Friday 28 April 2017

The Privileges of God’s Children I - Friday 28, April 2017

The Privileges of God’s Children I - Friday 28, April 2017

Memorise: Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. – Galatians 4:7

Read: Mark 7:24-30 (KJV)

24 And from thence he arose, and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into an house, and would have no man know it: but he could not be hid.

25 For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet:

26 The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter.

27 But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs.

28 And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs.

29 And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter.

30 And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed.

Bible in One Year: Number 23-25, Jeremiah 22:11-23

MESSAGE:

Without a doubt, the responsibilities associated with being a child of God in this present age of spiritual perversion are highly demanding. Nevertheless, our benevolent Father, knowing our frame, has placed several pleasant privileges at our disposal as His children, to ease our sojourn through this wicked world. The first privilege we enjoy when we become children of God is that we are moved from the position of a servant or slave to that of a son and an heir of God (Galatians 4:7). This is the reason why we must have passion for evangelism, especially to Muslims, who believe that they are slaves of God. God did not create us in His image for the purpose of making slaves out of us. Anyone who has not come to the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ is indeed a slave to sin and not a slave of God (Romans 6:16-18).

In the story of the Syro-phoenician woman in our Bible text, Jesus Christ did not mince words in revealing her true spiritual state to her as a slave of sin, in order to cause a change in her spiritual life. Fortunately for this woman, she admitted her spiritual poverty, and she was therefore given the hand of fellowship in adoption, so that she could be a partaker of the food meant for God’s children. Matthew 5:3 says,

“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Another striking thing in this story is that this woman was likened to a dog and she accepted it. Do you know why? It’s because this verdict came from the Way, the Truth and the Life Himself; when He speaks, He speaks with valid authority. So, when Jesus calls a sinner a dog, that is exactly what he or she is. This is why the liberal theologians who want to be 21st century compliant would want to rewrite the Bible so that it can be “politically correct”. Take note of the fact what is politically correct can be spiritually bankrupt.

In light of these truths, you can therefore see how great your privilege is when you are a child of God. Being a child of God grants you access to the food of salvation, deliverance, healing and prosperity that is meant only for children of God. If you are not yet a child of God, don’t delay further; today is the day of salvation and adoption. Give your life to Christ today, admit your spiritual poverty and let Him cleanse you in His Blood.

Prayer Point: Father, I call You Father because you are a Father indeed. Make me Your own child through Jesus Christ, and bestow upon me the privileges of being Your child today.

Thursday 27 April 2017

Responsibilities of God’s Children II - Thursday 27, April 2017

 Responsibilities of God’s Children II - Thursday 27, April 2017

Memorise: Abstain from all appearance of evil. – 1 Thessalonians 5:22

Read: 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 (KJV)

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

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

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

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

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

Bible in One Year: Number 22, Jeremiah 21:11-22:10

MESSAGE:

Yesterday, we looked at some of the responsibilities of the children of God in ensuring that they finish the Christian race in triumph. Another of these responsibilities is that children of God must be on the lookout for whatever appears to be evil and run away from it. Anything that can lead to fornication or adultery, anything that has a shade of idolatry, or anything that has to do with love of money falls into the category of things you should flee from (1 Corinthians 6:18, 1 Corinthians 10:14, 1 Timothy 6:9-10). Living a holy life is not automatic as some presume; we have to make a conscious effort to live holy. We wrestle not against flesh and blood; rather, we wrestle against principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world and spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12). To be effective in our warfare, our strategy has to be both offensive and defensive in nature. How do we engage in defensive warfare? It is by tactically abstaining from the world of darkness and sin.

In today’s Bible reading, we are exposed to the practical way of engaging in defensive spiritual warfare. The first thing is not to be unequally yoked together with unbelievers because the Bible expressly says that friendship with the world is enmity against God, and that whosoever will be a friend to the world is an enemy of God (James 4:4). It is however unfortunate that some Christians don’t see this as an eternal truth. Even some pastors will tell you that we must be friendly with the world in other to win them. The question is ever since we have been making friends with worldly people, how many of them have we won? Instead, on arrival, they pollute the Church, and we end up becoming more like them! The problem is that the Church does not want to take the lonely stand for the truth anymore; we want to be world-compliant. Have we forgotten that the Almighty God assures us that even if the world forsakes us, He would be with us (Hebrew 13:5)? How happy our God would be, if His Church would take the stance that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego took in Babylon, when they were faced with Nebuchadnezzar’s  great fiery furnace (Daniel 3:16-18).

