PRAYER PRODUCES COMFORT

Memorise: To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn

Isaiah 61:2

Read: Isaiah 61:1-3

Another benefit of prayer is that it makes God to comfort His children who are morning. It is true that one of God’s titles is Comforter. It is also true that God loves to comfort those who mourn in Zion according to Isaiah 61:1-3. Yet, as much as God wants to comfort you, on several occasions, He may not do anything until you pray. In this respect, prayer confirms to God that you really desire the comfort that He can give. However, who are those that should expect divine comfort? These are those whose lives have no colour, taste or attraction. If there is nothing that can attract others in your life, you surely need divine comfort. If you have lost all you had to a fire, and what is left is nothing but ashes, you need divine comfort, if you are mourning over the loss of something precious, you need to be comforted. If you are depressed over a trying situation, you need comfort. In any way you need divine comfort this season, the Lord will comfort you in Jesus name. God is the greatest comforter. When He comforts you, He will turn your point of sorrow into your greatest source of joy. In other words, after God’s comfort comes, whenever you look back in retrospect to the cause of the sorrow, you would be glad it granted you access to divine comfort. When He comforts you, He will turn your point of sorrow into your greatest source of joy.

One Bible character who suffered loss was Job. Boy! That man knew sorrow! He could vividly tell you the colour of sorrow. Occasioned by his trial of faith, Job lost on every side – his Family, Relationship, Business Empire, Servants, Health, etc. He had only a fringe of his life, being so close to death. But eventually when the Lord restored Job, the same man from whom virtually all men ran, became a centre of attraction (Job 42:10-17). The life that had no colour but only ashes began to radiate in glowing colours. Suddenly, there was restoration. The compound interest on his losses was calculated and given to him. He also lived long enough to enjoy his blessings. Have you suffered losses? As you engage in heartfelt prayer this season, your ashes will turn into radiant colours. All you lost shall be restored triple folds. Those who ignore you will soon discover how indispensable you are, and they will start to pursue you. It is you season of comfort.

PRAYER POINT

Father, comfort me on every side this year.

THE ANOINTING COMPARED

Memorise: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

John 14:12

Read: 2 Kings 13:20-21

One difference between the old and the new anointing is that the new anointing begins where the old ends. Prior to the event of 2 kings 2:9-12, Elisha hardly did anything supernatural; he was only serving his master. But after Elijah left the scene, the story changed. Similarly, it was after Moses died that the Lord commissioned Joshua to operate with the new anointing (Joshua 1:1-2). Another difference between the old and new anointing is that the new succeeds where the old failed. This implies it can outperform the old. In Joshua 1:3-9, God told Joshua that the assignment that Moses could not complete with the old anointing should be completed by him with the new anointing. Moses successfully released the Israelites from captivity in Egypt but could not take them to the Promised Land, this Joshua accomplished with the new anointing.

By the grace of God, I spent three years studying one bible character I love so much – Elijah. He was powerful, bold, holy, and obedient. He stood in God’s presence and was a terror to the devil. He was able to perform 7 outstanding miracles with the old anointing on him. On the other hand, as I began to study about Elisha, I found him more interesting. He performed a total of 14 outstanding miracles. Elijah raised somebody from the dead during his life time. Elisha performed 13 remarkable miracles before he died, but to show that the anointing could do twice as much as the old, after his death, his dried bones raised the dead. In John 14:12, Jesus said we can do what He did and much more because we shall be operating in the new anointing. In Mark 5:25-34, the woman with the issue of blood touched Jesus’ garment and was made whole; but in Acts 5:14-16, we read that the shadow of Peter began to heal the sick. In the time of Jesus it was His garment but in the days of Peter, it was his shadow. You too can perform greater signs and wonders by virtue of the new anointing. Beyond shadows, if you truly carry the new anointing in an overflowing manner, the sick may get healed by merely seeing you. Your voice can conduct deliverance. Unvoiced wishes can materialized because of the new anointing. Do you have it?

PRAYER POINT

Father, release your new anointing upon your church all over the world so that we can truly and powerfully represent you wherever we are.

