Praise and Worship II

Tuesday 2 May
READ: Jam. 5:13
MORE LESSONS: Psa. 50:23

Yesterday we studied the power of praise and worship as exemplified by the case of Jehoshaphat and Paul and Silas. The Bible is filled with such examples of praise and worship, note that Jesus our Lord did not go to Golgotha without a time of singing, And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives: Matt. 26:30. David was another example who in pain and joy sang and prayed as recorded in the psalms which we still sing today. Singing for King David was a medium of communication with God; he had a permanent access to God's throne through the psalms as we do today. David, Jehoshaphat, Paul and Silas all sang and Heaven responded. Can your own song do the same? Can your song move God and move men to God?
There is a need for the 21st century Church to re-examine the type of music that is played in Christian gatherings. If God asks you to make a choice between the two, what is your priority, the wordings or the music? Both are important but I guess the words will bring result from Heaven long before the music is considered.
My greatest worry today is the source of Christian songs. Most are from the world because our worship/music leaders lack the commitment and time to go to the presence of God and receive inspiration; and since they must perform the easy way out is to copy worldly musicians most of whose inspiration is directly from hell even when they sing well. Now we must go back to the hymns, examine them and emphasise the wordings of our songs more than the music which is what will supply the needed strength in time of trouble, Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord Col. 3:16.
The people of God must recognise song as a weapon not a decoration, an inspiration not an entertainment. Church must begin to put priority on wordings of our songs beyond the lycrics (music). The major preoccupation of Heaven is not night vigil, Bible study, crusades, conventions, etc. All that ends here, but songs and singing, will be the only thing we do all through eternity, worshipping and praising the Father with the elders. Let’s start here and do it as it will be there.

Prayer/Action
* Pray for all our gospel song ministers for a fresh inspiration of God upon them, in Jesus’ name.
* Pray for a new revelation of God that will provoke His praise in your mouth, in the name of Jesus.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Agents of spiritual slumber and compromise, get out of my life now, in the name of Jesus.

Praise and Worship I

Monday 1 May
READ: Acts 16:16-27
MORE LESSONS: II Chron.20:10-26

Singing is a strong weapon of spiritual warfare by which satanic onslaughts can be easily terminated. It was by singing that Jehoshaphat defeated an enemy that was too strong for him. He worshipped God on the altar until the power of God descended and directive came about what to do. Then in compliance with the prophetic order, the whole army of Israel put aside their weapons, and trumpets and dancing became the more effective tool. Such is the power of song that it invokes Heaven to physically intervene in the battles of men. The same thing happened in the case of Paul and Silas in Acts 16:16-26 when they prayed and sang, God’s power took over. One major thing that strikes me about praise and worship is the fact that the type of the power of God that falls under such anointing is usually raw, mighty, unprecedented and without the help of man.
If you examine a little closely the two cases of Jehoshaphat and Paul mentioned above, the power of God was felt, a great earthquake shook the foundation of the prison, doors were broken open and chains were destroyed without human effort. Also in the case of Jehoshaphat, beyond singing there was no human effort. In the fall of the wall of Jericho, another form of singing happened (a shout) and again a great miracle was recorded outside of human effort.
We can conclude then that praise and worship brings down God's power in the most unprecedented manner. Deep inside me I believe it is because while prayer goes up to Heaven as a responsibility, praise goes to Heaven as an aroma of celebration of Jehovah and good meal for Heaven. This is why Jesus taught us to say …Hallowed be thy name in prayer. May your praise bring down Heaven to your situation today.

Prayer/Action
* Lift up a prophetic praise to the Lord.
* Ask God to make heavenly worship and armoury available for your battle as you worship Him, in Jesus’ name.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
This month every power assigned to mess up my consecration and destiny shall be utterly destroyed by fire, in the name of Jesus.

