PRAYER NEUTRALISES FEAR : Monday August 31st 2015

Topic:PRAYER NEUTRALISES FEAR 

Memorise: Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrew 4:16

Bible text: Luke 1:5-13

Bible in one year: Exodus 1-3, Romans 3:9-31

Prayer unleashes great possibilities to anyone who is given to it. Looking at the experience of Zacharias in today’s Bible reading, we can see some of the things made possible through prayer. First, when you pray, you attract angelic visitations into your situation. In other words, prayer brings the supernatural into the natural. Any time you are tired of the ordinary, pray, and you will see the supernatural. Are you tired of seeing ordinary results? Pray, and you will soon receive results that are beyond your imagination.

In addition, when you pray, your fear is substitute with calmness. Prayer causes fear to dissipate, because it is linked with faith, just as fear is linked with unbelief. While intensive prayers were going on in the temple, Zacharias heard an angel say “Fear not”. When you hear “Fear not”, don’t jump up in excitement until you have found out the source of that command. For instance, if a man tells you not to be afraid, there may still be reasons to accommodate some elements of fear, because of man’s several limitations; but if God tells you not to be afraid, then you can rest assured there is nothing to fear.

“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrew 4:16

Are you afraid? Pray! As you engage the prayer gear, boldness will surge into you, and before long, fear would have disappeared. If you are constantly tormented by fear, it is an indication of the absence of an effective prayer life. If you pray often, you will always be looking up at the sunny side of life. You will be optimistic. You will have hope for the future and easily accept that your tomorrow will be alright. On the other hand, if you seldom pray, you will always see the bleak side of life. You will be easily discouraged. You will be full of fear, worry and anxiety. You will equally be filled with suspicion. With fear in your heart, it will almost be impossible to do what you should do, go where you should go and be all you were created to be. Fear paralyses, don’t give room to it.    

Key Point:Prayerlessness ensnares the prayer-less fellow in the trap of fear. Only a fervent, vibrant and consistent prayer life can set him free.

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UNDER-STANDING THE ABRAHAMIC BLESSING : Sunday August 30th 2015

Topic:UNDER-STANDING THE ABRAHAMIC BLESSING 

Memorise: Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it. Numbers 23:20

Bible Text: Genesis 27:27-29

 Bible in one year: Genesis 49-50, Romans 2:12-3:8

When God called Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3, he instructed him to do certain things, while He promised to bless him in specific ways. One of the articles of this blessing in Genesis 12:3 was:

“And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”

We can infer from this Scripture that when a man is operating under the blessing of Abraham, his friends will also be blessed, and his enemies will most likely be cursed. Thank God we have access to the blessing of Abraham through Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:14). When a man is blessed, his children are also blessed. The blessing of God on an individual can affect the genealogy of that fellow. Your generations can be blessed because of you. God did not just promise to bless Abraham, He actually fulfilled it. The testimony of Abraham’s servant in Genesis 24:34-35, clearly shows God’s faithfulness to Abraham. Every good promise the Lord has made to you shall be fulfilled in Jesus’ Name.

Now, how can we define blessing? There is a generic definition of blessing and a spiritual definition for it. When all of your needs are being met and you still have extra resources left, generically, you can be said to be blessed. In other words, you cannot be said to be blessed when you are living from hand to mouth or you are begging. To be considered as blessed, there must be an overflow of resources. David in Psalm 23:5 spoke of his cup running over. After you have had enough for yourself and your immediate family, and you still have surplus, generically, you can be said to be blessed. It is good to be healed from a sickness, but it is better to be healthy. You are considered blessed when, instead of just being healthy, the healing virtue flows through you. This shall be your portion in Jesus’ Name. On the other hand, the spiritual definition of being blessed is the attainment of a state in which all the forces on earth, in heaven and under the earth are summoned to come to the aid of a person in his or her bid to succeed or excel. This was exactly what happened to Jacob. Isaac commanded the heavens, the earth and all people to help Jacob succeed (Genesis 27:28-29). In the Name Jesus, the dew of heaven will favour you, the earth will yield her fatness to you, people and nations will willingly serve you, and you shall remain head every where you go.

Prayer Point:Father, release the dew of heaven to me, grant me the fatness of the earth and let nations, situations and circumstances bow down to me.

