Monthly Archives: February 2020

MEMORISE:
Use hospitality one to another without grudging. I Peter 4:9

READ: 1 Peter 4:9-10

9 Use hospitality one to another without grudging.

10 As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

MESSAGE

The central message of Christianity is love, so much so that when Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, He answered:

“…..Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. ” Matthew 22:37-40

Hospitality is the duty of every Christian and in fact, should be our way of life. See every encounter you have with people as an opportunity to show forth the love of God. Help people. You should never be rude or unaccommodating to anyone, God expects you to be hospitable to anyone you come across. In Genesis 18:17, God who says He wouldn’t do anything without first telling His friend Abraham did not send angels to him directly. He only asked them to take the route through Abraham’s house at the time he would be outside. He expected that Abraham would call the angels in and host them. Being a true child of God, he did not disappoint his Father. Imagine, he hosted angels! (Genesis 18:1-16)

Many Christians have missed their blessings because they were not as hospitable as they should have been. That sweaty fellow you did not offer a bottle of water could have been the key to your prayers being answered. Many of us are hospitable to our guests, which is good, but we can actually do better. Have you considered the widow on your street, the beggar on your way home and other disadvantaged people around you?

I must add that hospitality is not limited to giving out material things. It could also be shown through warmth and friendliness to people- a word of encouragement or just a smile. From today, decide to be a true Christian and be hospitable to everyone you come across. God will bless you for it.

KEY POINT:

God wants you to be hospitable; don’t disappoint Him.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Leviticus 14-15

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 20: NEARER, MY GOD TO THEE.

1. Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!
E’en though it be a cross that raiseth me,
Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee.

o Refrain:
Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!

2. Though like the wanderer, the sun gone down,
Darkness be over me, my rest a stone;
Yet in my dreams I’d be nearer, my God, to Thee.

3. There let the way appear, steps unto Heav’n;
All that Thou sendest me, in mercy giv’n;
Angels to beckon me nearer, my God, to Thee.

4. Then, with my waking thoughts bright with Thy praise,
Out of my stony griefs Bethel I’ll raise;
So by my woes to be nearer, my God, to Thee.

5. Or, if on joyful wing cleaving the sky,
Sun, moon, and stars forgot, upward I’ll fly,
Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee.

6. There in my Father’s home, safe and at rest,
There in my Savior’s love, perfectly blest;
Age after age to be nearer, my God, to Thee.

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20

MEMORISE:

Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong. Joel 3:10

READ: 2 Kings 4:18-37

4:18 And when the child was grown, it fell on a day, that he went out to his father to the reapers.

4:19 And he said unto his father, My head, my head. And he said to a lad, Carry him to his mother.

4:20 And when he had taken him, and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died.

4:21 And she went up, and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the door upon him, and went out.

4:22 And she called unto her husband, and said, Send me, I pray thee, one of the young men, and one of the asses, that I may run to the man of God, and come again.

4:23 And he said, Wherefore wilt thou go to him to day? it is neither new moon, nor sabbath. And she said, It shall be well.

4:24 Then she saddled an ass, and said to her servant, Drive, and go forward; slack not thy riding for me, except I bid thee.

4:25 So she went and came unto the man of God to mount Carmel. And it came to pass, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to Gehazi his servant, Behold, yonder is that Shunammite:

4:26 Run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her, Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well with the child? And she answered, It is well.

4:27 And when she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught him by the feet: but Gehazi came near to thrust her away. And the man of God said, Let her alone; for her soul is vexed within her: and the LORD hath hid it from me, and hath not told me.

4:28 Then she said, Did I desire a son of my lord? did I not say, Do not deceive me?

4:29 Then he said to Gehazi, Gird up thy loins, and take my staff in thine hand, and go thy way: if thou meet any man, salute him not; and if any salute thee, answer him not again: and lay my staff upon the face of the child.

4:30 And the mother of the child said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And he arose, and followed her.

4:31 And Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staff upon the face of the child; but there was neither voice, nor hearing. Wherefore he went again to meet him, and told him, saying, The child is not awaked.

4:32 And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead, and laid upon his bed.

4:33 He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto the LORD.

4:34 And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands: and he stretched himself upon the child; and the flesh of the child waxed warm.

4:35 Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.

4:36 And he called Gehazi, and said, Call this Shunammite. So he called her. And when she was come in unto him, he said, Take up thy son.

