MEMORISE: Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. John 4: 34

READ: Luke 2:40 -49

40 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.

41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover.

42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast.

43 And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it.

44 But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day’s journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance.

45 And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him.

46 And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.

47 And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.

48 And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.

49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?

MESSAGE

How l wish that men would know the purpose of God for their lives and run with it with so much vigor that it becomes like food to them. I don’t know what l will be doing on this earth if l am not fulfilling the purpose for which He brought me into this world. Jesus Christ said in our memory verse today that His food is to do God’s will.

If you have not asked God why He sent you to this world, please ensure that you do so and don’t stop asking until you get a clear answer.

If you are determined to ensure that His purpose for bringing you into this world is fulfilled, then it will show in the choices you make. If you are so focused on doing His will that it is like food to you, you will make some very bold choices in order to fulfill that purpose. When l made the choice of leaving my job as a lecturer to become a full-time Pastor over a Church that could barely pay me any salary, people said l was crazy, but the will of the One who sent me was my meat, so l never turned back. Now that God’s will is coming to pass and His glory is beginning to shine, those people who thought l was crazy are now glorifying God for my life.

Jesus Christ did not only say that His meat is to do the will of the Father, but also to finish the Father’s work. Some start off doing the will of Father, but along the way that zeal wanes. They find meat in something else other than the will of God. The reason for this is that the sent has lost touch with the sender. I pray that God will give you the grace to finish strong in Jesus’ name. If you are still very much in touch with the one who sent you to this world, in the middle of your conversations, He will keep encouraging you and restating His will for you. You will come out of every encounter with Him with determination to do more for Him.

The will of God for my life has remained my meat for over 40 years now. He keeps showing me new dimensions of His will. Whenever He tells me something new, my strength is renewed, and l can move on. If you remain in touch with the One who has sent you, He will give you the grace to finish His work.

REFLECTION

Are you so passionate about God’s will for your life that it is as essential as food to your survival?

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ezekiel 17-19

AUTHOR: PASTOR E.A ADEBOYE

HYMN 8: I’M PRESSING ON THE UPWARD WAY

1 I’m pressing on the upward way,

New heights I’m gaining every day;

Still praying as I onward bound,

“Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.”

Lord, lift me up, and let me stand

By faith on Canaan’s tableland;

A higher plane than I have found,

Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.

2 My heart has no desire to stay

Where doubts arise and fears dismay;

Though some may dwell where these abound,

My prayer, my aim, is higher ground.

3 I want to live above the world,

Though Satan’s darts at me are hurled;

For faith has caught the joyful sound,

The song of saints on higher ground.

4 I want to scale the utmost height

And catch a gleam of glory bright;

But still I’ll pray till rest I’ve found,

“Lord, lead me on to higher ground.”

oblems’.

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MEMORISE: He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Psalms 2:4

READ: Psalms 2:1 -4

1 Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?

2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,

3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.

4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.

MESSAGE

When God laughs, two things are about to happen. The first is that His child or children are about to, laugh at their enemies. The second is that the enemies of His children are about to be disgraced. From the Bible reading the Kings came together against the Lord and His anointed, saying they wanted to break their bands asunder and cast away their cords. We get an idea of which bands they were talking about in Matthew 11:29:

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for l am lowly in hearth: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

They see the word of God as bands. They see His ways as cords binding them. They see Him and His anointed as people restricting them from living freely and doing whatever they like, and so, they begin to bring up laws and various agenda just to oppose the ways so the Lord. God said He will laugh at them. Several governments in our world today want to legitimize same sex marriages, justify killing babies in the womb, do whatever they like and sear the people conscience against he word of God. They may seem to be happy and doing well, but when God decides to laugh at them, they will be in derision (Psalm 2:1-4).

No matter what you do, you cannot be greater than God. You either bow to Him willingly, or you bow in shame. You cannot come against Him or His children and go scot free, you would be ashamed at the end of the day. When He laughs at a person’s schemes, it means He is about to take action and it is His children that will come out on the winning side.

Even if a person lives outside His restrictions and appears to be enjoying himself or herself, at the very end the lake of fire will be waiting for such a fellow. Stop trying to break His bands of you, stop trying to break off the restrictions in the word of God; they are for your own good. His yoke is easy and will give you rest at the end of the day. The day of the rapture is a day of laughter for God. If you discipline yourself to live according to His will now, you will be laughing with Him on that day , but if you decide to live the way you like now, it will be a day of mockery for you. Which do you choose?

