CARE FOR THE BRETHREN

MEMORISE

But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19

READ

Romans 15:25-27

25 But now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints.

26 For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem.

27 It hath pleased them verily; and their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things.

 

MESSAGE

Apostle Paul in the Bible reading for today, teaches us one missing ingredient of true discipleship in today’s contemporary Church; which is the ministry of care. Despite the great anointing with which Apostle Paul was ministering to both Jews and Gentiles, it is amazing to read that the ministry of care was not absent from his vocation as a preacher of the gospel. It is also interesting to note that the lives of the early apostles of Jesus Christ were not only in alignment with the teachings of Jesus Christ but were also in alignment with their own teachings. Jesus Christ taught that his followers should be hospitable, kind hearted and generous. He said to us in Matthew 10:42 that:

 

“And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.”

He exemplified this when He insisted on feeding the crowd that had been with Him for so long, contrary to the suggestions of His disciples that they be dismissed with empty stomachs. He made sure the crowd was fed before they were dispersed (Matthew 14:15-19).

 

In Matthew 25:35-40 the Lord further enunciated this principle saying: 

 

“For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

 

In light of these witnesses, children of God must therefore engage in the ministry of care along with any other ministries that they may have been called into. This makes our calling a complete and perfect one. The needy amongst us should be given consideration as our primary target of ministration on practical giving.

 

ACTION POINT

Set up a care-giving department in your local assembly for the purpose of meeting the needs of those who lack one thing or the other.

 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Revelation 8-11; 

Psalm 93

 

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

GREATNESS IS COSTLY

MEMORISE

How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. Acts 10:38

READ

Judges 13:2-5

2 And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not.

3 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son.

4 Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing:

5 For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.

 

MESSAGE

God is in the business of making champions out of men and He is already making some people champions. However, there are some people who may not want to become champions. You may wonder why. It is because the cost of becoming a champion is very high! In those days when I used to be a boxer, when you are preparing for a tournament, there were certain things you had to do. For example, you would wake up by 5 a.m. and do some road walks. You beat the air while you jog. You cannot eat certain foods when you are preparing for a championship. To be a champion is not an easy thing. To remain a champion is even harder. When you become a champion, there are several people who will be seeking to dethrone you.

 

It is beautiful to be a champion but it is better to be made a champion by God. It means having God as your coach and that means every little thing you do, God as your coach will magnify it into something big. In the scripture, we find champions who did little things, but God decided to magnify whatever they did. In Exodus 14:21, Moses lifted his hand over the Red Sea and went to sleep. By the time he woke up the following morning, the sea had become an expressway. In 1 Samuel 17:45-50, David slung a stone and the next thing we discover is that Goliath was dead. To become a great person therefore, all you need to do is to allow your Senior Partner and Coach breathe into your little effort and all that represents Goliath in your life will begin to fall. As a champion being moulded by God, if God asks you to go out and preach, you must go out and preach. If He asks you to follow-up converts, you must obey. If he asks you to fast, you must fast. If He says He does not want you to fast, you must obey. You should do exactly what He wants. There is no room for you to be directed by any other person apart from Him. In Matthew 6:24, He said if you are going to be great, there is no room for divided loyalty.

 

”No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”

 

As a divine champion, after you prosper, your prosperity must not replace God. The only way to ensure this is that as you make it, you must be willing to let it go. If you want to be great, you must realise that the blessing is not for you to begin to build material things around yourself. No matter the opposition to your greatness, you will always win and sing joyfully.

 

KEY POINT

A great person sees every mountain as a potential testimony.

 

Author: Pst. E. A Adeboye

NOTHING TO HIDE

MEMORISE: 

God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God. Psalm 62:11 

READ :1KINGS 18: 30-35

30 And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down.

31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name:

32 And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.

33 And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood.
34 And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time.

