Dreams of the Night

TEXT: Joel 2:28-29, 

MORE LESSONS: Acts 2:12-18

Dreams are some of the ways that God communicates to His people. They are part of the promises of God for His children in the end time as prophesied by Joel and fulfilled as confirmed by Apostle Peter on the day of Pentecost to be (Acts 2:16). God has often used dreams both for His own people and the heathen: Pharaoh (Gen. 41:1-7), Abimelech (Gen. 20:3), Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 2:1), Laban (Gen. 31:24). Joseph, Daniel, Solomon, Jacob, Paul are a few examples of God's prominent people that encountered God through dreams.

Contrary to the thinking that dreams are Old Testament experiences, some New Testament characters like Paul (Acts 18:9) and Joseph, Mary’s husband had records of dreams (Matt 1:20, 2:13, 19). Although Solomon in Ecc. 5:3 says …a dream cometh through the multitude of business…, God on several occasions communicated to several people on very important issues about their lives and those of others through dreams (Job 33:14-17). God still communicates with people today via dreams but what people do with their dreams differ from person to person. While superstitious beliefs exist over dreams, all these are subject to each man’s level of the knowledge of God. To sheepishly believe and act on your dreams or ignore them are both bad extremes. We must be careful to balance the way we handle dreams and not be trapped by either ignorance or superstition. You need to know and do the following over your dream.

1. Do not be afraid of your dream! There are enough promises in God's word to deal with negative dreams. That I am writing this message today proves that the dreams people had that I will be killed in the religious crises of Northern Nigeria didn’t come to pass.

2. Do not neglect your dreams. They may contain important information for your life and destiny.

3. Confirm every dream and its interpretation by God's Word; if it doesn't agree with God's Word, throw it away.

4. Pray over your dreams in faith. Cancel the negative ones and command the positive ones to speed up to fulfilment.

5. Do not live your life by dreams, but by the Word of the Lord.

6. If you have a dream too complex to understand, share it with your pastor.

7. Finally, if you have a dream repeatedly, or you have dreams of sexual intercourse, eating, or even flying, contact your pastor.

PRAYER / ACTION

* Ask God to fulfil every positive dream that He has given you.

* Pray that you will be able to hear God and not be a medium of satanic messages.

You can add a fast to your prayer.

Plead the blood of Jesus over your spirit and mind.

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Perfect Love

TEXT: Rom. 5:8,
MORE LESSONS: Eph. 2:4-5

I am looking forward to the day and time when Christians, including me will love others with Jesus' type of love. This is the cry of my heart, that I will love all people exactly the way Jesus loves me. I believe therein lies the solution the world is looking for. The Bible says, ...while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us: Rom. 5:8. That is the difference between the love of man and that of God. God loves us with our flaws. He never waits for us to be perfect before loving us; rather, He invites us just as we are and perfects us on arrival.
It is very difficult to find someone who can see your flaws and your underdeveloped character and love you in spite of all. Someone once said, If the only way you can love me is after I have perfected my imperfections, then you really don't love me. Indeed, it is good to ask ourselves, how many of us really love people for who they are and not for what we can have from them? Love is perfect when it is expressed without conditions. Paul gives us the characteristics of perfect love in I Cor. 13:4-7; …Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Each of these traits of love will solve any problem anywhere in the world. And anything in the name of love less than this is fake and will only create more problems than solve them.
Let me say it again, God loved you while you were unlovable so you would never have to hide in the bushes again like Adam. He has loved you with an everlasting love and you must go love someone the way you have been loved. In marriage, we must love our spouses whatever they are; once we have said “I do”, we must always “do” without reservation. Among the brethren, we must endeavour to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Eph. 4:3).
As a way of life, we must love enough to warn friends, family members and neighbours about the danger of hell and the unconditional love of God for all mankind. Above all, perfect love must be honest and transparent enough to say, “This is who I am, and it is all that I am, love me and be patient with me. There is no telling what I will become, but today this is who I am”.

PRAYER / ACTION
* Pray for the help of God to love the 'unlovable' around you.
* Pray that you will be an example of God's unconditional love.
* Pick the qualities of love in I Cor 13:4-8 and ask God to fill you with each one.

