GOD’S REMEMBRANCE & DELIVERANCE III

MEMORISE

Remember me, O my God, for good. Nehemiah 13:31b

READ

1 Samuel 1:17-19

17 Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him.

18 And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad.

19 And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the LORD, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the LORD remembered her.

MESSAGE

One truth the children of God must continue to remember is that it takes divine remembrance to daily experience deliverance in their lives and ministries. The best way to explain this is to interpret “remembrance” as “attention”, because God is never forgetful. In Isaiah 49:15 God said:

“Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.”

So, God does not forget, but He may decide to ignore you if you continue to live in sin.

One person that experienced divine remembrance was Hannah. The Lord remembered Hannah by paying attention to her prayer in answer to Eli’s prayer. 1 Samuel 1:17 says:

“Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him.”

Hannah was under the bondage of barrenness for several years, but when God remembered her, she was delivered from the bondage of unfruitfulness. To someone using this devotional, I pray that the Almighty will remember and deliver you from all forms of bondage today in Jesus’ Name. Let us learn from Hannah what she did to draw divine attention to herself and her situation. First, she prayed earnestly and fasted for God’s attention. At times we need to demonstrate our seriousness concerning what we really want God to do for us by embarking on prayer and fasting. Jesus taught His disciples this truth in Mark 9:29. In addition, for God to remember you in your unpleasant situation, you have to cooperate with Him by playing your own role. My experiences have revealed to me the mistakes some children of God make as they expect God to play their own roles together with His. This ended at Calvary where God suffered as a man, but there He declared: IT IS FINISHED. If you are looking for a job, write applications and go out to attend interviews because God will not write an application letter for you, neither will He attend the interview on your behalf. Sufficient is the fact that He will back you up during the interview. The Bible reveals something that many may not pay attention to which, of course, was fundamental to the divine remembrance of Hannah. What is it? 1 Samuel 1:19d says that:

“......and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the LORD remembered her.”

What could have happened to Hannah’s prayer if she and her husband did not play their part in this regard? Beloved, let us cooperate with God, He will remember us for good in Jesus’ Name.

ACTION POINT

Pray, fast and take steps under the guidance of the Holy Spirit concerning that situation that is bothering you. You will experience divine remembrance and deliverance.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Ezekiel 17-18; 

Psalm 69:1-21

 

AUTHOR : Pst E . A ADEBOYE. 

SPREAD THE GOOD NEWS

MEMORISE

Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 2 Timothy 4:2

READ

Luke 8:38-40

38 Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him: but Jesus sent him away, saying,

39 Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him.

40 And it came to pass, that, when Jesus was returned, the people gladly received him: for they were all waiting for him.

 

MESSAGE

There is one great sin of omission that contemporary followers of Jesus Christ are guilty of. We enjoy God’s grace, forgiveness, healing, breakthrough, peace and joy but fail to share the good news with others so that they may become beneficiaries of the benevolence of the Almighty God. We tend to take interest in staying in our beautiful cathedrals. When we are sent to go out and pioneer Churches in rural areas where people are in need of the gospel, we see it as punishment! We tend to enjoy listening to powerful, motivational sermons from our fathers in the Lord and their associates – tapping from their anointing on daily basis but refusing to go and share part of what we have received. What a crime of omission.

Our Bible reading reveals one fundamental obligation of every genuine Christian which unfortunately, many children of God do not pay close attention to. A demoniac encountered Jesus Christ in this story and immediately fell in love with Jesus and His company. This man wanted to stay with Jesus, but He commissioned him to go and spread the good news of his deliverance among his people. This is exactly what our Lord expects of us as His followers. This injunction however, does not encourage forsaking Jesus Christ to become independent or to begin to do whatever we like; Jesus spoke against such attitude in John 15:4-5. In Mark 16:15b He also said:

 

“Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”

Whenever we comply with this injunction, we do not only make our Lord happy, we also make His benevolence known. After the witnessing of the demoniac, the Bible reports in Luke 8:40 that:

“And it came to pass, that, when Jesus was returned, the people gladly received him: for they were all waiting for him.”

