PLEAD THE BLOOD :Thursday August 13th 2015

Topic:PLEAD THE BLOOD

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

Bible Text: Exodus 12:12-13

Bible in one year: Genesis 14-16, John 12:27-50

The Blood of Jesus Christ is an expensive weapon made available to every believer in Christ. Our Lord Jesus Christ paid such a high price to secure this weapon for us; a price so high that the Bible refers to this weapon as precious. 1st Peter 1:19 says:

“But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:”

As you understand the worth of this weapon, you will appreciate the power it can unleash on the enemy. Little wonder the kingdom of darkness cannot stand the Blood of Jesus. To eliminate all doubt, a loud voice expressly declared from Heaven the victory of the saints over Satan himself through the Blood of Jesus, in Revelation 12:11:

“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.”

The Blood of Jesus is not only there to cleanse you from sin but also to protect and defend you. However, if you are not a Christian, although the Blood is available, it is not for your use. If you belong to the devil as described in John 8:44, you cannot use the Blood to overcome him. The Blood must first translate you to the kingdom of light by cleansing and washing away your sins before it can become a weapon in your arsenal.

A particular couple wondered how their money kept disappearing from their house. The man suspected it was his wife who was stealing his money. However, his wife also began to experience the loss of her money as well. At some point, she began to wonder the kind of husband she had, who would give her housekeeping money and later sneak in to steal it. When they could not bear it anymore, they both accused each other of stealing the other’s money. It was then they discovered that something strange was happening to them, and they came to me. Realising that it was the devil at work on their finances, I told them to always say “I cover this money with the Blood of Jesus” before keeping it in any part of their house. It worked! From that moment, there was no incident of strange disappearance of their money. Cover the baby in your womb with the Blood of Jesus. Cover all your children at home and abroad with the Blood of Jesus. Cover your business and customers with the Blood of Jesus. Remember to always plead the Blood of Jesus. It is a weapon the devil cannot resist.

 Key Point:If you are in right standing with God, anything you cover with the Blood of Jesus is truly safe.

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LOOK BEYOND THE BUS STOP : Wednesday August 12th 2015

Topic : LOOK BEYOND THE BUS STOP 

Memorise: For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Hebrews 12:3

Bible Text: Hebrews 12:1-3

Bible in one year: Genesis 11-13, John 12:9-26

From Hebrews 12:1, we understand that a race has been set before us as Christians. We did not initiate the race, but our decision to fellow Jesus Christ automatically signed us in as partakers. Moreover, this race is an unusual marathon. If you lack patience, you cannot run the race. If you want to run it like a sprint, you would only be wasting your time, because God will not redesign the race for you; rather, you are the one who needs to adjust to His programme.

The Christian life is a process and not a single event. As a process, you are expected to move from one stage to another. You must be like a traveller who goes from one bus stop to another, continuing his journey until he reaches his final destination. In the course of the journey, you may be required to stop over at the bus stop of lack. This is meant to test your faith and ability to trust God for provision. No matter how long you stay there, never turn that bus stop into your destination. God may allow you to stop over at the bus stop of ridicule, to test whether you will continue the race in spite of belittlement. Those with over inflated egos and those who hold themselves in high esteem may have problems here. Do you know that some people have called off their trip to Heaven just because they were mocked, ridiculed and laughed to scorn? Never truncate your journey to Heaven because of any unpleasant experience encountered at any bus stop. The very Author and Finisher of this race also want through this bus stop. People mocked Him and seriously ridiculed Him, but He overcame it all with the weapons of prayer, patience and quietness, and he finally reached the finish line. He got to the end because He focused on the joy that was set before Him (Hebrews 12:2). How you see the race that is set before you will definitely affect your attitude to it. While many people see what is before them as a worrisome race, Jesus saw the same as a joyous event. Therefore, one way you can run this race victoriously is by ignoring the challenges on the way and focusing on the rewards that await you on the other side. If your heart is on what you will receive in Heaven, you will not turn your bus stop into a destination by building a tent there. How are you handling this race? After the present unpleasant experiences comes the glorious, eternal experience of joy, awaiting you on the other side. Don’t miss out on it!       

Key Point:If you do not focus on the silver lining at the end of the marathon race to Heaven, you will grow weary along the way.

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LOOK BEYOND THE BUS STOP :Wednesday August 12th 2015

Topic:LOOK BEYOND THE BUS STOP 

Memorise: For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Hebrews 12:3

Bible Text: Hebrews 12:1-3

 Bible in one year: Genesis 11-13, John 12:9-26

From Hebrews 12:1, we understand that a race has been set before us as Christians. We did not initiate the race, but our decision to fellow Jesus Christ automatically signed us in as partakers. Moreover, this race is an unusual marathon. If you lack patience, you cannot run the race. If you want to run it like a spirit, you would only be wasting your time, because God will not redesign the race for you; rather, you are the one who needs to adjust to His programme.

