Monthly Archives: February 2021

MEMORISE:
He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil eye, and considereth not that poverty shall come upon him. Proverbs 28:22

READ: Timothy 6:9-11

9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

MESSAGE:
God wants His children to be rich, but according to our Bible reading today, He warns them to flee the inordinate ambition to be rich at all costs. These days, many people engage in cybercrime and ritual killings, just to get rich. There are some others who are good at falsifying figures so as to get some gain.

I assure you that ill-gotten wealth will always have sorrow in it. I have seen all kinds of wealth in my little time as a Pastor and I tell you, many wealthy people are living in so much sorrow that they are willing to give up all they have in exchange for peace of mind. Many people have used ill­ gotten money to buy cars without knowing that they have bought what would drive them to their early graves.

You see, if you follow the will of God, He will bless you without adding any sorrow. I believe this is the kind of wealth you want: wealth with no sorrow attached.

Matthew 6:3 3 says:
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

1Timothy 6:10-11 also says:
“For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou,0 man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.”

This clearly means that the only way to get wealth without sorrow is to get it in righteousness. I assure you according to the word of God that riches will pursue and overtake you if you put the kingdom of God first in your life. I am speaking from experience.
There were times when I was unable to go to Lagos from the Redemption Camp because I did not have N2 for tollgate fees. I would console my wife by saying “Maybe our not going is God’s way of making us avoid an accident on the way”. There was to be no accident, it was just that I did not have N2.

I did not complain then because I knew that my tomorrow would be glorious as long as I kept seeking the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. I did not allow my lack to push me to steal Church funds.

When any opportunity to get rich through sin comes your way, you had better flee, because wrapped in that juicy fruit is sorrow and destruction.

KEY POINT:
Only God can give you wealth without any kind of sorrow attached to it. Seek Him first.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: John 19-21

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

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MEMORISE:

Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste? Haggai 1:4

READ: Hag. 1:1-10

1 In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, saying,

2 Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the Lord’s house should be built.

3 Then came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet, saying,

4 Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste?

5 Now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways.

6 Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.

7 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways.

8 Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the Lord.

9 Ye looked for much, and, lo it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the Lord of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house.

10 Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit.

MESSAGE:

There are certain kinds of offences that the head of a corporate organization would not bother to address personally. However, there are also some other kinds of offences that would have to be addressed personally by the head of the organization. This is similar to what happens in Heaven. All sins are evil, but there are certain sins for which God may send an angel to punish the sinner, while there are some others that He address personally. One of such sins is leaving the house of God uncompleted.

God will fight anyone who leaves His house uncompleted by ensuring that any money such a fellow makes goes into a pocket with holes (Haggai 1:4-7).

“Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste? Now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways. Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways.” Haggai 1:4-7

Could it be that the reason you’ve been unable to do much with your income is that you don’t care to contribute to the completion of your local Church building? Today, God is saying “consider your ways”. I don’t like it when I see God’s building project uncompleted, especially when I have the resources that can help complete it. I have discovered that in return, God has given me houses that I did not build and cars that I did not buy, including those I cannot afford.

One of my sons heard that we were building an auditorium in The Redeemed Christian Church of God and immediately sent me a huge sum of money in Naira. Within days, he got the same amount of money he had contributed, but in dollars. when you join in completing God’s building project, He will thank you wondrously, but when you ignore it, you may attract His wrath as it is recorded in our Bible reading today.

Never miss an opportunity to build for God.

KEY POINT:

Every opportunity to give to God is an opportunity to be blessed by Him; rejoice in it.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: John 17-18

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 6: 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

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MEMORISE:

Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: For God loveth a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7

READ: 2 Corinthians 9:6-8

6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.

7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:

MESSAGE:

I see some people’s reaction when it is offering time and I wonder if they know whom the offering is for at all. God is not broke and He is not a beggar. He doesn’t need your money. We see in Haggai 2:8 that silver and gold are His. If you have the opportunity to give Him an offering, you should do so rejoicing. Imagine meeting one of the richest men in the world at a restaurant and he requests that you help pay for his meal because he did not have his wallet on him, with a promise to refund you. would you give him the money grudgingly? You know he is not asking for the money because he is poor; indeed, he would refund your money and most likely add some extra. In fact, you may not even be interested in getting the money back, you might just see it as a privilege that you had an opportunity to give to him. Why then do you treat God like a beggar when asked to give an offering?