35 And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: ZEPHANIAH 1:1-6:8; PSALM 89:15-37

At the showdown between Elijah and the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, Elijah told the people to come near and see what he was about to do. From this example we see that the ways of God are transparent. Christianity is not a secret cult. We do not hold our services with doors locked. Everyone is free to come and see what we are doing. If you belong to a society where they say they are serving God and they shut the doors to outsiders, it is a secret society, even if they cover the whole venue with Bibles. If you belong to a group where they say your wife cannot come in, even if they read all the chapters in Psalm, it is a secret society. In the church of the Living God, the doors and windows are wide open because there is nothing to hide. Also, after Elijah prepared the altar, he asked them to pour water on it three times until the place was running with water. This he did so that nobody would say he had fire under the altar. It was also a way of saying he trusted his God. He was saying there were no tricks or gimmicks. If you are in a church where they hide people who give testimonies, get out of there because it does not belong to God. In the true church of God, everything is honest, true and open so that people can come and see.

Anyone who wants to please God must have nothing to hide. Elijah repaired the altar that had been broken down. Certain preparations must precede divine blessings. Repentance must come before divine intervention. You cannot be living in sin and expect grace to abound; God forbid! If you want God to bless you, you must be willing to repent. Joshua was marching towards the Promised Land and miracles were happening. The walls of Jericho fell. He then sent some soldiers against the small town of Ai and they were defeated. Joshua sought the face of the Lord to know what was wrong and he was told to repair the altar that had been broken. Repair the altar of the Lord in your heart today. Decide right now that you are going to put everything that is wrong in your life in the right position. Salvation is free. You do not need to perish again. All you need to do is identify with the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and you will become a new creature in Him. Just obey His will. If you do these, you will have everlasting life. You will have abundant life in this world and have everlasting life in the world to come. However, if you refuse to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, the great anger of God will abide against you. No doubt, our God is a God of love, but He is also a consuming fire. As it was in the beginning, so it is now. The only difference is that there is room for repentance. There is an offer of salvation. The blood of Jesus cleanses from all sins. By reason of your repentance, you will not be destroyed in hell-fire in Jesus’ Name.

PRAYER POINT:
Father, help me to be transparent in all I do.

AUTHOR: Pst E . A ADEBOYE.

HOME TRAINING

MEMORISE: Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him. Proverbs 22 : 15. 

READ : JOSHUA 24 : 14 – 15.

14 Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.

15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : ZEPHANIAH 1 – 3, HAGGAI 1-2; PSALM 89 : 1 – 14.

After Moses sent twelve people to go and spy on the Promised Land, ten of them returned to say it was impossible to take the land. The first person to speak against this line of thought was Caleb ( Numbers 13 : 30 ). God gave this testimony about Caleb in Numbers 14 : 24 :

“But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.”

Many parents are content that they are serving the Lord but are not doing enough to make sure that members of their household serve the Lord too. In Genesis 22 : 7 – 9, we read about Abraham and Isaac. Abraham taught Isaac how to submit to him and to God. When Isaac asked Abraham where the item of sacrifice was, Abraham said God would provide one. Isaac did not ask any other question after this because his father had taught him how to submit to his God. After Abraham had prepared the altar, he told Isaac to lie on it and he obeyed. At this time, Abraham was over a hundred years old while Isaac was a strong youth. If Isaac had decided to run, Abraham would not have been able to stop him or catch up with him. Isaac submitted totally.

Do not use love as an excuse for not disciplining your children. If you do not discipline them, there will be trouble down the line. If you don’t believe me, ask Eli. In 1 Samuel 2 : 27 – 30, the purpose and plan of God for the house of Eli was changed on the ground that he refused to discipline his children. Some parents in the name of love, allow their children to do whatever they want, whereas they have only succeeded in destroying them. Proverbs 29 : 17 counsels us on this :

“Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul.”

