HEAVENLY ATTENTION

MONDAY AUGUST 8 2016.

THEME: HEAVENLY ATTENTION.

MEMORISE:

And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. LUKE 19 : 5.

READ: ACTS 10: 1 - 6

1 There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band,

2 A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway.

3 He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius.

4 And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.

5 And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter:

6 He lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea side: he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do. 

MESSAGE:

There is no one that cannot command the attention of Heaven. Those who believe that people in great positions or people in affluence are far from God will be surprised to know that there are many wealthy people doing great things for the Lord, and there are many people in great positions who are using their influence to add positive value to their environment. The example of Zacchaeus reveals that it is possible to remain faithful to God regardless of the amount of wealth at a person's disposal. Righteous, rich people are great instruments in the hands of God because they use their wealth and God given positions to expand His Kingdom. Also, the example of Cornelius reveals to us that God is a God of plan and purpose. He was very influential in his days; nevertheless, he was a devoted man who was obedient to the will of God. He was very generous to those around him. He had a very good reputation but he was not saved. Hence, God had a plan for him in order that he might be saved. God wanted to prove a point to the Jews through his life that there is no one that is beyond redemption. This week, your prayers will command the attention of Heaven in Jesus' name. The moment he got a revelation of what he needed to do, he complied fully without delay and he got the attention of Heaven. 

I have noticed that those who are not as blessed sometimes exhibit pride while those who are blessed sometimes humble themselves under the mighty hand of God. This is why you will see Chief Executive Officers and Managing Directors of multinationals picking rubbish and dirt in a church service. Some of them stay to control traffic for hours after major programmes are through. No wonder they are so special to the Almighty God, and so whenever they call upon Him, the heavens open to them. They demonstrate their love for God by serving humanity. They transfer the burdens of others to themselves and when God decides to give attention to such individuals, they never remain the same again. Such Heavenly attention brings a tremendously positive turnaround in the life of the beneficiary. When the Heavens pay attention to you, you can be sure that all your long awaited promises will become fulfilled. 

"To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." Colossians 1 : 27.

When God visits you, you will begin to know the meaning of true riches, despite the fact that people had always known you to be weathy; your new level of wealth will dwarf the former. He will bring you to a greater level of wealth where you begin to flourish in all things. He makes the great greater and He turns all curses to blessings.

 There is a day of visitation and every child of God is destined for such a time when the Heavens will be at attention in order to bless someone. Today is your day in Jesus' name. This is your day of remembrance, and all that you have been trusting God for shall be delivered in Jesus' name. All you need to do is allow Jesus to come into your life. Allow the plan and purpose that God has for you to come to pass and that can only be possible when you surrender to Jesus and make Him your personal Lord and Saviour. 

PRAYER POINT:  Father, please pay attention to me today in Jesus' name. 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : 1 JOHN 5, JUDE 1 AND PSALMS 31 : 1 - 8.

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE.

  

HYMN 3: DEEPER, DEEPER

Deeper, deeper in the love of Jesus

Daily let me go;

Higher, higher in the school of wisdom,

More of grace to know.

Chorus:

O deeper yet, I pray,

And higher every day,

And wiser, blessed Lord,

In Thy precious, holy Word.

Deeper, deeper, blessed Holy Spirit,

Take me deeper still,

Till my life is wholly lost in Jesus,

And His perfect will.

Chorus:

Deeper, deeper! though it cost hard trials,

Deeper let me go!

Rooted in the holy love of Jesus,

Let me fruitful grow.

Chorus:

Deeper, higher, every day in Jesus,

Till all conflict past,

Finds me conqu'ror, and in His own image

Perfected at last.

Chorus:

Deeper, deeper in the faith of Jesus,

Holy faith and true;

In His pow'r and soul exulting wisdom

Let me peace pursue.

Chorus.

THE FOOLISHNESS OF GOD

DATE: SUNDAY 7TH AUGUST 2016

THEME: THE FOOLISHNESS OF GOD

Memorise:

Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 1 Corinthians 1:25

Read: 1 Corinthians 1:18-25

1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

1:19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.