THANKS: A DELICACY

Memorise: Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High: Psalms 50:14

Read: Psalms 50:7-15

Thanksgiving is not only a highly priced spiritual substance and a passport into God’s presence; it is also a form of meal to God. In today’s reading, God clearly declared that being the owner of the earth and everything in it, He knows exactly where every beast of the field is. In other words, God knows the location of every element of that constitutes our food on earth. Some people hide their crop harvest from God as if He was not the one who gave them the harvest in the first place. Can you truly hide what you have from the one who gave it to you?

The attitude of some people makes God hide His needs from them. If God has a need and He hides such a need from you, it is most unfortunate. This clearly shows that there is no intimacy in your relationship with Him. If God needs something and you are in a position to meet that need, but He bypasses you to inform someone else, it could mean that you are either unacceptable to Him, or that He has rejected you. May the Lord not reject you in Jesus name. If you are truly one of God’s own, He will not hide His needs that you are empowered to meet from you.

Moreover, God asks:

“Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?”

Psalms 50:13

This mean when God is hungry, it is not for the food we eat but for a special food called thanks. Hence in verse 14, the psalmist Asaph says, Give God thanks. Giving thanks is a special type of meal that God likes. The way it is presented to Him will determine its grade: it could be ordinary, special or even a delicacy. How do you feel when you are eating your most favourite food? Serve God thanks with an attitude, fervency, genuineness and originality that will make it a delicacy to Him and see if that meal will not provoke Him to give you a blessing that you cannot forget in a hurry. 

ACTION POINT

Thank God for every member of your family. Also, thank God for what He is doing in the body of Christ worldwide.

THOSE TO AVOID

Memorise:

Make no friendship with an angry man: and with a furious man thou shalt not go: Proverbs 22:24

Read:

Proverb 22:24-25

Everyone needs the support of someone else. Our Lord Jesus Christ was not an exception. According to Acts 10:38, He depended on the Holy Spirit throughout His ministry. What of His disciples? After His resurrection, the Lord depended largely on His disciples to continue the work He had started. Earlier, people like Mary Magdalene ministered to Him of their substance while He shared the good news of the Kingdom (Luke 8:1-3). As a result of people who were ready to support the Lord, Jesus never lacked money or what He needed in the ministry, to the point that He had a treasurer. Even today, when God sends His servant on an assignment, He would give him or her helpers who would sustain the ministry and help to achieve the task. In one way or another, the Lord has given you as a helper to the ministry of your pastor. How effectively have you played this role? God is blessing you so that you can be a blessing to both your leader and the work. Never think all His blessings are limited to you and are yours alone. Concerning supporting the ministry, there is an appropriate portion that should be released in order for you to receive the level of blessing God has in store for you. Ask God on how you should key into the commission and the grace to do so. You will not fail God in Jesus name.

Having seen that you need one or more partners, how do you choose one? Proverbs 22:24-25 says you must watch the temperament of the fellow to be chosen. Never choose an angry fellow as a friend or else you could be forced to learn his ways and enter a trap.

Apart from your spouse, if the one you call a friend is highly emotional or temperamental, he would have done you irredeemable havoc before he comes into his senses. Avoid such people! Avoid those with violent tempers. Avoid anyone of questionable character. Anyone who says you should turn after some other god or powers must be avoided. Never make friend with anyone that will lure you into immorality. No matter how close, such a fellow is a tool in the hands of the enemy to keep you perpetually in bondage. Don't make friend with thieves, miscreants, lazy or idle people. Check through your list of friends and any that does not fit must be dropped now.

Bible in one year:

Deuteronomy 1-3

KEY POINT:

Some helpers have become helpless because those they are meant to help have allowed them to take God's place in their lives and ministries.

BE SEPARATE FROM SIN

Memorise: Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses. Psalm 107:19

Read: Psalm 107:17-20

Sin, sickness and death have a common link. If you read Deuteronomy 28:15-68, you will see a wide spectrum of problems that sin can cause. May you not partake of these curses in Jesus name; and if sin is already bringing such judgement on you, may the Lord have mercy on you today. If you understand the effect of this link, you will easily understand therefore that if you can keep sin at bay, you will succeed in eradicating the problems associated with sin. When the paralytic man was brought to the Lord in Mark 2:1-12, the Lord met his greatest need by forgiving him his sins. A few minutes later, the one who was carried in by people, walked back home on his own, taking his bed along with him. On several occasions, when the sick is brought, all the focus is on receiving healing whereas, his greatest need is to be saved. There are certain ailments that may not be healed until that individual deals with the root cause – sin. This also means if you are sick, the first point of call is to find out if you have sinned or you are living in sin, so that you can immediately repent and ask for forgiveness. There are some ailments that will defy medication until you deal with the problem of sin.

