MEMORISE: Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness! Ecclesiastes 10:17

READ: Ecclesiastes 10:16 -17

16 Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning!

17 Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!

MESSAGE

The Bible says that the main purpose for eating should be to gain strength, not for indulging the flesh, as many people do. Food gives strength; however, it can also make a fellow weak spiritually and physically. When you see people who have become obese because they eat whatever they like whenever they like, you will notice that they are usually weak. For example, such people will begin to pant heavily after minimal physical exercise. That is a case of overindulgence in food, causing physical weakness. So, if you have noticed that getting up from your seat takes longer and more effort than it should, you need to check your diet.

Those who eat for strength don’t just eat anything; they eat what will make them strong. Fruits and vegetables will provide you with strength; eat a lot of them. Avoid eating foods with much sugar; they usually cause physical exhaustion. Some people say they have a sweet tooth, and so they are always eating sugary things. May your eating habit not land you in the hospital. If you ask any doctor, they will tell you that sugar weakens the immune system and allows bacteria and virus to multiply within the body.

If you eat for strength, then almost invariably, you would only eat enough food to give you strength. You would not only eat so much as to become weak at the end of the day. Some people like to eat much until their stomach protrudes; this is dangerous to your well-being. You should eat just enough to give you strength. When you are maybe 80% full, you should stop. When you load your body with too much food, you give it the task of digesting all that food at the same time and all that will definitely cause some weakness.

Anyone who does not eat primarily for strength will also be weak spiritually,. How can you pray for long when your tummy is filled with pounded yam? How can you pray when you are always feeling lethargic due to the kind of food you consume? It is for your own physical and spiritual good that you should eat, in moderate quantities, only foods that will give you strength.

ACTION POINT

Assess your regular diet and remove all forms of junk food, replacing them with healthy substitutes.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1Chronicle 9-11

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:

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! Psalms 133: 1

READ: Psalms 133:1 -3

1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

2 It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;

3 As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.

PRAYERS:

1. Thank You Lord, for my community. Thank You for planting me in this community and for all my neighbors.

2. Father, just as You adopted Jerusalem to be called the city of God, adopt my community to become your own, in Jesus’ name. As you stopped the plague from entering Jerusalem in 2 Samuel 24:14, let no plague or evil happening anywhere around the world come near my community, in Jesus, name.

3. Father, l pray for all the children in my community, that they will grow up to know and love You in Jesus’ name.

4. Father, let this community be a blessing to my state and country, in Jesus’ name. Let great things and great people come out of this community to make my country proud, in Jesus’ name.

5. Father, l speak against any communal disagreement with our neighboring communities, in Jesus’ name. There will be no riots or civil war in our communities, in Jesus’ name.

6. Father, please preserve my community from all the corruption in the world. Please don’t let this community be known for any form of corruption, in Jesus’ name.

7. Father, increase our love and togetherness in this community. Let us all live as one in peace and unity, in Jesus’ name.

8. Father, please protect my community and our neighbors from natural disasters, in Jesus’ name.

9. Father, raise great leaders for us in this community; give them wisdom to make this community great, in Jesus’ name.

10. Father, please use me to bring revival to my community. Use me to win the souls of all my neighbors to You and to establish You as the Lord of my community, in Jesus’ name.

11. Father, please visit every family going through a difficult, time in my community. Lord, visit them and calm every storm in their homes, in Jesus’ name. Please raise helpers for them and let all their troubles be removed, in Jesus’ name.

12. Your personal prayer points for your community or any other community you are passionate about.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1Chronicle 7-8

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 26: WE ARE NEVER NEVER WEARY OF THE GRAND OLD SONG

1. We are never, never weary

of the grand old song;

Glory to God, hallelujah!

We can sing it loud as ever,

with our faith more strong;

Glory to God, hallelujah!

Refrain

O, the children of the Lord have

a right to shout and sing,

For the way is growing bright,

and our souls are on the wing;

We are going by and by

to the palace of a King!

Glory to God, hallelujah!

2. We are lost amid the

rapture of redeeming love

Glory to God, hallelujah!

We are rising on its pinions

to the hills above:

Glory to God, hallelujah!

3. We are going to a palace

that is built of gold;

Glory to God, hallelujah!

Where the King in all His

splendor we shall soon behold

Glory to God, hallelujah!