 

When we do what we ought to do on the field of evangelism, many good things will happen. First, darkness will give way for the light of the gospel. Secondly, Jesus Christ will be Lord wherever the gospel is preached. Thirdly, in anticipation of the second coming of our Lord, people will be conscious of what they do in the society. Lastly, the world will be a better place to live in. Therefore beloved of the Lord, I encourage you to begin to spread the good news of what the Lord has done for you and what He is capable of doing for others too, all in the light of His gospel. God bless you as you do so in Jesus’ Name.

 

ACTION POINT

Decide today that you will not sleep until you witness to at least one person about the goodness of Jesus Christ.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Ezekiel 10-12; 

Psalm 67:1-68:6

 

AUTHOR : Pst E . A ADEBOYE. 

NOURISHED BUT FRUITLESS?

MEMORISE

Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. John 15:16
 

READ

Luke 13:6-9

Luk 13:6 He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.

Luk 13:7 Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?

Luk 13:8 And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:

Luk 13:shalt cut it down.

MESSAGE

Jesus Christ who had cursed a fig tree in Mark 11:14 for being unfruitful, gives the parable of a well-nurtured fig tree which had nothing to show for the nourishment given by its owner in Luke 13:6-7. The reaction of the owner of this fig tree is our point of study today. This farm owner in Luke 13:7b said:

“Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?”

He was expectant of pleasant fruits based on his efforts to cause the tree to bear fruits, but sadly, the tree failed to meet his expectations. His reaction was that the fig tree should be cut down.

Beloved, the Bible in 1 Corinthians 3:9 says that you are God’s husbandry. God is the husbandman; you are the lively tree being nurtured since the day of your birth, and particularly, since the time you gave your life to Christ. That you are alive to see this day is a pointer to the fact that you have received both physical and spiritual nourishment up till date. The question is: are you nourished yet fruitless? The husbandman said: “cut it down”. This is serious. May we not be cut down in Jesus’ Name. Amen. The practical “Amen” to this prayer is simply turning away from a life of fruitlessness and beginning to bear fruit. To those who have not had a serious commitment to Jesus Christ through genuine repentance, the Bible in Matthew 3:8&10 says:

“Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.”

To those of us who by the grace of God are children by the Spirit of God, Jesus said in John 15:4:

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.”

Therefore, let us give ourselves completely to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Let us begin to go the “extra mile” with Him. The reward is certainly sure. Apart from the avoidance of being cut down and of being thrown into the fire, Jesus in today’s memory verse promised that you will not be denied good things of life if you bear good fruits. 

ACTION POINT

Meditate on Galatians 5:22-26.

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Ezekiel 4-6;

Psalm 66:1-9

TUE 18th MARCH 2014. THEME: THE COST OF ETERNAL LIFE

MEMORISE

And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: Mark 9:47

READ

Matthew 13:45-46

45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:

46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

MESSAGE

Jesus Christ gave a parable in our Bible reading today on the importance of making sure we are not exempted from the kingdom of God. He likened the kingdom of God to a precious pearl that a rich merchant sought for, and after he had found it, went and sold all that he had just to buy it. In Mark 9:47, Jesus gave another serious instruction, showing just how important it is for everyone to strive to gain entrance into the kingdom of God. He said that if your eye, as precious and important to living as it is, will disqualify you from gaining entry into the presence of God at the end of your life, you should pluck it out! This is food for thought when we observe how careless we could be when it comes to the matter of making it to Heaven at the end of life. We seem to trivialise the problem of sin and what sin is capable of doing against our souls.

“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.”

