MEMORISE: For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: it hath no stalk: the bud shall yield no meal: if so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up. Hosea 8:7

READ: Genesis 27:18 -23

18 And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my son?

19 And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy firstborn; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me.

20 And Isaac said unto his son, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the LORD thy God brought it to me.

21 And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not.

22 And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.

23 And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau’s hands: so he blessed him.

Genesis 37:26 -35

26 And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?

27 Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content.

28 Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.

29 And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes.

30 And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, whither shall I go?

31 And they took Joseph’s coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood;

32 And they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it be thy son’s coat or no.

33 And he knew it, and said, It is my son’s coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces.

34 And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.

35 And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him.

MESSAGE

The Law of harvest states that you will reap much more than whatever you sow. This is why you must be careful of the kind of seeds you sow, because when harvest comes, it is always much more than the seed. In our Bible readings for today, we see Jacob sowing a seed in the first passage and then reaping the harvest in the second. In the first passage, he deceived his father in order to get the blessing and so his children also deceived him that Joseph their brother was dead. Genesis 37:35 says:

“And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For l will go down into the grave unto my son mourning Thus his father wept for him.”

Many a time, the harvest of your seeds comes when you are too old to do anything about it. Everything you do now is a seed and the harvest will come back to you when you may not have as much energy as you do now.

I thank God for some of the seeds l sowed as a young man because l am now reaping the harvests. In 1961, as a 19 year-old, l gave money to a poor, sick old man – a neighbour, so he could get some medicine. The man said to me that someday, l would be traveling abroad as often as people go to market. I laughed at that prophecy because in my village in those days, if anyone was returning from a trip abroad, the entire villages would not go to the farm that day. The hunters would come out and shoot their guns in celebration of the person and everyone would be rejoicing. At that time, there were only 2 people who had gone abroad in my village, and they studied there for a number of years. Now this man was saying that l would be going often. It appeared funny, but l had sown the seed. Today, by God’s grace, that prophesy has been fulfilled.

Beloved pay attention to every opportunity you have to sow a good seed. On the other hand, always check your actions to be sure that you are not showing bad seeds that you will regret when the harvest comes.

KEY POINT

Be very intentional about the seeds you sow today because they will come back in multiple folds tomorrow.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Exodus 38-40

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 26: THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSINGS

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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MEMORISE: For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: it hath no stalk: the bud shall yield no meal: if so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up. Hosea 8:7

READ: Genesis 27:18 -23

18 And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my son?

19 And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy firstborn; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me.

20 And Isaac said unto his son, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the LORD thy God brought it to me.

21 And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not.

22 And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.

23 And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau’s hands: so he blessed him.

Genesis 37:26 -35

26 And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?

27 Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content.

28 Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.

29 And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes.

30 And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, whither shall I go?

31 And they took Joseph’s coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood;

32 And they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it be thy son’s coat or no.

33 And he knew it, and said, It is my son’s coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces.

34 And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.

35 And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him.

MESSAGE
The Law of harvest states that you will reap much more than whatever you sow. This is why you must be careful of the kind of seeds you sow, because when harvest comes, it is always much more than the seed. In our Bible readings for today, we see Jacob sowing a seed in the first passage and then reaping the harvest in the second. In the first passage, he deceived his father in order to get the blessing and so his children also deceived him that Joseph their brother was dead. Genesis 37:35 says:

“And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For l will go down into the grave unto my son mourning Thus his father wept for him.”

Many a time, the harvest of your seeds comes when you are too old to do anything about it. Everything you do now is a seed and the harvest will come back to you when you may not have as much energy as you do now.

I thank God for some of the seeds l sowed as a young man because l am now reaping the harvests. In 1961, as a 19 year-old, l gave money to a poor, sick old man – a neighbour, so he could get some medicine. The man said to me that someday, l would be traveling abroad as often as people go to market. I laughed at that prophecy because in my village in those days, if anyone was returning from a trip abroad, the entire villages would not go to the farm that day. The hunters would come out and shoot their guns in celebration of the person and everyone would be rejoicing. At that time, there were only 2 people who had gone abroad in my village, and they studied there for a number of years. Now this man was saying that l would be going often. It appeared funny, but l had sown the seed. Today, by God’s grace, that prophesy has been fulfilled.

