The Voice of the Lord

Friday 8 June
READ: Genesis 3:1-19
MORE LESSON: Hebrews 3:12-15

As soon as man sinned, God came into the garden and He called him but there was no response. The way man used to run to welcome God into the garden was not the case anymore. Rather, he hid somewhere; he couldn't face God anymore. He was scared because he knew he had done something God told him not to do. So while still hiding, he answered and God asked why the man was hiding. Adam told God that he was hiding because he was naked. God knew immediately that man had eaten the fruit he asked him not to. When He inquired, the man told God that he was deceived by the woman, and the woman said she was deceived by the serpent. Thereafter, God released His punishment;
And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake…: Gen. 3: 17-19.
It was the man that sinned but when God began to announce the punishment upon man, he started with the earth. The pain of the sin that man committed did not start on the man; it started upon the ground. God cursed the ground. Before then, man didn't have to do anything to get food; the ground was naturally blessed. All that he needed in order to survive on the face of the earth was provided. However, after man fell, God pronounced judgement in verse 18, Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field. That meant the fertility of the earth was lost, and productivity of the good things that were supposed to come out of the ground was completely turned around. God said the earth would bring forth thorns and thistles; the earth was cursed for man's sake.
Anytime man stops obeying the voice of the Lord and begins to obey his voice or that of another man, he is creating problem for himself. Everything was working in perfect harmony until man declared his independence by choosing to listen to the voice of another creation. Then the whole of creation began to rebel against him. It is the voice of the Lord leading a man that makes all creation to be subject to him. Anytime you find yourself struggling concerning any situation, check it. It could be that you are no longer following the voice of the Lord but your voice or some other person's.

Prayer/Action
* Ask God to have mercy on you where you have disobeyed to His voice.
* Ask for grace to always walk in obedience to the voice of the Lord.
* Declare that the voice of Lord shall rule over any other rebellious voice.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER: He who kept me from January to June will keep me alive and well till the end and beyond, in the mighty name of Jesus.

Benefits of Forgiveness

Thursday 7 June
READ: I Samuel 24:1-22
MORE LESSON: Matthew 18:21-35

Forgiveness is a rare virtue and a word that is becoming very scarce in our world. There seems to be friction everywhere; parents not getting along with their children, and vice versa, employer against their employee, the list is endless. This has necessitated the need to learn the act of forgiveness because Luke 17:1 says, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come! If this is true, then we must also make forgiveness a part of our everyday life so that we can easily deal with offences as they come.
Forgiveness is not easy. Sometimes in a bid to forgive, there is this temptation to pay back but we must always resist such temptations. For instance, when Saul pursued David in the wilderness, intending to kill him, David got close to Saul while the King was asleep. He cut a piece of Saul's robe but his heart smote him because of what he had done. And he said to his men, ...The LORD forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the LORD's anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD. So David stayed his servants with these words, and suffered them not to rise against Saul. But Saul rose up out of the cave, and went on his way: I Sam. 24:6-7. Like most of us today, David was also tempted to repay Saul for all the evil he had done to him but David was more conscious of pleasing God rather than having his way. If all we seek is to please God, then forgiveness will become very easy for us. Though not easy, forgiveness has tremendous benefits which pay off both in the immediate and in the long run.
Benefits that David derived from forgiving Saul:
1. Saul was humbled before David and he wept. You can break the proud wings of your enemy by choosing to forgive them.
2. David's goodness and act of kindness became obvious to Saul and he could not but acknowledge it…thou art more righteous than I, for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil: I Sam. 24:17.
3. Saul became subject to David; he eventually accepted David as the one chosen to replace him and begged him not to cut off his seed after him or destroy his name out of his father's house.
Forgiveness will always win, it will always prevail and conquer, just like in the story of Joseph; it is like stooping to win. Choose the path of forgiveness for it is the pathway of godliness.

Prayer/Action
* Ask for grace to be able to forgive at all times.
* Pray that you will not be an instrument of offence but of peace.
* Pray that as you forgive men today God will heal your heart and give you all the benefits of forgiveness.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER: Satan, by the power of the Almighty God, I overthrow you this sixth month from every area of my life, in the name of Jesus.