Life is Fragile

Sunday 30 April
READ: Mk. 4:37-41
MORE LESSONS: Job 14:1-7

Life is fragile, handle it with prayer, so says an old Christian adage. The older I get, the more I find this word real. It is not a negative confession, it is just a reality and a good counsel. Even if things are going on smoothly for you, it is still not a proof that life is not fragile; in fact, that makes it more fragile. A smooth sail is more risky than a stormy one because the stormy one is already in crisis. It is the smooth sail that fears a risk. However with prayer, either smooth or rough, God can make a man prevail. He can prevail to keep a smooth sail sustained and can restore peace to the troubled ones.

Did you note in today's reading that Jesus began to sleep before the storm, and while the storm lasted, He was still sleeping. Both situations are the same to Him. He was so comfortable with the storm that even when the boat was filled with water, and possibly Jesus was soaked, He didn't wake up. Only Jonah could have neared such records in Scripture. Can you imagine Jesus’ comment when He woke up? … Why are ye fearful….: Matt. 8:26. Incredible! It means all that risk was not worth fearing. This is why I say to you today, trust your life only to Jesus. Whether in rough or smooth weather; He alone can give the needed shelter from the sun and rain.

Only the life that is hidden in God can prevail over life's turbulence and sustain a life of joy and peace. Is your life truly in God's hands? Are you a true child of God living in perfect communion and holiness with God? Is half of your life with the herbalist and half with God? Before you face life today, check and be sure that your life is completely in God's hands by redemption. Only a life hidden with Christ has a guarantee of safety, no alternative, no substitute, no options. No Jesus no life, no safety. The experiences of life have shown that, like Solomon confirmed, ... the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all: Ecc 9:11. That is why life is fragile and the only insurance for it is Jesus. Ask Jesus into your life today, surrender all of your life into His hands, and life will be secure to the end!

Prayer/Action
* Rededicate the steering of your life into God's hand today as you trust Him for safe landing.
* Receive an anxiety/fear-free destiny by faith in God's Word today, in Jesus’ name.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
From the rising of the sun to its going down today will work for my good, in the name of Jesus.

Torments of Hell III

Saturday 29 April
READ: Luke 16: 26
MORE LESSON: Matt. 22: 13

Perhaps the greatest torment in hell is the separation from God that the lost soul has to experience forever. Separation is a very painful experience. The whole experience of pain associated with the death of a loved one is the pain of separation. People feel so much pain when they lose a loved one because they will never see the person again. The damage that accompanies divorce is all about the pain of separation. Married people separate from each other because things have gone wrong; children are separated from parents, sibling separated from sibling. Separation is tormenting; it is painful when you want to see or hear someone but you are restricted and you can't. This is the reason criminals are punished in a prison by being separated from the society. Even in the prison, hardened criminals are further punished by being separated from other prisoners. With no one to relate with, share with or express inner struggles to, a man starts to deteriorate.

Hell is a place of permanent separation. The soul in hell will never see God again. He is separated from all love, peace, joy, hope. If he calls on God, God doesn't hear anymore. He is separated from family and care. Every soul in hell is separated and consumed in loneliness. No two souls in hell will create a relationship and start discussing; no! Each person is alone; as if he is the only one in the whole of hell. Each sufferer in hell is not even conscious that other sufferers are there. He is alone, consumed entirely by his torments, and oblivion to every other person. When the rich man in hell asked for water, Abraham replied, and beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence: Luke 16:26. The torment of hell is the torment of eternal separation.

God is the source of all love, light and life. Every man on earth enjoys life because God reaches out to them. Even those that deny that God exists have reasons to enjoy life because He reaches out to them. The air we breathe, the water, the light, the sense of life and love all exist because they flow from God. As the Bible puts it, That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust: Matt 5:45 The sinner today may think he can still survive without God because even though he is not reaching out to God, God in His grace still reaches out to him through creation. Immediately a man goes to hell, everything that flows from God is cut off from him forever and then he realises how tormenting it is to be without God. You will not end in hell, in Jesus’ name. But you must accept Jesus today and now to escape.

Prayer/Action
* Say to Jesus, “I embrace Your love, light and life, I shall not walk in darkness and sin any more, in Jesus’ name.
* Declare that the grace of God will be sufficient for you, in Jesus’ name.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
I declare that my enemies shall not live to rejoice over me and my family, in the name of Jesus.