Beloved pay attention to every opportunity you have to sow a good seed. On the other hand, always check your actions to be sure that you are not showing bad seeds that you will regret when the harvest comes.

KEY POINT
Be very intentional about the seeds you sow today because they will come back in multiple folds tomorrow.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Exodus 38-40

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

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MEMORISE: For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Habakkuk 2:3

READ: Habakkuk 2:2 -4

2 And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.

3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.

4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.

MESSAGE

The Bible says in Proverbs 13:12, “Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is tree of life.” You may have really been hoping for something, but have not gotten it yet and your heart is beginning to feel sick. Beloved, summon up strength and keep hope alive. Habakkuk 2:3 says that every vision is for an appointed time. Your appointed time will soon come in the name of Jesus.

While waiting for their appointed time, many people do things that put a dent in their testimonies. In Genesis 16:2, Sarah asked Abraham to have an extra marital affair with her maid so that the young girl could have a child for him. Sarah gave up hope and compromised. She later regretted it when her appointed time came and she now had her own child. In Genesis 21:10, she told Abraham to send the maid away with her son. Beyond that, l’m sure when she looks down from heaven now and see some of the seeds of that maid attacking her own seeds, she would wish she had kept hope alive.

While waiting for your appointed time, just ensure that you are obeying every instruction of God to the letter, whether it makes sense or not. Many years ago, we were offered the chance to buy all 40 acres of a serene campground called the “Youth Camp”, for N100,000. That was a lot of money back then. I gathered my people together and we pray quoting the Scripture:

Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have l given unto you.
Joshua 1:3

We put off our shoes and walked round that camp ground praying and confessing that it was ours, by faith. Not long afterwards, another ministry heard that the property was available for sale and they promptly paid for it. Our hope were dashed, but l encouraged myself in the Lord and kept hope alive. Before long, God led us to where the Redemption Camp is situated, though then it was notorious for being a home for highway robbers and big snakes. We trusted in the Lord and purchased the first parcel of land that has grown to become Redemption City today. The Redemption City now sits on an expanse of land far greater than what we had earlier wanted to purchase. Thank God that we kept hope alive for our appointed time.

KEY POINT

Your appointed time is coming; don’t give up.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Exodus 35-37

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 21: STANDING ON THE PROMISES OF GOD

1 Standing on the promises of Christ my King,
Through eternal ages let His praises ring,
Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing,
Standing on the promises of God.

Chorus:
Standing, standing,
Standing on the promises of God my Savior;
Standing, standing,
I’m standing on the promises of God.

2 Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
By the living Word of God I shall prevail,
Standing on the promises of God.

3 Standing on the promises I now can see
Perfect, present cleansing in the blood for me;
Standing in the liberty where Christ makes free,
Standing on the promises of God.

4 Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord,
Bound to Him eternally by love’s strong cord,
Overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword,
Standing on the promises of God.

5 Standing on the promises I shall not fall,
List’ning every moment to the Spirit’s call.
Resting in my Savior as my All in all,
Standing on the promises of God.

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MEMORISE: Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. Acts 21:13

READ: Acts 21:4 -13

4 And finding disciples, we tarried there seven days: who said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem.

5 And when we had accomplished those days, we departed and went our way; and they all brought us on our way, with wives and children, till we were out of the city: and we kneeled down on the shore, and prayed.

6 And when we had taken our leave one of another, we took ship; and they returned home again.

7 And when we had finished our course from Tyre, we came to Ptolemais, and saluted the brethren, and abode with them one day.

8 And the next day we that were of Paul’s company departed, and came unto Caesarea: and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven; and abode with him.

9 And the same man had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy.

10 And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judaea a certain prophet, named Agabus.

11 And when he was come unto us, he took Paul’s girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.

Acts 21:12 And when we heard these things, both we, and they of that place, besought him not to go up to Jerusalem.

13 Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.

