader-ship' follow God, so that no one will cause the whole ship to capsize. 

Jonah caused the storm which lasted for days. While the captain and all the other sailors were panicking and calling for help, Jonah was sleeping at the bunker. It was only after the captain, out of fear for his dear life, woke him up and interrogated him that they realized he was the culprit who put all of them in such trouble. They cast Jonah out of the ship and the storm subsided. Prov. 22:10 says, Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out; yea, strife and reproach shall cease. There are people and things that could make your destiny capsize. No matter how much you like such things, you need to cast them out. Cast out all the enemies of God within your life and around your vicinity, so that you can have peace like a river.  These enemies could be habits, desires, relationships or even people.

Jonah's sin was that he went contrary to God's assignment for his life. Anything or anyone who causes you to go against God's assignment for your destiny is not to be accommodated. Any relationship that jeopardizes God's assignment for your destiny is to be severed. Your assignment is more important than comfort and any emotional relationship. God is speaking to you today; do not jeopardize your assignment by wrong relationships.

Jonah was cast out, and after staying in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights, he repented and was able to go back to do God's assignment for his life. Therefore, it eventually happened to be to Jonah's advantage that he was cast out. There are people who it is only after they have been cast out of certain things and places that they will discover and fulfil God's assignment for their life. For example, a man may not discover his purpose and calling until he loses the job which got him so busy that he didn't even have time for God. A young lady, also, may never enter into her prophetic destiny until the wrong relationship she has with a man is shattered and her heart broken. I pray that God will not spare you of all He needs to do to you so that you will fulfil His divine purpose for your life, in Jesus name. 

Prayer/Action
* Pray that you will not company with men that will incur the anger of God.
* Pray that God will get you out of every relationship that will jeopardise your God’s ordained destiny.
* Pray that God’s mercy will not be taken away from you.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Only the counsel of the Lord shall stand in my life in 2018, in the name of Jesus.  

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.