4. There we’ll shout redeeming

mercy in a glad, new song;

Glory to God, hallelujah!

There we’ll sing the praise of Jesus

with the blood washed throng;

Glory to God, hallelujah!

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MEMORISE: For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

READ: Luke 5:17

17 And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them.

MESSAGE

Hebrews 4:12 says the word of God is quick and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword. It says it can separate between joints and marrows. This implies that the word of God can perform surgical procedures that even the best among surgeons dare not attempt. An elderly man came to me several years ago, asking me to pray for the success of the surgery he needed to have to cure him of prostate cancer. I said to him, “Why don’t we pray that there will be no need for a surgery?” He laughed and said, “Your are a young boy; you will not understand. Just pray that God will guide the hands of the surgeon”. I said, “Sir, I am not going to pray that kind of prayer; I’m going to pray that my Father will heal you”. He responded that I should pray whichever way I wanted as he would still go for the surgery anyway. On the day of the surgery, a final check by the surgeon revealed that he had been healed and there was no need for the procedure anymore. Psalm 107:20 says:

He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.

The word of God is quick and powerful enough to heal you or any of your loved ones of any sickness.

In Luke 7:6-7, the Centurion said he knew that if Jesus would just send a word to his servant, the man would be healed. The Lord sent the word and his servant was indeed healed. This Centurion gave us a template on how we can get a word from God. Firstly, he knew the Word Himself and then he approached Him in faith. Do you know Jesus Christ, the Word of God? How long do you spend studying the Bible? How much of the word do you memorise? How do you expect the word you do not know or regard to work for you? Get to know God’s word by studying the Bible regularly.

The Centurion relied on the word with so much faith that Jesus Christ said He had never seen such in Israel before. When the word says in 1 Peter 2:24 that you are healed by His stripes, do you believe it? When the word says in Deuteronomy 7:15 that none of the diseases that fall on the Egyptians (unbelievers) will come to you, do you believe it? If you truly believe in the word of God, then your actions will align with your faith (James 2 :17),.Whatever challenge you may be faced with today, I decree; you will be victorious in Jesus’ name.

KEY POINT

Study the word of God and believe it, then it will work for you.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1Chronicles 4-6

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.

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.

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.

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MEMORISE: My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. Proverbs 1:10

READ: Proverbs 1:10 -19

10 My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.

11 If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause:

12 Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit:

13 We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:

14 Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:

15 My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:

16 For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.

17 Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.

18 And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives.

19 So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.

MESSAGE

In continuation of our enquiry from yesterday into why Peter denied Jesus, let us look more closely at why he even chose to sit with those who were persecuting Jesus.

And Peter followed him afar off, even into the palace of the high priest: and he sat with the servants, and warmed himself at the fire.

Mark 14:54

Peter sat with these people because he wanted the warmth of the fire which they had lit. Many times, the reason Christians stay in the congregation of the dead and end up denying Jesus is the warmth they get when they sit with them. The reason some people cannot stop conducting business with partners who make them deny Jesus is that they don’t want to lose certain benefits they get from those partners. Jesus however, said in Matthew 16 24:

…If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

The one who will not deny Jesus must first deny himself or herself. If you are not willing to deny yourself of certain ‘benefits’ you get when you spend time with unbelievers, you would end up denying Jesus like Peter did.

Nothing is more important than the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross for you, so you should never put any benefit above identifying with Him. Remember, Jesus said in Matthew 10:33:

But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

If those ‘benefits’ are more important to you than Jesus Christ, then He will deny you before His Father on the last day and the people you are trying to please will not be there to save you from the pains and agonies of hell.

KEY POINT

No benefit is worth you denying Jesus your Lord and Saviour.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2Chronicles 2-3

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 26: WE ARE NEVER NEVER WEARY OF THE GRAND OLD SONG

1. We are never, never weary

of the grand old song;

Glory to God, hallelujah!

We can sing it loud as ever,

with our faith more strong;

Glory to God, hallelujah!

Refrain

O, the children of the Lord have

a right to shout and sing,

For the way is growing bright,

and our souls are on the wing;

We are going by and by

to the palace of a King!

Glory to God, hallelujah!

2. We are lost amid the

rapture of redeeming love

Glory to God, hallelujah!

We are rising on its pinions

to the hills above:

Glory to God, hallelujah!