In today’s reading, we are told that when men sin, they are afflicted with sickness and they lose appetite for food and come close to death until they cry unto Lord. There is a user of this devotional who is very ill. You opened the door to this sickness because you hurt someone who has been doing good to you. All attempts at treating this ailment have not yielded result. If you can sincerely repent, asking God for forgiveness and thereafter go and meet the person you have offended for restitution, the sickness will disappear the way it came. Are you sick? Find out if you are the cause; if you are living in sin, you are likely the cause. Give your life to Jesus today if you are not yet born – again, and live in right standing with God from today.

KEY POINT

Believers who often fall and rise out of sin often fall and rise out of sickness.

POWER IN HIS NAME

Memorise: And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee. Psalm 9:10 

Read: Philippians 2:8-11

This year all will be well with you and everything you have. Matthew 1:21 says,

“And she bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”

The name of our Saviour that is made available to us is one assurance that all will be well with us. All will be well because being the healer, Jesus will heal the sick according to His promise in Exodus 15:26. In this scripture, He says you are automatically insured against every sickness that has ever afflicted the Egyptians. If you have Jesus the Great Physician, you will not be a victim of known sicknesses or diseases. Are you afflicted with any known sickness or disease today? You are healed by His stripes in Jesus name. Unknown sicknesses or diseases will also lose their power when the Great Physician is in control. Are specialists telling you that the sickness or disease in your body is beyond known scientific discovery? The stripes of Jesus Christ will destroy them from your body system today! I command every known or unknown, seen or unseen sickness to lose its hold over your body! You are healed now.

Similarly, because Jesus is the mighty Deliverer, you shall be delivered from force or power that has taken over you into captivity. John 10:10 says Jesus Christ has come to reverse whatever the devil has done in your life and situation. This means, if satan has stolen your freedom, you can have it back. If you have lost your peace to a distressing situation, you can have it back. Are you enslaved to certain spiritual or physical forces? You are set free in the name that is above every other name – Jesus. In that dungeon that enemy has placed you, you are coming out now by the power of His name! That chain over your destiny is broken now! Whatever is holding your hand from functioning properly is destroyed now. Whatever is hindering you from moving to your next level is destroyed in Jesus name. In whatever contrary situation you find yourself, just call on the only name that can make the difference - Jesus

PRAYER POINT

Father, honour the call of everyone who call You in faith and truth as you have promised.

SEPARATING THE TWINS?

- Do you have your Passport and Visa?

Memorise: I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving. Psalm 69:30

Read: Psalm 69:29-31

Believers are designated as vessels whose content should always include thanksgiving. Anyone who truly lives up to this designation will be loved appreciated and valued wherever the fellow is. If people find your presence often irritating, check yourself; it could be that you are carrying complaints or murmuring instead of what you were designated to carry – thanksgiving. The one who is full of grumbling will be detested both by believers and unbelievers. Complaints reduce your value while thanksgiving increases your worth. Your content also affects your disposition. If you are full of thanks always, you will always have a positive mental attitude and see things from the sunny side of life; but if you always manifest negative attitude to situation in life, it is most likely you have loaded your system with complaints. A thankful individual will therefore enjoy good health because of the constant state of joy of his heart occasioned by his positive mental attitude (proverb 17:22)

“Enter into His gate with thanksgiving, and into His court with praise: be thankful unto Him and bless His name.”

Psalm 100:4

To effectively access the throne of God, you need to understand the protocol of heaven. While approaching Heaven’s gate, the first thing the angels expect you to have is thanksgiving. After opening the gate to you, before allowing you access to God’s court, they will further check if you have praise. In other words, thanksgiving is your passport into God’s pearly gates while praise grants you access to his courts acting like a visa. This means thanksgiving and praise are twin sisters that must follow each other sequentially if your fellowship with God is to be effective. How often and how effectively do you combine both? Whenever you praise God without thanking Him, something is missing. From today, come into His presence having your passport of thanksgiving stamped with the visa of praise.

