Who Misled you?

---

SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY: I Kings 13:1-24

1 And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the LORD unto Bethel: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. 2 And he cried against the altar in the word of the LORD, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the LORD; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men's bones shall be burnt upon thee. 3 And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which the LORD hath spoken; Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out. 4 And it came to pass, when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, which had cried against the altar in Bethel, that he put forth his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him. And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him. 5 The altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the LORD. 6 And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Intreat now the face of the LORD thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God besought the LORD, and the king's hand was restored him again, and became as it was before. 7 And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward. 8 And the man of God said unto the king, If thou wilt give me half thine house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place: 9 For so was it charged me by the word of the LORD, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest. 10 So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Bethel. 11 Now there dwelt an old prophet in Bethel; and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel: the words which he had spoken unto the king, them they told also to their father. 12 And their father said unto them, What way went he? For his sons had seen what way the man of God went, which came from Judah. 13 And he said unto his sons, Saddle me the ass. So they saddled him the ass: and he rode thereon, 14 And went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak: and he said unto him, Art thou the man of God that camest from Judah? And he said, I am. 15 Then he said unto him, Come home with me, and eat bread. 16 And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee: neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place: 17 For it was said to me by the word of the LORD, Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest. 18 He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the LORD, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him. 19 So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water.20 And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the LORD came unto the prophet that brought him back: 21 And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the LORD, and hast not kept the commandment which the LORD thy God commanded thee, 22 But camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place, of the which the LORD did say to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy carcase shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers. 23 And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him the ass, to wit, for the prophet whom he had brought back.24 And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him: and his carcase was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it, the lion also stood by the carcase.

MORE LESSON: Proverbs 20:18

18 Every purpose is established by counsel: and with good advice make war.

Sunday, 26 October

Memory Verse: Every purpose is established by counsel: and with good advice make war. Proverbs 20:18

Who are your advisers? Who are your friends? Who are the people you listen to? Often, the place where a man is today is a result of who his advisers are. Advisers determine the road map of your destiny; they tell you whether you should go to the right or the left. Having advisers is not bad, but there are bad and evil advisers; the Bible says in Proverbs 11:14, "In the multitude of counsellors there is safety." However, know that if a fool counsels you, you will land where you may regret. Wrong advisers can make a father hate his children; they can make a father use his child for rituals. Wrong advisers break homes; they create enmity between friends, in homes, among church members, even a whole country and create problems that can sink a nation.

If you hand over your life to the wrong adviser, everything in your life and destiny will be bad. If you depend on wrong advice to run your home, then the journey you have embarked on is a journey without assurance of a safe landing; it is a journey without a future. You may never reach your destination because of the wrong adviser in your life.

Was there a time your father told you to face your studies and do away with your friends who used to drink and smoke, but you told him to forget it, and you took the counsel of your friends? Could that be the reason why you are where you are today? Proverbs 12:15 says, The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise. The kind of counsel that you listen to shapes your destiny.

It is time for you to begin to hearken to God's voice. Now is the time for you to start to hear the voice of God through the man of God that He has set over you. Otherwise, the devil will pick you up and mislead you. It does not cost him anything; in fact, he is in the ministry of leading people in the wrong directions so that they will never fulfil their destiny.

Numerous signs prove you are being misled. Whenever you disregard any godly advice, you have misled yourself. Any time you prefer the advice of friends over that of your godly parents, you have entered a business transaction with the devil to deceive you. You have just told the devil to take proper control of your life and

Prayer/Action

* Thank God for His guidance in every step of your life.

* Thank God for showing you mercy even when you have made mistake in daily walk with Him.

* Pray against bad influence or voice that have been misleading you in time past.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER: Sport of grace and glory fall upon the Master's Convention 2025, and let there be a shout of praise, in the wonderful name of Jesus.

© Strength for My Days by Bishop David Bakare - All Rights Reserved

Ministry of Destiny Helpers

---

---

SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY: I Chronicles 12:20-23

20 As he went to Ziklag, there fell to him of Manasseh, Adnah, and Jozabad, and Jediael, and Michael, and Jozabad, and Elihu, and Zilthai, captains of the thousands that were of Manasseh. 21 And they helped David against the band of the rovers: for they were all mighty men of valour, and were captains in the host. 22 For at that time day by day there came to David to help him, until it was a great host, like the host of God. 23 And these are the numbers of the bands that were ready armed to the war, and came to David to Hebron, to turn the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the word of the LORD.