Beloved, it is your responsibility not only to rebuke the works of darkness but also to run away from all appearances of evil when necessary. Joseph did this successfully, and although he suffered for it for a while, he was later exalted to become the Prime Minister of Egypt (Genesis 39:11-23). That will be your story in Jesus’ Name. As you separate yourself to the Lord in holiness, your purity will stand you out from the crowd and cause you to be exalted in Jesus’ Name.

Action Point: Read Psalm 1 meditatively and pray that God will help you to always shun the presence of evil and its agents.

Wednesday 26 April 2017

Responsibilities of God’s Children I - Wednesday 26, April 2017

Responsibilities of God’s Children I - Wednesday 26, April 2017

Memorise: As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: – 1 Peter 2:2

Read: 1 John 3:1-3 (KJV)

1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

Bible in One Year: Number 20-21, Jeremiah 21:1-10

MESSAGE:

All those who have accepted the Lordship of Jesus Christ over their life are children of God, by the grace of adoption through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:5). As children of God, while God has some responsibilities to make a success of our walk of faith in this world, we also have some responsibilities we have to bear in this regard. Peter, in today’s memory verse, points out that one of our responsibilities as children of God is to desire things that are beneficial to our spiritual growth. When some new converts become children of God, due to zeal without knowledge, they begin to nurse some good desires which are inappropriate or unhealthy for sustaining their victory in the Christian race. For example, some converts after giving their lives to Christ immediately begin to desire the office of a pastor, evangelist or Christian minister of any sort. Although these are good desires, they are inappropriate and ill-timed. The first responsibility of a believer when he or she becomes a child of God is to desire the sincere milk of the word so that he or she can grow to maturity through it. It is after this that he or she can think of rendering service to the Kingdom work. Physically speaking, when a little baby desires to eat bread, yam, or rice, such desires could kill him or her. In the same vein, when a newborn believer desires to be a pastor or an evangelist overnight, he or she would not last long. This is the mistake some Christian organisations make when they make converts out of Muslims and traditionalists and immediately turn them into tools of evangelism. The resultant effect is that such converts, without having depth in the word of God, would begin to see themselves as evangelists. Based on my experience and observations, more often than not, such converts don’t last. For this season, children being born into God’s family must take time to study the word of God and become well grounded in it.

In our Bible reading today, we see another responsibility of children of God, which is that they must keep themselves pure (1 John 3:3). After being cleansed and purified by the Blood of Jesus, children of God have the responsibility of not going back to their old vomit or staining their garment of righteousness with the filth of this world (Ephesians 5:26-27). Practically, you achieve this by measuring your action against the standard of God’s word. Anything that is contrary to the word of God is filth that must be avoided. This is the more reason why all children of God need to be grounded in the word first before anything else.

Action Point: Make sure you read, study and apply the word of God to your day-to-day living as a child of God, and you will grow in faith.

Tuesday 25 April 2017

God Is Not Interested In This - Tuesday 25, April 2017

God Is Not Interested In This - Tuesday 25, April 2017

Memorise: For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. – John 3:17

Read: Ezekiel 33:14-16 (KJV)

14 Again, when I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right;

15 If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die.

16 None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him: he hath done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live.

Bible in One Year: Number 18-19, Jeremiah 20:7-18

MESSAGE:

Expectedly, you may be wondering what God is not interested in. God is not interested in the death of a sinner (2 Peter 3:9). Many sinners don’t even know that God has no delight in condemning them. It is therefore necessary that those who know this truth should make it known to them.

“14 Again, when I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right; 15 If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die.” - Ezekiel 33:14-15

It is clear from the above Scripture that God is not interested in the death of any sinner, but desires that the sinner repents and turns away from his or her wicked ways. It is amazing that God Almighty promised that none of the sins committed by a converted sinner will be remembered any more. God is always wanting to restore fellowship with His human creation back to what it was in the beginning, if only they would appreciate His love for them. Jesus Christ in John 15:13 said:

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

If indeed we are the friends of Jesus, we then must do whatever He commands us to do (John 15:14). Are you a friend of Jesus or willing to be one? If you are willing to be a friend of Jesus, you must accept Him today, because tomorrow may be too late. The Bible says:

“For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. - 2 Corinthians 6:2

For believers who would always pray that sinners should “fall down and die”, I will like to admonish you to stop wasting your time, because if the fellow you are praying against is candidate for salvation in the future, your prayers may be an exercise in futility. This is why the Lord God said vengeance is His (Romans 12:19). May God fill our hearts with the compassion of Christ, so that we can be more concerned about the salvation of sinners rather than their death.

