MEMORISE: I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. John 12:46

READ: Psalms 126:1-3

1 When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.

2 Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them.

3 The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.

MESSAGE

From the story of Bartimaeus, we learn that darkness and sorrow go hand in hand. You don’t have to understand philosophy to know that a blind beggar must have been sad. I pray for you: Your eyes will never grow dim, in Jesus’ name.

Darkness and sorrow go hand in hand, which means light brings joy. Psalm 16:11 says: “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”

Our Bible reading for today says that when the Lord turned around the people’s captivity, their mouths were filled with laughter. That is the nature of Light; He brings laughter. Light stands for joy (ohn 16:24).

There was this woman whose children were dying so she visited a white garment prophet for a solution. When she got there, the man’s wife gave her a piece of kolanut to eat, claiming that was the solution to her problem. She ate it and at night, found herself in a witchcraft meeting. Before long, she had offered up her husband. After about two years, the other witches asked for one of her children – the very children she wanted to protect. She attended one of our programmes in llorin and while I was preaching, I noticed a commotion in the congregation. After the service, the ushers told me that the woman’s dress caught fire during the preaching. We prayed a simple prayer after which she gave her life to Christ and when she went home, she excreted a dead snake. She was free from that day on. Darkness does not give joy, all it has to offer is sorrow. Proverbs 10:22 says it is only the blessings of God that maketh rich and addeth no sorrow. If the devil is offering you something that seems good, you will not fall for it, in Jesus’ name.

If you are truly a child of Light, how can you stay away from Jesus – the Light of the world? Jesus said in Matthew 11:28,
“Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.” If you remain in darkness, you will keep suffering, but when you turn to Jesus Christ, He gives you a new beginning and turns the tide for you. If you really want to be in the Light, then you should begin to live holy from
today.

KEY POINT

If the devil is offering you something that seems good, that thing is only a bait; his real aim is to bring you sorrow.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jeremiah 50

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 4: BE GLAD IN THE LORD AND REJOICE

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

Refrain:�Rejoice! Rejoice!�Be glad in the Lord and rejoice!

2 Be joyful, for He is the Lord,�On earth and in heaven supreme;�He fashions and rules by His word;�The Mighty and strong to redeem.

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

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

5 Be glad in the Lord and rejoice,�His praises proclaiming in song;�With harp and with organ and voice,�The loud hallelujahs prolong!

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MEMORISE: For I will have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and establish my covenant with you. Leviticus 26:9

READ: Genesis 1:26 -31

26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.

31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

MESSAGE

Darkness is linked with barrenness. This implies that light is equivalent to fruitfulness. When you study the Scriptures, you will see that God is interested in your fruitfulness. The very first commandment He gave to man is “Be fruitful and multiply. (Genesis 1:28). In Exodus 23:26, the Almighty God said clearly: “There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days l will fulfil”. I am decreeing, that if you are trusting God for the fruit of the womb, you will carry your own twins soon, in Jesus’ name.

There are some cases of barrenness where the doctor cannot see anything wrong with the couple because the devil is at work. A woman’s mother-in-law once visited her house and said, “My daughter, eat this bread and use it to block your womb”. The girl ate it, not taking the woman’s word seriously. From that day, she stopped menstruating for several years. Thank God we held a programme in her town that ran for some days. One afternoon during the programme, she slept and had a dream. In the dream, some people dressed like medical doctors laid her on a table, opened up her belly and been to pull out a rope. The rope was very long, and at the end of the rope was a very black piece of bread. By

The time she woke, she saw that the bed was wet with her menstrual flow. The last time l heard from her , she already had 5 children. Whatever darkness has used to stop your fruitfulness- whether it is in child-bearing or otherwise, the Light will deal with it.

Some people asked me too long ago, “Why are you against same-sex marriage?” I asked I turn, “How will two men or two women produce a child?” They mentioned adoption, but who is going to produce the child they are going to adopt? If we all adopt this lifestyle, the human race would become extinct in less than a hundred years. I told them, “The devil is a liar”. I don’t care what people or organizations say, l will stand by the truth. The word of God is clear: Be fruitful and multiply”.

Anyone trying to do anything that disobeys that instruction is disobeying God Himself.

PRAYER POINT

Father, as you have commanded me to be fruitful, my body and all that concerns me will obey that command and bear fruit, in Jesus name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jeremiah 47-48

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 23: TAKE MY LIFE AND LET IT BE

1 Take my life, and let it be

Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;

Take my moments and my days,

Let them flow in ceaseless praise,

Let them flow in ceaseless praise.

2 Take my hands, and let them move

At the impulse of Thy love;

Take my feet and let them be

Swift and beautiful for Thee,

Swift and beautiful for Thee.

3 Take my voice, and let me sing

Always, only, for my King;

Take my lips, and let them be

Filled with messages from Thee,

Filled with messages from Thee.

