DONT CLOSE YOUR MOUTH I

MONDAY 1 JUNE 2015

DONT CLOSE YOUR MOUTH I

Memorise:

Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. James 4:2

Read: Daniel 9:1-19

1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans;

2 In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.

3 And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:

4 And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments;

5 We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments:

6 Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.

7 O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee.

8 O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee.

9 To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him;

10 Neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.

11 Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him.

12 And he hath confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem.

13 As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth.

14 Therefore hath the LORD watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the LORD our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice.

15 And now, O Lord our God, that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and hast gotten thee renown, as at this day; we have sinned, we have done wickedly.

16 O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us.

17 Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake.

18 O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.

19 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name.

Message 

Our Bible reading shows Daniel, a great man of prayer, interceding for his nation, Isreal. In his prayer, he asked God to remember His promises to restore the nation Isreal. He was determined to seek the face of God for mercy, through prayers and supplications with fasting. He mourned for the despicable condition of the Jews who were scattered all over the world and for the ruins of Jerusalem.

There are great lessons of life we can profit from when we ponder on this example of Daniel.

One of these lessons is from this statement : ' I Daniel understood by books' ( Daniel 9:2 ). It was Daniel's discovery and understanding of what the Lord has said through Prophet Jeremiah in Jeremiah 29:10, concerning the time of His salvation to restore Isreal as nation that motivated him to intercede for his people. Recognise the fact that in this period, there were no collating, all the writings of the prophets were on different scrolls spread across various locations. Therefore, it must have been a lot of hard work for Daniel to search for the relevant scrolls of the prophets, and then read through them to know what God has said about the situation he was bothered about.

Reading, studying and meditating on God's word is hard work, but the extent to which you know the bible is the extent to which you will know the mind of God concerning you.

When you know the mind of God concerning a situation, it will build your confidence as you approach your Heavenly Father in prayer. 

Our Lord Jesus Christ assured us of answers to our prayer in Mathew 7:8. He followed up this assurance by asking this question in Mathew 7:9:

'Or what man is there of you, whom if his son asked bread, will give him a stone"

In answer to our Lord's question, a father indeed would not do that. How much more our Heavenly Father who is more benevolent than our earthly father ( Mathew 7:1 )' 

I therefore encourage you to study to know the mind of God, so as to pray aright all times. This Alone can guarantee express answers to your needs. 

It will not be good for you to engage in an exercise in futility. Pray according to God's mind in His holy word and you will be happy you did. Do not keep your mouth shut and suffer in silence. 

Prayer Point:

Father, help the leaders of my country to be alive to their responsibilities in Jesus'Name.'

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 KINGS 3-4 and LUKE 1:57-80

AUTHOR: Pst E. A ADEBOYE

IT IS FOR YOUR GOOD

SUNDAY 31st MAY 2015

IT IS FOR YOUR GOOD 

Memorise:

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

Read: Genesis 50:15-21

15 And when Joseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him.

16 And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying,

17 So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him.

18 And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants.

19 And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God?

20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

21 Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.

Message

From the beginning, the devil’s modus operandi has been to sow the seeds of doubt in the heart of mankind with regards to the plan and intentions of God for them. For example, while God’s reason for restraining Adam and Eve from eating the forbidden fruit was to keep them alive, healthy and prosperous, the devil came and told them that God did so because He did not have their good at heart (Genesis 3:4-5).

It was this type of doubt that the devil sowed in the heart of Joseph’s brothers after the demise of their father. Thank God Joseph was a man who knew the mind of God; He quickly quenched their doubts. 

For us His children today, God has revealed His plans and intentions for us in Jeremiah 29:11:

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

This is not an after-thought; rather, this has always been God’s intention for us from the beginning of creation (Genesis 1:26). It is therefore a sin to doubt the good in God’s motives when He directs us to do something or live in a particular way that is contrary to what the devil or the world expects.

