Sun, 10/04/2011 | More Than A Rod

Sunday, April 10, 2011

More Than A Rod

Memorise: "And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod" (Exodus 4:2).

  

Read: Exodus 4:1-5 

Sacrificial giving is an appropriate thing to do during your time of favour. Yet, it is not limited to money as being popularly taught among preachers today. While the widow of Mark 12:41-44 gave all her money, the widow of Zarephath gave all her food. In the same vein, Jephthah gave his only child to God while Abraham gave his only son Isaac. David was not left out as he gave all his heart to God while the young boy in one of Jesus' crusades parted with his only meal. Stephen and Jesus Christ on the other hand gave their lives. These all have something in common-sacrifice, although the degree varies from one individual to another. If all these people could win in the 'giving contest', you may need to ask: 'what can I give?'. You have precious resources highly valued by God which you can give. You can sacrificially offer to God your time, talents, spiritual endowments and gifts, material possessions, academic and vocational aptitudes and abilities. Moses had a shepherd's rod. When he gave it to God, it became the rod of deliverance. You definitely have more than a rod to give!

In addition to sacrificial giving, another thing you can do during the time of your favour is pray. In fact, you must not stop this at any point in time because Jesus Christ says "... that men ought always to pray, and not to faint" (Luke 18:1).If you are weary in praying, you are still a babe. For years Hannah prayed and when her time of favour came, it met her still praying! No wonder she got her specific desire! Similarly, Zacharias the priest and his wife Elizabeth prayed all their youthful years but no child came. But when their time of favour came, it met them still praying, even at old age. No wonder they got the greatest of all prophets for a son (Luke 1:10-14). Never keep silent; keep on praying. You will soon reach the point that your prayers are answered.

Action Point:

Prayer is key! You need to pray without ceasing.

Sat, 09/04/2011 | Problems Are Timed

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Problems Are Timed

Memorise: "For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off." (Prov 23:18).

  

Read: Proverbs 23:17-18 

  

“Redeeming the time, because the days are evil" (Eph 5:16). The truth is that many of us have wasted so much time and lost several opportunities that God has given to us, either as unbelievers or after we met the Lord. What time we have left is short; hence, we need to redeem it. This means, while giving no room for further wastage, we should also try to accomplish more than we could possibly do within the normal 24 hours. May the Lord help you to recover your lost time in Jesus name.

"And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage" (Exodus 2:23). After holding the Israelites in slavery for many years, the Egyptian king died. This means that no problem lasts forever. If this powerful king could die, then human enemies don't last forever. Why? According to Hebrews 9:27, they must keep an appointment with death. Every problem in your life has an expiry date beyond which it can no longer trouble you. In fact, at the point of expiration, some problems become the solution you have been seeking. What is more important is that you do not expire or retire before the expiration of the problem. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, you will see the end of that problem: it shall not see your end. You shall not expire before the expiration of your problem.

"For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off" (Prov 23:18). If you were in doubt before, do know today, that there is an end to your problems. Your human enemies cannot operate beyond a certain limit. If the Egyptian king could die, every strong man or woman in your life has an end. That strong man is limited. You shall see the end of satanic agents troubling you. This season, the Lord will cut off everything standing in your way to your breakthrough. God will cut them off so that your expectations shall be realized. For a user of this devotional, you have been wondering when God's promises to you will be fulfilled because of the strong presence of the enemy. Rejoice! The Lord will cut them off just to enable Him grant your expectations and fulfil His promise. Worship the Lord with all your heart and thank Him in advance.

Prayer Point:

Thank God for causing your problems to expire and making you to see their end.

Fri, 08/04/2011 | Better Than Being Blessed

Friday, April 8, 2011

Better Than Being Blessed

Memorise: "And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:" (Gen 12:2).