MORE LESSON: Psalm 75:6-7

6 For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. 7 But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.

Saturday, 25 October

Memory Verse: For at that time day by day there came to David to help him, until it was a great host, like the host of God. 1 Chronicles 12:22

God's plan for His children is to make them shining lights. One way God places His children on the hilltop where they can shine for the whole world to see is through the ministry of destiny helpers. Destiny helpers are people whom God has set at different points in our lives to make the process easier. If God wants to bless a man, He uses a man. The man whom God uses to take you to a higher place is a destiny helper.

There are several people in the Bible whom God used the ministry of destiny helpers to lift. They include:

1. Joseph (Genesis 41): God used the chief butler and Pharaoh to elevate him. You know what brought Joseph to be remembered to this day was not even his dream, but the destiny helpers whom God sent into his life - the person who remembered that Joseph could interpret the king's dreams and the king who had the dream and vacated his chair for Joseph.

2. The man beaten by armed robbers in the parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37): a man was travelling from Jerusalem to Jericho and was attacked by robbers, leaving him half dead. The two people who came and passed by were not his helpers. But when the man God had set out for him came, …he had compassion v33. He didn't think like the priest and Levite who left the victim unattended. The Samaritan helped him; he bound his wounds and poured oil and wine. In the modern day, that is what we call first aid. Then he took him to an inn (v34). He took care of him first before taking him to a hospital. He didn't just take him to the hospital to leave him there; he stayed there and paid the bills.

3. David (I Samuel 30:11-20): David was coming back from battle only to discover that bandits had overrun his village. As he went on a rescue mission, they found an Egyptian who was almost dying. They fed him, and when he was revived, upon enquiry, David discovered the boy was one of the bandits. And David asked him to take him to the band, and he did. David smote them all, leaving no one, and recovered everything they had stolen. Without the destiny helper whom God had set out for him, David wouldn't have been able to recover all that he had lost.

The ministry of destiny helpers is vital in the life of a man who wants to be a shining light. Becoming as shining light and having destiny helpers don't just happen; they require God's favour, which is reserved only for His own through redemption. Are you redeemed? Ask for God's favour and destiny helpers.

Prayer/Action

* Thank God for the gift of destiny helper that He has strategically placed in your path to greatness.

* Ask the Holy Spirit to make your destiny helper to locate and speak favourably about you.

* Pray that you will be connected to your destiny helper at the right time and right place.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER: Father, every seed sower into the Master's Convention 2025 will find their harvest, in the powerful name of Jesus.

© Strength for My Days by Bishop David Bakare - All Rights Reserved

Right Question

---

---

SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY: Psalm 42:1-11

1 To the chief Musician, Maschil, for the sons of Korah. As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. 2 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? 3 My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God? 4 When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday. 5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance. 6 O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar. 7 Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me. 8 Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life. 9 I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? 10 As with a sword in my bones, mine enemies reproach me; while they say daily unto me, Where is thy God? 11 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

MORE LESSON: Psalm 75:6-7

6 For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. 7 But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.

Friday, 24 October

Memory Verse: Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God. Psalm 42:11

TODAY’S FASTING FOCUS: A New Story; Isaiah 43:18-21, Isaiah 42:9-12

In today's text, the Psalmist asked himself, "My soul, why are you cast down?” It takes a sincere man to direct life's crucial question at oneself. Many times, people question everyone else except themselves; some have even gone so far as to question God. Therefore, it is common to hear people ask, "God, why me?” It is as if they desire that it should be someone else, and not they, who is the recipient of the bad experience. This is like saying it should not have happened to me, but to someone else. 'Why me?' is not the right question to ask when the unexpected happens.

The Psalmist was going through difficult situations, and he asked himself the right question. Today, I equally urge you to ask yourself the same question: 'What exactly is making me feel cast down? Why do I feel like the whole world is on top of my head? Why do I want to kill myself with worry and anxiety? Why am I cast down?' To be cast down means to be discouraged, sad, dejected, depressed, unhappy and hopeless. Whatever you don't question is permitted to continue. However, don't question God; instead, ask about your worries and fears, your feelings of despair and anxieties.