3. We are going to a palace

that is built of gold;

Glory to God, hallelujah!

Where the King in all His

splendor we shall soon behold

Glory to God, hallelujah!

4. There we’ll shout redeeming

mercy in a glad, new song;

Glory to God, hallelujah!

There we’ll sing the praise of Jesus

with the blood washed throng;

Glory to God, hallelujah!

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20

MEMORISE: I have hated the congregation of evil doers; and will not sit with the wicked. Psalms 26:5

READ: 2 Corinthians 6:14 -18

14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

MESSAGE

In continuation of our enquiry from yesterday into why Peter denied Jesus, let us look at Mark 14:54 again:

And Peter followed him afar off, even into the palace of the high priest: and he sat with the servants, and warmed himself at the fire.

When Peter followed Jesus from afar into the palace of the high priest, he chose to sit with the servants. Who were these servants? Mark 14:65 gives us an insight into the kind of people they were:

And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say unto him, Prophesy: and the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands.

These servants were the same ones striking Jesus with the palms of their hands and Peter was sitting with them. In Proverbs 21:16, the Bible talks about the congregation of the dead. This is a congregation of people that do things against the will of God. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were able to stand strong, refusing to deny their God because they were in the company of fellow believers and not unbelievers. 1 Corinthians 15:33 says:

Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.

If you spend a lot of time with people who are always talking about the latest clothes and televisions shows, gossiping about others, planning on how to commit sin right there in front of you, 1 Corinthians 15:33 says they would corrupt you. The more of such sinful and worldly conversations you expose yourself to, the weaker your commitment to Christ would be. Eventually, you would find yourself doing things that you have earlier vowed never to do, leave the congregation of the dead. 2 Corinthians 6:14 instructs you thus:

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness,

REFLECTION

Are your current friends and associates bringing you closer to Jesus or compelling you to deny Him every now and then?

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2King 24-1Chronicles 1

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 6: HO MY COMRADES SEE THE SIGNAL

1. Ho, my comrades, see the signal, waving in the sky!

Reinforcements now appearing, victory is nigh.

Refrain:

“Hold the fort, for I am coming,”

Jesus signals still;

Wave the answer back to heaven,

“By Thy grace we will.”

2. See the mighty host advancing,

Satan leading on,

Mighty ones around us falling,

courage almost gone!

3. See the glorious banner waving,

Hear the trumpet blow!

In our Leader’s Name we

triumph over every foe.

4. Fierce and long the battle rages,

but our help is near,

Onward comes our great Commander,

cheer, my comrades, cheer!

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20

MEMORISE: Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. 1 Corinthians 10:10

READ: Psalms 34:1-10

1 (A Psalm of David, when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech; who drove him away, and he departed.) I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

2 My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.

3 O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.

4 I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

5 They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.

6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.

7 The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.

8 O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

9 O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.

10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.

MESSAGE

And when the people complained, It displeased the Lord: and the Lord heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the Lord burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp. Numbers 11:1

God hates murmurings. He hates it so much that in the passage above, he sent fire to consume some of the Israelites who were murmuring. He wants you to live and rejoice in the knowledge of His love and care for you, not to be murmuring. You must understand that whatever it is you are going through, He is aware of it and He will bring you out of that situation victoriously. If you don’t trust Him, then why do you call yourself a believer? As long as you have placed everything in His hands, you can be sure that He would make the best out of the situation.

Sometimes however, we may be faced with situations that would shake us and make us want to question God. Nevertheless, think about lit: who are you to question the Maker of heaven and earth? Who are you to judge whether He is doing the right thing or not? Job tried to question Him and by the time God answered, he himself was frightened (Job 38-40). When situations get tough, the way to prevent yourself from murmuring is to remember what David said in Psalm 34:1:

I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

Praise God all the time because He knows what He is doing. Romans 8:28 says that all things work together for good to them that love the Lord. You may not understand now, but you will soon. If you decide that the praise of the Lord will be in your mouth at all times – no matter the situation, it will be hard for you to complain or murmur about anything. Every day, keep telling Him that He is greater that the greatest, He is higher than the highest, that He is the owner of the cattle upon a thousand hills, reminding yourself that He is the One who parted the Red sea, that He is the One who brought water out of a rock and son on. Before you know it, your faith would have risen above the situation, showing clearly that your God is greater than whatever mountain you are facing and soon you would.