REFLECTION

When God laughs at His enemies, will you be on the winning side or the losing side?

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ezekiel 14-16

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 17: O LORD MY GOD, WHEN I IN AWESOME WONDER

O Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder

consider all the works thy hand hath made,

I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder,

thy power throughout the universe displayed;

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!

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 hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze:

Then sings my soul…

And when I think that God, his Son not sparing,

sent him to die – I scarce can take it in

that on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,

he bled and died to take away my sin:

Then sings my soul…

When Christ shall come with shouts of acclamation

and take me home – what joy shall fill my heart!

Then shall I bow in humble adoration

and there proclaim, ‘my God, how great thou art!’

Then sings my soul…

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MEMORISE: Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Luke 10:19

READ: Mark 16:17 -18

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.

MESSAGE

Every believer is a potential nuclear power against the kingdom of darkness. Just one word from you backed by the name of Jesus can scatter any satanic gathering. If you are a child of God, you may look ordinary on the outside, but you carry great power.

I remember when l decided to go back to my home town after running for thirteen years because of witches and wizards there said they would have me for breakfast. I went to visit my family member and told the fellow that l was going home because

I now had the power over the dark forces of the enemy. He looked at me and said “Dejare, you don’t look different. You look the same and now you are saying that you have one super power”. I said, “When you see an electric wire with electricity flowing through it and you see another one without electricity, can you tell the difference? The only way you will know that there is power in one is when you touch it and the moment you touch the one with power, you are gone”.

You carry power my brethren, don’t let any force of darkness scare you. As long as you are fully submitted to the authority of the Most High God, you are above principalities and powers. James 4:7 says “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you”. In order words, if you are not submissive to God and you resist the devil, he will not run away from you. If you don’t believe me, ask the seven sons of Sceva. We read about them in Acts 19:15-16:

And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus l know, and Paul I know; who are ye? And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

2 Corinthians 10:6 says further ” And having in readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled”. Until you are fully obedient and submissive to the Most High God, you cannot exercise your power over demons. Therefore, if you are tired of demons having any influence at all over you, you know what to do.

KEY POINT

Surrender completely to God; obey His words fully and you will have power over all satanic forces.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Lamentation 4 – Ezekiel 2

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 2: CONQUERORS AND OVERCOMERS NOW WE ARE

1 Conquerors and overcomers now are we,

Thro’ the precious blood of Christ we’ve victory,

If the Lord be for us, we can never fail;

Nothing ‘gainst his mighty pow’r can e’er prevail.

Refrain:

Conquerors are we, thro’ the blood, thro’ the blood;

God will give us victory, thro’ the blood, thro’ the blood,

Thro’ the Lamb for sinners slain,

Yet who lives and reigns again,

More than conquerors are we,

More than conquerors are we.

2 In the name of Israel’s God we’ll onward press,

Overcoming sin and all unrighteousness;

Not to us, but unto him the praise shall be,

For salvation and for blood-bought victory. [Refrain]

3 Unto him that overcometh shall be giv’n

Here to eat of hidden manna sent from heav’n;

Over yonder he the victor’s palm shall bear,

And a robe of white, and golden crown shall wear. [Refrain

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MEMORISE: Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb: Genesis 49:25

READ: Deuteronomy 28:1 -14

1 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:

2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.

3 Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.

4 Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.

5 Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.

6 Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.

7 The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.

8 The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

9 The LORD shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways.

10 And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee.

11 And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee.

12 The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.

13 And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:

14 And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.

MESSAGES

When the Lord blesses the work of your hands, you will not only have great wealth, it will come with peace of mind. Wealth that comes from scheming and plotting against people will bring all sort of trouble-along with it. Haman was a rich man. In fact he was second-in-command to the king, yet, he was jealous and envious of Mordecai who was far below his rank (Esther 3:1-5). Do you want to enjoy great wealth as well as a peace of mind? Seek the blessing of the Lord.

How does this blessing of the Lord come? Deuteronomy 28:1 tell us:

And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandment which l command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth.

