Wednesday 31 December 2014

A New Beginning - Thursday January 1, 2015

A New Beginning - Thursday January 1, 2015

Memorise: And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. - Revelation 21:5

Read: Isaiah 43:19
19 Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
MESSAGE:

When someone promises to give you a gift, before you begin to celebrate, find out whether the fellow has the wherewithal to fulfil the promise, or else you may be disappointed. The good news is that the Almighty God, who knows no impossibility, said in Isaiah 43:19 that He would do a new thing for His children this year. I pray for someone using this devotional that something pleasantly new and glorious will happen to you this year in Jesus’ Name.

However, for something new to happen. The old must give way. In Genesis 32:24-28, the angel said to Jacob that his old name must give way for a new one. The Lord said this same thing to his grandfather and grandmother-Abraham and Sarah, whose names were changed from Abram and Sarai respectively. The old names that have brought misfortune and agony to someone using this devotional will change this year in Jesus’ Name. You must let go of your old ways of living if you want to experience a glorious new beginning this year. Your old ways of thinking and your old ways of doing things, especially your ungodly behaviour, must give way.

You must change your master if this master is not Jesus Christ. Jesus is calling all those who labour and are heavy laden to come to Him. He promised to give as many as shall come to Him a new beginning to joy and victory if they would accept His Lordship, take His yoke upon themselves, learn of Him and keep His commandments (Matthew 11:28-30)
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” - 2 Corinthians 5:17
The implication of this passage of scripture is great. It means that if you come to Jesus Christ, your sinful living becomes history, because not only will you be forgiven, the power behind “go and sin no more” will be your portion also. This was the experience of the woman caught in the sin of adultery who was forgiven by the Lord (John 8:11). My sincere prayer for you this New Year is that the abundant life in Jesus Christ will be your portion, in Jesus’ mighty Name. Happy New Year!!!

Action Point: Father, I stand on your promise of glorious new things for me and my loved ones, and I claim these promises for abundant joy in this New Year in Jesus’ Name.

Bible in a Year: Isaiah 1-2; Acts 1

It Pays to Live Holy II - Wednesday December 31, 2014

It Pays to Live Holy II - Wednesday December 31, 2014

Memorise: For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her. - Zechariah 2:5

Read: Job 1:8-10
1:8 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?
1:9 Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?
1:10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.
MESSAGE:

Everybody in this world wants to be secure. Witchcraft is prospering because people feel insecure and they are looking for security from any available source. The unfortunate thing is that, looking for security from the forces of darkness is looking for security from the very person who wants to destroy you. Those who are living a holy life have the protection of the Lord Almighty. This is because God has built a hedge around them. In Job 1:9-10, the Bible tells us that God had put a hedge around Job and his household. God put a hedge around Job because he served Him. Job got into the predicament that befell him because God wanted to prove a point to Satan. Around every holy child of God, there is an unseen wall. Satan cannot pass through this wall because it is made of fire. The Bible in Zechariah 2:5 says,
“For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her.”
Satan knows that he is going to end up in the Lake of fire. He is therefore not very anxious to taste this fire yet, so when he sees anybody who is surrounded by this fire, he keeps his distance.

God has made so many promises to those that are holy. Psalm 91 contains classical examples of these promises. You cannot abide in the secret place of the Most High without being holy.

Without being holy, God’s promises cannot be yours. The fire of the Almighty God is so hot that when it surrounds you, the fire of this world will make way for you to pass. We have a good example in Daniel 3:24-28, where Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were put in the fiery furnace. Their experience confirms what the scripture says concerning the holy in Isaiah 43:2:
“When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.”
There is however one thing that can remove the security covering from you. This is sin.

Whenever you sin, you create a barrier between you and God. It is therefore dangerous to sin, not even for once because you may not be able to recover from the devastating effect of the ensuing satanic attack in the course of your backsliding. I pray that your fire will not go out in Jesus’ Name.

Prayer Point: Father, whatever will take away your banner of protection over my life, withhold me from such from now on.