1:20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

1:21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

1:22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:

1:23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;

1:24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

1:25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 

Message:

Foolishness is commonly interpreted as the lack of a good sense of judgment. It has a range of synonyms that include folly, imprudence, stupidity, laziness and perverse in speech. In addition, it is frequently contrasted with wisdom, such that the fool is contrasted with the wise, and a fool is everything a wise person is not. The Bible presents wisdom as a divine gift from God, while foolishness characterises anyone that does not believe in God (Psalm 14:1). Consequent upon the above, it is unthinkable that foolishness will be tied to God for any reason. However, the Bible in 1 Corinthians 1:25 says;

"Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men."

The Holy Spirit responded to the early Church with the above statement, as they tried to berate the message of the Gospel with the wrong assumption that the wisdom of the world is superior to the wisdom of God. The Word of God clearly states that what the people termed to be foolishness is much wiser than the wisdom of the world. The people of the world cannot relate with the wisdom of God because it is meaningless to them, they cannot understand the wisdom behind the principles and commandments of God. The thought of salvation from sin, the process of redemption, the mystery of the Holy Communion, water and the Holy Spirit baptism, speaking in tongues, and the power of fasting and prayer, are all like closed books to the people of the world. It is beyond their comprehension, they cannot simply relate with the wisdom behind spiritual matters. 1 Corinthians 3:19 says:

"For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness."

The Bible in 1 Corinthians 2:14 further says;

"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."

It takes a spiritual person to understand spiritual things. The inability of the world to comprehend the things of God is deliberate as God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. A person must first be born again, after which Kingdom matters become plain without any need for explanation. Indeed, the foolishness of God is wiser than men. Are you a bona fide member of the kingdom? Are you born again? 

Prayer Point:

Father, please fill me with a heavenly wisdom that the world cannot comprehend. 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 

1 John 1-4 and Psalms 30

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE 

HYMN 7: HOLY HOLY HOLY, LORD GOD ALMIGHTY

1. Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!

Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee;

Holy, holy, holy! merciful and mighty,

God in three persons, blessed Trinity!

2. Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore thee,

Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;

Cherubim and seraphim falling down before thee,

Who wert and art and evermore shalt be.

3. Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide thee,

Though the eye made blind by sin thy glory may not see,

Only thou art holy; there is none beside thee,

Perfect in power, in love, and purity.

4. Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!

All thy works shall praise thy name, in earth and sky and sea;

Holy, holy, holy! merciful and mighty,

God in three persons, blessed Trinity!

THE POWER OF TESTIMONY

DATE: SATURDAY 6TH AUGUST 2016

THEME: THE POWER OF TESTIMONY 

Memorise:

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Revelation 12:11

Read: 1 Samuel 17:32-37

17:32 And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.

17:33 And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.

17:34 And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock:

17:35 And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.

17:36 Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.

17:37 David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee.

MESSAGE

Testimonies are assets in prayer that authenticate the reality of what God will do in your life. The power of testimonies put you above your problems and destroys all lies and deceits of the devil concerning all that the Almighty God has promised you. 

"Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: for they are the rejoicing of my heart." Psalms 119:111

Those who give testimonies of what God does in their lives are committing God into sustaining what He has done. It is through the power of your testimony that your miracle becomes permanent. I decree that the Almighty God will do something great in your life that can never be hidden in Jesus' name. 

You need faith to receive all that God has promised, and one of the ways to bring those promises to fulfillment is by testifying of the goodness of the Lord. It is by faith that you receive boldness to come before the presence of the Almighty God to access your rightful blessings. All those who have done great things are people who are given to testifying of the deeds of God in their lives so that others can also 'key' into their encounters. David defeated Goliath before the physical battle by the word  of testimony. He knew that by his experience and age, he was not fit enough to confront Goliath in a physical battle. Goliath cursed him, and he also cursed Goliath by the name of his God and that same God gave him the victory he testified about. When you come face to face with situations and circumstances that are beyond you, remember that there is a God that will never leave you nor forsake you. All you need to do is believe His plans for you and live it while waiting for it to come to pass. When battles rise against you, remind God of all His acts in your life and in the lives of others before now. You can be sure that He can repeat in your life whatever He has done for someone. If your medical report is not favourable, remember there is a God who has over turned the medical reports of more critical situations and believe that yours will not be impossible for Him to do. When you remind God of all that He has done in the past, you are invoking His faithfulness and compelling Him to reproduce the act. 