4:37 Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground, and took up her son, and went out.

MESSAGE

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”
Proverbs 18:21

Your tongue is the most powerful part of your body. According to the Bible verse above, it can kill and as well bring to life. This is why you must be very careful how you use it. Many people don’t realise how powerful the tongue is, so they kill things that should be alive in their lives and resurrect what should be dead. From now on, don’t say you are poor; confess wealth. Stop saying you are sick; say you are healed. Don’t speak evil about your country; speak good only. Speak positively into the lives of your children while you reject negative things. Don’t refer to them as disobedient; call them obedient. Don’t call them liars, thieves or prostitute; rather, always use positive words to describe them. What you say activates spirits to function; don’t activate the wrong spirits in your children just because you want them to feel hurt or remorseful. Speak exactly what you want into their lives; it may be difficult, but it is worth it.

Aside from speaking into a child’s life or situation, you also need to start speaking into the atmosphere. There may be no situation that you want to change with your tongue at the moment, but you can just begin to say that you and your children God has given you will live long and serve Him for the rest of your lives. You could say though a thousand may fall on your left and ten thousand on your right, not a strand of your hair will be hurt. You could also say that you will be the head and never the tail. Confess always that your tomorrow will be alright. Take a cue from the Shunamite woman in our Bible reading today. She told her husband “it shall be well” and it indeed was well with them.

Make it a habit to consistently use your tongue to speak what you want daily. Soon enough, you will see your life turn around for good and to God’s glory.

ACTION POINT:

Begin to speak positive words into your life, your children’s lives and every situation around you from today.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Leviticus 14-15

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 7: GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

1. “Great is thy faithfulness”
O God my Father!
There is no shadow of turning with Thee:
Thou changest not, Thy compassion, they fail not,
As Thou has been Thou forever will be.

Chorus
“Great is Thy faithfulness!”
“Great is Thy faithfulness!”
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided –
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!

2. Summer and winter, and spring time and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above,
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

3. Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

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20

MEMORISE:
Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. 2 Timothy 2:19

READ: 2 Peter 2:20-22

20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.

21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.

22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

MESSAGE

Indeed, I was puzzled when I first saw David described as a man after God’s heart. This was someone who had committed grave sins that made God angry. How could he then be a man after God’s heart? When I studied about David, I realized that he never repeated the same offence. Every time he offended God, he would become very sorrowful, genuinely repent and completely stay off that offense forever.

Once, he counted the Israelites when he shouldn’t have and God was angry with him. David repented and never did so again. Another time, he stayed back from war when kings were to be at the warfront. In his idleness, he slept with another man’s wife and to cover his tracks, killed him. The moment God confronted him, with his sin, he became repentant and never missed any war again until he was old and weak. David was a man after God’s heart because he never repeated the same mistake. Today, unlike David, many Christians have made a habit of repeating mistakes. They commit a sin, ask for forgiveness, and days later, return to it. When the Pastor ask why they keep backsliding, they claim they cannot help it. God is not mocked. No one can be tempted beyond their capacity to resist (1 Corinthians 10:13).

If you truly resolve in your heart not to commit sin against, you would not. You don’t want to commit fornication anymore, yet you keep staying alone in an enclosed place with the opposite sex. You don’t want to steal the money kept in your care by the organization again, yet you count it alone without a witness. Don’t fool yourself, if you came across a rabid dog and managed escape, wouldn’t you take an alternative route next time.

“Abstain from all appearance of evil.” 1 Thessalonians 5:22

Once you can recognize anything that could lead to evil, the Lord says flee! Don’t join the multitude to commit sin. If it happened once, repent and forsake it. Don’t let it happen again.

ACTION POINT:

Make a list of those things that often make you sin and begin to avoid them from today.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Leviticus 11-13

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 12: I AM THINE O LORD.

I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith,
And be closer drawn to Thee.

Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.

Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,
By the pow’r of grace divine;
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And my will be lost in Thine.

O the pure delight of a single hour
That before Thy throne I spend,
When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God,
I commune as friend with friend!

There are depths of love that I yet may know
Ere Thee face to face I see;
There are heights of joy that I yet may reach
Ere I rest in peace with Thee.

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20

MEMORISE:
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. James 5:16

READ: Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

9 Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.

10 For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.

11 Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone?

12 And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

MESSAGE

PRAYERS

1. Father, thank You for instituting marriage, thank You for giving me such a wonderful spouse. I adore You for making us meet each other and get married.