I will never forget a Church I attended outside Nigeria. It was the first time I was attending that Church and the entire place looked very beautiful. All the members were shining as they came to Church. With the way everyone was looking so radiant I concluded “God must have really prospered these people”. Then l observed something: when the Pastor got up and said, “It is offering time”, everybody jumped up and began to rejoice. The Holy Spirit then said to me ”That is their secret; they are cheerful givers”.

Many years ago, I was at a Church where they requested for several kinds of offerings. The offerings were so many that at a point I grumbled before reaching for my pocket and I heard God say in an angry tone “Keep your money”. I quickly apologized for grumbling and immediately became cheerful. I became even more cheerful when He later on permitted me to give my offering. If you decide to never give offerings or tithes again, the work of God will still go on. When Elijah went to the widow of Zarephath and asked her for a meal, it was not Elijah who was in need, it was the widow. In 1 Kings 19 an angel brought food and water to Elijah. There was nothing stopping the angel from giving him food and water every day; however, God sent Elijah to her because He wanted to meet her need. The cattle upon a thousand hills belong to God. If He asks you to give Him something, it is because He wants to bless you.
I hope your attitude towards giving to God will improve from now.

KEY POINT:

Every opportunity to give to God is an opportunity to be blessed by Him; rejoice in it.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Leviticus 26-27

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 1: MUST I GO AND EMPTY HANDED

1. “Must I go, and empty-handed,”
Thus my dear Redeemer meet?
Not one day of service give Him,
Lay no trophy at His feet?

o Refrain:
“Must I go, and empty-handed?”
Must I meet my Savior so?
Not one soul with which to greet Him,
Must I empty-handed go?

2. Not at death I shrink or falter,
For my Savior saves me now;
But to meet Him empty-handed,
Thought of that now clouds my brow.

3. Oh, the years in sinning wasted,
Could I but recall them now,
I would give them to my Savior,
To His will I’d gladly bow.

4. Oh, ye saints, arouse, be earnest,
Up and work while yet ’tis day;
Ere the night of death o’ertake thee,
Strive for souls while still you may.

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MEMORISE:

Therefore, Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death. 2 Samuel 6:23

READ: 2 Samuel 6:16-23

16 And as the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal Saul’s daughter looked through a window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart.

17 And they brought in the ark of the Lord, and set it in his place, in the midst of the tabernacle that David had pitched for it: and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord.

18 And as soon as David had made an end of offering burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts.

19 And he dealt among all the people, even among the whole multitude of Israel, as well to the women as men, to every one a cake of bread, and a good piece of flesh, and a flagon of wine. So all the people departed every one to his house.

20 Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, How glorious was the king of Israel to day, who uncovered himself to day in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself!

21 And David said unto Michal, It was before the Lord, which chose me before thy father, and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord, over Israel: therefore will I play before the Lord.

22 And I will yet be more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight: and of the maidservants which thou hast spoken of, of them shall I be had in honour.

23 Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death.

MESSAGE:

Michal is the only woman recorded in the Bible who never gave birth to a child in her lifetime. We see the reason in our Bible reading for today. David had just triumphantly brought in the Ark of the Covenant to Israel and was coming home to bless his household when Michal welcomed him with mockery. How do you welcome your husband when he gets home from work? Is it with honor or contempt like Michal?

Many years ago, when I wasn’t as popular as I am now, a very distinguished person visited our home while I was away. When I arrived, I greeted him and went into my room to pray. My wife joined me, and we prayed together as we normally do. When she came out afterwards, she apologized to the guest for leaving him all by himself, but he said, “No Ma’am, I have seen such a great example today”.

Dear wife, your husband deserves far more honor from you than any dignitary anywhere. Always welcome him home like a king who has returned to his palace. The home should be where he refreshes himself before he goes out again to face the world; help him to feel refreshed. Make him always happy to return home, not sad that he has to come and face a nagging wife again. Some men spend long hours at the office, not because they are working but because they want to spend less time at home. Don’t make your home like that

It is a terrible thing for a wife to mock her husband. The Bible says you are to submit to your husband as unto the Lord (Ephesians 5:22). If you mock your husband, you are mocking your own head and if it is not well with the head, it cannot be well with the body. Your husband’s current financial state doesn’t matter don’t mock him. Even when he makes a mistake do not mock him. There are certain blessings that can come to you through your husband, but if you keep mocking him, the blessings will not flow from him to you. On that faithful day when David had danced so much for God, the anointing on him must have been special. He was coming home to bless his family, which included Michal. Her barrenness could have ended that day. However, instead of a blessing, she got a course.