The way to train your children is not by giving them gifts only. When you promise to punish them, make sure you do so or else they will not take you serious. Children should submit to their parents. It is one thing to be corrected and it is another thing to take the correction. There are three kinds of children: those without home training, those who were trained but rejected the training and those who were trained and accepted the training. What kind are you? When you study the life of those who submit to their parents, you will see that they are usually greater than their parents. The point where their parents stop is where they begin from. The same is true spiritually. In Joshua 1 : 1 – 5, we see how Joshua submitted to Moses, and when Moses died, God promoted him and continued with him. If you follow this principle, it will also work for you.

PRAYER POINT:

Lord, give me a listening ear and a heart that accepts correction in Jesus’ Name.

AUTHOR: Pst E . A ADEBOYE.

TIME TO WAR

MEMORISE: For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven. Psalm 119 : 89. 

READ: DANIEL 3 : 16 – 17.

16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : NAHUM 1 – 3, HABAKKUK 1 – 3; PSALM 88.

There are times when you have to make war. Sometime ago, I was walking round our Camp ground praying and I saw two snakes. Would you say I should leave the snakes to go on their own? If I leave them to go, they would grow to become bigger and who knows, they could come back and attack me or any of my children. When I see a snake, that snake must die! Cancer is a snake; if it is in your body, I curse it in Jesus’ Name. Barrenness is a snake opening its mouth and eating the seeds of husbands. It shall die in Jesus’ Name. There are times we need to speak for miracles to happen. If you keep quiet when you are expected to speak, your problem will remain quiet with you. After all, silence implies consent. If you have a sickness and it is okay by you, the sickness will stay. If you have demons in the form of a house help and you are willing to keep them, all well and good. Wait until they have poisoned your husband or until they have destroyed your marriage; if that is okay with you, then it is fine. However, such is not fine with me. No evil shall remain in my home or in the church of God in Jesus’ Name. If you would satisfy some conditions, then you shall decree a thing, and it shall be established unto you. The condition is that you should remain holy. Whenever it is time to decree, just make sure you link Jesus Christ with your decree. Once He backs up your decree, it shall be established.

In Genesis 22 : 7 – 8, Isaac said to Abraham that he could see the wood and the fire but not the animal to be used as a sacrifice. Abraham said the Lord shall provide for Himself a lamb for the sacrifice. He linked the Almighty God with the decree and by the time he got to the mountain top, there was a lamb already waiting. In 1 Samuel 17 : 45, David said to Goliath that he had come to him in the Name of the Lord, the Lord of Hosts, who would hand Goliath over to him for him to cut his head. He did not say he would kill Goliath himself, but that God would hand Goliath over to him. So when it is time to decree over your enemies, do not just say, “I am going to step over you’’ but say, “God will make you a stepping stone for me”. Whenever it is time to issue decrees, do not talk as if you are the Almighty. Hide within Him and then use Him to make your decree. Spoken words can be extremely powerful. If a nation wants to go to war with another nation, they declare war by speaking. When the war is over, they declare peace by speaking. If you are yet to be born-again, I urge you to come to Jesus today. If you say you are born-again and there is no accompanying change in your life, you better go to Jesus and declare war against everything that is incongruent with the nature of God in your life.

PRAYER POINT :

Father, do something new in my life today.

AUTHOR : Pst E . A ADEBOYE.

WHERE ARE YOU?

MEMORISE

And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? Genesis 3:9

 

READ

Genesis 3:7-10

7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.

9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?

10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

 

MESSAGE

Where are you? I am convinced that this question God asked Adam long ago is still relevant today. It is not expedient to wait for God to ask you this question. Rather, as part of a self examination process, you should introspectively ask yourself this question. A sincere approach in answering this question would do you a lot of good both in this world and in eternity.

 

From the day of his birth, a man begins a return journey to where he is from (Ecclesiastes 12:1-7). This is why, with regard to official matters, you are not asked “how young are you?”, but rather you are asked how old you are. No matter how young you are, you are growing old day by day. Hence, God Himself is asking you: where are you now? You should therefore ask yourself regularly, ‘how far have I gone in fulfilling the purpose of my creation and salvation?’