Bible in a Year: Acts 27-28

Tuesday 30 December 2014

It Pays to Live Holy I - Tuesday December 30, 20

It Pays to Live Holy I - Tuesday December 30, 2014

Memorise: But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. - Romans 6:22

Read: Proverbs 11:17-18
11:17 The merciful man doeth good to his own soul: but he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh.
11:18 The wicked worketh a deceitful work: but to him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward.
MESSAGE:

There is a sure reward for all those who are living holy. Men will go the extra mile to get a great reward from an endeavour, no matter the sacrifices it may require of them. Holiness requires from us certain sacrifices; we have to forgo certain things. I can assure you that there are several rewards for living holy. God is not merely asking us to live holy; He also promises “sure rewards” for living holy.

For example, long life is a sure reward of holy living according to Proverbs 11:19. Sin leads to death while holiness leads to life. You will die young if you are indulging in sin. But if you are living holy, Satan will not be able to get you into a snare that can lead you to death. Another reward is found in Hosea 10:12:
“Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.”
If you plant holiness, you will harvest the mercy of God. It is glaring that but for the mercy of God, we will not be alive today. It was God who said that the soul that sins shall perish.

Probably no one would be alive today if God had been rewarding us for the sins we have been committing. He will keep on showing us more mercy if we go on living holy. Peace is another reward of holy living. In Daniel 4:27 the Bible says:
“Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity.”
In this scripture, Daniel told King Nebuchadnezzar that if he began to live holy, God will be merciful unto him and then give him increased peace. Philosophers spend a lot of time trying to find answers to questions such as, what is truth, what is life and what is peace; they always end up with inconclusive answers. The search continues for them. The reason they cannot get an answer is because they have been asking the wrong questions. The question is not what peace is but who Peace is. Jesus is the Prince of Peace. The call to holiness is actually a call to peace.

Why has God called us to peace? The reason is that He is a God of Peace (1 Corinthians 14:33). A father will give to his child whatever he has. The devil will give what he has to his children – sickness, sorrow, confusion, etc. God will give you what He has if you belong to Him. He is the Author of Peace and He will give you peace today in Jesus’ Name.

Action Point: Find out those habits that are a direct opposite of a life of holiness in your life; do away with them as the price of holiness and you will be adequately rewarded.

Bible in a Year: Acts 24:22-26:32

Tuesday 16 December 2014

Gates & Everlasting Doors - Tuesday December 16, 2014

Gates & Everlasting Doors - Tuesday December 16, 2014

Memorise: Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. - Matthew 18:18

Read: Psalm 24:7-10
24:7 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.
24:8 Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.
24:9 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.
24:10 Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.
MESSAGE:

When you work like an elephant and eat like an ant or you are sorrowful while others are rejoicing, it may be that you are under the influence of gates and everlasting doors. When you continue to meet brick walls in all directions you move, you may be under the influence of gates or everlasting doors.

The good news for someone using this devotional is that God is going to lift the negative gates and everlasting doors that have been standing on your way to success today in Jesus’ Name. There are lessons to learn from today’s Bible passage. The first is that gates have heads, and whatever has a head must also have a body, and whatever has a head and a body is an entity. Secondly, these entities are unseen, which means that they are spiritual entities that cannot die. Therefore, it takes the power of the Most High to deal with them. I pray that every spiritual entity working against your progress shall be destroyed today in Jesus’ Name.
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” - Ephesians 6:12
For us to deal with spiritual gates and everlasting doors, we need spiritual weapons. This is the reason why the Holy Spirit said that we should put on the whole armour of God (Ephesians 6:11). What are the components of the armour of God? The armour includes: truth, righteousness and the acceptance of the gospel of peace. This means that for evil gates and doors to shift ground for your good, you must be born-again by accepting the gospel of Jesus Christ (John 3:5). Not only this, you must also live in truth and righteousness. Moreover, you must take up the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the word of God with prayer and supplication. The King of Glory will come into your life and the situation of gates and everlasting doors will disappear. There was a rich man who was plagued with negative gates. When we were called to assist him with prayers so that he might be delivered, we asked him to give his life to Christ but he refused. The gate and everlasting doors of Hell got rid of him. My prayer for you is that you will not be a victim but a victor in Jesus’ Name. For this to happen, today is the day of salvation for you if you are a sinner. If you are a backslidden believer, you must repent and return to your first love.