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WHEN HE BECKONS TO YOU : Saturday August 29th 2015

Topic:WHEN HE BECKONS TO YOU 

Memorise: In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, if any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. John 7:37

Bible Text: Exodus 3:3-4

 Bible in one year: Genesis 47-48, Romans 1:18-2:11

When a king beckons to you, it means you have caught his attention. In Esther 5:1-3, when King Ahasuerus saw Esther standing in the inner courts of the palace, he immediately raised his sceptre towards her. By so doing, he was inviting her to come nearer. When God beckons to you, you can be assured that things are definitely taking a new turn from that moment. This was the experience of Moses. For 40 years, Moses was at the back side of the desert looking after his father-in-law’s sheep; but one day, this well-read and once very promising heir to the throne of Egypt (now turned shepherd boy) encountered the burning bush which was not consumed. He heard God beckon to Him saying “Moses, Moses”. From that very moment, his story was never the same. God beckons to you when the day of your favour dawns. There is a user of this devotional: you have invested so much time money in acquiring several degrees but you have not been able to use them. It appears God has forgotten you for some years, and you have been wondering when the opportunity will ever come for your certificates to work for you. Rejoice! Your time of favour has just dawned. God has just remembered you and is presently beckoning to you. Within the next three months, your life will go through a transformation, to the extent that it will be difficult for you to believe this is happening to you. When the Lord does this for you, do not forget to appreciate Him and testify of it.

In 1969, while doing my postgraduate programme in Mathematics, a friend of mine was doing his research on the coastlines of Lagos, and so he needed to visit all the coastlines and take samples from them. He decided to go to Ebute Metta, Lagos, for some samples. Because we were friends and I was available, I accompanied him. At Ebute Metta, we saw a very large signboard which read “The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG)”. Looking to see what the big signboard was referring to, we only saw a very little church. I turned to my friend and said “The big name killed a small dog! We laughed and left. Four years later, somebody invited me to the same RCCG for the first time, saying “There is a small church at Ebute Metta where God is performing miracles.” I told him I had seen that church before – the small church with the big signboard. Imagine what God is doing today after beckoning to me. May you heed God’s beckoning in Jesus’ Name.  

Action Point:What you look down on today may be your saving grace tomorrow. Ask for divine guidance min all you do.

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HE STILL SENDS BIRDS : Friday August 28th 2015

HE STILL SENDS BIRDS : Friday August 28th 2015

Topic:HE STILL SENDS BIRDS 

Memorise: And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook: and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. 1^st Kings 17:4

Bible Text: 1^st Kings 17:2-6

 Bible in one year: Genesis 45-46, Romans 1:1-17

Our God is awesome, and His ways are beyond finding out. Nobody can box God into 

a pattern or regimen. He can use anything He chooses to achieve His purpose on earth. God uses those who are lowly placed, and He also uses the rich. Luke 8:1-3 tells of 
some wealthy women who ministered to Jesus from their resources. Mary Magdalene 
and other women blessed by the Lord resolved to serve Him with the resources they had. Are you rich or wealthy? Do you serve the Lord with your substance? Experience has shown that those who have little are the ones who dare to give their all to God. This 
was the case with the widow who dropped her mites (Mark 12:41-44). Usually, the rich only give a fraction of what they have because they believe they are giving something 
big. However, God does not judge the size, He judges by proportion. Hence, the poor 
can give more than the rich in the sight of God, even if what they give is not as much as what the rich have given in quantity. Justifying why the widow’s gift was more than 
what the rich gave, Jesus in Mark 12:44 said:

“For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that  
she had, even all her living.”

Moreover, not only can God use humans to accomplish His purpose, He can also use animals. In 1^st Kings 17:2-6, God sent ravens to deliver food to His servants, and they obeyed. We have equally seen Him use birds too. When we began to build the 
Redemption Camp in those early years, there were some trees that provided shade 
which I instructed the workers to preserve. Some little birds came in their hundreds of thousands to perch on these trees. Whenever they descended on them, there would be 
no leaves left on the trees the following day. They were also very noisy. I wondered if 
they were demonic birds. Some of my children who had guns would enter their midst and fire some shots; yet, they refused to go away. Some birds were hit by the fired bullets and dropped dead, but the rest stayed on. At some point, it appeared the more they were 
killed, the more they multiplied! The situation became unbearable. I therefore called on God to help us one morning. That evening, several eagles came and began to eat them 
up. Within hours, there was not a single one of them left. God has not stopped using 
birds! If He needs to send birds to meet your needs, He will do so; but you need to show Him that you can serve Him with all He has given you. How faithfully have you served God? To what extent can you risk your life and all He has given to you for His service?   

 Key Point:God can mobilise all of His resources to satisfy the needs of those who can give Him their all.

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