KEY POINT

You get the best from God when you combine thanksgiving with praise.

COMMITMENT

Memorise: For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Philippians 1:21 

Read: 2 Samuel 23:15-17

One way of describing the attitude of the midwives in Exodus 1 to God and His children His commitment. Commitment is saying I am in this thing, whether I live or die, whether I am praised or rebuked, whether I am commended or not, I am in it all the way. God is looking for people with commitment for His assignments. Many people today lack this indispensable virtue. Commitment can take you to the depths. It can take you to strange places like Nebuchadnezzar’­s fiery furnace, the lion’s den, prison, boiling pot of oil, to be crucified on a cross or to face death. Those who are committed are those who understand what it means to truly serve God. If you are not committed, you can never get beyond the shallow level of service. Some people deliberately are very low in commitment because they want to avoid responsibilitie­s. Such people fail to realise that rewards are reserved only for those who are committed. 

Many believers in Christ want Jesus as their savior but not as their Lord. They want the blessings from serving Jesus but are not ready for the responsibilitie­s that go with their faith. Paul showed his level of commitment by saying,

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 

Philippians 1:21

Another person who was committed to God was Abraham. In Genesis 22:1-18, he was given three days to make a journey to the mountain top, with ample opportunities to change his mind, but he went all the way. If some of us lose one or more of our children, we will doubt if we are really loved by God. Moreover, today’s reading gives us the example of David and his men. While in the midst of battle, he declared he was thirsty for the water from the well in Bethlehem; some of his men putting their lives at great jeopardy, broke through the enemies’ siege and returned with the water for their king to drink. When they eventually delivered the water, he had to offer it to God. How committed are you to God or His servant? What level of risk can you take just to meet the needs of God’s servant? This story teaches us that commitment to your leader is commitment to your God. Are you committed to your God or your pastor? How supportive are you to kingdom projects? How ready you to take the assignments given to you in church?

PRAYER POINT

Father, help me to be committed to you like no one else in my generation.

As Vital as Your Heartbeat As believers, right thinking is something that is so important we simply can't live without it. Just like our heartbeat, it's vital because many of the problems we deal with in our lives are rooted in wrong thinking patterns, which are not based on the truth. Right thinking is a result of regular, personal fellowship with God through prayer and the Word. It is important for us to come to grips with the fact that our lives will not get straightened out until our thinking gets straightened out. Thoughts bear fruit. When you and I think good thoughts, our lives produce good fruit. When we think bad thoughts, our lives produce bad fruit. The longer I serve God and study His Word, the more I realize how important it is for me to be aware of what's going on in my mind. Where the mind goes, the man follows. Continually watching over our thoughts is the only way we will ever be able to keep them in line with God's Word and win our battle against the enemy. Prayer Starter: Holy Spirit, You have shown me that right thinking is absolutely vital. I will seek You regularly so that I can think the right thoughts.

SIN AND DEATH CONNECTION

Memorise;

Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted. Psalm 107:17

Read; 

1 Kings 17:17-18

Romans 6:23 says sin pays the one who engages in it with death. Sickness is an agent of death. When somebody falls sick, the reason people become concerned is because it can lead to death. This tells us that sin, sickness and death are all linked together. Let us take an example in 1 Kings 17:17-18. Here, the son of the widow of Zarepheth took ill and later died. By the time the widow met Elijah, she asked: "Why have you done this? Do you want to bring my sin to remembrance?" In other words, she believed some sin she committed some time ago, which had probably been swept under the carpet, was now having its toll on her. Looking at the beginning, before the advent of sin, there was no sickness or death in the Garden of Eden. Psalm 107:17 further confirms this when it states:

"Fools because of their transgression, and because of

their iniquities, are afflicted."

Sin leads to sickness because sin provides sickness with a very conducive atmosphere to operate in the life of the sinner. This is why your healthiest moments on earth are when you are living holy, excluding while going through a trial of faith situation; while the times you are most vulnerable to sickness is when you are living in sin. When you make effort to live holy, you are only doing yourself good and prolonging your life.

Similarly, demons are also agents of death. Anyone who lives in sins is a slave of Satan according to Romans 6:16. In addition, 1 John 3:8 says the one who sins is a property of the devil. Sin always connects the sinner with Satan.