Revelation 21:8

It is unfortunate that modern day theologians are writing and teaching people to be comfortable in their sinful lifestyle. They are explaining away the reality of Heaven and Hell. These two realms are real; they should not be explained away. As we continue to live on this planet earth, we should always remember that we do not have a permanent stay here. No matter how blessed we are with long life, eternity is not here on this present earth. A new earth and a new heaven are in the making for us according to Revelation 21:1-2. Therefore, whatever will disqualify you from gaining entry into the new earth and the new heaven should be discarded immediately. The reason is not far-fetched; death may come at any given time and the expected tomorrow may not come. Failure to enter to the kingdom of God leaves room only for the second option which is disastrous – hell. Today is the day of salvation, now is the acceptable time. Every weight that besets us must be done away with in accordance with the admonition in Hebrews 12:1:

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,”

PRAYER POINT

Father, please grant me strength in my inner man to stop doing whatever I am doing that will make me a candidate for hell, in Jesus’ Name.

 

 

AUTHOR: Pst E . A ADEBOYE

MEMORISE: So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work. Nehemiah 4:6

READ: NEHEMIAH 2:18-20

18 Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king’s words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work.

19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king?

20 Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem. 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: LAMENTATIONS 3-5; PSALM 64

 

MESSAGE

Every good builder has a foe, and that is the discourager. As we have read in the passage for today, Nehemiah determined to rebuild the destroyed city of Jerusalem; but then, he was faced with opposition! Sometimes, when you determine to do something good for God, you are surprised to come across opposition to your good intentions. Nehemiah could not be deterred, and neither should we be. As a young minister in the Church, I planned a programme for the purpose of winning souls to the Kingdom with the approval of my father-in-the-Lord. A senior pastor heard about it and picked a quarrel with me. I was surprised because my expectation was commendation and not condemnation. I could not understand how winning souls could become sacrilegious. I therefore reported the matter to the General Superintendent, but he asked me to go and beg the senior pastor so that the programme could hold! I obeyed; though I did not know why I should do that except for the fact that my father-in-the-Lord asked me to. I thank God I did.

Reading through the book of Nehemiah, you will discover that Nehemiah’s strength was hidden in his prayer life. He prayed all through to the God who gave him the vision to build, and he was strengthened (Nehemiah 4:1-4). Jesus Christ also used the medium of prayer to overcome the challenges of His assignment of saving the world (Luke 22:41-44). So, when you are convinced of what the Lord has asked you to do, go ahead and pursue it with all your strength, but do not leave prayer out of it. For those in opposition to good things, there are lots of lessons for you in this story as well. Beware of standing in opposition to what God does or wants to do, or else, you will live to regret your actions. You should know that what you think should not happen or will be impossible to achieve will happen, and will succeed as well. 

Know also that when the day of celebration comes, you will not be part of it. The story of the 24-hour miracle that terminated the famine in Samaria is one to take note of (2Kings 7: 18-20). The man of God prophesied super-abundance after a long time of famine in Samaria, but a powerful minister in the king’s cabinet said it was not possible. He saw it happen but he did not partake of it according to the word of the man of God. May this not be your portion in Jesus’ Name. Let us join hands to build our country. Let us cease from being destructively critical of our political and economic system. Rather, let us build our nation through prayers and we shall see and eat the good of the land in Jesus’ Name.

PRAYER POINT:

Father, give me the strength to build your kingdom on earth, and make me a partaker of the celebrations to follow.

AUTHOR: Pst E . A ADEBOYE

VICTORY OVER ENEMIES II

MEMORISE

And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. Daniel 11:32

READ

Daniel 6:19-22

19 Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions.

20 And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?

21 Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever.