The blessing of the Lord comes through hearkening to the voice of God and then observing to do all His commandments. First you must pay very close attention to His word, and then you must do exactly what He says. It is that simple. When the widow of Zarephath came into great wealth, it was because the Prophet gave her specific instructions and she obeyed them all, just as he directed her.

There was a man who was a manager in his place of work, and he kept talking to God, “For how long am l going to be an employees? Please prosper me greatly so l can also be an employer of labour”. God told him to begin to roast and sell peanuts coated with honey. He obeyed. The last time l heard about him, he already had two private jets.

Sometimes, to get these specific instructions from God, you need to cry to Him in prayer as the widow did to Elisha. In the meantime, obey all the instructions you have read in the Bible. He said if you bring your tithe into His storehouse, then you will get blessing so large that your present bank account will not be able to contain it – hearken, He said if you sow bountifully, you will reap bountifully-hearken. Hearken diligently to His word and see if He will not bless you tremendously.

PRAYER POINT

Father, please tell me what I must do to succeed; reveals to me the hidden wealth of secret places and I promise that I will harken and do according to your word.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jeremiah 49- 50

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 5: HAVE YOU BEEN TO JESUS

Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing pow’r?

Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Are you fully trusting in His grace this hour?

Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Are you washed in the blood,

In the soul-cleansing blood of the Lamb?

Are your garments spotless? Are they white as snow?

Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

2 Are you walking daily by the Savior’s side?

Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Do you rest each moment in the Crucified?

Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

3 When the Bridegroom cometh will your robes be white!

Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Will your soul be ready for His presence bright,

And be washed in the blood of the Lamb?

4 Lay aside the garments that are stained with sin,

And be washed in the blood of the Lamb;

There’s a fountain flowing for the soul unclean,

O be washed in the blood of the Lamb.

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MEMORISE: And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Romans 12:2

READ: 1 Corinthians 2:11 -16

11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.

16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

MESSAGE

Many people in their bid to get to the top and be accepted by others, like to jump on trends which only keep them at the bottom. The only people who get to the top are those who do not yield to the pressure to be like everyone else but create a path for others to follow. Those people are always true to themselves. Many people have lost their personal identity in Christ and the real purpose of God for their lives because they are trying to be like everyone else. I have listened to many preachers l admire a lot. I admire how they deliver their sermons. I admire them, like them, but l don’t copy them. Rather, l do it the way the Lord has taught me to. While the word is being preached, the sick are getting healed, the barren are made fruitful, captives of the devil are set free and many souls are saved. I am simply doing what God asked me to and He is helping me. That is how to get to the top. Psalm 121:1 says: “l will lift up my eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.” If I you want God’s help, then your eyes must be fixed on Him, not what is trending. Jesus said in John 5:19

Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily , l say unto you, the Son can do nothing of himself, but what he Seth the Father do, for what things so ever he doeth , these also-doeth the Son likewise.

The fellow who wants to be accepted by everybody will not focus on what is important. Instead his mind will be distracted by people’s perceptions. In my own field of practice, what is more important is intimacy with God. People came to me not because they like my face or for the fact that l studied Mathematics. It is because they know that l am close to the Lord and so if they want to hear from Him, l will tell them directly the mind of God. They are confident that if l ask God for something on their behalf, He would listen.

Several years ago, when many ministers of God were wearing big flowing robes and l continued with my little French suits, people call me names, but l wasn’t bothered. You cannot be like everybody else and become a role model. A role model is someone who others copy, not someone who copies others. Don’t copy the ways of the world; copy Christ and the world will come and copy you.

KEY POINT

Don’t be afraid to be different from everybody else as long as you are obeying and copying Christ.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jeremiah 46-48

AUTHOR: PASTOR E.A ADEBOYE

Hymn 29: WILL YOUR ANCHOR HOLD IN THE STORM OF LIFE

1 Will your anchor hold in the storms of life,

When the clouds unfold their wings of strife?

When the strong tides lift, and the cables strain,

Will your anchor drift or firm remain?

We have an anchor that keeps the soul

Stedfast and sure while the billows roll,

Fastened to the Rock which cannot move,

Grounded firm and deep in the Savior’s love.