The people that know their God shall be strong and they shall do exploits. With the power of testimony, it becomes very easy to do great exploit. All you have to do is to know the God you serve. 

David knew the God he was serving. Daniel knew the God he was serving. Elijah knew the God he was serving. Esther knew the God she was serving. Joshua knew the God he was serving and he declared boldly that he was not among those who saw themselves as grasshoppers. He knew through the acts of His God that they were more than able to possess the land and enter into their promised destiny. You must not be afraid to dominate. You must see yourself as a champion who is triumphant. Your faith in His promises must never be shaken. You carry divinity and there is nothing in life that can conquer you. I decree that your testimonies shall overflow in Jesus' name. 

Action Point:

Every closed mouth is equal to a closed destiny. 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 

1 Peter 5

2 Peter 1-3

Psalms 29

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE 

HYMN 9: MY FAITH HAS FOUND A  PLACE

My faith has found a resting place,

Not in device or creed;

I trust the ever living One,

His wounds for me shall plead.

Chorus:

I need no other argument,

I need no other plea,

It is enough that Jesus died,

And that He died for me.

Enough for me that Jesus saves,

This ends my fear and doubt;

A sinful soul I come to Him,

He'll never cast me out.

Chorus:

My heart is leaning on the Word,

The living Word of God,

Salvation by my Savior's Name,

Salvation through His blood.

Chorus:

STOLEN BREAD?

FRIDAY AUGUST 5 2016.

THEME: STOLEN BREAD? 

MEMORISE : Bread of deceit is sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel. PROVERBS 20 : 17.

READ: EPHESIANS 4 : 28

28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.

MESSAGE:

We live in a time when the nature of man is so selfish that all he does is think about himself continually. How much can I get? What will I gain? What do I have at stake? Of what interest will this be to me? This is why you see people transferring the resources meant for an entire nation into their private coffers. They are happy to collect the contract amount given for the construction of public roads only to complete such roads on paper alone. The better ones among them do a bad job and pocket the rest despite inflating the cost of completion. After all, they will not drive on such roads. When the judgment of God comes upon those who do this, their ends are always terrible. Some of them use such monies to train their children in the best schools available and such children end up killing them. Some of them use such money to build estates and such estates become desolate in the future.

Lazy people look for any excuse not to work. They want cheap money. They want to live in luxury without paying the price. This is why you see a lot of value being eroded in the social system today. People are no longer ready to task their minds. Some people sit with their computers the whole day, looking for people to defraud. How do you think you can have an enduring blessing through such means? There are some market women who use unequal weights in the scale to measure what they sell to unsuspecting customers. If you do this, it is to your own peril. Such people will never be blessed by God. Some are involved in fraudulent business practices, exploiting others for their own gain. They think they are making it at the moment, but the truth is that such gains bring much sorrow. Lazy people who do not work will end in poverty because they lack understanding. Those who are sleeping when they should be working will end up serving those who are industrious. 

"Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." Galatians 6 : 7.

As long as you choose to remain lazy, you will never encounter a divine touch, because God Himself is hard working. One of the great virtues that fathers can leave for their children is a heritage of integrity. There is only one path to true increase and that is gathering wealth by honest means. It may take a longer time than you expected, but you can be sure that at the end, you will have peace of mind. There are things money cannot buy. Money cannot buy happiness and joy and this is why you need to understand that there is no need to play smart. The little you earn from what you do legitimately will attract the blessing of God, as opposed to those who earn millions by fraudulent means. The scripture ;

"Better is the poor that walketh in his uprightness, than he that is perverse in his ways, though he be rich." Proverbs 28 : 6.

Don't envy sinners who are prosperous. It is foolishness to do so because you can easily tell what their end will be. 

"Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase." Proverbs 13 : 11.

Those who gather wealth unjustly are doing so in readiness for devourers. They will never be able to explain how they spend such money. 

KEY POINT: Whatever you get non-legitimately cannot last. 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : 1 PETER 1 - 4 AND PSALMS 28.

AUTHOR : PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE.