Prayer Point: Father, fill my heart with the compassion of Jesus, so that I would care for sinners even as You do.

Monday 24 April 2017

Another Jonah in The Church? - Monday 24, April 2017

 Another Jonah in The Church? - Monday 24, April 2017

Memorise: And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. – Mark 16:15

Read: Ezekiel 33:1-6 (KJV)

1 Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

2 Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman:

3 If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people;

4 Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head.

5 He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul.

6 But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand.

Bible in One Year: Number 16-17, Jeremiah 19:10-20:6

MESSAGE:

We are often quick to judge Biblical characters when they do not measure up to God’s expectation in one area or the other. We should however not allow our judgemental opinions to becloud our minds from the salient lessons God is trying to pass across to us through the failings of these characters. To drive home this point, the Holy Spirit in 1 Corinthians 10:11 says,

“Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.”

Among such characters are father Abraham and Isaac, who both misrepresented their wife as their sister. We also have prophets like Elijah, who opted to die in the face of adversity, and Jonah, the prophet who chose to run away from God’s assignment. In the New Testament, we have apostles like Thomas, who said he would not believe in Christ’s resurrection unless he saw and touched the palms of His hands. The shortcomings of these characters exposes their humility to us, and it also serves as a challenge to us that if characters with such shortcomings can go on to do great things for God, so can we in spite of our inadequacies.

Let’s take a closer look at Prophet Jonah, and compare his attitude to that of believers in the Church today. In Jonah 1, we read of how the word of the Lord came to him, instructing him to go and warn the people of Nineveh against the impending doom hanging over their heads because of their wickedness. Instead of carrying out God’s assignment, Jonah chose to flee to Tarshish, because he wanted the people of Nineveh to receive God’s judgement. He knew if these people heard the warning and repented, God would not punish them as He had earlier planned. However, Jonah wanted them to receive God’s punishment because of all they had done to the children of Israel. In like manner, our Lord Jesus Christ has commanded us to go and preach the gospel of salvation to sinners. Following the principles set out in our Bible reading, if we do not obey the Lord’s commandment, God forbid that their blood be required of us. We must beware of Jonah’s mistake so that none of us becomes another Jonah in the Church. Jonah landed in the belly of a fish before he understood the foolishness of trying to run away from God. Are you being called into the ministry of soul-winning? Stop running from your responsibility! Let us take the assignment of soul-winning seriously, and we will not miss our reward. Proverbs 11:30 says,

“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.”

Prayer Point: Father, help me to win souls for You on a daily basis.

Thursday 20 April 2017

Backslider-In-Heart II - Thursday 20, April 2017

Backslider-In-Heart II - Thursday 20, April 2017

Memorise: For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia. – 2 Timothy 4:10

Read: Judges 14:5-10 (KJV)

5 Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath, and came to the vineyards of Timnath: and, behold, a young lion roared against him.

6 And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done.

7 And he went down, and talked with the woman; and she pleased Samson well.

8 And after a time he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see the carcase of the lion: and, behold, there was a swarm of bees and honey in the carcase of the lion.

9 And he took thereof in his hands, and went on eating, and came to his father and mother, and he gave them, and they did eat: but he told not them that he had taken the honey out of the carcase of the lion.

10 So his father went down unto the woman: and Samson made there a feast; for so used the young men to do.

Bible in One Year: Numbers 8-9, Jeremiah 16:14-17:13

MESSAGE:

Yesterday, we established that backsliding is a gradual process that remains hidden in the heart and only begins to manifest after it had gotten out of hand. In today’s memory verse, we discover one factor that brings backsliding: the love of the world. 1 John 2:15-16 says,

“15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”

The Bible passage reveals the character of the love of this present world, by which the heart of Demas, a companion of Paul, was stolen away from the straight and narrow way (2 Timothy 4:10). How far have you been drawn away from the narrow path which you have been treading on for so long? Is the relativism philosophy of this present world doing great damage to the faith which you once had? How far have you been drawn away by the pleasurable things of life? My prayer for you is that the fire of the first love you had for Christ will be reignited, and that you will relate with God and the things of God like when you first believed in Him in Jesus’ Name.