2 It is safely moored, ’twill the storm withstand,

For ’tis well secured by the Savior’s hand;

And the cables passed from His heart to mine,

Can defy the blast, through strength divine.

3 It will firmly hold in the straits of fear,

When the breakers have told the reef is near;

Though the tempest rave and the wild winds blow,

Not an angry wave shall our bark o’erflow.

4 It will surely hold in the floods of death,

When the waters cold chill our latest breath;

On the rising tide it can never fail,

While our hopes abide within the veil.

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MEMORISE: There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Proverbs 14:12

READ: Proverbs 3:5 -8

5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.

8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.

MESSAGE

Many people have lost the purpose of God for their lives. They are living below God’s standard and expectations for their lives. There is a method by which God operates, but as long as people keep choosing to do things in a worldly manner, they will never achieve the purpose of God for their lives.

For my thought are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

Isaiah 55:8

God does not think like man does. In fact, the Bible says His foolishness is wiser than men (1 Corinthians 1:25). You cannot achieve His purpose by trying to do things with worldly wisdom; you will end up missing it. Don’t try to copy others, copy the One who called you. Jesus achieved His purpose for coming to earth because He said:

Verily, verily, l say unto you, the Son can do nothing of himself, but what he Seth the Father do: for what things so ever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise

John 5:19

For young ministers of the gospel, don’t try to do things the way you’ve seen other popular ministers do things; your calling is not as theirs. When I was younger in ministry, there were people whose sermons were very mesmerizing. As interesting as their sermons were, l stayed put to the way God had taught me to preach; by His grace, people’s lives were transformed and the Church grew. For those who are teaching deep theology, at the end of the sermon, when you ask the people what they learnt, they would just say, “Oh, Pastor was on fire today”; there was no real change in the lives of people. My beloved, don’t follow the crowd. Hebrews 12:2 says, “Looking unto Jesus the author and the finisher of our faith…?

I see some music ministers; they start well, singing great spiritual songs that attract the Spirit of God; but then they move on to those that will move the crowd and if you notice, their ministries begin to go down from there on. Be wise; if you want to have a long-lasting impact and eventually fulfill you destiny, do everything God’s way and not the way the world does it.

PRAYER POINT

Father, please give me the grace to never follow the world’s wisdom but your way always in Jesus name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jeremiah 37-40

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 28: WHEN WE WALK WITH THE LORD

When we walk with the Lord

in the light of his word,

what a glory he sheds on our way!

While we do his good will,

he abides with us still,

and with all who will trust and obey.

Refrain:

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way

to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

2 Not a burden we bear,

not a sorrow we share,

but our toil he doth richly repay;

not a grief or a loss,

not a frown or a cross,

but is blest if we trust and obey. [Refrain]

3 But we never can prove

the delights of his love

until all on the altar we lay;

for the favor he shows,

for the joy he bestows,

are for them who will trust and obey. [Refrain]

4 Then in fellowship sweet

we will sit at his feet,

or we’ll walk by his side in the way;

what he says we will do,

where he sends we will go;

never fear, only trust and obey. [Refrain]

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MEMORISE: The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords. Psalms 55:21

READ: Proverbs 26:23 -27

23 Burning lips and a wicked heart are like a potsherd covered with silver dross.

24 He that hateth dissembleth with his lips, and layeth up deceit within him;

25 When he speaketh fair, believe him not: for there are seven abominations in his heart.

26 Whose hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness shall be shewed before the whole congregation.

27 Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein: and he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him.

MESSAGE

When you read the story in Mark 5:35-42, you see what happened in the house of Jairus. It tells you that fake sympathizer have been in the world long time ago. When Jesus came and said everyone should go out because the child was not dead, but only sleeping the Bible reported that they laughed him to scorn. They switched from weeping to laughing within a second. That means they were not sad to start with at all! I am happy that Jesus chased them out of the house. In the name that is above every other name, Jesus will chase every fake friends out of your life.