Unfulfilled promises, dashed expectations, delayed breakthroughs, and downturns in events can make men downcast. In life, any of these things can happen; it is your response to them that determines whether you fall or stay strong. Something can happen to knock someone completely off their feet, but when the same thing happens to you, you remain standing and rising. So, the happening is not the matter but the response.

It is essential to know that sometimes you may be downcast momentarily, but anything that causes you to remain downcast must be questioned and reversed. Therefore, when you realise that being downcast is becoming constant in your life, you must ask and end it. Psalm 30:5 says, "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. Weeping is not permitted to last more than a night. If something happened that made you cry before you slept, by the time you wake up, the weeping must not be allowed to continue. Do not stay down; do not let the devil see you cast down for too long. Show the devil the opposite of what he wants to see in your life. Be joyful.

The Word of God today is that you should not stay down; you are to rise again. Rising again starts with questioning your downtime. Don't give up; a person who dies downcast has lost the victory that the experience of rising again brings. Rise, and let the Lord strengthen you.

Prayer/Action

* Thank God for the gift of destiny helper that He has strategically placed in your path to greatness.

* Ask the Holy Spirit to make your destiny helper to locate and speak favourably about you.

* Pray that you will be connected to your destiny helper at the right time and right place.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER: Father, every seed sower into the Master's Convention 2025 will find their harvest, in the powerful name of Jesus.

© Strength for My Days by Bishop David Bakare - All Rights Reserved

The Giving Spirit

---

---

SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY: Luke 6:30-38

30 Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. 31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. 32 For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. 33 And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. 34 And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. 36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. 37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: 38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

MORE LESSON: II Chronicles 7:4-7

4 Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the LORD. 5 And king Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty and two thousand oxen, and an hundred and twenty thousand sheep: so the king and all the people dedicated the house of God. 6 And the priests waited on their offices: the Levites also with instruments of musick of the LORD, which David the king had made to praise the LORD, because his mercy endureth for ever, when David praised by their ministry; and the priests sounded trumpets before them, and all Israel stood. 7 Moreover Solomon hallowed the middle of the court that was before the house of the LORD: for there he offered burnt offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings, because the brasen altar which Solomon had made was not able to receive the burnt offerings, and the meat offerings, and the fat.

Thursday, 23 October

Memory Verse: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. Luke 6:38

There is a mystery involved in the act of open-handedness that only a few men understand or appreciate. The average person is pleased to receive value and reluctant to part with it. This is the basic instinct of a natural man. A popular Christian author, John Maxwell, once said, “We live by what we give”. When it dawns on a man that giving is the essence of life, there will be no struggle to release his gifts, abilities, natural endowment, resources, and time to serve God and humanity.

God is the greatest giver who made all men—givers and gatherers, the generous and the tight-fisted. It is wisdom for a man to be on life's giving and generous side. It is only a mark of appreciation to the great Giver who gives to multiply givers on earth. If you study the lives of natural givers worldwide, you notice that their ability to provide constantly increases, and they never lack. Remember that an unbeliever who lives by giving will always be ahead of a most holy believer who is tight-fisted in natural wealth and possessions.

Believers have the most incredible opportunity to part with poverty and live. We often want to be associated with the blessings of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Solomon, etc, but are we ready to pay the price they paid? These were men who emptied their lives for the Lord. He that empties himself for God will be rewarded with overflowing blessings from above. Change your attitude towards tithes, offerings, pledges, vows, almsgiving, and helping others, and you will never regret it. You were created to give. God gave His best (Jesus), and His children should give like Him.

Verse 38 of our text says, Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. That is not just a promise; it is a key to unlock wealth! If you are tired of poverty and desire to come out as fast as possible, take the key to giving and the padlock against your wealth will give way speedily. There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty: Proverbs 11:24. Now, answer the question, “Who holds the key to your prosperity?”

Prayer/Action

* Thank God for releasing his blessings to you

* Pray that by Gods spirit you have the understanding and revelation of giving

* Pray against the spirit of selfishness that hinders you from giving generously to God, the widows and orphans.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER: Father, I release the spirit of repentance and salvation to every member of my family, nuclear and extended, now, in the mighty name of Jesus.

© Strength for My Days by Bishop David Bakare - All Rights Reserved