2. Father, make me a better husband/wife to my wife/husband.

3. Father, let the purpose for which You brought us together come to pass.

4. Father, give us as a couple wisdom to raise a godly family.

5. Father, provide for all the needs of my family (mention the needs).

6. Father, every generational curse- either from my linage or from my spouse’, destroy it today in the mighty name of Jesus.

7. Father, give us as a couple long lives. Don’t let us die young; let us fulfil Your purpose for our lives.

8. Husband: “Father, help me to love my wife like You love the Church.”
Wife: “Father, help me to submit to my husband as my head.”

9. Father, let every force breaking marriages fail over my marriage.

10. Father, wherever my spouse is weak, give me strength to lift him/her.

11. Father, make my marriage a godly model for other marriages to follow in the mighty name of Jesus.

12. Special prayer request for your marriage.

I stand with you in agreement today and pray that God will grant your request in the mighty name of Jesus.

PRAYER POINT:

Lord, please help us as a couple to love You more and more with each passing day.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Leviticus 5-7

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 22: OH LORD MY GOD!.

1. O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

Chorus:
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

2. When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.

3. And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on a Cross, my burdens gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.

4. When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,
And then proclaim: “My God, how great Thou art!”

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20

MEMORISE:
Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved. John 13:23

READ: John 13:21-26

21 When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.

22 Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake.

23 Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved.

24 Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake.

25 He then lying on Jesus’ breast saith unto him, Lord, who is it?

26 Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.

MESSAGE

Jesus likes to be in the company of His co-laborers. Like we saw in His earthly ministry, at a time He was with “the five hundred”, then with “the seventy”, followed by “the twelve”, then ‘the three’, and finally ‘the one beloved’.

Imagine being a beloved in God’s company; you would be able to safely rest on His chest (John 13:23-26) and feel His heartbeat. You would hear secrets He won’t reveal to others.

“ He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.” Psalm 103:7

If there is going to be only one beloved of God in my generation, it must be me. I know I am God’s beloved because once in a while, He tells me secrets. He can tell you too, you only have to rest your head on His chest first.

He can’t trust you with His secret if all you do is offer hasty prayers to Him rather than getting lost in His presence for hours every day.

The one who will receive special revelations from God must rest on His bosom daily. When by God’s grace, I announce the prophesies at the beginning of a new year, it is because I have spent time resting my head on the chest of my Master. Such revelations don’t come during five minutes prayers, they come with extended fellowship with God. During the Holy Ghost service, when by the inspiration of God, I say “There is someone here….” It is because I have shut myself in, fasting and praying, spending time on the chest of my Master for days before the programme.

If your head is just by the chest of the Master, you would have noticed that his heart is beating for souls. He is seriously looking for laborers who will win souls for Him. You can’t be His beloved and not talk to someone about Christ at every opportunity you have. If you want to become a beloved of God start behaving like one right away.

REFLECTION:
If you claim to be His beloved, where are the souls you have won for Him?

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Leviticus 1-4

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 7: GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS.

1. Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.
o Refrain:
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see:
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided—
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

2. Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon, and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love.

3. Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide,
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow—
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

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20

MEMORISE:
And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. Genesis 22:18

READ: Genesis 22:11-18

11 And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.

12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.

13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.

14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.

15 And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,

16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:

17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;

18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

MESSAGE

Blessings are in level. It could be general or special. God causes the rain to fall on both the good and evil; He makes air available to everybody. These are general blessings. But He can also reserve special blessings- the greatest of them, for His beloved.

In order not to be seen as a partial, He puts up His beloved for great blessings and then leaves them to take critical decisions. Elijah asked the widow of Zarephath to surrender her last meal to him, and after she did, God blessed her with an unending supply of food. If anyone should ask God in future, “why did you send Elijah to that widow of all the widows in the land?” He would turn to them and ask, “Can you surrender your last meal?”

When He loves you, He will put you in line for irreversible blessings by asking you for a serious sacrifice. The moment you do it, He will bless you greatly. In Genesis 22:1-18, God told Abraham to sacrifice his son to Him, but as soon as he lifted the knife to kill the boy, God stopped him and swore by Himself saying “In blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies.”

Generally, God’s favorite will not lack any good thing. David, the man after God’s heart said confidently “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1).when God loves you, He will ensure that all your needs are supplied even before you make a request and if you want more, He will give you in abundance. In 2 Samuel 12:8, He told David:

“And I gave thee thy master’s house, and thy master’s wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things.”