Your husband is the priest of your home; he is representing God in that home·

It is dangerous to mock a representative of God. Learn from Michal.

KEY POINT:
Make a commitment today that you will always honour your husband.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Leviticus 16 -18

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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MEMORISE:

What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31

READ: Matthew 18:23-34

23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.

24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.

25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.

26 The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.

27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.

28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.

29 And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.

30 And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.

31 So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.

32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:

33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?

34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.

MESSAGE:

God is great and He has great plans for His children. However, there are many People who work against the plan of God for their lives. Romans 8:31 says:

“What shall we then say to these things? If God before us, who can be against us?”

Many people answer the question above by saying “Nobody”, and I always wonder which Bible they are reading, because in my own Bible, the answer was not given. The Bible was silent about the answer. Let us therefore look at it logically. If God be for us, can the devil be against us? ‘Definitely not, because James 4:7 says that if we submit to God, then we can resist the devil and he will flee. If God be for us, can demons be against us? No way, because Mark 16:17 says we are to cast demons out. If God before us, can witchdoctors be against us? No, because Isaiah 54:17 says no weapon formed against us shall prosper. If God before us, there is only one fellow who can be against us: ourselves.

Disobedience is the major thing that makes many people work against themselves even when God is for them. Disobedience has destroyed many destinies in the past. God is the master sculptor. When a sculptor wants to make a masterpiece and the wood decides to break off where it shouldn’t, he may then be left with no choice than to toss it into the fire as firewood.

Unfortunately, this is the reality of many people God had destined for greatness. If you refuse to obey God, He will not force you, but your actions may make His original plan not come to pass anymore. This is why you must obey God to the letter at all times, no matter how difficult it may appear. Facing difficulties while obeying God is far better than the anguish of an unfulfilled destiny caused by disobedience to His world.

Beloved, I leave you with this passage:
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 1 Peter 5:6

KEY POINT:

The cost of indiscipline is far higher than that of discipline.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: John 13-16

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 24: TAKE MY LIFE AND LET IT BE.

1. Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in endless praise.

2. Take my hands and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee.

3. Take my voice and let me sing,
Always, only for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee.

4. Take my silver and my gold,
Not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose.

5. Take my will and make it Thine,
It shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own,
It shall be Thy royal throne.

6. Take my love, my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee.

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MEMORISE:

The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame. Proverbs 29:15

READ: Proverbs 22:6

6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Proverbs 29:17

17 Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul.

MESSAGE:

I used to tell my daughter before she got married ‘When a boy comes to you and starts to say things like ‘You are the most beautiful thing under heaven, you are the sugar in my tea, I’ve never seen anything as beautiful as you, where have you been all these days because as soon I saw you , my sun began to shine’ … run!” She asked “Why?” I replied “How do you think I got these lines? I was once your age”.

You have been in this world before your children got here. God brought them through you for a purpose; you should teach them about life before the devil gets to them. When you teach them from home, you have the opportunity to form in them godly perspectives. If you however wait for their teacher in school or some relative to tell them these things first, it would be hard for you to get them to unlearn any wrong perspective they may have been indoctrinated with.

A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just. Proverbs13:22

The above passage says that if you are good, you will leave an inheritance for your children. Their inheritance does not only have to be material things; you should share your experiences with them too.

In the book of Proverbs, we see king Solomon teaching his son throughout the book. In Proverbs 1:10-19, he taught his son not to associate with sinners. He taught his son not to give in to their lures to commit sin (v10), he taught him not to do business with them (v14) and he taught him about the dangers of greed (v19). Have you taught your children about the kind of friends they should have and the kinds they should not have? Have you taught them who they should do business with? Have you taught them about money? Maybe if the children of these days had been taught about the dangers of greed when they were much younger, we would not have so many Internet fraudsters around today. In Proverbs 6, King Solomon taught his son the dangers of fornication and how to avoid strange women. Have you taught your children the dangers of committing sexual immorality and how to avoid it? If that child commits fornication or is taken advantage of by an adult because you did not talk to him or her about it, you would have failed in performing your duty as a good parent.