4 Take my silver and my gold;

Not a mite would I withhold;

Take my intellect, and use

Every power as Thou shalt choose,

Every power as Thou shalt choose.

5 Take my will, and make it Thine;

It shall be no longer mine.

Take my heart; it is Thine own;

It shall be Thy royal throne,

It shall be Thy royal throne.

6 Take my love; my Lord, I pour

At Thy feet its treasure-store.

Take myself, and I will be

Ever, only, all for Thee,

Ever, only, all for Thee.

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

READ: 1 Corinthians 10:13

13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

MESSAGE

What is leading you in life? Is it your flesh or the Spirit of God? Whenever you allow the flesh to give you direction, it will always ends in regret, but when you allow the Holy Spirit to lead you in all things, you can be sure that all will be well. The first step to overcoming lusts and temptations is submission to God, which supplies the power you need to resist the devil, and he will flee from you according to James 4:7. Moreover, the good news is that the faithfulness of God will not allow his children to be tempted above their ability, without making a way of escape for them.

In our Bible reading today, we saw that God will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear and He will always make a way of escape for us. That is so reassuring, it is for this reason that James 1:2-4 and James 1:12, admonishes us to count it as joy and blessing, when we are going through diverse temptations. This is because; God uses it to perfect the patience of His children, and also as promotion exams for them to receive the crown of life.

In spite of the assurance above, however, if for example, your eyes are always glued to seductive images from the television, internet, and your surroundings, you are merely feeding the lust in your flesh and such will lead you to hell. Don’t fall into it. If you still tolerate ungodly desires to dwell and grow in your heart, heavenly thought, divine vision and inspirations cannot find expression in you.

All believers are required to present their bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God. Your body is the temple of God, not a showpiece for people. If you choose to dress in a way to stir lust in the opposite sex, you can no longer claim to be a child of God, but an instrument in the hands of the devil. Whoever you honor with your appearance, determines who you truly serve. God has provided us with everything we need to overcome lust and temptation through Jesus Christ, all we need is to follow His example. Hebrew 4:15 says Jesus our High Priest was in all point tempted, but He scale over them all without a sin. He has given us the power to resist the devil and to live above lusts and temptation. Hallelujah!

PRAYER POINT

Father, please empower me to overcome lusts and temptations , in Jesus name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 57-59

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 23: TAKE MY LIFE AND LET IT BE

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

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

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

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

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

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

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MEMORISE: For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. Leviticus 17:11

READ: Hebrews 12:22 -24

22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,

23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,

24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

MESSAGE

Blood is not just important in the life of man, but also vey sacred in the sight of our creator-the Almighty God. It is so sacred that the Bible says anyone who sheds blood will have his or her blood shed also (Genesis 9:6). The first place where we saw God being angry with someone who shed the blood of another fellow is in Genesis 4, in the case of Cain. The Almighty God said:

And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground. And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand;
Genesis 4:10-11

The sacredness of blood can be further seen in our memory verse. The life of the flesh is in the blood and that is why the blood of Jesus can make atonement for our sins and redeem us from eternal damnation that awaits all sinners.

Many people have however, shown complete disregard to the sacredness of blood. Many engage in or encourage abortion of unwanted pregnancies, ritual killing, cannibalism and so on. Some have told lies that led to others losing their lives. Some embezzled funds that should have been used to build roads or hospitals, thereby causing fatal road accidents and loss of lives due to poor medical services as a result of inadequate funding. Criminals shed blood with impunity without considering the position of the Almighty God concerning such acts.

Beloved, are you blood –guilty? You must repent today because blood is very sacred and God will not spare unrepentant sinners who are caught in the guilt of blood-letting. The goodnews is that Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, has paid for all our sins, including blood guiltiness, as we find in the Bible reading of today. The moment a person acknowledges that Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose that we may have eternal life, that fellow is saved from every sin , including blood-guiltiness of the past.

Accept Him as your Lord and Saviour, and your sins will be completely forgiven.

ACTION POINT

Pray that God will cleanse you from all sins, including that of blood-guiltiness.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 50-52

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: As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. Psalms 42:1

READ: Psalms 42:1 -5

1 As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.

2 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?

3 My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?

4 When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday.

5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.

MESSAGE

God seekers are those who are comfortable with His commandments. People don’t seek God today – not because they are ignorant of what they stand to gain seeking the One from who all blessings flow. Rather, they are not comfortable with His demands on what they consider as their right to decide how to live their lives. The elders say, A child born yesterday who threatens not to play with us should be asked, “Do you think we were lonely before your birth?” In other words, if we do not seek God’s face, its to our disadvantage and not God’s.

David, in our Bible reading, gave his reason for seeking God when he said: “For l shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.” He said further, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:1-2). Beloved, it pays to seek the Lord. Isaiah 55:6 encourages us to do so when He may be found and before it is too late. This means there would come a time when man may seek God and He may not be found.