HYMN 4 : TAKE MY LIFE AND LET IT BE

1. Take my life, and let it be

Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;

Take my moments and my days,

Let them flow in ceaseless praise,

Let them flow in ceaseless praise. 

2. Take my hands, and let them move

At the impulse of Thy love;

Take my feet and let them be

Swift and beautiful for Thee,

Swift and beautiful for Thee. 

3. Take my voice, and let me sing

Always, only, for my King;

Take my lips, and let them be

Filled with messages from Thee,

Filled with messages from Thee. 

4. Take my silver and my gold;

Not a mite would I withhold;

Take my intellect, and use

Every power as Thou shalt choose,

Every power as Thou shalt choose. 

5. Take my will, and make it Thine;

It shall be no longer mine.

Take my heart; it is Thine own;

It shall be Thy royal throne,

It shall be Thy royal throne. 

6. Take my love; my Lord, I pour

At Thy feet its treasure-store.

Take myself, and I will be

Ever, only, all for Thee,

Ever, only, all for Thee.

BELIEVING LIES?

DATE: THURSDAY 4TH AUGUST 2016

THEME: BELIEVING LIES?

Memorise:

Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue. Psalm 120:2

Read: 1 Timothy 4:1-6

4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

4:2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

4:3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.

4:4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:

4:5 For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

4:6 If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained. 

MESSAGE:

There are many heresies spreading around us today, unfortunately, there are lots of people believing them. This is why true ministers of the gospel cannot just fold their hands. They have to make efforts to counter the bad philosophies around with the absolute truth of God's Word. There is no better time for us to be aware and gather ourselves from being led astray by these erroneous teachings. The Bible warns us that if not careful even the very elect will deviate from the truth and follow after the deceptions of devious men, who, by the way are skillful in leading men astray. Some of these teachers are popular and some of them are widely sought after; but be not decieved, the Word and Truth of God is greater than the personal profile of any minister. There are wolves in sheep's clothing in the church today (Matthew 7:15-20). They teach one thing and practice another. They are appear to be speaking the truth but they are living in error. When they talk, their words are very smooth and there is no error in their presentations. 

They make a lot of noise but they lack depth. If you watch closely, you will see that their conduct is contrary to the principles of godly living. They come with all sorts of theologies that have no bearing with the Word of God. They justify unholy living with the illusion that it is impossible for anyone to live holy. They explain away the truth of God's Word just to make sinners comfortable in their sins. 

There is no rebuke, no reproof and no correction in their theology. They preach so much about the place of grace and give so much motivation about people's freewill and liberty, forgetting that the Christian calling is not a call to lawlessness. They preach against the validity of the 10 commandments in the era of grace. Some teach that once saved you are forever saved and there is no need to work out your salvation with fear and trembling as the Bible says in Philippians 2:12. Some ask why you need to fast at all, since Jesus said it is finished. 

As a genuine minister and disciple of Jesus, there is the need for you to teach your members to be aware of these wrong teachings. The fact that many people listen to them do not mean they are approved of God.  They are liars. You need to caution those in your church concerning heretic teachings that deny the fundamental principles of Christianity. Don't allow your members to stray away from the truth. Expose them to the truth of God's Word very often so that they can stand against the lies of the devil. Some churches have become mere social and entertainment centers where members only gather for fantasies and entertainment purposes.

You cannot see them leading salvation prayers or asking lost souls to come to the altar to forsake their sins. Many people do not want to hear the truth of God's Word and that is why the church is saturated today with many false and fake ministers. How can you be comfortable in a church where the pastor has two wives? What will you expect such pastors to tell their members? Some members prefer to run from one prophet to another who will 'see things' for them and deceive them that God has spoken when God has said nothing. They are looking for prophetic declarations from 'great men of God' even when they don't know the spirit behind such declarations. 

Action Point:

Beware of wolves in sheep clothing. 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 

James 1-5 and Psalms 27

AUTHOR : PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE 

HYMN 9: MY FAITH HAS FOUND A  PLACE

My faith has found a resting place,

Not in device or creed;

I trust the ever living One,

His wounds for me shall plead.

Chorus:

I need no other argument,

I need no other plea,

It is enough that Jesus died,

And that He died for me.