Benefits of Forgiveness

Thursday 7 June
READ: I Samuel 24:1-22
MORE LESSON: Matthew 18:21-35

Forgiveness is a rare virtue and a word that is becoming very scarce in our world. There seems to be friction everywhere; parents not getting along with their children, and vice versa, employer against their employee, the list is endless. This has necessitated the need to learn the act of forgiveness because Luke 17:1 says, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come! If this is true, then we must also make forgiveness a part of our everyday life so that we can easily deal with offences as they come.
Forgiveness is not easy. Sometimes in a bid to forgive, there is this temptation to pay back but we must always resist such temptations. For instance, when Saul pursued David in the wilderness, intending to kill him, David got close to Saul while the King was asleep. He cut a piece of Saul's robe but his heart smote him because of what he had done. And he said to his men, ...The LORD forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the LORD's anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD. So David stayed his servants with these words, and suffered them not to rise against Saul. But Saul rose up out of the cave, and went on his way: I Sam. 24:6-7. Like most of us today, David was also tempted to repay Saul for all the evil he had done to him but David was more conscious of pleasing God rather than having his way. If all we seek is to please God, then forgiveness will become very easy for us. Though not easy, forgiveness has tremendous benefits which pay off both in the immediate and in the long run.
Benefits that David derived from forgiving Saul:
1. Saul was humbled before David and he wept. You can break the proud wings of your enemy by choosing to forgive them.
2. David's goodness and act of kindness became obvious to Saul and he could not but acknowledge it…thou art more righteous than I, for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil: I Sam. 24:17.
3. Saul became subject to David; he eventually accepted David as the one chosen to replace him and begged him not to cut off his seed after him or destroy his name out of his father's house.
Forgiveness will always win, it will always prevail and conquer, just like in the story of Joseph; it is like stooping to win. Choose the path of forgiveness for it is the pathway of godliness.

Prayer/Action
* Ask for grace to be able to forgive at all times.
* Pray that you will not be an instrument of offence but of peace.
* Pray that as you forgive men today God will heal your heart and give you all the benefits of forgiveness.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER: Satan, by the power of the Almighty God, I overthrow you this sixth month from every area of my life, in the name of Jesus.

When a Leader Sins II

Wednesday 6 June
READ: 1 Samuel 24:4-11
MORE LESSON: Romans 12:16-21

When a leader is being disciplined for the sin he has committed, he should take it in good faith rather than create enemies. God anointed David in Saul's stead and this made David become Saul's arch enemy. He started seeking every possible way to kill David. This didn't change anything; Saul only succeeded in making the matter worse. This is because fighting a man who God has chosen only means fighting God Himself. I have discovered that trying to cover one sin only leads to more, because you can only use sin to cover sin. Therefore, Saul was not just guilty of disobedience but he was also guilty of lying, hatred and suicide.
When a leader sins, it is in the place of his followers to forgive him, especially if they have been directly offended. In a bid to do this, most times there is the temptation to pay back but we must always resist such. For instance, when David met Saul, he moved and cut a piece of Saul's skirt but his heart smote him because of what he did. Like most of us today, David was also tempted to repay Saul for all the evil he did to him but David was more conscious of pleasing God rather than having his way. If all we seek is to please God, then forgiveness will become very easy for us.
Finally, when a leader sins, it is not given to the subordinates to discipline or ridicule him or even take vengeance. They must remember that the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. David had opportunity to kill Saul but he refused to lay his hand against the Lord's anointed.
And he said unto his men, The Lord forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the LORD's anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD. So David stayed his servants with these words, and suffered them not to rise against Saul. But Saul rose up out of the cave, and went on his way: 1 Sam. 24:6-7.
Though the Spirit of the Lord had left Saul, this didn't reduce David's respect for Saul. What loyalty! As subjects, we must remember that our leaders’ correction should come from God and we should not take laws into our hands when they offend us. We must resist the temptation to join unbelievers to ridicule God’s servants no matter what they could have done. Rather, we must pray for them and trust that the God who called them will help and lift them up.

Prayer/Action
* Pray that you will always be a source of strength and blessing to your leader.
* Pray that God’s mercy will raise up every fallen leader.
* Pray that God’s grace shall be sufficient for you as you lead.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER: All spiritual embargoes and altars of impossibility, your tenure has ended, collapse now, in the name of Jesus.