 

To answer this serious question, you need to first of all answer some other questions like: “where was I yesterday?” It could be last week, last year or when you first got born-again. Next, you need to answer the question: “where am I now?” Consider Samson, who went from being a terror to the enemy to grinding corn in the prison of the enemy. Ask yourself, ‘am I going on to greater heights, winning more souls than before for Christ?’ Materially, have you moved from thirty fold, to sixty fold or to hundred fold increase? Or is your case that of moving in the reverse direction?

 

Are you increasing spiritually or decreasing? Are you increasing financially or decreasing? It is God’s will and it is His plan for you to grow spiritually, financially and all-round.

“Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the LORD be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.”

Psalm 35:27

 

If you are not growing, could it be that you have been eating your seed? Or maybe you are sowing sparingly (2 Corinthians 9:6)? Perhaps, because you have been defaulting in your tithe, you are now working under a divine curse (Malachi 3:8-10)? As the Lord said to His people who experienced decrease in time past, He says to you now: consider your ways (Haggai 1:5-7).

 

 

ACTION POINT

Carry out a self-evaluation and cry to God about your findings.

 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Joel 1-3; Psalm 82

 

Author: Pastor E. A Adeboye

CONFRONT THIS ENEMY – FEAR

MEMORISE

For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. Romans 8:15

 

READ

Isaiah 41:10-14

10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

11 Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish.

12 Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought.

13 For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.

14 Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the LORD, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

MESSAGE

The scripture is replete with statements of “fear not” from God to His people. Fear is one tool the enemy finds most useful in his hands in making the children of God suffer failure, pain and destruction of destiny. Often times, what people are afraid of is not real, but their minds paint an imaginary picture of the object or situation out of proportion and the enemy helps to blow it up. Thus people fear what they should not be afraid of.

On the other hand, there are some situations that are truly terrifying from a human perspective. Regarding such situations, the Lord our God still tells us not to be afraid. He expects us to know that with Him behind us and for us, no person, situation or thing can have us at its mercy. This is why in Isaiah 41:10 He says:

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”

Fear is an enemy; it paralyses the potential meant to be deployed for activities that lead to greatness. The Bible says fear has torment (1 John 4:18). Fear makes its victim disobedient to God. It deceives its victim into magnifying a challenging situation above God. Such was the case of King Saul who confessed that he had sinned because he feared the people and obeyed their voice against the instruction of God (1 Samuel 15:24). Being fearful is a sin that can lead to an eternity in the Lake of Fire (Revelation 21:8).

“But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

Of all the listed sins above, being fearful is number one on the list. You have no business being fearful. Jesus our Lord is greater than any human being no matter his status. He is greater than any witch or wizard; Satan their master is no match for Him. In fact, Colossians 2:10 says Jesus is the head of all principalities and powers. Isaiah 8:12-13 says we should not fear any gang-up against us, rather, God alone should be feared. Once we fear God, we would have no one else to fear.

ACTION POINT

Confront anything, person or situation tending to make you afraid in the Name of Jesus. Command the spirit of fear to depart from you in Jesus’ Name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Hosea 6-10; Psalm 80:8-19

Author: Pastor E. A Adeboye

PEACE ALL-ROUND I

MEMORISE

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27

READ

Isaiah 43:2-4

2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

3 For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.

4 Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.

 

MESSAGE

Peace is good and needful, whether to an individual or to a society. The presence of peace is to be cherished above having riches without peace. May you not have the kind of wealth that would take away your peace in Jesus’ Name. There is a dimension of peace I refer to as environmental peace: this has to do with physical security challenges such as is being grappled with in Nigeria – terrorism in the north, kidnapping and armed robbery all over the place. The truth is, environmental peace has a way of affecting the peace of mind of individuals. Glory to God, Jesus our Lord goes by the title “Prince of Peace”. What this connotes is that He is the controller, the giver and the One who sustains and nourishes peace in man. He controls all dimensions of peace possible – be it environmental, in the mind or any other. Lack of peace brings fear, confusion, and leads into bondage. No vision, development or progress is made where there is no peace.