Prayer Point: Father, every evil gate and everlasting door blocking my way to breakthrough, destroy them completely today in Jesus’ Name.

Bible in a Year: Esther 1

Monday 15 December 2014

Fear, Not a Christian Virtue - Monday December 15, 2014

Fear, Not a Christian Virtue - Monday December 15, 2014

Memorise: For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. - 2 Timothy 1:7

Read: Psalm 91:5-6
91:5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
91:6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
MESSAGE:

You have nothing to fear if you have given your life to Jesus. Those of us who have surrendered our lives to Jesus Christ can say with all boldness that we shall not be afraid. Today’s Bible reading says that: provided you surrender your life to the Almighty God and provided you are dwelling in His secret place, and provided you are abiding under His shadow, you have nothing to fear. Fear is from the devil. There was no fear until the devil crept in. When God created Adam and Eve and put them in the Garden of Eden, it was all bliss. But from the day the devil entered into the garden and convinced them to disobey God, fear came. After they had sinned, when they heard God coming, they ran and hid themselves. Fear is the exact opposite of faith.

The moment you cross from the side of the devil to the side of God, there is no more fear for you.

When you give your life to Christ, fear must go. Fear comes from darkness and Jesus Christ is light.

When Jesus comes into your life, He gives you the spirit of love, of power, of joy and of a sound mind. This is why it is rare to find a true child of God living in fear. The Bible in Romans 8:14-15 says:
“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.”
Children of God have the Spirit of God. He assures us that we are the children of God. You can boldly say that you have not received the spirit of fear but of power, of love and of a sound mind if you have received the Spirit of God. Jesus Christ said you shall receive power after the Holy Ghost comes upon you. Since we have received power, we should not be afraid. I am a child of God. Fear belongs to the children of the devil and I am not a child of the devil. From time immemorial, God has always put a dividing line between the righteous and the wicked. He tries to reward each according to their works. He rewards the righteous so that they will love righteousness and so that the wicked will see the benefit of righteousness and turn from their wicked ways. The Bible in Psalm 121:7says this concerning the righteous:
“The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.”
With such promises, the children of God have no cause to fear. I pray that whatever will overwhelm your faith and cause you to panic, the Lord will not allow such to happen to you in Jesus’ Name. Do not be afraid; God is your refuge and your present help in the time of need.

Action Point: Check your life, whatever you are doing that is causing you to panic, do away with it.

Bible in a Year: Nehemiah 11:25-13:31

Wednesday 10 December 2014

Service to the Anointed - Wednesday December 10, 2014

Service to the Anointed - Wednesday December 10, 2014

Memorise: He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. - Matthew 10:41

Read: Matthew 10:40-42
10:40 He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.
10:41 He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.
10:42 And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.
MESSAGE:

Elisha was devoted to serving the servant of God, Elijah. This devotion was one of the qualities that qualified him for uncommon greatness. The Bible stated that Elisha poured water on Elijah’s hand (2 Kings 3:11). With this and also as stated in our memory verse, it is clear that there are lots of blessings reserved for those who serve God’s prophets. You can serve a man of God without getting physical remuneration from him. However, when a man of God pronounces blessing on you saying

“God bless you”, he is not just paying you a compliment. A casual “God bless you” from a friend differs from that which a man of God pronounces. A “God bless you” from a man of God is loaded with prophetic blessings. Hence you must be ready to do what will qualify you for a divine benediction. Recently, I was in the United States and one of my sons in the Lord shared a testimony.

He testified thus:

“God surprised me during the General Overseer’s (G.O.) previous visit. Prior to the G.O.’s arrival, my pastor told me that he had chosen me to drive the G.O. around during his visit. I tried to explain to my pastor that it might not be easy for me to take up this assignment because I was preparing for a major examination, but my pastor insisted. I thought I could manage to combine driving the G.O. with preparing to write the crucial examination because my understanding was that the G.O. would spend just one day. To my surprise, the G.O. spent a whole week. When he was leaving he simply said, “God bless you”. To the glory of God, I passed my exams in flying colours and I got a new job and prospered tremendously.”