Taking a closer look at the life of Samson as a case study of the backslider-in-heart, one lesson we can learn from today’s Bible reading is that the backslider-in-heart can still be preaching, ministering in songs, doing all kinds of work of the ministry, and even performing miracles, which in the process of backsliding. Although Samson was going down into abomination, when a lion roared against him, he responded with the same ability of the spirit he always had. Judges 14:6 says:

“And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done.”

As if marrying a Philistine was not enough, on his next trip to Timnath, he went to admire the relics of his conquest, the carcass of a lion he had killed. Behold, the devil had set up a honeycomb right there in the carcass of the dead lion to ensnare him, and Samson fell for it; even though he knew that a Nazirite must not touch the dead body of an animal (Numbers 6:2-8). Samson’s stomach and taste continued to lead him on his downward slide towards destruction, just as they did to Esau (Hebrews 12:16-17). My prayer for you is that your appetite for the things for the world will not destroy you in Jesus’Name.

Prayer Point: Father, don’t let what I love destroy me, and don’t let me love what would destroy me.

Wednesday 19 April 2017

Backslider-In-Heart I - Wednesday 19, April 2017

Backslider-In-Heart I - Wednesday 19, April 2017

Memorise: The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from himself. – Proverbs 14:14

Read: Judges 14:1-3 (KJV)

1 And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines.

2 And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife.

3 Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well.

Bible in One Year: Numbers 7, Jeremiah 16:1-13

MESSAGE:

Backsliding is not an event but a gradual process that occurs over a period of time until is gets to a noticeable stage. At that stage, people will begin to say an individual has backslidden, but what they fail to realise is that it did not start at that point. Backsliding begins in the heart. When a believer becomes filled with his or her own ways, that believer has begun to backslide. That person would always be right in his or her own sight, and others would be wrong. Such a person would no longer take advice from anybody, becoming a loner. In today’s Bible reading, we see the case of Samson, an anointed Nazirite to the Lord, who began to backslide right from his heart. The way today’s Bible reading begins is significant: “And Samson went down….” When a person begins to go down, may the Lord have mercy on him or her. As he went down, he saw an abomination that enticed him: a Philistine woman. He came to his father and mother to tell them of his intention to marry the Philistine woman. His parents counselled him against this abominable desire, but regardless of their warning, Samson said “Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well.”

When a child of God begins to nurse the idea of getting engaged to an unbeliever, no doubt, he or she has started backsliding in the heart. An unbeliever should not be an attractive option for a genuine child of God. A female child of God should find it repugnant for a smoker or drunkard to become her husband; after all, such a person will get intimate with her after wedlock with smoky lips or a mouth saturated with alcohol. A Christian brother should also see it as degrading to be married to a lady operating under the influence of the spirit of Jezebel – knowing full well how Jezebel destroyed her husband (Ephesians 2:2, 1 Kings 21:25). You are influenced by the environment you live in and the people you are intimate with. An unbelieving woman or man will act as a weight around your neck, dragging you down to the pit of hell. The different abominable things going on in the world are enough to deter a genuine child of God from marrying a person who is not under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Such a person is not restrained from doing whatever the devil suggests to his or her heart and does not share the same standard of the word of God as a moral compass for life. Today, we hear of wives sleeping with drivers and domestic staff, and we also hear of husbands sleeping with housemaids and their wife’s sisters – things that are abominable in the sight of God. Do you know that an unbeliever might not find these things abominable? It is a terrible thing to be associated with an “uncircumcised Philistine” in these end times. Beware of backsliding!

Prayer Point: Father, completely destroy the works of the devil in my life and in your Church.

Tuesday 18 April 2017

Grieve Not The Holy Spirit - Sunday 16, April 2017

Grieve Not The Holy Spirit - Sunday 16, April 2017

Memorise: And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. – Ephesians 4:30

Read: Acts 5:1-6 (KJV)

1 The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,

2 Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:

3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:

4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.

5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?