When you sin, Satan automatically has what belongs to him in you, making the fellow a slave of the devil. So captivity and bondage leads to death. Also poverty and hunger are agents of death. Never believe the lie of anyone that poverty is good. The evil of poverty is not only that can kill the poor before their time, for in 2 Kings 6:24-29, we read of how two women were so hungry that they decided to us their children for breakfast - just to live for a few more days! You shall not be a victim of poverty in Jesus name. Are you still connected with sin - evil thoughts, plans or emotions? Break them off today!

Bible in one year:

2 Corinthians 10-13

KEY POINT:

Sin facilitates sickness, while holy living facilitates healthy living.

RESTORING THE DESTROYED

Thursday 17th January,2013

Memorise:

For God will save Zion, and will build the cities of judah: that they may dwell there, and have it in possession. Psalm 69:35

Read: 

Psalm 69:30-36

Besides making your joy to be full and connecting you with mercy, another door of possibility that prayer opens as listed in Zechariah 1:12-16 is that it makes God to rebuild what he destroyed in judgement. For 70 years, Jerusalem and Judah were in ruins as a result of divine judgement. But when prayer was engaged by an angel on behalf of God's people, the Lord decided to return and rebuild the cities of Jerusalem. Have you faced divine judgement before? Do you secretly believe that you can never be in favour with God because of your antecedents? Drop that notion now! All you need to do is to engage in prayer, starting with confession of sins and total repentance, rededication and from there to thanksgiving, praise and worship. After these, you can supplicate or ask God for mercy. If you handle this tool of prayer well, very soon, whatever you lost shall be restored. Your broken wall of protection will be rebuilt. Your lost relationship with God shall be restored. The voice of the Spirit which stopped speaking to you because of some act of disobedience shall be restored.

"Cry yet, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts;

My cities through prosperity shall yet be spread abroad...."

Zechariah 1:17a

God did not stop at rebuilding the cities of Jerusalem but went ahead to prosper them. Have you been a victim of divine judgement at any time? If only you can pray your way into restoration with God, He will not only rebuild you, but also prosper you. This shows us how much God hates poverty.

If God can rebuild and prosper those who once lived in rebellion against Him, how much more will He prosper those who have been faithful to Him? This is your season to be built up. Every strand of His grace that has been lost shall be restored to you this season. It is a season of divine mercy; as you key into it through prayer, everything will begin to fall into place like a jig saw puzzle. The Lord will rebuild your life. The Lord will rebuild your destiny. The lord will restore every good thing you have lost. It is well with you.

Bible in one year:

2 Corinthian 7-9

PRAYER POINT:

Father, in any way my family and I have provoked Your judgement, have mercy on us and rebuild our joy today.

RESTORING THE DESTROYED

Thursday 17th January,2013

Memorise:

For God will save Zion, and will build the cities of judah: that they may dwell there, and have it in possession. Psalm 69:35

Read: 

Psalm 69:30-36

Besides making your joy to be full and connecting you with mercy, another door of possibility that prayer opens as listed in Zechariah 1:12-16 is that it makes God to rebuild what he destroyed in judgement. For 70 years, Jerusalem and Judah were in ruins as a result of divine judgement. But when prayer was engaged by an angel on behalf of God's people, the Lord decided to return and rebuild the cities of Jerusalem. Have you faced divine judgement before? Do you secretly believe that you can never be in favour with God because of your antecedents? Drop that notion now! All you need to do is to engage in prayer, starting with confession of sins and total repentance, rededication and from there to thanksgiving, praise and worship. After these, you can supplicate or ask God for mercy. If you handle this tool of prayer well, very soon, whatever you lost shall be restored. Your broken wall of protection will be rebuilt. Your lost relationship with God shall be restored. The voice of the Spirit which stopped speaking to you because of some act of disobedience shall be restored.

"Cry yet, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts;

My cities through prosperity shall yet be spread abroad...."

Zechariah 1:17a

God did not stop at rebuilding the cities of Jerusalem but went ahead to prosper them. Have you been a victim of divine judgement at any time? If only you can pray your way into restoration with God, He will not only rebuild you, but also prosper you. This shows us how much God hates poverty.

