Enlargement

Saturday 27 January
READ: 2 Kings 6: 1-2    
MORE LESSON: Psalm 118: 5    

Enlargement is becoming more, doing more, going forward and expanding; enlargement is about advancement. For there to be enlargement, one must confront and overcome whatever stops one from going forward. Enlargement therefore is making all-round progress.  A good way of understanding the definition of something is to define its opposite.  To know what enlargement means therefore, we need to understand its opposite, that is, reduction. The opposite of being enlarged is to be reduced, which is to go backward, to suffer subtraction, to lose.

The key to enlargement is to refuse smallness and deal with it. In 2 Kings 6:1-2, ...the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, "See now, the place where we dwell with you is too small for us. Please, let us go to the Jordan, and let every man take a beam from there, and let us make there a place where we may dwell".... (NKJV). If you want to be big in life, you must keep dealing with smallness; rebuke it, reject it, plan against it, work against it. Don't dream small because smallness is a disadvantage. Job 36:16 says, Indeed He would have brought you out of dire distress, Into a broad place where there is no restraint; And what is set on your table would be full of richness (NJKJV). If you ask to partner with God for enlargement, He will bring you out of your present narrow place into a broad place where there is no restraint.

From Psa 66: 12 we know there is a place called the wealthy place, Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place. The wealthy place is the place of enlargement. The Living Bible calls it the place of great abundance. Where is the place? Locate where it is and go for it. The place where the sons of the prophets were staying was too small for them. They had a challenge and they faced it.

The first thing anybody, who wants enlargement, should know is that for there to be enlargement, there must be challenges. If you want enlargement in life you should prepare for confrontation and challenges. It is conquering challenges that brings enlargement. Even though the sons of the prophets were spiritual people, they were confronted by a natural problem. The challenge they had was smallness. The way they dealt with it was by taking the initiative to resolve the problem. The prophets were mighty people of prayer but they came up against little things that could mess them up if they did not advance beyond their challenges. This shows that it is not only spiritual steps that need to be taken but also natural steps for there to be enlargement. Today, the place where you are is too small for you, go and get a bigger place, in Jesus’ name.

Prayer/Action
* Ask the Lord to bring you to your wealthy place.
* Declare that you shall not be small in destiny.
* Ask God to bring to your way challenges that will provoke enlargement for you.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Father, the Creator and Owner of 2018, grant that mercy, help, advancement and unlimited joy flow to me this year, in the name of Jesus.

Back to Eden II

Friday 26 January
READ: Exodus 24: 1-11 
MORE LESSON: II Corinthians 12:1-4

God gives Eden experience to His loved ones. In today's text God fellowshipped with Moses and the elders of Israel in a unique way, And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness. And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink: Exo. 24:10-11. Wow! What beautiful experience, they saw God in his glory, fellowshipped with Him and ate with Him. May you have the Eden experience of seeing God in glory and partaking of the beauty of relating with God. Apostle Paul also had an Eden experience in II Cor. 12 where he was caught up to the third heavens into paradise, He saw and heard heavenly words which confirms again the realities of Eden, God's paradise prepared for His loved ones.

Satan robbed our first father of his Eden experience and even though the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus' death and resurrection has been paid to restore Eden to mankind, many children of God are still being robbed of their Eden experience. Don’t allow Satan to steal your Eden; step out of darkness and receive Jesus into your life. The following are other things to consider.
1. Avoid sin like a plague; sin robs men of their Eden experience. Keep away  from abominations or lies (Rev. 21:27). Also, repent of little foxes that spoil the vine; do not shrug them away saying that they do not matter.
2. Another thing is to consecrate your life to God in holy living.
3. Cultivate the worship lifestyle; God loves worship in spirit and truth. Worshipping Him whole-heartedly can give you the Eden experience while still here on earth.
4. Cultivate humility; remember Satan lost his Eden because of pride. Never allow arrogance towards man or God. Be conscious always that whatever you are or have is from God and is for God so never lift up your heart in pride.
5. Love God passionately. Let His love be your love and His hate be your hate. He delights to take those who love Him into His love garden.

He did it for Moses and the nobles of Israel; He also did it for Paul and He is ready to do it for you now and in eternity. Eden awaits all who follow Jesus and never lose faith to the end. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God: Rev. 2:7. You will get there in Jesus name!         

Prayer/Action
*Lord, thank You for loving me and desiring fellowship with me.
*I renounce all sins that steal the Eden experience from a man.
*I receive Eden as I step into this new day, in Jesus’ name.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Father, I prophesy against the enemies of joy in 2018, nothing they do shall stop my joy, in the mighty name of Jesus.  

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.