MESSAGE

Fire is relentless; once it starts, it could take over its entire surroundings if not well controlled. It just keeps going, clearing off anything that is on its path. As we see in our Bible reading today, Paul did not allow anything at all to discourage him from working for God. In another instance (Acts 13:6-12) , Paul was trying to preach to a governor, but Elymas, the sorcerer , tried to convince the man not to accept the gospel. Paul did not get discouraged; he struck the sorcerer with blindness, got him out of the way and won the governor for Christ. Fire is never afraid of whatever stands in its path.

I remember when we first went to the town of Ede in Nigeria to hold a crusade. There were indications of resistance in the spirit realm, but we put our faith in God and were not discouraged. As the programme was starting, it began to rain very heavily. I wasn’t bothered; as long as it was rain and not fire falling. I decide we would continue the programme. Suddenly, as the choir was about to step on the stage, it collapsed. There was a brother there who owned a tipper. I told him to drive the tipper into the crusade ground, and it became our stage. We went ahead to hold the programme despite all the challenges we faced.

Don’t be discouraged by all those who are trying to stand in the way of the assignments God has committed into your hands; keep going. If they refuse to move out of your way, they will be consumed in Jesus’ name. Be relentless in your pursuit of Kingdom goals. Don’t let lack of funds stop you from doing what you want to do for God. Get going; God will provide the funds when you move. Don’t let disappointments and betrayals weigh you down; encourage yourself in the Lord and keep moving (I Samuel 30:6).

Over the years, so many things have stood in my way – including man-made laws. If those who decide to obstruct me remain in my way. No problem; whatever casualties will result from that will not be my fault. You must be relentless if you really want to be what God has called you to be. You must never let anything stop you.

KEY POINT

Fire is relentless.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Exodus 31-34

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 20: STAND UP,STAND UP FOR JESUS

1 Stand up, stand up for Jesus

ye soldiers of the cross;

lift high his royal banner,

it must not suffer loss.

From vict’ry unto vict’ry

his army he shall lead

till ev’ry foe is vanquished

and Christ is Lord indeed.

2 Stand up, stand up for Jesus,

the trumpet call obey;

forth to the mighty conflict

in this his glorious day.

Ye that are men now serve him

against unnumbered foes;

let courage rise with danger

and strength to strength oppose.

3 Stand up, stand up for Jesus,

stand in his strength alone;

the arm of flesh will fail you,

ye dare not trust your own.

Put on the gospel armor,

each piece put on with prayer;

where duty calls or danger,

be never wanting there.

4 Stand up, stand up for Jesus,

the strife will not be long;

this day the noise of battle,

the next, the victor’s song.

To him that overcometh

a crown of life shall be;

he with the King of glory

shall reign eternally.

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MEMORISE: Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. Proverbs 27:17

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

Fire is very generous. If you have one hundred candles to light, all you have to do,is light one of them and that one candle can be used to light the remaining 99. Fire lights up other materials that have the potential to carry it.

Fire is always looking out for good materials that are flammable. In Deuteronomy 34:9, when Moses saw that Joshua was a good material, he imparted the spirit of wisdom into him. When Elijah saw that Elisha was a good material, he gave him double portion of his power. Who are the good materials that you have noticed around you – people with potential to do exploits for God, if only they could be mentored correctly? Get close to them and heat them up for God. You don’t know how far that good material around will burn for God if only you can bring him or her close enough to get some heat from you.

I don’t understand how some men of God try to quench the fire of others. Fire does not compete with itself. When fire meets fire, it join forces to impact the environment even more. Is there someone else who carries fire around you? Put denomination aside and join forces to advance the Kingdom of God. Individually there are some obstacles that your fire may be too small to overcome, but when you come together, you can bring down very high mountains. When one fire seems to go down, the moment it comes in contact with another, the new one rekindles it and makes it burn more. It amazes me that sometimes when children of God see another child of God going cold, they would rejoice and say they are ‘minding their business’ rather than getting closer to the person and helping to rekindle his or her fire so that the person can burn even more for God.

Fire burns better when it is in contact with other fires. You and other fires around you will burn better if you come together from time to time to rekindle one another. This is why you find pastors coming together to form associations, so that everyone can ensure that nobody’s fire goes down. Believe me honestly, you will burn better if you don’t look away when you, notice that the fire of someone else is going down.