If God can rebuild and prosper those who once lived in rebellion against Him, how much more will He prosper those who have been faithful to Him? This is your season to be built up. Every strand of His grace that has been lost shall be restored to you this season. It is a season of divine mercy; as you key into it through prayer, everything will begin to fall into place like a jig saw puzzle. The Lord will rebuild your life. The Lord will rebuild your destiny. The lord will restore every good thing you have lost. It is well with you.

Bible in one year:

2 Corinthian 7-9

PRAYER POINT:

Father, in any way my family and I have provoked Your judgement, have mercy on us and rebuild our joy today.

SIMILAR GENETIC MARKERS

Memorise:

For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. Malachi 3:6

Read:

2 King 2:9-15

We are in a fast changing world. A lot of drastic changes have occurred and are still occurring. To keep up with these changes and the challenges they present, you need the new anointing. During my school days, if you did sciences, by the time you were graduating, you would have job offers and might even be asked the type of car you wanted. But today, many people have their Ph.D. But they are still combing the streets in search of non-existing jobs. If that is your situation, the Lord will bring about a change this season in the mighty name of Jesus.

Speaking about the new anointing, the truth is that you cannot effectively speak of the new without talking about the old as the new was birthed by the old. It is the spirit of Elijah that rested on Elisha, the old anointing gave birth to the new and as such, the genes of the old can be found in the new. Hence, both anointing have certain things in common. For instance, taking a cue from our reading today, we see that both the old and the new anointing can deal with obstacles. When Elijah was to go across river Jordan, he used his mantle to smite the river and it parted. Also, when Elisha wanted the same result, he repeated what his mentor had done and the river parted. Similarly, in Exodus 14:21-28, when Moses was about to take the children of Israel across the Red sea, he engaged the old anointing to divide the sea and create a pathway in it.

But, when the wall of Jericho was a stumbling block on the path of Joshua, he engaged the new anointing and got the children of Israel to give one powerful shout of Hallelujah and the wall came crashing down (Joshua 6:20) What is that wall stubbornly confronting you today? As you shout a powerful Hallelujah today, it shall fall flat in Jesus name. That long standing problem in your life shall crash today in the name of Jesus Christ. Engage in praise and worship, looking up to Him who alone does wonders and your mountains will melt like wax in His presence. The problem or obstacles may take a different from or shape but the good news is that both the old and the new can deal with it. This year, the Lord will give you victory over nagging problems. The new anointing will work for you in Jesus name.

Bible in one year:

2 Corinthians 4-6

PRAYER POINT:

Father, the great works You did through the apostles of old, repeat them in my life.

THANK GOD ALWAYS

Memorise:

Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Ephesians 5:20

Read:

Ephesians 5:19-20

Thanksgiving is a qualitative spiritual substance that is highly prized in the heavenly Kingdom. As a vessel which serves God, you must always be full of it. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says,

"In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God

in Christ Jesus concerning you."

Thanksgiving is God's will for you; which means, you have been recreated in Christ so that as a vessel that serves God, you will regularly serve God thanks. To remain in God's will and plan for your life, your heart and lips must never run out of thanks. It is not possible to be full of thanks and complaints at the same time, as these two are contrary to each other. Any believer who is always complaining is not only void of thanks but also outside God's will. This is dangerous. God's blessings - favour, grace provision, etc locates you in the will of God, so never let complaining, murmuring, and grumbling push you off the track of your blessings!

"Giving thanks always for all things unto God and

the father in the.name of our lord Jesus Christ;" 

Ephesians 5:20. 

Another lesson here is that thanksgiving should not be restricted to a particular day, time, or event. Thanksgiving should not be a seasonal activity but one that is done at all times and in every situation. If you thank God only when He has answered your prayers or done something for you, that thanksgiving is seasonal! God is not pleased with seasonal thanksgiving because seasonal 'thank-givers' are part of those who rob Him. When the going is good, give Him thanks. That is easy. Anybody can do that.

But when the going is bad, do you give Him thanks? Did I hear you say, for what? Give it to Him because He demands it; it is His right. When you are spiritually high, give Him thanks. When you are spiritually down, give Him thanks. When you are healthy, give Him thanks. When you fall ill give Him thanks. When you have just been promoted give Him thanks. When you have lost your job give Him thanks. From today, let your thanksgiving no longer be conditioned upon any particular situation. Thank God whether you feel like it or not because it is our due to God. In His faithfulness He will give you reasons to give Him thanks over and over again.