 

 

The highest level of peace a man needs to attain is peace with God. This is why no one can boast of security except by coming to Jesus. When you come to Jesus – the author of peace, He dwells in you with His peace. He will keep kidnappers, armed robbers and assassins away from you, thus making you to dwell in peace environmentally. Your mind will be at peace also. You must however continue to love and trust Him with all your heart and resources. Psalm 91:1 says:

“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”

Psalm 125:2 also says:

“As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the LORD is round about his people from henceforth even for ever.”

These are the words of the Lord that cannot lie. One limiting problem is that some children of God are ignorant of His promises. We need to stand on His word, claim it, pray it and confess it. It is His plan that we should be delivered from our enemies so that we may serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness all the days of our lives (Luke 1:74-75). Whatever negates that plan must not be accommodated.

 

ACTION POINT

Pray for peace in Nigeria and all troubled spots in the world. Pray that the gospel of Jesus will thrive in all nations of the world.

 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Daniel 11-12; Psalm 79

 

Author: Pastor E. A Adeboye

IT SHALL BE WELL

MEMORISE

Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Isaiah 3:10

READ

Isaiah 3:10-11

10 Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.

11 Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.

MESSAGE

The importance attributed to a statement depends on who is making it.

“Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.”

Isaiah 3:10

The person that made the above statement is none other than the Alpha and Omega Himself. He made this statement because He knows tomorrow. Of course, He knows that the tomorrow of the righteous is beautiful in Him. There is no way anyone can be righteous without being in Christ. Basically, Jesus is our righteousness. He makes us righteous so that we can continue to live in righteousness by His power. Hence, “the righteous” that this statement applies to, is not the one who says that because Christ has been made our righteousness, it does not matter how we continue to live. No, it is a mockery of the whole sacrifice of Jesus, if He saved us from sin only for us to continue to live in sin, because He is our righteousness. People who live by this understanding are self deluded and have allowed Satan to deceive them. For the child of God living uprightly, it doesn’t matter how things may be around you now, your Father says “It shall be well with you”.

Not only is He faithful to His promises, He also has the power to bring to pass whatever He says. This statement can mean different things to different people. To the sick, it means he will be healed; to the poor, it means his wealth is on the way, for it is He who gives power to get wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18) that says “all will be well”. To the captive, “all will be well” means freedom is here. His Name is the Lord of hosts (Psalm 24:10). He will destroy all the forces behind your captivity. To the barren it means you shall conceive, for He is the One able to bring children out of stones (Matthew 3:9). To the one who is a failure, it means success is coming: for He is the great promoter (Psalm 75:6-7). How can we be so sure that all will be well, you probably would ask? It is because anytime He wants to do anything, He sends His word. For you a true child of God, who lives right and desires to please God always, I believe strongly that God wants to do something special in your life; divine intervention is around the corner. If your way has not been right with Him however, go to Him now in prayer and completely turn over your life to Him.

 

ACTION POINT

Thank God for His deep concern, provision for your well being and for the assurance of a glorious tomorrow.

 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Daniel 7-8; 

Psalm 78:40-55

 

DIVINE CALL

MEMORISE

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. Matthew 11:29

READ

Matthew 11:28-30

28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

MESSAGE

A call is an invitation to something higher than an individual and there are two parties involved in it; these are the caller and the called. A classic example of the divine call is what we find in Matthew 11:28-29. Here God is the caller and the called is all men. This is a call unto salvation; it is universal in scope. It hinges on John 3:16. It is a call from the heart of God, out of deep concern for man to not self-destruct. He calls out to man, telling them that He has provided a means of escape from the wrath to come. It is popularly said: to be forewarned is to be forearmed. Only the wise would get prepared when warned ahead of danger. It is amazing how some who are considered to be wise and intelligent in this world by their level of education prove to be foolish when it comes to the divine warning on the destruction of man, unless he receives the divine call to salvation.