Because Joseph knew the mind of God concerning all that happened to him, he rejected hero-worship from his brothers and allayed their fears. He comforted them by making them understand that their negative actions towards him were used by God to fulfil His eternal good purpose in his life.

Genesis 50:19-20 says:

“And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.”

In other words, Joseph was saying to his brothers that it was not they but God who sent him to Egypt for a clearly defined purpose. Paul corroborates this truth in our memory verse.

The Lord is saying to you that you should stop complaining about what is happening to you now; it is for your good. Things will work out for your good if you continue to love God even in that so-called unpleasant situation, which has a divine purpose attached to it. 

Once again I say to you: it is for your good, and you will soon know why.  

Prayer Point:

Father, according to your word, let all things work together for my good from today in Jesus’ Name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 KING 2 and LUKE 1:26-56

AUTHOR : Pst E. A ADEBOYE

A CONSCIENCE VOID OF OFFENCE

SATURDAY 30th MAY 2015

A CONSCIENCE VOID OF OFFENCE 

Memorise:

And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men. Acts 24:16

Read: Romans 14:16-21

16 Let not then your good be evil spoken of:

17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

18 For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.

19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.

20 For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence.

21 It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.

Message:

The Church of Jesus Christ on earth will be healthy and pleasant if Christians would live with conscience void of offence. Unfortunately, offences often arise here and there in the Body of Christ today. This is caused by misuse of opportunities, wealth and other material possessions. For this to be uprooted from the Church, we need to apply the spiritual principles that Apostle Paul laid down in 1st Timothy 6:17-18: “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; that they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;”

A good number of Christians are still living under the bondage of a conscience filled with guilt. Why? It is because they have not been totally cut off from their terrible past. For instance, some of them are still living in houses they stole money to build or buy. 

Some find it difficult to serve their relationship with their old satanic clubs. These and many other entanglements are the reasons why they are not totally free. 

Some of these Christians put their pastors in tight corners, because their problems just refuse to go away. It then appears as if the pastor does not have enough anointing to deal with such problems. They then move from church to church without finding rest for their souls. 

The abuse of wealth and position, particularly those that are ill-gotten, robs you of a free conscience. This is why the expected life of peace, joy and contentment, which is our greatest gain and which makes us peculiar as children of God, has eluded some.

A common saying among Christians guilty of the abuse of wealth and position is “My conscience does not condemn me.” The question is: which conscience are you talking about? Is it the dead one that has become reprobate? Some of them even say “As many as are led by the spirit are the children of God.” Which spirit are you talking about?

Can the spirit of God, who inspired the writing of the scripture, turn around to tell you that what He inspired men to write was a mistake? Beloved, let us not deceive ourselves any further.

Let us live a Christian life devoid of offence against God and men, particularly those of the household of faith.  

Prayer Point:

Father, with the Blood of Jesus, please purge my conscience of all dead works that bring offence, in Jesus’ Name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 KINGS 1 and LUKE 2:1-25

AUTHOR : Pst E. A ADEBOYE

WHAT HAS YOUR AFFECTION?

FRIDAY 29th MAY 2015

WHAT HAS YOUR AFFECTION? 

Memorise: 

Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. Colossians 3:2

Read: Colossians 3:1-6

1 IF ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:

6 For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:

Message

I have observed that one of the reasons why many Christians find it difficult to live according to the standards of the Bible today is that their mind is not set on the things of heaven, and the reason for this is the coming of material prosperity to the church. 

Is it then a mistake that God has prospered us materially? Certainly not! Abraham was blessed, Isaac was blessed and Jacob was also blessed, but yet, they all served the Lord. King David even blessed the Lord for material prosperity among other things. Psalm 103:1&5 says,

“Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name…. who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

I have always said that the grace you need to manage material prosperity is far greater than the grace you need to manage poverty.

When God begins to prosper you, you must begin to pray harder for more grace to manage the prosperity, or else, your affection may shift from the things of heaven. 