May God remember all your labour of love towards the ministers of God in Jesus’ Name.

Elisha was committed to the business of the kingdom. Therefore, when Elijah asked to know what he wanted, he had only one answer: a double portion of the power on Elijah (2 Kings 2:9). Elisha asked for what he would use for God’s work. The Bible in Matthew 6:33 says:
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
God is looking for those who are concerned about His kingdom’s business. As from today, may the Lord grant you the mind to work for Him and to work with His anointed ministers.

Action Point: Think of how you can extend the frontiers of God’s kingdom on earth and start its execution.

Bible in a Year: Ezra 8:24-10:44

Friday 5 December 2014

Secrets of Abundance II - Friday December 5, 2014

Secrets of Abundance II - Friday December 5, 2014

Memorise: But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. - Luke 4:26

Read: Luke 4:25-26
4:25 But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land;
4:26 But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.
MESSAGE:

Working hard and praying hard are prerequisite to enjoying God’s abundance. Apart from these, another secret of abundance is consistent sowing. You must keep sowing if you want to experience abundant life. The first seed you sow may open the door to blessings, but it takes persistent sowing to keep the door of blessings open. Let us take a closer look at the story of the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17:10-16). What opened the door of blessing to her was the first cake she made for Elijah, but what kept the food flowing was the fact that everyday, she kept on making cakes for Elijah. Your initial act of giving can take you to a level of abundant blessing. However, what will lead you to the level of ultimate abundance is persistent giving.

The loss would have been unimaginable, if by the third day, this widow had stopped giving. This would have resulted in the drying up of her source of supply. Let us also learn a lesson from Solomon’s example. The first time he sacrificed unto God, he offered a thousand offerings. God prospered Him in no small measure through a mighty harvest that was unleashed on him. The next time he sacrificed unto God, he offered twenty two thousand oxen. 1 Kings 8:63 says:
“And Solomon offered a sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered unto the LORD, two and twenty thousand oxen, and an hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of the LORD.”
Solomon kept on increasing in wealth because he kept on giving. At the end, he attained the level of ultimate financial breakthrough. He became so rich that nobody could attempt to count the amount of silver he had. For someone reading this devotional, you will become so rich that only higher denominations of money will matter to you. When your workers bring in the proceeds from your business, you will tell them to hand in the higher denominations and keep the lower denominations for themselves. Let’s ask ourselves this question: “What is the mystery behind the giving done by the widow of Zarephath?” It is an uncommon faith in God. It is this faith that made her to give her only means of sustenance. She gave her only food to Elijah because she needed to surrender the future into the hands of the God of Elijah. For these secrets of abundant blessing to work for you, you must first give your life to Jesus Christ. You must surrender your life to Him today if you have not done so already. Today can become your moment of supernatural breakthrough.

Prayer Point: Father, I hand over my life to you; take care of my future in the Name of Jesus.

Bible in a Year: 2 Chronicles 33

Thursday 4 December 2014

Secrets of Abundance I - Thursday December 4, 2014

Secrets of Abundance I - Thursday December 4, 2014

I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. - 1 Corinthians 3:6-7

Read: Genesis 26:12-14
26:12 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him.
26:13 And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great:
26:14 For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him.
MESSAGE:

You must be prepared to work hard if you want abundance. Nevertheless, it is quite a different thing to work hard, and another thing to experience abundance. Although God may grant you open doors to financial favour, it is your responsibility to work towards getting to the pinnacle of all-round abundance. To achieve this, you will be required to do a great deal of hard work.

Diligence in hard work is always rewarded. Farmers work hard to reap beautiful harvest. When farmers sow seeds, they begin to grow, but weeds also alongside the seeds sown. Therefore, besides nurturing the good seeds, you must also work hard to get rid of weeds. You are not only expected to work hard, but also to pray hard. Anyone who desires an encounter with the Almighty, which would yield the ultimate abundant blessing, must be ready to work and pray hard.