Congratulations to those who have received the divine call to salvation, for they are the children of the Most High God. They are in favour with the ultimate decider of the fate of men. They are now heirs of God and joint heirs with the Lord Jesus Christ. We all must understand that within the larger group of those that have received the universal basic call to salvation are some who are called for some specific purpose. Such includes those called to service as Pastors, Apostles, Evangelists, Prophets and Missionaries to specific locations, etc. Although you may not be so called, you should not be ignorant of the fact that some other divine calls are general to us all.

Every one of us is called to pray (1Thessalonians 5:17). The business of prayer is not to be left to a group of prayer warriors. Every one of us is called to watch (Matthew 24:42). You are called as a child of God to be on your toes and not to be careless. Not heeding this call can be disastrous. This will not be your experience in Jesus’ Name. Also, every one of us is called to fast (Matthew 9:14-15). There is no provision in the word of God for prayer and fast contracting. Besides, we are all called to be of helps to our leaders, particularly in prayers (1 Thessalonians 5:25, 2 Corinthians 10:11). Every one of us is called to win souls (Mark 16:15). Note that those who will survive in the time of trouble are soul winners. We all are called to be generous (Luke 6:38). Finally, every one of is called to holiness (1 Thessalonians 4:7).

ACTION POINT

Thank God for the salvation of your soul. If you are not yet saved, kneel down now and call upon the Lord as a sinner for salvation.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Daniel 4:34-6:28;

 Psalm 78:17-39

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

THE BREVITY OF TIME.

MEMORISE: The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light-Romans 13:12

READ: ROMANS 13: 11-14

11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.

12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.

13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.

14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: DANIEL 3:1-4 : 33; PSALM 78:9-16.

MESSAGE 

How recklessly this age speeds on to self destruction! The word of God is accurate and authentic in its prediction of the latter end of the world and in warning His saints of the end times, so that they are not overtaken by the prevalence of evil in this age! In virtually every facet of life, there is an overturning of rightness. Theologically and philosophically, there is a denial of the absoluteness of truth, hence they talk of relativism i.e. right is relative; what is morally right to a people of culture A is not necessarily right to people of culture B. Thus, the culture of people is held higher and given prominence above the word of God. They stretch human rights beyond scripturally accepted limits – anything anybody’s warped mind desires should not be denied him though it is self destructive. Things that would receive outright condemnation some thirty years ago are now fashionable. Otherwise, what would you say about homosexuality, where presidents are giving public recognition and approval to gay practices? Not only that, they are threatening other nations that would not do same. There is an increasing degree of selfishness at the highest level, which makes few people in government enrich themselves and impoverish the masses. Domestic crimes have taken a worse turn, with incidents of husbands driving knives into the throat of their wife. Knowledge is increasing at an astronomical rate, giving rise to changing trends of technological sophistication. This in itself has affected human behaviour greatly, and sometimes, these technologies enable men to commit sophisticated dirty and wicked acts.

No doubt, the enemy knowing that his time is short is not sparing anything in his arsenal to destroy humanity and to infuriate God. In all these, you will not be a victim in Jesus’ Name. I pray for you that the dragnet of evil in this present time will not catch up with you in Jesus’ Name. The Bible says we are kept by the power of God (1Peter 1:5). You must realise that all these evil things that are rampant nowadays are indicative of the soon coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, you must live every moment in earnest expectation of Christ (Titus 2:11-14). As one of the five wise virgins (Matthew 25:1-9), you must have no time for idleness or idle talk. You should be busy serving the Lord, winning souls and living holy. You must also be prayerful, interceding for your family members and others.

ACTION POINT:

Check your commitment to Jesus and meditate on how you can fulfil the instructions in the memory verse. 