If you would obey Him absolutely from now on, God will put you in line for an irreversible blessing in the mighty name of Jesus.

KEY POINT:

God’s beloved would never lack any good thing.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Exodus 39-40

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 5: DEEPER, DEEPER IN THE LOVE OF JESUS.

1. Deeper, deeper in the love of Jesus
Daily let me go;
Higher, higher in the school of wisdom,
More of grace to know.
o Refrain:
Oh, deeper yet, I pray,
And higher every day,
And wiser, blessed Lord,
In Thy precious, holy Word.

2. Deeper, deeper, blessed Holy Spirit,
Take me deeper still,
Till my life is wholly lost in Jesus,
And His perfect will.

3. Deeper, deeper! though it cost hard trials,
Deeper let me go!
Rooted in the holy love of Jesus,
Let me fruitful grow.

4. Deeper, higher, every day in Jesus,
Till all conflict past,
Finds me conqu’ror, and in His own image
Perfected at last.

5. Deeper, deeper in the faith of Jesus,
Holy faith and true;
In His pow’r and soul exulting wisdom
Let me peace pursue.

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20

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

READ: Luke 17:12-19

12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:

13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.

14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.

15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,

16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.

17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?

18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.

19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

MESSAGE

Testimonies are very powerful. Revelation 12:11 confirms that the devil can be overcome by the word of our testimony. That is how important it is.

When it is testimony time, some people say to themselves “Let others mount the podium; I am too big for that.” Have you observed that those who frequently share testimonies always have new ones? This is because when you talk about what God has done in the past, He will be compelled to do more.

A testimony is a weapon of warfare. 2 Chronicles 20:1-30 shows this clearly. King Jehoshaphat knew how to give testimonies. Three different armies had gathered to destroy him, so he began to testify; God are You not the One who did this? Are You not the One who did that? The God told him there was no need to fight that battle. Jehoshaphat and his people only had to sing and God destroyed these armies for them.

David was another man who knew how to give testimonies. There was nothing God did for David that he kept quiet about. This is perhaps why Israel won all their battles during his reign and has remained to date the greatest king Israel ever had. In fact, his testimonies are all over the book of Psalms. He said in Psalm 103:2:

“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:”

There is a lot to gain from sharing testimonies and a lot to lose from keeping God’s wonderous works to oneself. Have you been hiding your testimonies? Why not start relaying your testimony at every opportunity you have, even if it is with just one person and see what God will do in your life.

Some people say I love telling stories; the reality is that I actually just love bragging about what my God can do. I have noticed that the more of His great wonders I share, the more He does in my life. Share your testimony today and you will begin to experience more wonderous blessings from God.

KEY POINT:

Your testimony is a great weapon; start using it from today.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Exodus 33-35

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 3: BE GLAD IN THE LORD AND REJOICE.

1. Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice,
All ye that are upright in heart;
And ye that have made Him your choice,
Bid sadness and sorrow depart.
o Refrain:
Rejoice, rejoice,
Be glad in the Lord and rejoice;
Rejoice, rejoice,
Be glad in the Lord and rejoice.

2. Be joyful, for He is the Lord
On earth and in Heaven supreme;
He fashions and rules by His word—
The “Mighty” and “Strong” to redeem.

3. What though in the conflict for right
Your enemies almost prevail?
God’s armies, just hid from your sight,
Are more than the foes which assail.

4. Though darkness surround you by day,
Your sky by the night be o’ercast,
Let nothing your spirit dismay,
But trust till the danger is past.

5. Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice,
His praises proclaiming in song;
Let gratefulness give all a voice,
The loud hallelujahs prolong!

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20

MEMORISE:
For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. Psalm 30:5

READ: 1 Peter 1:3-8

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,

5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:

7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

MESSAGE

Perhaps, the most sorrowful period of my life was when my wife was pregnant with our fourth child. Before we met the Lord, we had three children, all delivered through caesarean sections. We had decided not to have any more because the doctors said she couldn’t have a natural delivery and further surgeries may not have been safe. We became born again and one day, we came across Luke 1:37: “ For with God nothing shall be impossible.” These words gave us the assurance to have another baby.