Bible in one year:

2 Corinthians 1-3

ACTION POINT:

Reflect over negative situations you have been through and thank God for not allowing you to drown in the fire or floods of life

BUILD YOUR MIGHTY MEN

Memorise:

For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity. Philippians 4:16

Read:

2 Samuel 23:8-14

It is very dangerous to be alone without being fully occupied in something positive. Also, nobody is an island to himself. No matter how important you think you are, or how highly placed you are, you still need the lowly placed individuals or subordinates to enable you get to your goal. The rich are rich today because they have the poor who work to make them rich. Without those poor persons, no rich person can be as rich as they are. In luke 10:1, the lord sent His disciples out for evangelism two by two, showing that no human being is self-sufficient, only God is. You need your brothers and you need your sisters. No matter the level of anointing you carry, you will still need someone to support you. In Exodus 17:8-13, Aaron and Hur kept the hands of interceding Moses up, while Joshua was at the battle field. It was this combined effort that God blessed which led to victory over the Amalekites. To what extent have you recognized those that the Lord has given to you?

Another example here is that of David. David was a mighty man of war. He had the knowhow with respect to fighting battles. He was a powerful young man and was highly skilled, yet he needed his mighty men to be as strong as he was (2 Samuel 23:8-29). You are as strong as your helpers. You are as knowledgeable as your helpers. Everyone God gives to you adds to your strength. This means that every helper you lose diminishes your strength. This is one reason you must treat your helpers with utmost care, love and concern. Some of these associates may come to you originally in weak, impoverished or near helpless state.

You will need to impact their lives. Once this is done, going by David's experience, they will become endeared to you, and deliver their support.

Have you taken the time to nourish, instruct, teach, train, mentor or invest in those the Lord has brought your way? How open are you in receiving those that God sends to you? Or do you think you can do it all alone? If you receive and invest in them, at the right time, they will be there to hold your hands up.

David raised his mighty men, build yours!

KEY POINT :

Words of appreciation, commendation and encouragement can achieve a lot in building your helpers.

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MILITARISED FOR CHRIST

Sunday 13th January,2013

Memorise:

Who is this king of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. Psalm 24:8

Read:

Psalm 24:7-10

If you have lost any good thing at any point in time, you can recover it. God does not want you to let go. There is a fighting spirit within you that God wants you to engage by tapping into His support in order to regain your loss. Any lost item you fail to fight for may never be recovered. Exodus 15:3 says,

''The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name''.

A soldier who has been well trained to fight happily looks forward to an opportunity to fight. In the same vein, a sportsman who has spent months or years preparing for a tournament looks forward with excitement to the competition. But how many believers truly look forward to practicing what they have learnt(? Why are you taking things cool when you should take it hot with your spiritual enemies? Why are you taking it easy with your flesh that is trying to derail you, and send you to hell? If the Lord is a man of war and you are his child, therefore you have part of His fighting spirit inside of you.

Psalm 24:7-10 says the Lord jesus is the Commander-in-chief of the heavenly hosts. God has a highly disciplined army in Heaven which follows Him wherever He goes according to Revelation 19;11-17. In order to recover the earth from Satan, the lord had to play by the rules by becoming a human being. When He came, one of his major reasons was to destroy the works of the devil hence, 1 John 3:8 says

''He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from. beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil'.

That the Lord heals, saves souls, and delivers are all geared towards destroying the works of the devil. During His ministry here on earth, the Lord stated an army. If you are born-again, you are a part of that army. How militant are you? Members of God's army do not wrestle against flesh and blood. Your fight is not against human beings but against demonic spirits, the flesh and worldly systems that are anti-Christ. As a part of this army, people must know what you like and what you hate. They must be able to predict the way you will handle situations and circumstances. How militant are you towards the forces of darkness? While physical kidnapping is disallowed, spiritual kidnapping is allowed. You can arrest or kidnap the peace or joy of your enemies.

Bible in one year:

1 Corinthians 10-12

KEY POINT:

Some are being calm about what they should take by force: they are making requests instead of issuing orders

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