Bible in One Year: Numbers 3, Jeremiah 14:13-22

MESSAGE:

One of the attributes of the Holy Spirit that confirms to us that He is a person is that He can be grieved. Indeed, the Holy Spirit can be abused to the point of being grieved. At this point, He can decide to show His Almightiness like the other two personalities of the Godhead. This is the reason why Apostle Paul admonished us not to grieve the Holy Spirit of God (Ephesians 4:30)

There are many reasons why it is dangerous to grieve the Holy Spirit. One of such reasons is located in today’s memory verse. We are sealed unto the day of redemption by the precious Holy Spirit in our lives. This seal serves as a covering that shields us from the activities of Satan and his cohorts. If you make your Covering annoyed to the extent that He deserts you, in that case you will be left without a shield protecting you against evil spirits. This is very dangerous because we cannot pass through this world of evil as pilgrims without the assistance of the Holy Spirit. Another reason why it is dangerous to grieve the Holy Spirit is that His wrath could be very devastating. The story in today’s Bible text confirms that no man can withstand His wrath. Ananias and Sapphira his wife grieved the Holy Spirit and they were punished by death. What did they do to grieve the Holy Spirit? They lied to Him. Many so-called believers would regard this as a “simple lie”, but it was enough to grieve the Holy Spirit, and He struck them dead. Cooperating with a liar can also grieve the Holy Spirit as in the case of Sapphira, Ananias’ wife. It is dangerous to keep company with liars because the same punishment meted out to the original liar would be received by the accomplice. In times past, Christians used to be persecuted in various establishments because they would not cooperate with liars who would get to work at 10 a.m. but register 7 a.m. as their resumption time. Today, some Christians are doing worse, even in Church offices.

Rebelling against the Lordship of the Holy Spirit over your life is another way through which He can be grieved. When you get to a point where you refuse to take instructions from the voice of the Holy Spirit within you, then you have rebelled against His Lordship. The Bible in Isaiah 63:10 says,

“But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them.”

Beloved, let us heed the admonition of Paul and desist from grieving the Holy Spirit by all means.

Prayer Point: Father, please pardon me in anyway I have grieved Your Holy Spirit, and give me the grace never to do so again until I see you in glory.

Wednesday 5 April 2017

Divine Healing - Wednesday 5, April 2017

Divine Healing - Wednesday 5, April 2017

Memorise: For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. - Matthew 9:21

Read: Luke 13:11-16 (KJV)

11 And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself.

12 And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.

13 And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.

14 And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day.

15 The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering?

16 And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?

Bible in One Year: Leviticus 10-12, Jeremiah 7:27-8:3

MESSAGE:

As children of God living in times of advanced technological developments, one truth we must never lose consciousness of is that God is still in the business of healing people. Some may want to ask why God still cares about healing people, since He has endowed humanity with laudable insights into the causes and cures of various sicknesses and diseases. The answer is not far-fetched: there are sicknesses that are not of physical origin; rather, they are demonically inflicted. Orthodox medicine is incapable of healing such sicknesses. Although orthodox medicine will always have a name of every sickness or disease it is confronted with, the truth of the matter is, some of these afflictions have their operations being supervised from the pit of Hell. Today’s Bible text tells the story of a woman who was bound by the spirit of infirmity for eighteen years, Jesus Christ ministered deliverance to her, and He set her loose from that bondage of sickness. We might not have known the source of her infirmity, but for the opposition voiced against her being healed on the Sabbath day. Jesus, in His response to the objections raised, revealed the source of this woman’s infirmity to be Satan. In Luke 13:16 He said:

“And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?”

Nevertheless, the good news is: irrespective of whether a sickness stems from demonic or physical sources, the Almighty God is still interested in healing His people of all ailments afflicting them, especially those who believe in what He is capable of doing. In Jeremiah 32:27, the Lord Himself challenges us with this question:

“Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?”

By this, He is telling us that since He created the human body, He cannot be incapable of fixing any problem that may arise within it. Automobile manufacturers cannot be incapable of fixing problems emanating from their inventions. In the worst case scenario, they will replace a problematic part of an automobile, and the whole system will bounce back to life. Even if automobile manufacturers cannot fix the problems of their inventions, the Almighty God can fix His. There is no sickness too small to attract God’s attention; neither is there any sickness too big to intimidate Him. The onus is on you to develop the living faith that will attract His healing hands to perform the needed miracle on you. My prayer for you is that your body will receive divine healing today in Jesus’ Name.

Prayer Point: Father, please lay Your healing hands on me and heal all my infirmities.