It is foolishness to serve the Lord and be mindful of the things of heaven when you are poor, only for you to forget the Lord who has prospered you when the wealth comes. This is why the Bible in Proverb 1:32 says:

“For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.”

For many children of God, when they were will still struggling to make ends meet, their prayers used to be “Thy Kingdom come” Nowadays; they live their lives as if they are not going to die any more, and as if Jesus cannot come at any moment. 

Its not hard to identify those whose affection is set on the things of heaven, because they are always busy investing in the expansion of God’s kingdom. Because their investments are in heaven, their hearts are always thinking about heaven.

“But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

Matthew 6:20-21

There is no certainty in whatever treasures you keep on earth. Your investment in the things of heaven is what you will be left with if you make it to heaven.

Therefore, begin to set your affections on heavenly things from today.

Prayer Point:

Sweet Holy Spirit, fill my heart with love for the things of heaven in Jesus’ Name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 SAMUEL 23-24 and MARK 15:33-16:8

AUTHOR: Pst E. A ADEBOYE

CARING FOR THE NEEDY

THURSDAY 28th MAY 2015

CARING FOR THE NEEDY

Memorise:

For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land. Deuteronomy 15:11

Read: Matthew 25:34-40

34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

35 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:

36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, In as much as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Message:

The Bible says something very fundamental about our calling as disciples of Jesus Christ which many of us do not pay close attention to. This relates to caring for the needy. Proverbs 22:9 says:

“He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.”

One of the quickest ways to be blessed by God is to care for the poor. The Almighty God said that the poor shall never cease out of the land, and it is His prerogative to take care of such poor people. In as much as God will not come down to do this duty Himself; He has commanded those who are blessed with resources to give to those who do not have. 

Whoever acts on God’s behalf by catering for the needy and the poor will be bountifully blessed by Him. This is one of the secrets of divine blessing.

Apart from blessings in this world for those who cater for the poor, our Lord Jesus Christ goes further to assure them to eternal blessings. He said that such people will be adequately rewarded in the kingdom of God. Matthew 25:34-35 says:

“Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungered and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was stranger, and ye took me in:”

One of the respected general overseers of a church in Nigeria once gave the testimony of how he got saved during the Nigerian Civil War. According to him, as he was running from place to place for safety during the war, he stumbled on the small residence of a Christian couple and they received him into their home. To his surprise, he had barely settled down to rest in this couple’s house when the wife placed a big plate of rice before him. He wondered how the coupled managed to prepare such sumptuous meal in the first place, and how they could sacrifice such a delicious meal to a wanderer like himself. There and then, he decided to serve the God who was able to take care of his couple even in the time of war. That was how he became a Christian minister

that is spread all over the place. 

One fact remains, the couple that led him to Christ through sacrificial hospitality will share in the reward of the harvest of souls being credited to his ministry.

Prayer Point:

Father, grant me the grace and the provision I need to care for the needy in Jesus Name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 SAMUEL 21-22 and MARK 15:6-32

AUTHOR: Pst E. A ADEBOYE

THE PRICE OF BEING A STANDARD

WEDNESDAY 27th MAY 2015

THE PRICE OF BEING A STANDARD 

Memorise:

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 2 Corinthians 6:17

Read: 2nd Corinthians 6:14-18

14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

Message:

To become a standard or a positive reference point, there is a price to pay. Going through the Bible, one will see that all those who got outstanding approval from God had at least one thing in common, which is that they stood out for God before they became a reference point.

One of such Bible heroes is Elijah. He stood out for God on Mount Carmel. He risked being killed by the numerous prophets of Baal whom he had challenged. As a matter of fact, he was considered to be Public Enemy No. 1 by the ruler of his days, Ahab (1st Kings 21:20)

Another Bible hero is Daniel. He stood out alongside three other young Hebrew men in order to be outstanding and thus became a standard. Several times, he risked being killed because of his stand for goodliness. He knew his God and would not compromise his allegiance to Him. On one occasion, a degree forbade everybody from praying to God, but he put his life at risk by praying. He showed that he was different from every other person. The Bible says he did not go into hiding to pray; rather, he opened his windows and prayed three times a day until he was found out (Daniel 6:10). He disobeyed the malicious decree, which his malicious fellow presidents made King Darius to sign. 

