Mind your Success

STRENGTH FOR MY DAYS 
A Daily Devotional by Bishop David Bakare

Mind your Success

Tuesday, 20 August

 

And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved. Psalm 30:6

SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY: Psalm 30:6-12 And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved.

 7 LORD, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled.  8 I cried to thee, O LORD; and unto the LORD I made supplication.  9 What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?  10 Hear, O LORD, and have mercy upon me: LORD, be thou my helper.  11 Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;  12 To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.

 

MORE LESSON: 1 Corinthians 10:12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

 

The time for success is a very crucial time for a man to be careful. Anyone can be humble and seek God when he is in need. It is the time when things work fine that you need to be cautious so that you will not slip away from God. When a church has few people and growth is needed, a lot of fasting and prayer goes on; the congregation seeks God, 'Oh Lord enlarge our coast, multiply us, increase us, bring more workers, bring more pastors, the devil must be silenced etc.'' Then multiplication comes and you begin to have first, second and third services with overflows. The time when the congregation gets enlarged is the time to be careful. You can buy musical instruments without fasting; you can build structures just by announcing and asking people to put money together. This is the time you must watch your message and ensure you are still holding unto the principles and truths that God delivered to you. Increase in church means greater number of good and bad people. As more people come in, the devil also sends in fornicators, Jezebels, and moneybags who want to determine what you preach to them because they can pay for everything in church. At such times, you need grace to be careful and not let pride, men and the flesh lead you astray and destroy the foundation that you have laboured to build over years.

This is the same with a business man who fasted and prayed seeking for God's help and asking God to send increase, destiny helpers, favour, and to lock the devil up.

There is no problem with increase; you can be ambitious, hardworking and ask God for prosperity. But when the money reaches your hand, the god of this world tells you that making more money is more important than serving God or fellowshipping with Him. The time of success is the time to watch and pray more. Maybe you were always in church and belonged to several units when you were seeking for a life partner, now that you are married, you need to watch and pray lest you slip away from seeking God.

The psalmist, who sought God passionately, got to a place of success where he said to himself; and in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved: Psalm 30:6. Then trouble struck, but for God's mercy that located him and caused the mourning that he landed in to be turned to joy again and make his glory to sing one more time. Do not get to a point where, because God has blessed you, you say to yourself, 'No shaking anymore, we have arrived’, Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall: 1 Cor 10:12.

 

Prayer/Action

* Pray for the capacity that you will serve God when things are good and tough.

* Thank God for all that you have been going through.

* Pray against every success that will want to take the place of God in your life.

 

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER: This day, I break every jail, known and unknown to me, that has been speaking restrictions to my destiny, in the powerful name of Jesus.

Unthankfulness

  STRENGTH FOR MY DAYS 
A Daily Devotional by Bishop David Bakare

Unthankfulness

Monday, 19 August

 

For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy. 2 Timothy 3:2

SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY: 2 Timothy 3:1-5 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.  2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,  3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,  4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;  5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

 

MORE LESSON: Luke 17:11-18 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.  12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:  13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.  14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.  15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,  16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.  17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? 18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.

 

One of the signs of the end time is that people will be unthankful. Everybody will be claiming rights and they will see no reason to give thanks when things are given to them. Children will collect school fee and will not look back to say thank you. If they ever say 'thank you', it is as they pass by. If somebody has ever told you before that you are an ungrateful person, don't make light of it or defend yourself; just go on your knees to God and begin to fast and pray that God should rid you of that spirit. Unthankfulness is a demon of the end time. If it is influencing your life, please fight against it.

People are influenced by the demon of unthankfulness because they lack the ability to think deep. Those who can think deep will learn to be grateful. So if you want to live a thankful life; if you don't want that spirit of unthankfulness that is hovering around to rest upon you, learn to think deep. When you think deep, you will know that although you don't have enough money in your pocket today, some people have money in their pocket, they even stash it up in their houses, but money cannot solve their misery. And here you are, it's just that the money hasn't come; you still have all the health. Your colleagues must have bought the best cars in town and you are still trekking. If you can think deep, you will know that the matter is that you have not bought your own; it is not that you will never buy. There is a difference between 'have not bought' and 'will not buy'. When your own will come, your colleagues’ own will have become old model.

If you think deep you will learn to resist that thing that makes men to be ungrateful. There was a time in my life when I learnt to always say, “Thank you Jesus”, but I noticed that sometimes my words were changing to “help me Lord”. So I quickly found a way to adjust myself.

The message I want to leave with you this morning is that you should be thankful at all times. Even when you think there is a need to say, “Help me Lord” there are innumerable things to give thanks for. The way to live in the perilous time we are in is to learn to be thankful because there are a lot of things that can make you conclude that there are no reasons to thank God. It is ungodly to be unthankful. It is a grievous sin against God and it shuts the door of another day. Say, thank You Jesus now, and always be thankful.

 

Prayer/Action

* Thank God for the gift of life today.

* Pray against every spirit of unthankfulness.

* Declare that as from today nothing will hinder you from been thankful to God.