  

Read: Genesis 12:1-3 

  

A state of being truly blessed is when you receive blessings with no curse to negate them. The presence of a curse in one's blessing can gradually erode all of one's gains and put that fellow in the same state with the cursed. That shall not be your portion in Jesus name. When you are blessed, not only will your efforts be crowned with great harvest, but lost opportunities will also be restored (Joel 2:23-27). The blessings on the blessed have a way of attracting lost blessings and opportunities. This is why the so-called losses of the blessed are only temporary. In the process of time, they are recovered. It is my prayer that you will be so blessed to the point of recovering lost opportunities of several years this season.

It is so wonderful to be blessed, but being a blessing is far greater. Being blessed is just an addition of blessings to you. On the other hand, being a blessing means you have become the headquarters of blessings-that is, you are so full of it that the blessings you are carrying overflows to others. In today's reading, there is a list of seven blessings the Lord gave to Abraham. It is possible that my training as a Mathematician motivated me to scrutinize the arrangement of these blessings. After carefully listing them, I discovered that being a blessing was right at the middle of them all. That is, every other blessing in that passage revolves around it. It is better to be a blessing than being blessed. The one who is a blessing is characterized by an overflow. If there is no overflow, that person is yet to experience what it means to be a blessing. Let's take David as an example. In Psalm 23, he listed several blessings of the blessed - no lack, plenty to eat, good sleep, thirst quenched, provision of guidance and direction, restoration of the soul, protection in time of danger, access to provision in the presence of the enemy, being anointed, then cup overflowing. When your cup overflows, the focus is no longer you but others. If you observe God's order of blessing His children, you will find out that He first blesses before making the fellow a blessing. The way you handle the blessings is of keen interest to God and it will determine whether you will move to the next level-being a blessing. If you are stingy, tight-fisted or covetous, you may never become a blessing. If money is like god to you, you cannot be a blessing.

Key Point:

In the life of the blessed, a blessing is a visitor. In the life of the one who is a blessing, a blessing is a permanent resident. Is blessing a visitor or a permanent resident in your life?

Thu, 07/04/2011 | Keeping Promises

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Keeping Promises

Memorise: "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?" (Num 23:19).

  

Read: Numbers 23:18-20 

  

Before you hold on to a promise, you should first get to know the person who made it. If a little boy meets you and offers to buy you a car, you will simply assume he is 'prophesying'. But if a billionaire who has integrity asks you to come and pick your choice car the following week, you will go home celebrating. The One who is making great promises to His own is the One called Jehovah El-Shaddai-the God that is more than enough (Gen 17:1). His super-abundance can swallow up the lack in the lives of all. Psalm 91:1 also refers to Him as the Most High and the Almighty God. He is the custodian of power. In fact, He is so powerful that He can raise children out of stones (Matt 3:9). Are you left with just stones? This wonderful God can turn stones into your desired blessings. Unlike us, He does not need to be very careful about the raw materials to use. He can organize several different combinations and still achieve His desired outcome. He is the God of all flesh who knows no impossibility (Jer 32:27). Are you grappling with an impossible situation? Simply refer it to the Jehovah El-Shaddai and you will have your desired result. Ezekiel 37:1-10 says He is the God of the dry bones, the One who can instruct them and they will respond.

However, sometimes, when a man of means makes a promise, you cannot be sure if it will be fulfilled or not. There is a man I know whose, 'I am coming' means 'I am leaving'. There are a couple of instances where some people met me and with much excitement announced that a particular important dignitary said he was coming but he never did. Are you like that? As a father, do you promise to buy some biscuit or ice cream for your children on returning home, but fail to do so? And when you forget to keep your word, do you intimidate them with an unfriendly face, harsh voice or deliberately find faults, all in a bid to cover up? If you do, you lack integrity. Don't make promises you cannot keep. If you have promised, then keep it. If for any genuine reason you fail to meet up, politely apologize and make it good next time. When a parent loses credibility before the children, it becomes difficult for that child to believe that others can keep their words. Keep your word! Be like God who never goes back on His Word!

Key Point:

If believers can be men and women of their words, this world cannot be the same. Make good on your promises.