Throughout the pregnancy, we didn’t see any doctor. Some of our friends were quite apprehensive. They said my wife could bleed to death during labor because she could rupture any of the three points where she had been sutured during her previous deliveries. I kept saying “No, that is not written in my Bible.”

On the delivery date, she labored for several hours to no avail. Then the second and third day passed and the baby was still not born. I was becoming really tense. On the third day, the devil whispered to me very clearly “Stupid man, you claim to have a Ph.D, fool, your wife is going to die tonight and you will see what her relatives will do to you.” Suddenly, a holy anger rose up within me and I said “Listen devil, if my wife dies tonight, I will seek permission from the General Overseer to preach on Sunday, and the first thing I will say is there is nothing that my God cannot do.” Immediate after, I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit strongly with me and I began to pray. Not long after, I heard the cry of a baby. My wife was the only one at the maternity so it could only have been ours. After a short while, my Father-in-the-Lord, who had been with us all through, came out of the maternity and told me “Baba aburo (father of a newborn), go and say hello to your wife.” My joy knew no bounds.

Indeed, weeping may endure for a night, but joy surely will come in the morning (Psalm 30:5). Dear reader, hold on to the word of God, keep confessing it, shut the devil up in times of discouragement and very soon your joy will become full in the mighty name of Jesus.

KEY POINT:

Do not despair. Hold fast to the word of God, your joy will surely come.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Exodus 30-32

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 21: NOW THANK WE ALL OUR GOD.

1 Now thank we all our God
with heart and hands and voices,
who wondrous things has done,
in whom his world rejoices;
who from our mothers’ arms
has blessed us on our way
with countless gifts of love,
and still is ours today.

2 O may this bounteous God
through all our life be near us,
with ever joyful hearts
and blessed peace to cheer us,
to keep us in his grace,
and guide us when perplexed,
and free us from all ills
of this world in the next.

3 All praise and thanks to God
the Father now be given,
the Son and Spirit blest,
who reign in highest heaven
the one eternal God,
whom heaven and earth adore;
for thus it was, is now,
and shall be evermore.

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MEMORISE:
Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. Mark 9:23

READ: Mark 11:22-24

22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.

23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

MESSAGE

As we have seen from yesterday’s study, some Christians have little faith, and of course, they would not believe miracles can happen through them.

How I wish that the crowd at the Holy Ghost Services of the RCCG in Nigeria would have great faith to go out and start performing miracles. What a great revival that would bring! Jesus did not give the right to perform miracles to only a set of Christians, He said in Mark 16:17 that it is for believers.

“And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;”

Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He came to die for our sins? Do you believe that He is coming back soon to take His children to Heaven? If your answer to both questions is ‘yes’, then you are a believer. Therefore, you are fully qualified to work miracles. Don’t be afraid, just go ahead and pray, then leave the rest to God.

A long time ago, when my faith was not as strong as it is today, whenever someone came to me for prayers, I would just pray and expect miracles to happen later. One day, a woman came for prayers with her child who was about ten years old and had been dumb from birth. As I began to pray “In the name of Jesus….” The child said “Amen”. I nearly jumped out of the window- I was that afraid. There I was, not expecting an immediate miracle but before I even prayed, it had happened.

Imagine if I had stopped praying after trying a few times without seeing any instant miracles. The truth is that no great ‘miracle evangelist’ was so from birth; rather, he/she continued praying for people even when the results were not obvious, then one day, the miracles started happening. If you are a true believer, the *power* to work wonders is already in your hands, just go ahead and pray. If you pray for one person and nothing happens, pray for the next. Just keep praying, the miracles are coming.

KEY POINT:

Don’t stop praying for people; your days of working miracles are closer than you think.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Exodus 28-29

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 28: THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING.

1. There shall be showers of blessing:
This is the promise of love;
There shall be seasons refreshing,
Sent from the Savior above.

o Refrain:
Showers of blessing,
Showers of blessing we need:
Mercy-drops round us are falling,
But for the showers we plead.

2. There shall be showers of blessing,
Precious reviving again;
Over the hills and the valleys,
Sound of abundance of rain.

3. There shall be showers of blessing;
Send them upon us, O Lord;
Grant to us now a refreshing,
Come, and now honor Thy Word.

4. There shall be showers of blessing:
Oh, that today they might fall,
Now as to God we’re confessing,
Now as on Jesus we call!

5. There shall be showers of blessing,
If we but trust and obey;
There shall be seasons refreshing,
If we let God have His way.

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