When the widow of Nain in Luke 7:11-17 was going to bury her only son and Jesus met her on the way, there were a lot of people there who pretended to be sympathizing with her, but l am sure they must have been saying “Is she the only one in the town? Why is it that tragedy upon tragedy is befalling her? First the husband died, now the only boy she had is dead. God must be punishing her for her sins”. That is what they must have been saying, until Jesus got there and stopped the procession. One of my children once said the grave diggers were waiting they had already dug the grave. The mourners were waiting to do the final mourning at the grave yard, but the Almighty God disappointed them. Every grave digger waiting for you shall be disappointed this year. Everyone waiting to mourn over you will be disappointed in Jesu name. Anyone who thought he or she had succeeded in making you sad., by the time God turn the tide, you will laugh last.

Everyone at one time or the other will encounter fake friends that is why you must be careful who you call, “Friends”. Not everyone who calls themselves your friend should be close to you. Not everyone who comes close to you should know your secrets. Not everyone should be given access to your inner circle. The Bible says that you should love even your enemies (Matthew 5:44), but it does not says everyone should be your friend, so, love them from a distance. Be good to people, but don’t make them your friends if they have not really proven to you beyond any reasonable doubt that they are true friends. You don’t need many friends. Proverbs 18:24 says there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. It didn’t say there are many friends, it says “a friend”.

KEY POINT

Beware of fake friends.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jeremiah 34-36

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 14: 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,

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,

Nearer, my God, to thee,

Nearer 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,

Nearer, my God, to thee,

Nearer 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,

Nearer, my God, to thee,

Nearer to thee!

5. Or if, on joyful wing

Cleaving the sky,

Sun, moon, and stars forgot,

Upward I fly,

Still all my song shall be

Nearer, my God, to thee,

Nearer, my God, to thee,

Nearer to thee

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MEMORISE: The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. Genesis 49:10

READ: 2 Samuel 6:20 -22

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.

MESSAGE:

Judah means praise, and in the memory verse for today, we witness God making a promise that the scepter will not leave the tribe of Judah. In other words, every child of God who belongs to the tribe of praise will always be a leader in their various fields of endeavour. People will gather to them, and they will always be at the top. This is not far-fetched; after all, Psalm 22:3 says that God inhabits the praises of His people. If you know how to praise God correctly, He will make His abode with you and make you the head. You will never fail, and you will also be prosperous. In 2 Samuel 6:11, they put the ark of covenant in the house of Obededom and all of a sudden he began to prosper. If God is with you, you will rise to the very top.

In whatever field you operate in, if you know how to really praise God, He will raise you to be number one. One day, a Pastor came to me and said, “Daddy, l think l have discovered the secret of your tremendous success in Ministry. When you get to the altar to preach, before you start at all, you first sing praises to God and then eulogies Him until His presence comes down mightily, then you go ahead and preach”. I said “Oh, you got it. Go back home and start doing the same”. Amongst Pastors in the whole world, l want to be number one. I know that if l can praise Him nonstop,then He will keep lifting me higher. The reason many Christian are not rising to be number one in their fields is that they don’t know how to really praise God. Some people find it difficult to kneel before God in public. In heaven, they not only kneel, they also fall on their faces before God (Revelation 7:11). When you ask some Christians to praise God, you see their mouths hardly moving. How can you praise the King of kings silently? Psalm 98:4 says:

Make a joyful noise unto the LORD; all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.

Heaven is not a silent place, they lift up their voices and say ” Blessing, glory wisdom, thanksgiving, honour, power and might be unto God for ever and ever. Amen” (Revelation 7:12). You need tolerance to praise God the way He really should be praised. Just keep praising Him and you will discover that doors that were erstwhile shut will begin to open unto you and soon, you will be number one in your field.

ACTION POINT

Fall on your face, lift up your voice and praise the Most High God like you have never done before.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jeremiah 28-30

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 19: O WORSHIP THE KING ALL GLORIOUS ABOVE

1 O worship the King all-glorious above,

O gratefully sing his power and his love:

our shield and defender, the Ancient of Days,

pavilioned in splendor and girded with praise.

2 O tell of his might and sing of his grace,

whose robe is the light, whose canopy space.

His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form,

and dark is his path on the wings of the storm.

3 Your bountiful care, what tongue can recite?

It breathes in the air, it shines in the light;

it streams from the hills, it descends to the plain,

and sweetly distills in the dew and the rain.

4 Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail,

in you do we trust, nor find you to fail.

Your mercies, how tender, how firm to the end,

our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend!

5 O measureless Might, unchangeable Love,

whom angels delight to worship above!