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The Pilgrimage

Thursday, 5 September

TEXT: I Cor. 10:1-6,
MORE LESSONS: Heb. 12:1-2

The Israelites’ journey out of Egypt, through the wilderness, to the Promised Land is a type of the Christian pilgrimage. Our Christian journey has such a striking resemblance to the Israelites' journey that it is important for us to study it, learn from their experiences and avoid pitfalls as we move towards the heavenly Canaan. As Apostle Paul exhorts, Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition...: 1Cor. 10:11. The lessons from Israel’s experience are many. The Israelites were chosen by God to be His peculiar people but God had to raise a deliverer to lead them out of the bondage of Pharaoh and Egypt (Exo. 2:23-25; 3:7-10). This compares favourably with our need to be free from the bondage of sin and Satan, Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son…: Gal. 4:3-4.
To escape from this bondage, everyone must accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour (Jn. 3:16). This is about creating a Father-son relationship with God through acknowledging that you are a sinner, and accepting Jesus' offer of forgiveness through cleansing in His blood. If you are already born again but you still struggle with your old sin, this can be compared with the stubborn act of Pharaoh who even after he had released Israel to go, still pursued them to the Red Sea, where he perished with all of his army. In that same manner all your enemies shall perish, in Jesus’ name. As long as you don't give up the battle, your old life will bow to your new Saviour.
Here are some few things you must do to permanently win the battle over your old sin habits.
1. Attend a good convert/follow-up/foundation/discipleship class in a Bible-believing Church, immediately.
2. Begin to give more time to reading, studying, memorizing and confessing God's Word.
3. Go for deliverance and don't hide anything from the man of God, including your old habits.
4. Spend more time praying in the Holy Ghost.
5. Ask God to sanctify you wholly – spirit, soul and body - (I Thess. 5:23).
6. Never give in to satanic blackmail of being a sinner. You are not; God loves you with an everlasting love. (Rom. 8:36-37).
7. Be assured of your victory over Satan, sin and the world (I Jn. 4:4). God is faithful who has begun a good work in you and will perform it until the day of Christ (Phil. 1:6).

PRAYER / ACTION
*Pray that your sojourn on this earth will not terminate in hell.
*Ask God for grace to be a full time Jesus chaser.
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The Divine Mandate

Wednesday, 4 September

TEXT: Mk. 16:15-20,
MORE LESSONS: I Cor. 9:16

In Africa, the word mandate is often more associated with political campaigns and politicians. It is hardly used in church or spiritual contexts. A mandate is an authoritative order or command; it could be political, judicial or spiritual. When Jesus was leaving the earth, He handed down a mandate, an authoritative command: And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature: Mk. 16:15. This is our mandate because it is an authoritative command from our superior and Master, Jesus of Nazareth. This mandate tells us that preaching Jesus as the Saviour of the world is the message and assignment, the whole world is the location and all mankind is the target. Anything different from this is a sin and Jesus will judge us for it. Whatever we do as believers in Christ Jesus must therefore reflect this mandate. We must tell the world there is a Saviour who lived, died and resurrected to reconnect man back to his God and that He is coming back soon, in fact, today or even now. Our songs, sermons, announcements, offering, thanksgiving, miracle service, fasting and feasting must tell just this message alone.
This mandate is not just church denomination mandate; it is every believer's mandate. There is only one pulpit in our church on Sunday and thousands must be available after service to spread the message of the day. This is why we live and why after redemption Jesus did not take us home immediately to be with Him. He wants us to represent Him and spread the good news to all the people of the earth. The wonderful thing about this mandate is the one who sent us has promised to go with us on the assignment, …and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen: Matt. 28:20. He also promised to empower us for the job, And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils… Mk.16:17.
It is encouraging to see the response of the apostles to the mandate and the testimony of God’s faithfullness to them. And they went forth, and preached everywhere, Not that alone, They also had a testimony of God's faithfulness to them The Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen: Mk. 16:20. If we too will obey that mandate as the apostles did, God will also confirm His words in our lives. Let us go a fishing now!
PRAYER / ACTION
* Ask God to make you a faithful soul winner.
* Pray that God's investment in your life for the sake of His work will not be a waste
* Ask God for a soul today.
Target someone you must tell about Jesus today. Promise God your day will not end until you tell someone about Jesus.

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