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

THE QUALIFIED

MEMORISE

Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; 2 Corinthians 3:5

READ

Philippians 3:5-9

5 Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;

6 Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

MESSAGE

Any genuine child of God would want to be used by God for great things. God’s decision to use a person, or how far He would go in using an individual, rests on several factors, of which self-inadequacy is prominent. We need to realise straightaway that there is no adequacy anywhere apart from God. Many passages of scripture attest to this. He is the one that owns power (Psalm 62:11), and power according to scientists is the ability to do work. This has to do with adequacy. What about wisdom? He is the Source and the Giver (Colossians 2:2-3, James 1:5). How about strength? Isaiah 40:29-31 says that He gives strength and might. In light of these therefore, no man ought to think of himself as adequate. Whether it is knowledge, strength, power, wisdom, connections etc, none of these can qualify a person as adequate before God for divine choice. As a matter of fact, relying on your natural abilities before God amounts to pride.

When God called Moses to go for Him to set the Israelites free from the bondage of Egypt, the reply Moses gave was: “Who am I?” This shows a sense of inadequacy. He was saying: “Are you sure you are not picking the wrong person?” Beloved, until a man empties himself of all that he is, God cannot use him. Only empty vessels can be filled (2 Kings 4:3-4). Many of God’s people are still full of themselves or of something else apart from God’s resources. This is why God is not using them optimally. You need to take a look at yourself; maybe you are also still full of yourself. Maybe you think you can get the job done by your education, oratory prowess, human connections, charisma etc. This is not the way of God. God in reply said to Moses, “Moses you are right, you are forgotten at the backside of the desert, you are nothing, but that is why I AM picking you”. 

Beloved, if you go through scripture, you will discover that those used of God were those who either were nothing or those who reduced themselves to nothing. If at any time He picked anyone who seemed to be “something”, such persons had to empty themselves of what they were - Saul of Tarsus for instance (Philippians 3:8). If you are chosen by God while you are nothing, all you need is His presence. His assurance to you is this: “My presence will be with you”. That is all you need.

PRAYER POINT

Father, I empty myself of all my pride and personal acclaim, fill me up and use me for your glory.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Daniel 1-2; 

Psalm 78:1-8

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

WHY THE WORLD RAGES

MEMORISE

And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake.Luke 21:17

READ

Luke 6:22-23

22 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. 

23 Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.

MESSAGE

The Psalmist in Psalm 69:8 wrote:

“I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother’s children.”

Why this sorry situation? He gives the reason in Psalm 69:9:

“For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.”

This is equally the lamentation of those who would live a righteous life in this world. The world is becoming more ungodly than ever before. Wickedness is becoming the accepted norm of our society. Worldliness is the order of the day in present day Christianity. Ruminating on this reality, one cannot but ask the following questions: If this continues, is there any hope for godly living? For how long would the wicked continue to hold sway in our society? The answers to these questions are: this ugly situation will not continue perpetually, there is hope for those who are on the Lord’s side, and a doomsday of judgement awaits the ungodly.

 

When you decide to live a godly life, there is bound to be persecution from the ungodly. The most painful aspect of this is that, the ungodly who once were outside the Church are not just in Church today, but are also taking positions and are “persecuting” those who are trying to go the extra mile for the Master. The Lord in our Bible reading foretold the persecutions, shunning and reproach that will befall those who will live godly lives in this world. He did this in order to comfort us. The Psalmist also was perplexed by this situation until he received insight from God.

 

“Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches. When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me; Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end. Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction.”
Psalm 73:12&16-18

 

  Our Lord Jesus Christ explained to us the reason why the world will hate us in John 15:19:

“If ye were of the world, the world would love is own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.”

Beloved, in spite of all these, keep your eyes on the Lord. Every persecution ends at His coming. To someone using this devotional, the Lord is encouraging you to endure the present persecution you are facing. The next phase of your life is all-round promotion. Praise the Lord.

 

PRAYER POINT

Father, give me the grace to identify with you in this evil generation in Jesus’ Name.

 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Ezekiel 42:1-44:14; 

Psalm 76

 

AUTHOR: Pst E . A ADEBOYE.