 

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER: The Lord shall bruise the head of the serpent under my feet today, in the matchless name of Jesus.

Learn to Appreciate

 STRENGTH FOR MY DAYS 
A Daily Devotional by Bishop David Bakare

 Learn to Appreciate

Sunday, 18 August

 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. Psalm 139:14

SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY: Psalm 139:14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.

 

MORE LESSON: Psalm 139:17 How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!

 

So much has been said about ingratitude and how it wrecks a man's life. An ingrate can never be great. A man that receives things from God and man and cannot say 'thank you' is like a robber. Learn to appreciate God; remember that all you have is given to you by God. As expressed in 1 Cor 4:7, For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?

There is no man that doesn't owe God thanks because there is no man that has the ability to possess anything by himself; it is only in God that you have anything. A man may even not acknowledge God and declare that he got all that he has outside of God. However, it is only because God has permitted you that you have it. The rich fool in Luke 12: 16 – 21 lost his life because he thought that he got all he had by himself and he didn't appreciate God. The breath you breathe, the life you have are from God, appreciate Him.

You also need to learn to appreciate people. Everyone that God has used to bless you deserves a thank you. You should appreciate the people that God has brought into your life. Husbands need to appreciate their wives, wives need to appreciate their husbands, parents need to appreciate their children and children need to appreciate their parents. If you grumble and complain about someone, the person becomes worse but when you appreciate people, they become better and better. You must learn to sincerely compliment people and praise them. When someone does well, don't hold the compliment back; give it to him/her generously.

Finally, you must learn how to appreciate yourself. How can you expect people to appreciate you when you do not appreciate yourself? Celebrate how you look, no matter how. I always insist that anybody taller than me is too tall and anybody shorter than me is too short. When you are exactly like me, then you are perfect. Many people keep complaining about not getting a marriage partner, and they are responsible by always being unhappy about the way they look and who they are. If you do not desire yourself, who then will desire you? Learn to celebrate yourself. Celebrate the job you have at hand even if you are looking for a better one. In all that your hand finds to do, rejoice. One of my pastors said, “It's only what you promote that will promote you”. I found that to be true. Many are not promoted because they are not even promoting themselves. Learn to appreciate yourself. It is wickedness and self-punishment for you to be exerting yourself at a thing, and you are not appreciating what you are doing yourself.

 

Prayer/Action

* Ask God for mercy all those time that you have been ungrateful to him.

* Pray for the right spirit of appreciation both to God and man.

* Thank God for salvation of your soul.

 

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER: Today is the lowest point and season of my life. In the wonderful name of Jesus, I am going higher and higher onto allaround accomplishments

The Privilege of Well-Being

 STRENGTH FOR MY DAYS 

A Daily Devotional by Bishop David Bakare

The Privilege of Well-Being

Saturday, 17 August

 I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me. Psalm 3:5

SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY: Lamentations 3:21-26 This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.  22 It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.  24 The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.  25 The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. 26 It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.

 

MORE LESSON: Psalm 3:5 I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me.

 

There are acts of benevolence of God that men receive and take for granted. For example, sleeping and waking up every day is by God's mercy but people take it for granted (Psalm 3: 5). So men sleep, wake up and jump to start another day without even acknowledging what they have received from God. Having food and being able to eat, having water and being able to drink, and breathing air freely are gifts and privileges that we receive from God. The fact that everything is alright with a man is not a right but a gift of privilege from God. A man's approach to life generally takes a new perspective when he realises that everything good about his life is not a right but a privilege and gift from God. It is only when things go wrong that most people complain. When things are alright, they take it for granted. As a wise child of God, you must learn to see everything you have as a gift and privilege from God and live in gratitude.

Well-being is not a right, it is a gift. Being at ease in life is not a right, it is a privilege. This is the reason you should learn to reciprocate the kind gestures of God on a daily basis. The first way to reciprocate is to thank Him for everything in life. As you praise Him for the kindness you have received, there is an increase of privileges He gives to you. According to His Word, Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us: Psalm 67:5-6.

You should also reciprocate God's privileges by living in righteousness and the fear of the Lord. Recognising that your life is a gift from God, you should live with a consciousness of Him. As you live in the fear of the Lord, He multiplies His gifts in your life. Psalm. 25: 12 – 13 says, What man is he that feareth the Lord? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose. His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed shall inherit the earth.

You should also reciprocate by extending God's goodness to others. As you become aware that all you are and have are not earned rights but privileges of grace, you should extend the same grace to others by seeing to their well-being not because they deserve it but because you are being gracious to them. Remember, . . . freely ye have received, freely give: Matthew 10:8.

God is committed to your well-being as an act of privilege to you. He has determined that your good is His priority. Learn to embrace His blessings with a consciousness that they are privileges and also extend privileges to others.

 

Prayer/Action

* Thank God for sustaining you every time you sleep and wakeup.

* Pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to help you to walk in righteousness everyday of your life.

* Appreciate God for the gift of life and well-being.

 

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER: Father, I renounce and rebuke every work of darkness in every area of my life today, in the powerful name of Jesus.