    “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.” - 1 Corinthians 3:6

Paul may plant and Apollos may water but it is God alone who gives the increase. You must learn to pray hard and call upon God to give you increase. Lazy people cannot experience all-round blessing.

Those who are not prepared to work and pray hard are not yet ready for any form of meaningful breakthrough. Remember to put God first when your harvest begins. The Bible commands that we must honour God with our first fruits. Some people harvest and allow the proceeds to waste away.

Until you learn to honour God with your substances, you will not be able to benefit even from the harvest you have laboured for. The Bible attributes one of the reasons for fruitless efforts to failure to put God first in our harvests (Haggai 1:4-6). Some people gather their harvests and put them in bags with holes. The problem of leaking bags emanates from failure to honour God by giving Him the first fruits of our harvest. If you do not give to God, you may end up wasting away the proceeds of your harvest. Those who harvest into bags with holes are those who refuse to put God first. Put God first in all your earnings as from today and you will experience abundance.

Action Point: Think of the ways you have been robbing God of His tithes and first fruits. Repent and perform restitution.

Bible in a Year: 2 Chronicles 31

Wednesday 3 December 2014

Wait For Your Harvest II - Wednesday December 3, 2014

Wait For Your Harvest II - Wednesday December 3, 2014

Memorise: But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. - James 1:4

Read: Hebrews 6:11-15
6:11 And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:
6:12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
6:13 For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,
6:14 Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.
6:15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.
6:16 For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife.

MESSAGE:
I learnt a valuable lesson some years ago. When the crowd of participants at our monthly Holy Ghost service began to increase, I decided to select seven elders to help in the area of ministering to people.

I gave each of them neckties that I had used during previous ministrations. “Put on these neckties; they are already soaked with God’s anointing during my previous ministrations” I told them.

Whenever they wore those neckties and ministered, supernatural miracles always occurred. As signs and wonders happened in the area of ministration, something else happened in my own life. I was showered with gifts of neckties.

Each time my close acquaintances travelled, they came back with just one type of gift - neckties.

Wherever they travelled to, the only gifts they brought to me were neckties. Then I asked God, “Why are these people just giving me neckties? Can’t they come up with some other gifts beside neckties?” God gave me insight into what was happening. He said, “Son, if you sow ties, you will reap ties.” I quickly got the message and decided to start sowing shoes. I located pastors who wore my shoe size and I gave them a good number of my shoes, among which were some of my best shoes. I expected a harvest of new shoes in the first month following my act of giving, but there was no gift of shoes for me. When another month rolled by and there was still no gift of shoes for me, I went to God and said, “Daddy, you told me that if I sow, I would reap.” It was then the Lord taught me another lesson, He said, “Son, if you plant maize, you can harvest it within three months, but if you plant yam, you will wait a little longer”. The Almighty God said to me, “Shoes are of greater value than ties, the greater the quality of the seed sown, the more time you will have to spend in waiting for the harvest. You have planted shoes and you will have to wait a little longer; but the moment the harvest starts, there will be no stopping it”. Later, I was showered with shoes of all sizes and colours: big, small, white, green, black and all kinds of sophisticated shoes. When the harvest eventually came in full, I was pleasantly surprised. James 5:7 says,
“Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.”
If you have sown any seed, your harvest will soon come. Just wait a little while and your harvest will locate you in the Jesus’ Name.

Prayer Point: Father, please let my harvest come speedily and help me not to be weary in well-doing.

Bible in a Year: 2 Chronicles 29:3-30:27

Tuesday 2 December 2014

Wait For Your Harvest I - 2/12/2014

Wait For Your Harvest I - 2/12/2014

Memorise: Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. - James 5:7

Read: Genesis 8:20-22
8:20 And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
8:21 And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.
8:22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

Bible in a Year: 2 Chronicles 26:1-29:2

MESSAGE:
There is a time span between seedtime and harvest time. The time between sowing and harvesting could be short or long depending on the type of seed sown. If the seed is significant, you may have to wait for some time before you reap the harvest. Farmers are never in a hurry.