Enough for me that Jesus saves,

This ends my fear and doubt;

A sinful soul I come to Him,

He'll never cast me out.

Chorus:

My heart is leaning on the Word,

The living Word of God,

Salvation by my Savior's Name,

Salvation through His blood.

Chorus:

My great Physician heals the sick,

The lost He came to save;

For me His precious blood He shed,

For me His life He gave.

Chorus.

ARE YOU GROWING IN GRACE?

DATE: WEDNESDAY 3RD AUGUST 2016

THEME: ARE YOU GROWING IN GRACE? 

Memorise:

But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen. 2 Peter 3:18

Read: Luke 2:39-40

2:39 And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth.

2:40 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him. 

Message

Show me a man that is doing great exploits in life and in ministry and I will show you a man that is growing in th  grace and knowledge of the Almighty God. It is the grace of the Almighty God that makes us vessels of honor and beneficiaries of this grace; we need to continue to grow in it so that we will not run out of it. By the virtue of our past, none of us will be qualified to be amongst the chosen of God, but the grace and mercy of God qualifies us. It was His grace that brought us salvation and not our works. It was the  grace of God that blotted out the handwriting of the devil against all the sins we had committed. The devil stood to accuse us before the Almighty God, but His mercy stood in for us. Long ago when I was a lecturer in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria, a woman brought her sick child to me for prayers as she had been told to come see me; a man of God. When she arrived and discovered that I was the man of God she was asked to see, she couldn't hide her shock because she knew how bad I was in the past. Only the grace of God could have taken me from being a 'great sinner' to being a 'man of God'. The moment we come to the truth of the gospel, there is an expectation from us. There is an expectation to live a life of holiness. A personal knowledge of God is necessary to enable us obtain his best for our lives. As God reveals Himself to us daily, we in turn, must reveal Him to others. 

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God" Ephesians 2:8

The grace God is available in abundance, but must not be taken for granted. We must use the grace that we have received to be a blessing to others. The grace of God makes the forgiveness of sin possible. This why every child of God must have a big heart to 'let go'. You must not hold anything against anyone. Others may, but you cannot; because you are excepted to be growing in grace and in the knowledge of Christ. The grace of God helps us to stand in the gap in the place of prayer. This makes it necessary of us to seek the face of God on behalf of those that God has committed to our trust. We must always remember that it is Jesus that has chosen us out of His own divine grace (John 15:16).

Despite the antecedents of Saul, God chose him. Jeremiah was chosen and ordained even before his birth. With all these examples and stories of our time, it is wisdom to make the best choice of allowing God to have his way in our lives. We must glorify God in all we do. We must continue to grow in Him and never allow His investment to go to waste. We must justify His being interested in us by living holy and being a blessing to the body of Christ  with all the talents, abilities, endowments and gifts He has given us. Don't allow yourself to be led astray by the immoral conduct of those who have given themselves to the lust of the flesh. It is the responsibility of everyone to grow in the things of the Spirit and the motivation required for this has been given through the revelation of His grace through the cross. 

Prayer Point:

Father, cause me to grow daily in your grace and knowledge in Jesus' name. 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 

Hebrews 11-13 and Psalms 26

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 4: TAKE MY LIFE AND LET IT BE

Take my life, and let it be

Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;

Take my moments and my days,

Let them flow in ceaseless praise,

Let them flow in ceaseless praise. 

Take my hands, and let them move

At the impulse of Thy love;

Take my feet and let them be

Swift and beautiful for Thee,

Swift and beautiful for Thee. 

Take my voice, and let me sing

Always, only, for my King;

Take my lips, and let them be

Filled with messages from Thee,

Filled with messages from Thee. 

Take my silver and my gold;

Not a mite would I withhold;

Take my intellect, and use

Every power as Thou shalt choose,

Every power as Thou shalt choose. 

Take my will, and make it Thine;

It shall be no longer mine.

Take my heart; it is Thine own;

It shall be Thy royal throne,

It shall be Thy royal throne. 

Take my love; my Lord, I pour

At Thy feet its treasure-store.

Take myself, and I will be

Ever, only, all for Thee,

Ever, only, all for Thee.