22 My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt. 

 

 

MESSAGE

Paul in Philippians 3:10 prayed earnestly:

“That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;”

 

One wonders what prompted the apostle to pray this type of prayer! It may be, as we shall shortly see, that he discovered the secret of victory in the knowledge of the Most High God. It is beneficial to know Christ. In Daniel 11:32, the Bible reveals that the people who know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. The knowledge of God is therefore the key to doing exploits for Him. The degree of your knowledge of the Almighty God determines the level of victory you will experience over your enemies. For victorious Christian living therefore, knowledge is not a matter of choice but rather that of life and death; for lack of knowledge could lead to death (Hosea 4:6). Knowledge is generally accepted as power. Power to conquer your enemies is in knowledge. This knowledge should be the knowledge of the Most High. Let’s take a look at examples of some heroes of faith and see how their knowledge of God gave them victory.

Joseph is a hero of faith who knew God, and this knowledge helped him to abstain from sexual immorality. When his master’s wife asked him to sleep with her, he in Genesis 39:9c said:

“....how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”

 

Joseph knew that the act of sleeping with his master’s wife was directly a sin against God because He knew the God of his fathers to be a Holy God. Another example is Daniel. Daniel knew his God to the level of obeying Him rather than observing the malicious decree King Darius signed up to in ignorance. Daniel knew that with his God, all things are possible. He went ahead and prayed to the God that can kill and can make alive. Jesus said we should not fear those who can only kill the body; rather we should fear the One who can kill both the body and send the soul to hell (Matthew 10:28). The three Hebrew young men were boastful of their God as being able to deliver them (Daniel 3:16-18). They also knew that it could please Him to recall them to Himself in heaven through the fiery furnace. When you know God to be a consuming fire, you will not want to do anything that will offend Him. In return, your life of consecration and holiness will shield you against the onslaught of the enemy. Seek to know the Trinity today.

 

PRAYER POINT

Father, reveal yourself to me. Let me know you as I ought to, and let the knowledge of you give me victory all the days of my life.

 

AUTHOR : Pst E . A ADEBOYE.

VICTORY OVER ENEMIES I

MEMORISE

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1
 

READ

Psalm 91:1-2

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

2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. 

MESSAGE

The first thing that strikes you in Psalm 91:1 is that there is someone called “The Most High”. He is called “The Most High” because He is higher than the highest (Ecclesiastes 5:8b). The Name of that Person called “The Most High” is Jesus. It is written concerning Him in Philippians 2:9 that:

“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:”

There is a story about four boys who were discussing their fathers. Each boasted about his own. The first said his father was the greatest because his father was the Head of State. The second boy said his father was greater because his father was the physician of the Head of State. His father could order the president to stay in bed for one week and the president would obey him. The third boy then said his father was higher than the fathers of the other two because his father was the medicine man of their fathers. He could kill the two fathers if he wished. The fourth boy, who was the son of a messenger, said his father was the greatest of all four fathers because, not only could his father kill all their fathers, he could also raise the dead. They were amazed, but he told them he was not talking about his physical father but the One above, whose name is Jesus.

In our reading today, we can see factors that guarantee us victory over our enemies. One factor is that “The Most High” has a secret place where He hides his own in the time of trouble. The secret place of the Most High is not a building. It is a Name, His Name. Proverbs 18:10 says:

“The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.”

The Name of Jesus is our secret place of safety because the Father has ordained that at the Name of Jesus, every knee should bow (Philippians 2:10). We also discover from today’s Bible reading that there is someone who is called “The Almighty”. He is so called because He is very strong; He can even do the impossible (Luke 1:37). The reason He can do the impossible is because power, real power, belongs to Him (Psalm 62:11). The question then is, “how do I get under the shadow of this Almighty God?” It is simple; all you need to do is to make sure you are born-again. In other words, you must be born of God through the appropriation of the work of atonement by Jesus Christ when you confess and renounce your sinful ways. The Bible says that only those who are born of God and live by faith in Him are victors (1 John 5:4-5). Victory is yours in Jesus’ Name.

PRAYER POINT

Father, keep me from evil and let your mighty hand uphold me that I may not fall away from your grace and mercy.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Jeremiah 44-46; Psalm 58

AUTHOR : Pst E . A ADEBOYE.