Wed, 06/04/2011 | Sufficient Grace

Wednesday, April 6th, 2011

Sufficient Grace

Memorise: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?" (Rom 8:35)

  

Read: Romans 8:35-39 

  

When you look at believers who renounced their faith in Christ for flimsy reasons-"My leader is not a good example of a Christian", "A fellow believer hurt me in a way I never thought possible", "My friend is on suspension for a particular act and I am leaving the church in sympathy;" you will wonder if they really loved Christ in the first place. Genuine love does not look at who you are, your size, height or status. Many who claim to love the Lord find it difficult or out of place to say, 'Jesus is Lord' or to preach in public for fear of being ridiculed.

The love of Christ is so strong that if you are connected to it, you cannot easily be separated from it. In today's reading, Paul stated from experience that nothing - persecution, hunger, nakedness, joblessness, childlessness, sickness, sword or war etc. can separate us from God's unfailing love. In other words, those who backslide in the midst of difficulties do not go back because of the difficulties but because they choose to. They are only yielding to their flesh having taken their eyes from the One who is with them in the fire. His grace is ever sufficient for you in the midst of trials. He is a present help in times of trouble. Are you going through hard times? Stick with Him. As long as you do so, you cannot sink. You are coming out victorious.

There are some churches which after losing one or two churches to religious crises in the North would call it quits. Just a little persecution puts them on the run. Some people will say, 'If I do not have my husband or promotion within the next six months, I am out'. A child of destiny is not a quitter! During the heat of communism, some Christians were holding a meeting in a secret place. Somebody discovered and went to report to the authorities. Soldiers were sent to arrest them. One of them was a sister in her wedding gown. They asked if she was about to wed and also if she is a Christian. She said 'Yes'. They offered to release her to proceed with her wedding plans if only she could deny her faith. She refused. They handcuffed her to lead her to her place of death. She kissed the handcuffs, looked to heaven and said, 'My darling Jesus, I should have known you loved me so much that you wouldn't share me with any man'. Then she admired the handcuffs: 'How beautiful is your wedding ring!' Let nothing separate you from the love of Christ!

Action Point:

God's grace is more than sufficient for you to go through all the tough times in this heavenly race. Go ahead and ask for it.

Tue, 05/04/2011 | Wasting Or Redeeming?

Tuesday, April 5th, 2011

Submission And Leadership

Memorise: "And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:" (1 Cor 1:28).

  

Read: 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 

  

In John 17:6, Jesus said that the leaders He chose were God's. They were God's property and in God's custody before the Lord Jesus asked and they were given Him. This simply tells us that all the leaders we need are in God's custody. However, it takes asking right to be able to get them. To get leaders at all, you must pray. To get the right leaders, you must pray effectively. The quality of leaders you get is a function of the quality of prayer made. However, since God is the One who assigns leaders in His vineyard in response to the needs or prayers of His church, it therefore follows that if you manipulated your way into your present position, or used fraudulent means to get there, you are surely not one of those that Heaven assigned. You are advised to resign immediately.

Moreover, besides being dead to self as a true Kingdom leader, you must be ready to become a fool. A fool in this context can be defined as the fellow who is not sure of what he or she wants, someone who cannot exercise his or her rights over what to do, where to go. To become a Kingdom leader, you must be ready to go wherever He sends you, and to do whatever the Lord wants done without asking questions. When the apostles of Jesus became fools in God's hands, it became easy for God to use them as He pleased. To witness God's unprecedented move like in the Bible days, we must get to a point of total submission. Today, in the Christian fold, some people brag about knowing what they want; whereas, the issue is not about what they want but what they need. You may know what you want, but do you really know what you need? One attribute you need is total submission. You need to submit to God to the point that you are viewed as a fool. Are you submissive to God? If you were sent to a parish or location far below your social, financial or academic status, will you go? If you are still giving God conditions before accepting His directive, it shows you are not yet ready to be a Kingdom leader. May God release upon you the grace to submit to Him as never before.

Key Point:

True leaders in God's Kingdom have only one agenda: God!