ACTION POINT

Consider the challenging situation you are facing currently and begin to praise God, knowing that He will help you overcome it victoriously.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2Kings 18-20

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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20

MEMORISE: And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them. Numbers 20:12

READ: Numbers 20:1 -12

1 Then came the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, into the desert of Zin in the first month: and the people abode in Kadesh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there.

2 And there was no water for the congregation: and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.

3 And the people chode with Moses, and spake, saying, Would God that we had died when our brethren died before the LORD!

4 And why have ye brought up the congregation of the LORD into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there?

5 And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink.

6 And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they fell upon their faces: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto them.

7 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

8 Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.

9 And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him.

10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?

11 And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.

12 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.

MESSAGE

In Exodus 17:1-6, the children of Israel were thirsty so, God told Moses to strike a rock that water may come out of it for His children. In Exodus 17:6 the Bible says:

Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shall smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.

You see, the Lord our God is the Rock (2 Samuel 22:32). He was with the Israelites all through their journey in the wilderness and this further validates Hebrews 13:5 where God said He would never leave nor forsake us.

In the Bible reading for today, God told Moses to speak to the rock, but instead of speaking, Moses smote it and God was angry with him. The Lord is not to be smitten twice. The first time Jesus was smitten on the cross of Calvary, He gave us living water which is the Holy Spirit. after that time, we are to speak to Him. Anyone who smites Him again is inviting the wrath of God. Hebrews 6:6 says whenever you sin, you are crucifying Christ the second time. In Hebrews 10:26-27, the Bible says:

For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.

If after you have gotten to know Christ and His blood has washed away your sins, you then go back into sin, you are inviting the wrath of God. Proverbs 26:11 says it is dogs that go back to their vomit and Revelation 22:15 says the place of dogs is outside. The word ‘backsliding’ denotes a gradual process backwards.

Check your life: are there some things that you stopped doing when you became born again, but now you are gradually going back to them? Stop those things immediately! Don’t smite the Rock the second time! Don’t invite the wrath of God upon your life.

REFLECTION

Are you moving forwards or sliding backwards in your walk with Christ.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2Kings 15-17

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 ev’ry day;

Still praying as I’m onward bound,

“Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.”

Refrain:

Lord, lift me up, and let me stand

By faith, on heaven’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 a 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 heav’n I’ve found,

“Lord, lead me on to higher ground.”

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20

MEMORISE: For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee. Proverbs 23:7

READ: Luke 7:36 – 40

36 And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to meat.

37 And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,

38 And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.

39 Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.

40 And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on.

MESSAGE

In the Bible reading for today, a Pharisee invited Jesus to his house to eat. It would be correct to conclude that this Pharisee was a firm believer in Jesus as the true Son of God, but that was not true. Of all the people in the house that day, it was this Pharisee – the host, who thought in his heart that Jesus was not a true prophet when the woman with the alabaster box washed His feet. This shows that the Pharisee was not really a firm believer in Jesus in the first place, yet he acted like one. To make matters worse, after the Pharisee had concluded in his heart that Jesus was not really sent of God, Jesus called him and he responded, “Master”. What a hypocrite! On the outside, he called Jesus Master, but on the inside, he said, “This man is not a man of God”.

I am certain that you have one or two people like this Pharisee around you. I pray that the Almighty God will reveal them to you, in Jesus’ name. Thank God Jesus was very discerning. He knew straightaway what the Pharisee was thinking. Many people have become victims of their enemies because they thought they were their friends. May that not be your portion, in Jesus’ name. Be careful of the people who call themselves your friends. It doesn’t matter how nice they seem to you, not every victory is celebrated publicly, because the celebration could fuel their hatred for you even more and lead to them planning an attack against you. If you don’t believe me, ask Joseph, Joseph was always quick to tell his brothers his great dreams. He thought that since they were his brothers, then they would be happy for him, but he was wrong.

Yes, it is important that you share testimonies about God’s goodness to you but you must seek divine wisdom to know what to share and when to share it as not everyone will be happy for you. You must also always keep certain secrets to yourself, especially when other people’s knowledge of those secrets can greatly affect your life and destiny.

Samson thought Delilah was his friend. She seemed to genuinely be in love with him, and he felt relaxed around her. He told her the secret of his power and this led to his destruction as she revealed it to his enemies (Judges 16: 18-21). Some of the people who profess great love for you may actually be friends with your enemies; don’t share your secrets with them!