The Christian life is a process and not a single event. As a process, you are expected to move from one stage to another. You must be like a traveller who goes from one bus stop to another, continuing his journey until he reaches his final destination. In the course of the journey, you may be required to stop over at the bus stop of lack. This is meant to test your faith and ability to trust God for provision. No matter how long you stay there, never turn that bus stop into your destination. God may allow you to stop over at the bus stop of ridicule, to test whether you will continue the race in spite of belittlement. Those who over inflated egos and those who hold themselves in high esteem may have problems here. Do you know that some people have called off their trip to Heaven just because they were mocked, ridiculed and laughed to scorn? Never truncate your journey to Heaven because of any unpleasant experience encountered at any bus stop. The very Author and Finisher of this race also want through this bus stop. People mocked Him and seriously ridiculed Him, but He overcame it all with the weapons of prayer, patience and quietness, and he finally reached the finish line. He got to the end because He focused on the joy that was set before you will definitely affect your attitude to it. While many people see what is before them as a worrisome race, Jesus saw the same as a joyous event. Therefore, one way you can run this race victoriously is by ignoring the challenges on the way and focusing on the rewards that await you on the other side. If your heart is on what you will receive in Heaven, you will not turn your bus stop into a destination by building a tent there. How are you handling this race? After the present unpleasant experiences comes the glorious, eternal experience of joy, awaiting you on the other side. Don’t miss out on it!       

Key Point:If you do not focus on the silver lining at the end of the marathon race to Heaven, you will grow weary along the way.

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SPIRIT, NOT FLESH : Tuesday August 11th 2015

Topic:SPIRIT, NOT FLESH 
 

Memorise: Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? Hebrew 12:9

 Bible Test: Isaiah 40:6-8

 Bible in one year: Genesis 8-10, John 11:45-12:8

Mann is limited because he is confined to a body made from dust (Genesis 3:19). He is also limited because even at his best, he is comparable to the flowers of the field (Isaiah 40:6-8), which grow, glow, fade and die. Sometimes, because they are glowing so beautifully, they are cut and used either for play or for decoration, after which they die. Unlike man, God is not limited, because He is Spirit and He is not made of dust. Jesus in John 4:24 revealed the nature of God to us when He said:

“God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”

Not only is God a spirit, He is the Father of spirits (Hebrews 12:9). All spirits derive their powers from Him. If you can appreciate how powerful angels are, then you can begin to comprehend this God who created and empowered billions of angels and has the power to command them to cease to exist in a moment. Imagine that one angel alone, razed down the entire army of a mighty nation in just one night (2^nd Kings 19:35). This should give you a little insight into how great and mighty the Father of spirit is.

To break away from our limitations as humans, we must move towards becoming more of spirit by becoming more like God. Man is a tripartite being made up of spirit, soul and body. All three components must be developed in that order. Your spirit must be given the greatest priority in development, followed by your soul. Your body should not be developed to the detriment of your spirit and soul. If you are not born-again, your spirit is dead, and the soul is heading for Hell. In the unsaved state, the flesh is in charge of an individual’s life. The flesh is a servant of sin and therefore, a slave to Satan. Wherever the flesh rules, Satan is in control. If your body is what dictates to you when you pray, how you pray, how often you eat, what to do with your passions and how you relate with God, you can be sure that it will never draw you closer to God. It will do everything possible to separate you from God and keep your spirit-man dead or weak. The longer you live in the flesh by gratifying it lusts, the weaker you become in the spirit. But if you can be born-again and develop your spirit-man by feasting regularly on God’s word, praying in the Holy Spirit, walking in obedience to God and worshiping Him in spirit and in truth, your limitations will give way to your empowered form. Decide to grow your spirit-man in all you do from today!

Action Point:Whenever you worship God, always engage your spirit-man.

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NORMAL & ASSISTED PROGRESS : Monday August 10th 2015

Topic:NORMAL & ASSISTED PROGRESS 

Memorise: He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds: Psalm 78:70

 Bible Text: Genesis 27:1-10

 Bible in one year: Genesis 5-7, John 11:28-44

On the scale of progress, after the state of retardation comes the state of normal promotion. This refers to a state of progress where growth occurs at a normal rate or at a generally acceptable pace. A person operating on this level moves step by step and from stage to stage. In some organisations, it is normal to be promoted from one level to another once in four or five years. However, the problem with this kind of promotion is that it is ordinary; there is nothing exceptional about it. It is at variance with the abundant life Jesus came to give us (John 10:10). Normal promotion is not exactly what God has planned for you as a child of destiny. It is crowded at this level of progress. In all their lifetime, some people have never experienced any type of progress beyond the normal. If you are in this category, the Lord is moving you to something higher this season in Jesus’ Name. From a crowded school of prophets and teachers in Antioch, the Holy Ghost separated Paul and Barnabas to an exceptional life in ministry (Acts 13:1-2). The Lord will separate you from the crowd and make you exceptional in Jesus’ Name.

Beyond the state of normal promotion is a state known as assisted promotion. This is experience when someone is personally interested in your welfare and choose to assist you by taking you to a level you are not yet due for. The three Hebrew boys Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego experienced this in Daniel 2:49

“Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon: but Daniel sat in the gate of the king.”

After their friend, Daniel, was made a great man, they were assisted to the top based on his recommendation. Note however that this state of progress still requires hard work, as this may even be the reason why you were considered for elevation in the first place. Another example of assisted progress can be found in the story of Isaac and his family. Isaac called his beloved son and firstborn, Esau, and instructed him to go hunt and prepare him a delicious meal so that he could transfer the generational blessing to him. As he left to do so, his mother, who overheard her husband’s instructions, decided to arrest the blessing from Esau and pass it over to Jacob, her own beloved son. She therefore designed a plot to assist him, and she schooled him on what to do. In the Name of Jesus, the Lord will raise people to assist you into a level you were not expected to attain. Human and divine assistance shall work in your favour this season in Jesus’ Name.

Prayer Point:Father, let human and divine assistance relocate me to the top.

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