Your ransomed creation, with glory ablaze,

in true adoration shall sing to your praise!

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MEMORISE: But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows. Luke 12:7

READ: 1 Peter 1:18 -19

18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;

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

MESSAGE

The amount kidnappers ask for as ransom is proportionate with how important their victim is considered. The Bible says that we all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). It also says that those who sin are of their father the devil (John 8:44-45). This means that when God wanted to snatch us from the hands of the devil, he needed to provide a ransom. He is very rich so gold and silver are not a problem to Him at all. However, He deemed gold and silver too cheap to use in paying our ransom because of how special we are. He sees you as so special that He sent His only Begotten Son, His very own Word, to redeem you and me.

The fact that He sent His Son to die so that you may have life, to shed His blood so that the devil cannot drink yours, to take multiple stripes on His body so that you would not be sick should be enough to make you walk around with your head held high because you are very specail.

As long as you are a child of God, you are extremely special. He said in Isaiah 49:16 that He has a tattoo on His palm and that tattoo is your picture.

Behold, l have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me”.

In heaven, there are many angels. One of these angels can kill 185,000 men in one night; that is an ordinary angel. The Bible tells us that there is another category of angels that are strong (Revelation 5:2) – you can imagine how powerful those must be. Then there are the Arc-Angels who stand before Him (Revelation 8:2). He did not decide to adopt any of the angels as His children, leaving them in the position of messengers; however, He loves you so much, He decided to adopt you as His child and the Angels should be your messengers. 1 John 3:1 says:

Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God…

Even if it seems nobody in the world loves or values you, the King of the entire universe loves you with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3) and values you above Angels and all His creations.

KEY POINT

You are worth more than all the treasures of this world put together.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jeremiah 17-20

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 4: 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.

“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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MEMORIZE: And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:11

READING REVELATION 5:8-13

8. And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.

9. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

10. And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

11. And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;

12. Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

13. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

MESSAGE

All the creations of God call Him Lord. The birds sing His praises, the trees clap their hands to praise Him, the seas roar His praises, the mountains skip at His presence, even the sun and moon speak of His majesty.

In Mark 4:39, Jesus simply issued a command for there to be peace and the storm ceased immediately. Everyone present there marvelled and wondered what kind of man He was that even the seas obeyed Him. He however, has one creation that proves stubborn sometimes humans.

Many people, even with all that they can see and have heard of Him still don’t acknowledge Him as Lord. When I was a lecturer in the University, my seniors, people with tremendous academic achievements, were divided into categories whenever I was talking to them about Jesus.

One category would say, God is dead, another No, He is not dead. It may be true that He created the world because, from the little we see in science, it requires great intelligence to put the entire world together; but at the end of the day, He discovered that what He created was too big for Him and He has lost control.

The category of people who would want to be generous would then say, Well, whether He is dead or not, I don’t know. Whether He has lost control or not, I don’t know. One thing I know is that He is in Heaven minding His business and I am here on earth minding my own.

Philippians 2:10-11 says: “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

If you refuse to call Him Lord when you are at peace, you will be forced to call Him Lord when you are in trouble. Those who don’t make Him the Lord of their life early enough will have to kneel and confess that He is Lord after the rapture when they are either left behind on earth or in hell underneath the earth.

If you continue to reject His Lordship now because you want to live as you please, you will still call Him Lord from hell later. The choice is yours.

Declaration

Father, I call you my Lord today and I promise to live my life according to Your word, now and always.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jeremiah 13-16

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 10: JESUS MY LORD, MY GOD, MY ALL

1 Jesus, my Lord, my God, my all,

hear me, blest Savior, when I call;

hear me, and from thy dwelling place

pour down the riches of thy grace.

Refrain:

Jesus, my Lord, I thee adore;

O make me love thee more and more.

2 Jesus, too late I thee have sought;

how can I love thee as I ought?

And how extol thy matchless fame,

the glorious beauty of thy name? [Refrain]

3 Jesus, what didst thou find in me

that thou hast dealt so lovingly?

How great the joy that thou hast brought,

so far exceeding hope or thought! [Refrain]

4 Jesus, of thee shall be my song;

to thee my heart and soul belong;

all that I have or am is thine,

and thou, blest Savior, thou art mine. [Refrain]

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