They know that they must wait for the harvest if they desire a good yield. Some believers are of the opinion that one can sow in the morning and reap in the evening. It is quite possible, but it depends on what you want to harvest. Some crops can be harvested within three to six months, while others may require more than one year before the farmer can harvest them. There is no magic in farming as there are set procedures for planting and harvesting. When a farmer plants seeds, it dies and sprouts again; then within a specific period, it grows until it bears fruit. It is at this maturity stage that the famers begin to harvest. So, you have to wait for the time of harvest. As the Lord lives, the harvest will surely come if you sow on a good ground in Jesus’ Name. Children of God must learn to wait for their harvest to come. It is sad to note that some children of God are too much in a hurry to take their harvest. This is why they go into practices that are not Christ-like and in so doing they get their spiritual fingers burnt by the fire of lust and greed. The Bible in James 5:7 says:
“Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.”
Your harvest can take any form. It may be a promotion or recognition for hard work. While faithfully serving an organisation for instance, you must learn to wait for management to appreciate your sense of devotion to duty and not agitate for recognition. It will be tantamount to blowing your own trumpet if you do so. As a matter of fact, it may be that you are merely ambitious but you think you are putting in your best. It may shock you if your employer declares that your so-called best is not good enough for recognition! When I lived in the village, any farmer who hurriedly harvested his yam tubers ended up denying himself a bumper harvest, as he would have disturbed the yams from developing into large tubers. Such unripe yam tubers are not as delicious as those which reach the ripe age before harvest. I pray that the Almighty Father will give you the patience to wait for bountiful harvest from your sown seeds in Jesus’ Name.

Prayer Point: Father, give me adequate patience to wait for my day of glorification in Jesus’ Name.

Monday 1 December 2014

Givers Never Lack- 1/12/2014

Givers Never Lack- 1/12/2014

Memorise: There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty. - Proverbs 11:24

Read: Luke 6:38
6:38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

Bible in a Year: 2 Chronicles 23:16-25:28

MESSAGE:
If you are a good student of the Bible, you would have discovered that God specialises in performing special miracles when those who give sacrificially call upon Him. The story of the Shunammite woman teaches us vital lessons, one of which is that givers will always secure heavens’ attention.

When you meet God’s needs, He will also meet your needs supernaturally and promptly. The Shunammite woman took care of Elisha time and again. She demonstrated uncommon commitment to ensuring that the man of God - Elisha, was well catered for at all times. And so one day, the Spirit of God told Elisha to ask this woman what she needed. She said she needed nothing but the man of God discovered that she had no child and he prophesied that she would have a baby within nine months. God’s word through Elisha was fulfilled and the Shunammite woman became a mother within nine months (2 Kings 4:16-17).

Givers always experience unprecedented miracles. When you give sacrificially, God will make the impossible become possible in your life. There is a brother I met during one of my ministerial trips to Eastern Nigeria. The brother picked me up at the airport having taken up the responsibility of driving me everywhere I went while the programme lasted. When it was time to leave, I thought of a parting gift I could give in appreciation of the hospitality. So I gave him some money and said, “Brother, kindly give this small gift to your children”. His response shocked me. He shouted “Amen” continuously and prayerfully. I called the Pastor-in-charge of that Province aside to find out why the brother was so enthusiastic about the gift I offered his children. The pastor informed me that although the brother was so rich, he was childless. I told the pastor that God was going to surprise him with a miracle. When I visited the same city the following year, the rich brother was at the airport as usual to pick me up. On that particular occasion, he came with a surprise gift. With tears of joy streaming down his face, he declared, “This is a gift from my first son”. The rich brother who had been childless for a number of years became a proud father miraculously by offering to drive me in his car.

By believing the word of the Lord, the reproach of childlessness was rolled away from his life. You can begin to give sacrificially as from today and I tell you the Lord will bless you beyond your wildest dreams. I pray that your next offering will bring a gift that money cannot buy into your life in Jesus’ Name.

Action Point: Look around you, find someone who is in need and bless him or her with a surprise gift. You will experience the beauty of being a generous giver.