KEY POINT

Not everyone who calls you friend is really your friend.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2King 8-10

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 6: HO , MY COMRADES SEE THE SIGNAL

1 Ho My Comrades See The Signal

Waving In The Sky

Reinforcements Now Appearing

Victory Is Nigh

2 Hold The Fort For I Am Coming

Jesus Signals Still

Wave The Answer Back To Heaven

By Thy Grace We Will

3 See The Mighty Host Advancing

Satan Leading On

Mighty Ones Around Us Falling

Courage Almost Gone

4 See The Glorious Banner Waving

Hear The Trumpet Blow

In Our Leader’s Name We

Triumph Over Every Foe

5 Fierce And Long The Battle Rages

But Our Help Is Near

Onward Comes Our Great Commander

Cheer My Comrades Cheer

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MEMORISE: Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. 1 Corinthians 10:6

READ: 1 John 2:15 -17

15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

MESSAGE

“Watch what you watch” means, be mindful of what you feed your eyes on. Be careful of the lust of the flesh which is usually fuelled by what our eyes feast on. Be careful of what you permit to attract your attention. There are many people who have dipped their hands in sin so they can acquire material wealth simply because they have seen others in the world do the same. What do you permit your eyes to see?

One major goal of every Christian must be to bring his flesh under the control of his spirit, as Paul described in 1 Corinthians 9:27:

But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

There is a tussle for supremacy between the flesh and your spirit (Galatians 5:17). This battle will however, be won by the stronger party. What you focus on will determine if you are feeding your spirit to be stronger that your flesh or vice versa.

If your focus is on things beneath, if all you are after are things that will gratify your flesh, then it will be stronger and will be in control of your spirit. Your mind and focus must be set on the things of God only (Colossians 3:12).

There are two ways by which you can tell if your focus is on the things of God or the flesh. One is about how you spend your money. When you get any amount of money, is your priority on spending for God or spending to gratify yourself? If you hear that there is a need in the house of God, do you take it upon yourself to use the resources in your hands to meet it or do you act as if the need is not your business?

Another way to know what your heart is set on is to check your ambitions. When you talk about your ambitions, are they in line with glorifying God or yourself? Why do you want a promotion in your place of work? Why do you want more money? Is it all to satisfy yourself or to advance the Kingdom of God here on earth? Check your ambitions and ensure that they are glorifying God and not yourself.

REFLECTION

Do a thorough and honest assessment of yourself: are you focused on the things of God or on yourself?

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2King 1-4

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 14: NEARER MY GODTO 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 heaven;

all that thou sendest me, in mercy given;

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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THEME: BLESSINGS FROM THE VICTORY AT CALVARY III.

MEMORISE:
Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. John 15:16

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
We shall continue to examine more blessings from the victory at Calvary today. The first one we will consider today can be seen in John 15:15 which says:

Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

The sacrifice and victory at cavalry qualify believers to be called friends of Jesus. This also makes every believer an ambassador of the Most High on earth, as we see in 2 Corinthians 5:20:

Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.

The implication of the above blessing is in the Bible text of today. “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” Jesus commanded. You enjoy the privilege of an ambassador for the Almighty God when you have a divine encounter with Jesus Christ. With this comes the assurance that He will be with us until the end of the world (Matthew 28:20). The good thing about this assurance is that the Scripture says, “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31).
Another blessing from the victory at Calvary is that every believer can become a vessel through which God performs miracles. This means that we can control circumstances, principalities and powers, as we see in our Bible reading today (Mark 16:15-20).

There is a lot to rejoice over in the Scripture above. While it is true that there is still a lot of evil in the world, there are, however, numerous instances of devils being cast out of people, of persons in one form of bondage or the other being set free and so on. More and more people are baptized with the Holy Spirit, and we are constantly slaying spiritual giants. Even when we eat deadly things, they cannot harm us, and when we lay our hands on the sick, they are healed.

The only way to be part of these blessings is by accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. If you haven’t done so already, surrender your life to Him today, so that the blessings from the victory at Calvary can become yours, also.

PRAYER POINT
Father, please give me a full portion of the blessings of Calvary.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1King 21-22

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 28: WHEN WE WALK WITH THE LORD
1 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.

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.

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.

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