One striking thing in this story was statement of these presidents in Daniel 6:5 - “Then said these men, we shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God.”

The question is: if it becomes a crime to be faithful disciples of Jesus Christ, will you be found guilty?

It is unfortunate that Christians are steadily losing their virtue as salt and the light in this world of darkness. 

Christians are no longer setting the standard for godly, virtuous living. They are allowing this corrupt world to overwhelm them, failing to realise that the state of corruption they are witnessing today was predicted in the Bible so long ago to prepare us to meet its challenges (2nd Timothy 3:1-5). This is the reason why in today’s Bible reading God commands us to come out from among evildoers, particularly false brethren. This is part of the price of being a standard; you must stand out and not conform to this world (Romans 12:2).

May the Lord give you the grace to obey in Jesus Name.

Action point:

Watch out for the evil deeds of this world and try to separate yourself from doing them. You will soon be noticed as different, and you will become a standard to the glory of God.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 SAMUEL 19:16-20:26 and MARK 14:53-15:5

AUTHOR: Pst E. A ADEBOYE

DRESS TO BE ADDRESSED

TUESDAY 26th MAY 2015

DRESS TO BE ADDRESSED 

Memorise:

And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock. Exodus 2:19

Read: Exodus 2:16-20

16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock.

17 And the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.

18 And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon today?

19 And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock.

20 And he said unto his daughters, And where is he? why is it that ye have left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread.

Message:

Many of today’s Christians don’t pay attention to their physical appearance. They have overstretched the fact that physical appearance may be deceptive at times.

Although the Bible confirms this to be true in Proverbs 31:30, it is also true that what you show on the outside is a reflection of who you are on the inside. In my culture, there are two sayings of the elders which appear to contradict, each other, but which contain eternal truths that cannot be wished away. The first one says: “The way you appear determines the level of respect people will accord you.” In other words, if you dress like a slave, you will be treated like a slave.

The other saying is: “A gorgeous dress does not guarantee nobility. “That is to say, a slave can dress like a king but this does not make him a king.

The experience of Moses when he fled to Midian confirms the truth that a person is more often than not addressed based on the way he or she is dressed.

Moses was not an Egyptian; he was Hebrew, but he was called an Egyptian by the daughter of the priest of Midian. Why did they call him an Egyptian? It's most certainly because of his general appearance. The lesson we should learn from this story as Christians is that we should allow what is inside us to reflect on the outside. For instance, if you are actually saved from sexual immorality, your manner of dressing must not promote it. 

Many years ago, some foreign teachers came to teach in our Bible College, and they taught our students that how they dressed did not matter, rather, it was that which was inside of them that was important. To correct this wrong teaching, I went to the nearby market to buy two similar oranges. The only difference between them was the fact that one was yellow while the other was green. I took the oranges to the class, showed them to the students and asked: “Given an option to choose, which one would you choose out of these two oranges?” they chose the yellow orange because according to them, the yellow one would be sweeter. Then I further asked how they arrived at this conclusion, since they had not even cut them open. They replied, “The outside appearance shows what is inside.” That drove home the message. 

When you dress in a way that people begin to wonder whether you know the difference between the “public” and the “private” parts of your body, then you need to learn Christian dressing ethics. Christians should allow the Holy Spirit to guide them on their physical comportment as becoming of saints.

Others may dress inappropriately, but children of God cannot.  

Action Point:

Look into your wardrobe, bring out any attire that promotes lust and sexual provocation and get rid of them. Let your wardrobe be born- again. 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 SAMUEL 18:1-19:15 and MARK 14:32-52

AUTHOR: Pst E. A ADEBOYE