KEY POINT

Fire is generous and burns better when in contact with other fires.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Exodus 278-30

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 12: ONWARD CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS

1. Onward, Christian soldiers!
Marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus
Going on before.
Christ, the royal Master,
Leads against the foe;
Forward into battle,
See his banners go!

[Chorus]
Onward, Christian soldiers!Marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus
Going on before.

2. At the sign of triumph
Satan’s host doth flee;
On, then, Christian soldiers,
On to victory.
Hell’s foundations quiver
At the shout of praise;
Brothers, lift your voices,
Loud your anthems raise.

3. Like a mighty army
Moves the Church of God;
Brothers, we are treading
Where the Saints have trod.
We are not divided;
All one body we:
One in hope and doctrine,
One in charity.

4. Onward, then, ye people;
Join our happy throng.
Blend with ours your voices
In the triumph song:
Glory, laud, and honor
Unto Christ, the King.
This through countless ages
Men and angels sing.

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MEMORISE: Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Matthew 5:15

READ: Mark 16:15 -20

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

16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

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

18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.

20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

MESSAGE

Fire cannot be ignored; it always affects its environment. Wherever fire is, everyone around there feels it’s heat and whatever comes in contact with it would either be consumed or become fire too. If there is little fire somewhere and you throw some sheets of paper at it, they will catch fire themselves. I am charging all believers today. It is okay when you have just come into a school to say, “Oh, we are surrounded by sinners” but after three months, it would be a shame if they are all still sinners. How can you be in an office for three years with everybody there remaining the same? Fire compels everything around it to become like it. If you have not been preaching the gospel not the people around you,nowhere is your heat? Why have you gone so cold?

In I Kings 18:36-39, when Elijah demonstrated that he is fire, the whole nation fell on their faces and said, “Your God is God”. In Acts 16:25-34, when Paul and Silas were thrown into jail, by the time Paul and Silas had demonstrated that they are fire, the jailer humbled himself and said, “Tell me what l must do to be saved”. I pray you will receive the ability to demonstrate the power of God in your environment now in Jesus’ name. Shining your light would, however, require personal sacrifices. You must spend time praying and dwelling in the presence of Gid. You would need to fast and study your Bible regularly.

Don’t shy away from opportunity to show that you are fire. When a classmate tells you they are not feeling fine, don’t suggest medication, lay hands on them and pray for their healing. By the time the fellow gets healed, he or she would spread the news to others and before you know it, you would have won your faculty over to the Lord. Is there any of your colleagues who is looking up to God for the fruit of the womb? See it as an opportunity to,preach Christ to your entire off pace. Pray for the fellow and assure them that they will carry their babies in nine months. When God does the miracle, everyone will know that your God is real and they will bow to Him.

ACTION POINT

Ensure that everyone who come in contact with you hears the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Exodus 24-27

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 1: ALL TO JESUS I SURRENDER

1 All to Jesus, I surrender

All to Thee I freely give

I will ever love and trust

You In Your presence daily live

Refrain

I surrender all, I surrender all

All to Thee, my blessed Savior

I surrender all

2 All to Jesus, I surrender Lord,

I give myself to Thee

Fill me with Your love and power

Let Your blessing fall on me

Refrain

3All to Jesus I surrender

Now I feel the sacred flame

O the joy of full salvation a

Glory, glory, to Your name

Refrain

I surrender all, I surrender all

All to Thee, my blessed Savior

I surrender all (I surrender all)

I surrender all, I surrender all

All to Thee, my blessed Savior

I surrender all (all to Thee, my blessed)

All to Thee, my blessed Savior

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MEMORISE: But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. 2 Timothy 2:20

READ: 2 Timothy 2:19 -21

19 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.

20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.

21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.

MESSAGE

Following our discussion which started yesterday, the second question that you should ask yourself is “What kind of example am l going to be for those coming behind me?” You see God can raise somebody and promote him or her greatly, but when the fellow makes a mistake and crashes, he or she becomes an example for others to learn from, so as not to make the same mistake. If you read l Corinthians 10:11 carefully, you would see that verses 1-4 were dedicated to describing the investments that God had made in the people of Israel, then the rest of the passage goes on to list how many of them became examples for those of us coming after. God is making investments in you now. He is making sure that you read and hear certain messages, He is promoting you and doing miracles for you now; what will be the outcome of all these? Will you be used as a good example later in future or a bad one?