Mon, 04/04/2011 | Simply Believe

Monday, April 4, 2011

Simply Believe

Memorise: "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us," (Eph 3:20).

  

Read: Ephesians 3:20-21 

  

“Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust" (2 Peter 1:4).

We can have great expectations because God has given us great promises. According to the above scripture, some promises of God to us are far more than just great. This season, you will be a beneficiary of these wonderful promises in Jesus name. Deuteronomy 7:14 says, "Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle". God is not a liar. Since the Word has gone out of His mouth, He is committed to fulfilling it. He surely will deploy His every resource at your disposal. This also means that if you are a child of God and you are going through a situation of barrenness, it is only a phase; it is just for a limited time. Soon, God's Word shall prevail over that situation and you shall be fruitful.

Similarly, in Deuteronomy 28:11-12, He promised to open Heaven's treasury and rain down blessings upon us. That's another great promise. He said instead of borrowing, we shall lend to nations. That's another great promise! Every promise God has made to you shall come to pass. One important thing about promises, however, is that a promise and the one who makes it always go together. The value placed on a promise is determined by the worth of the one who made it. If you make promises but fail to keep them, it means that you have zero credibility. You have no self-worth. Some leaders make promises but show no commitment. Such people can hardly be believed. Today, some church members find it difficult to believe their pastors because they lack integrity. Do you have pending promises you have not made good on? Go ahead and fulfil them today! Nonetheless, God remains faithful. He has the ability, capacity and integrity to fulfil any promise He makes-even beyond our expectation. Hence, He should be believed. If it means bending the rule or suspending a law in order to meet your need, He will do it. The issue is: how far can you go in believing God? Do you take Him at His Word, or do you just fold your arms waiting to see before believing, like doubting Thomas?

Key Point:

Without believing there is no receiving. Without faith there is no Christianity. 

Sun, 03/04/2011 | Giving Contest

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Giving Contest

Memorise: "And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much." (Mark 12:41).

  

Read: Mark 12:41-44 

  

Besides believing God and obeying His Word, another thing you may be required to do is to give your all. The widow who gave her two mites is an example here. Unfortunately, her giving has been grossly misinterpreted even by preachers to mean 'giving your least', when, in context, it means 'giving your all, even in the time of your greatest need'. One of the most important things to do during your time of favour is to give sacrificially as it will give you access to unlimited blessings. One lesson from today's passage is that just as the Lord sat to monitor what and how people gave and at the end, He gave a verdict on the best giver, so also does God scrutinize every giver and act of giving in churches today. Do you know that at the end of every offering, Heaven picks candidates for first prize, second prize, third prize, etc.? In today's passage, a poor widow won and you can be sure that after the Lord's commendation, poverty would forever be banished from her.

Have you ever won a price for bounteous cheerful giving? You may say, 'Yes', because you once made the largest donation in a particular fund raising drive, or because you paid the biggest tithe on a particular Sunday. But your assessment may not line up with God's. So, the poorest widow who gave the least offering emerged the winner on that day? The criteria Heaven will use to determine the winner includes: whether you are giving out of your abundance or out of your need. In other words, after giving, what do you have left? Other criteria are: Do you have something to fall back on? Is your giving sacrificial or out of convenience? What is your motive? Is your objective to be seen and applauded by men or to glorify God? Is it done in faith or without faith? Is your giving with or without understanding? What is your post-giving attitude: does it reflect expectations from God or not? Do you grumble, murmur and complain to one or more people about what you gave, or you worship and thank God for the opportunity to give? What is your general attitude to giving vis-à-vis God's expectations? As you make amends and give well from today, you can be a winner of the giving contest in your local assembly and even beyond its walls!

Key Point:

Those who give the fattest offerings are not necessarily Heaven's star prize winners.

Sat, 02/04/2011 | Wasting Or Redeeming?

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Wasting Or Redeeming?

Memorise: "Redeeming the time, because the days are evil" (Eph 5:16).