COME BACK HOME

DATE: TUESDAY 2 AUGUST 2016

THEME: COME BACK HOME

Memorise:

There is no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked. Isaiah 48:22

Read: Isaiah 48:18-22

18 O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea:

19 Thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels like the gravel thereof; his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before me.

20 Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans, with a voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter it even to the end of the earth; say ye, The LORD hath redeemed his servant Jacob.

21 And they thirsted not when he led them through the deserts: he caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them: he clave the rock also, and the waters gushed out.

22 There is no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked.

Message:

There was a point in the life of the children of Isreal when God had to bring to their remembrance what He had done for them. He had to draw their attention to their rebellion over the years starting from the point when He used Moses to deliver them from captivity. The children of Isreal soon forgot the faithfulness of God and began to attribute their freedom and victory to idols. How easy it is for us to forget the investments of God in our lives. He delivered them from their afflictions. He made them partakers of His glorious presence. He guided them and led them

through the wilderness. He never left them alone for a moment. He enlightened them and guided them to their destinations. Yet, they began to praise the idols they had made with their hands. God tried different methods to get their attention but they ignored Him. He sent them prophets and raised judges for them. He sent His servants to them to forewarn them of the consequences of their actions and occasionally appeared to them but they never listened until they met their destruction. They forgot the reason for which they were called 'the people of God'. They refused to retain God in their knowledge; they trusted in their idols and intellects, and as a result began to engage in what was not convenient until they lost the peace and joy of the living God.

This is also true of the time and days we live in. God wants us to come back to His love, despite our state of wickedness. God is still interested in having us to Himself for our good. There is great joy and happiness  for those who repent and come back to God. The Opportunity is here and I want you to take advantage of the grace of God that is available now. Choose good and not evil. Choose life and not death. Choose blessing and not curse. There can never be peace for a wicked man because he is a stranger and an enemy of God. There is no peace for those who stand in opposition to the Almighty God. They do so to their own peril. Unspeakable happiness and joy comes to those who align themselves with God but uneasiness, fear, sorrow, trouble and destruction comes to those who forget where he is bringing them from. When you are on the Lord's side, there will be quietness, peace, calm and comfort because you are a friend of God and not an enemy.

Like the prodigal son, you may have wasted all that has been committed into your hands. You may have gone beyond where help can reach you but the grace of God is longer than the stretch of your iniquities, therefore return home. Remove rebellion from your heart. Let there be light and a change of heart. Make a fresh resolution that you won't backslide again. 

"Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways!" Psalms 81:13

As you make this strong decision, you will begin to see the peace you desire in your heart. All the good your heart has desired and all the comfort you have ever longed for becomes a reality. Your peace is a function of His presence in your life. Begin to relate with Him daily, praise and worship Him. See His Word as what you must feed on and obey Him even when you don't seem to understand. As you do this, you will enjoy the prosperity and protection of the Almighty God. His blessings in your life will never be interrupted and you will continue to enjoy all that God has to give. 

Prayer Point:

Father, please help me to return to you fully.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 

HEBREWS 9-10 and PSALMS 25

AUTHOR: Pst E. A ADEBOYE 

HYMN 4: TAKE MY LIFE AND LET IT BE

1. Take my life, and let it be

Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;

Take my moments and my days,

Let them flow in ceaseless praise,

Let them flow in ceaseless praise. 

2. Take my hands, and let them move

At the impulse of Thy love;

Take my feet and let them be

Swift and beautiful for Thee,

Swift and beautiful for Thee. 

3. Take my voice, and let me sing

Always, only, for my King;

Take my lips, and let them be

Filled with messages from Thee,

Filled with messages from Thee. 

4. Take my silver and my gold;

Not a mite would I withhold;

Take my intellect, and use

Every power as Thou shalt choose,

Every power as Thou shalt choose. 

5. Take my will, and make it Thine;

It shall be no longer mine.

Take my heart; it is Thine own;

It shall be Thy royal throne,

It shall be Thy royal throne. 

6. Take my love; my Lord, I pour

At Thy feet its treasure-store.

Take myself, and I will be

Ever, only, all for Thee,

Ever, only, all for Thee.