KEY POINT:
If you let a child get the wrong perspective from someone else, it would be difficult to change that perspective later on.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: John 11-12

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 5: GOD GIVE US CHRISTIAN HOMES.

1. God give us Christian homes!
Homes where the Bible is loved and taught,
Homes where the Master’s will is sought,
Homes crowned with beauty Your love has wrought;
God give us Christian homes;
God give us Christian homes!

2. God give us Christian homes!
Homes where the father is true and strong,
Homes that are free from the blight of wrong,
Homes that are joyous with love and song;
God give us Christian homes;
God give us Christian homes!

3. God give us Christian homes!
Homes where the mother, in caring quest,
Strives to show others Your way is best,
Homes where the Lord is an honored guest;
God give us Christian homes;
God give us Christian homes!

4. God give us Christian homes!
Homes where the children are led to know
Christ in His beauty who loves them so,
Homes where the altar fires burn and glow;
God give us Christian homes;
God give us Christian homes!

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MEMORISE:
Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry. 1 Corinthians 10:14

READ: Deuteronomy 4:23-24

23 Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which the Lord thy God hath forbidden thee.

24 For the Lord thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.

MESSAGE:
Our God is a jealous God. He hates to share you with any other god. That is why you must flee idolatry. Idolatry means worshipping idol. Anything you regard higher than God is an idol, whether you are doing it consciously or not. This is why you need to check who you are worshipping at every point in time. For some people, it is their Jobs. They don’t joke with their job at all; even when it clashes with God’s will, their job is priority. Jesus said: .

“No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” Luke16:13

The moment your source of income has become so important that it takes priority over God, you are serving an idol. Many people purposely leave most of their money at home and take just a little amount to Church because they know that God can ask them to give more than they planned for. When God tells some people to sow a seed that they don’t want to sow, they quickly tell their spouse because they know he or she will disagree, then they go back to God and say ” Lord, you see that I wanted to sow, but my spouse refused”. You forget that God can see your heart (Proverbs 16:2). When God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac to Him, Abraham could have quickly told Sarah, knowing that Sarah could hide the boy. He however kept mute; he didn’t even say anything to the boy who was to be sacrificed. That is a heart that puts no other thing before God.

God does not want any other position in your heart but number one. The moment something else is competing with Him, He excuses Himself. He said you should either be hot or cold; if you are lukewarm, He will spew you out of His mouth (Revelations 3:16).

I once told a brother that we were going for evangelism on a Monday and would like to use his car. He immediately replied that he needed the car to go to work. I then assured him that all the vehicles we needed were already prepared; it was just a test He couldn’t even take public transportation to work for only one day so that the Word could be preached to lost souls.

At one point or the other God will ask you to choose between His will and something or someone you love very much. I hope you choose God.

REFLECTION:
Is God really number one in your life?

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: John 9-10

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

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MEMORISE:

But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come. Matthew 10:23

READ: Genesis 27:41-45

41 And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob.

42 And these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah: and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself, purposing to kill thee.

43 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran;

44 And tarry with him a few days, until thy brother’s fury turn away;

45 Until thy brother’s anger turn away from thee, and he forget that which thou hast done to him: then I will send, and fetch thee from thence: why should I be deprived also of you both in one day?

MESSAGE:

If you are to achieve your purpose on earth, there is a time to run. In our Bible reading for today, ‘Jacob has been mightily blessed by his father. His brother Esau however, wanted to kill him. Jacob fled. If he had not fled, all the blessings would have been wasted. In 1 Sam, 19:9-12, when David was playing for King Saul who threw a spear at him and missed, David fled. If he hadn’t fled at that time, he might never have
become the king of Israel. There is a time to flee. In Matthew 2:13-15, the Bible tells us that the Almighty God told Joseph to flee with Jesus. You may think ” But where were the angels? They should have
been around to protect Him.”God said “flee ” because there is a time to flee. Once in a while, the Almighty God Himself will tell you “I am your refuge, but for now, I say run.”

When I was a young Pastor in the RCCG and the Lord began to move mightily in my life, the persecution from some other pastors of the Church became so much at a point that I had to flee the University of Lagos to the University of Ilorin where I continued with lecturing Job. I fled. Once, a Pastor wrote me a letter full of insults which I read to my Father-in-the-Lord – the then General Superintendent. Rather than discipline the Pastor as I had expected, he asked me to go and plead for the man’s forgiveness, even though I hadn’t done anything wrong. I was shocked and to be honest, it was hard for me to do. Thank God I obeyed because some time later the Pastor confessed that, having concluded that he was going to hell, he had also resolved to take me along with him. My Father-in-the-Lord had seen that this was not a fight to face, but rather one to flee.