  

Read: Ephesians 5:15-16 

  

To effectively utilize your time, there is need to tie-up assignments and tasks against seconds, minutes, hours and days. If you can do this effectively, you will avoid waste and achieve more. This is the logic behind the Psalmist asking us to number our days, not our years (Psalm 90:12). May God answer the prayer of the Psalmist in your life! Waste reduction is a very significant part of effective time management. Across the globe, many people indulge in activities that eat up their time, without getting any good dividend in return. Your time is an asset you must carefully trade with. So, if you spend it on what will not give you good returns, it is a waste. I feel sad when I see people wasting time on the phone. This year is already on the move. No matter the level of anointing in your life, you cannot bring back the hours, days, weeks or months that have passed. They are forever gone! Soon, you will be greeting 'Happy new year' and while doing so, you will discover that the New Year is fast becoming old.

What is your attitude to time? There are definite assignments that the Lord would want you to accomplish this year. If you use your time properly, they will all be achieved. But if you misuse your time, many of them will be left undone by the end of the year. Do you know that there are believers who have continuously carried over tasks from year to year, now spanning several years? No matter how anointed you are, if you cannot effectively plan your time, and accomplish your tasks, you are a great Kingdom waster. If you were to borrow one million naira with 20% interest from the bank without repaying, you will be amazed at what your debt will be in two years. Hence, Ephesians 5:15-16 says you need to apply wisdom. You should be redeeming your time rather than wasting more. To redeem is to buy back, to recover lost time. Are you taking steps to recover lost grounds? One of my daughters understands this very well. She was saved at 60 years old. Since she had lost so many years to the devil as a sinner, she employed some measures to redeem her time. One of such measures was to pay 20% tithe for the rest of her life. What steps are you taking towards the time wasted in Satan's kingdom? You can set high goals for soul-winning such as leading 10 to 20 souls to Christ monthly. You can also choose to be of more service to God's Kingdom by attending diligently to Kingdom projects.

Action Point:

List 15 time-wasters peculiar to you. Ask God for grace to prayerfully and practically avoid them from today.

Fri, 01/04/2011 | Ocean Tales

Friday, April 1, 2011

Ocean Tales

Memorise: "And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence." (Exodus 33:15)

 

Read: Exodus 33:13-15 

  

When Christ is with you, God is with you. Psalm 121:5 says, "The LORD is thy keeper: The LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand". When Christ is with you, God's shadow will follow you wherever you go. Three fishes in an ocean were terrified by some sharks whenever they went swimming. One day, they held a prayer meeting and invited God to be in attendance. When God came down, He asked them what they each wanted. The first fish asked for eyes all over its body so that from a long distance, it could sight the sharks approaching. The second fish requested wings to fly whenever it was being chased by the sharks. The third fish simply requested that God should follow it wherever it went. The Lord granted all their requests.

Immediately God left, the first fish realized that all the scales on its body had become eyes. Its new look attracted the sharks and they began to chase it. From a distance, it sighted the sharks swim fast towards it. Immediately, it leaped into a small pool of water nearby. Safe from the sharks, it began to laugh at the predators. Hours later, however, the pool dried up and it died. The sharks then turned their sights on the second fish. As it was being chased, it flew out of the ocean, and from a safe height began to mock the sharks. Unfortunately, an eagle was flying overhead and, thanking God, snapped up the fish. Meanwhile, the third fish was swimming quietly and enjoying itself. The baby shark told its mother that there was another, seemingly not afraid of them. Now, when the baby shark asked that they go after the fish, its mother cautioned: "Can't you see the shadow of a man following that fish? If you go near it, you will be killed". That was how the third fish survived the sharks. When Christ is with you, there will be no need to fret. He will take care of you. Is Christ with you? Do you feel His presence? Or do you like the first two fishes prefer something else to God's presence? Moses, like the third fish, chose well; he refused to go anywhere if God would not follow him. Are you going to places without God's presence? Do not be surprised when you meet with disappointment.

Key Point:

According to Exodus 33:14, the only time you are guaranteed rest is in God's presence.