But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

1 Corinthians 10:5

The verse above says God was not pleased with many of them. The truth is that not many people will end up as good examples,; most will end up as bad ones because only a few will be violent enough to take the Kingdom of God by force (Matthew 11:12). The devil will throw a lot of temptations your way. Some of them will come as harmless suggestions, but you have to be fully ready to submit to the Lord and resist the devil so that he would flee (James 4:7).

As we see in our Bible reading of today, purge yourself of all unrighteousness so you can set the right examples for those coming behind you. Ask the Holy Spirit for help. You must never get to the point where you feel you have enough of the Holy Spirit. Only the Holy Spirit can keep you from falling; embrace Him like your life depends on it, because it actually does.

PRAYER POINT

Father, don’t let me end up as a bad example to those coming after me.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Exodus 14-16

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 28: WHAT CAN WASH AWAY MY SIN

1 What can wash away my sin?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus;

What can make me whole again?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Oh! precious is the flow

That makes me white as snow;

No other fount I know,

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

2 For my cleansing this I see—

Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

For my pardon this my plea—

Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

3 Nothing can my sin erase

Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

Naught of works, ’tis all of grace—

Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

4 This is all my hope and peace—

Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

This is all my righteousness—

Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

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MEMORISE: And David built there an altar unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD was intreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel. 2 Samuel 24:25

READ: 1 Kings 17:8 -16

8 And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying,

9 Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.

10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.

11 And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.

12 And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.

13 And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.

14 For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth.

15 And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.

16 And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah.

MESSAGE

I In our Bible text for today, we read about the widow of Zarephath who had only one meal left. She and her son were going to eat and die. She sacrificed that one meal and she and her son lived on. In Psalm 50:14-15, the Bible says if you offer sacrifices of thanksgiving and pay your vows, God will deliver you in the day of trouble. In 2 Samuel 24: 11-25, seventy thousand men had died from a pestilence that arose in lsrael due to David conducting a census that displeased God. This was a big disaster and something had to be done immediately to stop it. They had prayed and, although God had stopped the angel that was spreading the plague, He did not recall him, the angel remained at the threshing place of Araunah the Jebusite. This still mean trouble, so David’s seer – Gad decided that they should apply a principle to avert the disaster.

And Gad came that day to David, and said unto Him, Go up, rear an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite.
2 Samuel 24:16

When David wanted to make the sacrifice, Araunah tried to give everything needed to him for free, but he refused. He insisted that he had to bear the cost. He gave the sacrifice and the disaster was immediately averted.

And David built an altar unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD was untreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from lsrael.

2 Samuel 24:25

The funny thing is that many non-Christians know this principle: that, in the face of impending doom or disaster, a really big sacrificial offering can avert it (2 Kings 3:26-27). We as children of the living God should follow David’s example and be ready to give a sacrificial offering, especially in trouble times.

May God help us – the true children of God to apply this principle in order to avert looming disasters in Jesus’ name.

PRAYER POINT

Father, when a disaster seems to be looming around me, teach me what to do and give me the grace to do it.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Exodus 8-10

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 19: ROCK OF AGES CLEFT FOR ME

1 Rock of Ages, cleft for me,

Let me hide myself in Thee;

Let the water and the blood,

From Thy riven side which flowed,

Be of sin the double cure,

Save me from its guilt and power.

2 Not the labor of my hands

Can fulfill Thy law’s demands;

Could my zeal no respite know,

Could my tears forever flow,

All could never sin erase,

Thou must save, and save by grace.

3 Nothing in my hands I bring,

Simply to Thy cross I cling;

Naked, come to Thee for dress,

Helpless, look to Thee for grace:

Foul, I to the fountain fly,

Wash me, Savior, or I die.

4 While I draw this fleeting breath,

When mine eyes shall close in death,

When I soar to worlds unknown,

See Thee on Thy judgment throne,

Rock of Ages, cleft for me,

Let me hide myself in Thee.

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