When it is time to flee, flee! When you are dealing with false brethren, it is time to flee. The elders have a saying that if the enemy within cannot kill you, neither can the one without. Samson’s brethren were the ones who presented him bound to the Philistines in Judges 15:9-13. When the devil could not get him through them, he decided to bring one of his daughters into Samson’s internal circle and thus got him that way. When the devil is determined to bring a fellow down, he will enter into one of the fellow’s brethren like he entered into Judas. Had it not yet been Jesus time to be crucified, He would have fled.

Flee false brethren; they are not the ones actually fighting you, it is the devil using them. If at all you engage them, don’t forget: the internal enemy is more dangerous than the external one.

PRAYER POINT:

Father, expose all false brethren around me and help me to flee when it is time to flee in Jesus’ Name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: John 4-5

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 12: IN CHRIST ALONE.

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid Ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
Till on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

here in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
Till He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand

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MEMORISE:

Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. Isaiah 26:20

READ: Proverbs 22:3-5

3 A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.

4 By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honour, and life.

5 Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward: he that doth keep his soul shall be far from them.

MESSAGE:

Our Bible reading for today tells us clearly that there is a time to hide. Exodus 2:1-2 tells us that Moses was born at a time when all male children born to the nation of Israel were to be killed, so his mother hid him. If she had not hidden him for those three months, he would have been killed and his purpose for coming to earth would have been truncated. There is a time to hide. In Exodus 12:21-23, the Almighty God told the children of Israel that He would be visiting Egypt that night. He asked them to hide in their homes and not come out. Oh yes, the God we serve is the Almighty God, but He Himself says there is a time to hide. In 1Kings 17:1-3, after Elijah went before Ahab and prophesied that there would be no rain or dew until he called for it, God told him to hide. The word of God says there is a time to hide.

When I was much younger, my father declined an invitation to join a particular political party because the principal of my school belonged to an opposing party and he didn’t want that to cause problems for me. The party members said “Oh, so it is because of this boy that you won’t join us. Let us see how old the boy will be before he dies”. He came home, told us and I ran. I was in hiding for thirteen years. If I hadn’t fled then, you probably would not be reading from me today. There is a time to hide.

There is also a time to come out of hiding. In Exodus 3:1-12, after Moses had been hiding for forty years from Pharaoh, God came and told him that it was time to come out In 1Kings 18:1, the Almighty God said to Elijah “Go, shew thyself unto Ahab”. I want to believe God for any user of this devotional whose star has been hidden up until this moment that from today, your star will begin to shine. God has a timetable for each individual; you have to be in constant communion with Him to know what season of your life you are in per time (Ecclesiastes 3:1).

Jesus worked by God’s timetable for Him. He stayed in hiding for thirty years until it was time to come out. Don’t come out before your time. Some people feel that because they can preach then they should start a Church. Some think that because they can compose songs then ii is time to release an album. God has a timetable for you. If you come out when you should be hiding, your star could be crushed. Stay in constant
communion with God so that when He says “Hide “, you hide and when He says “Come Out”, you come out.

KEY POINT:

If you come out when you should be hiding, your star could be crushed.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: John 1-3

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 16: O GOD OUR HELP IN AGES PAST.

1. O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.

2. Under the shadow of Thy throne
Thy saints have dwelt secure;
Sufficient is Thine arm alone,
And our defense is sure.

3. Before the hills in order stood,
Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting Thou art God,
To endless years the same.

4. Thy Word commands our flesh to dust,
“Return, ye sons of men”:
All nations rose from earth at first,
And turn to earth again.

5. A thousand ages in Thy sight
Are like an evening gone;
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun.

6. The busy tribes of flesh and blood,
With all their lives and cares,
Are carried downwards by the flood,
And lost in foll’wing years.

7. Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
Bears all its sons away;
They fly, forgotten, as a dream
Dies at the op’ning day.

8. Like flow’ry fields the nations stand
Pleased with the morning light;
The flow’rs beneath the mower’s hand
Lie with’ring ere ’tis night.

9. O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be Thou our guard while troubles last,
And our eternal home.

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