For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him.
Psalm 32:6

How do we seek God? God can be sought from His revealed truth, as written in the Holy Scriptures. When we study the word of God consistently, we are seeking God because Jesus is the Word of God and He is God (John 1:1).

We must also seek God with all our hearts if we would find Him (Jeremiah 29:13).

We also seek God by looking out for how to please Him. Jesus said we are His disciples indeed if we do that which He commanded us to. How many self-professing Christians are doing God’s will?

God promised that if you seek Him with all your heart, you will find Him . Commit to seeking God with all your heart today and you will find Him.

PRAYER POINT

Father, please reveal Yourself to me as I seek to know You more and more.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 44-46

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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20

MEMORISE: The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. Proverbs 9:10

READ: Psalms 34:1 -11

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.

11 Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

MESSAGE

Today’s memory verse clearly establishes the need to fear the Lord if we would be wise and gain an understanding of life. The Lord asks: “A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then l be a father, where is mine honour?” (Malachi 1:6). How do we fear the Lord? Today’s Bible reading gives us ideas on how we fear the Most High God. One, we must magnify the Lord for who He is. It takes appreciation of God to fear Him. The Psalmist says:

O,Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! Who hast set thy glory above the heavens…When l consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained.
Psalm 8:1, 3

Secondly, we must put our total trust in Him. Lack of trust in God may cause us to disobey Him like Adam and Eve did. They repeated what God had told them but the serpent countered it, thereby calling God a liar. Genesis 3:4-5 says, “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” If Adam and Eve had had the fear of God in them, the devil would not have had his way in their lives. Here we can see that, indeed, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10).

Joseph is a classic example of someone who demonstrated the fear of God. Due to his fear of the Lord, he refused to take advantage of the adulterous offer of his master’s wife. He refused to commit sexual immorality and told Potiphar’s wife:

There is none greater in this house than l; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can l do this great wickedness, and sin against God?
Genesis 39:9

Fear the Lord and keep His commandments. When you do, the type of blessing that later came upon Joseph (Genesis 41:14) will also be your portion.

PRAYER POINT

Father, please help me to fear You indeed and fill me with Your wisdom, in Jesus name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 38-40

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 1: ALL HAIL THE POWER OF JESUS’ NAME

1. All hail the power of Jesus’ Namel
Let angels prostrate fall;
Bring forth the royal diadem,
and crown Him Lord of all.
Bring forth the royal diader,
and crown Him Lord of all.

2. Let highborn seraphs tune the lyre,
and as they tune it, fall.
Before His face Who tunes their choir,
and crown Him Lord of all.
Before His face Who tunes their choir,
and crown Him Lord of all.

3. Crown Him, ye morning stars of light,
Who fixed this floating ball;
Now hail the strength of Israel’s might,
and crown Him Lord of all.
Now hail the strength of Israel’s might,
and crown Him Lord of all.

4. Crown Him, ye martyrs of your God,
who from His altar call;
Extol the Stem of Jesse’s Rod, and crown Him Lord of all.
Extol the Stem of Jesse’s Rod,
and crown Him Lord of all.

5. Ye seed of Israel’s chosen race,
ye ransomed from the fall,
Hail Him Who saves you by His grace,
and crown Him Lord of all.
Hail Him Who saves you by His grace,
and crown Him Lord of all.

6. Hail Him, ye heirs of David’s line,
Whom David Lord did call,
The God incarnate, Man divine,
and crown Him Lord of all,
The God incarnate, Man divine,
and crown Him Lord of all.

7. Sinners, whose love can ne’er forget
the wormwood and the gall,
Go spread your trophies at His feet, and crown Him Lord of all.
Go spread your trophies at His feet,
and crown Him Lord of all.

8. Let every tribe and every tongue
before Him prostrate fall
And shout in universal song
the crowned Lord of all.
And shout in universal song
the crowned Lord of all

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MEMORISE: God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hebrews 1:1

READ: Hebrews 1:1 -2

1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

MESSAGE

Yesterday, we started discussing the reality of God still speaking to His people, even to,this present moment. In today’s text, we read that though God spoke to His people through His prophets, now He speaks through His Son, Jesus Christ. This is made possible through the Holy Spirit whom Jesus sent to the Church right from the day of Pentecost. He promised:

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever l have said unto you.
John 14:26

God still speaks to His people; no doubt about that. We must however, pay close attention to the later part of the sentence – “to His people.” In other words, God speaks only to His people. Why only His people? It is because it is His people who hearken and act on His words. God has no time to waste talking to those who will not do His bidding. This is why Jesus Christ was fond of speaking to His disciples, whomHe knew would abide by His words. He said further:

He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
John 14:21

Beloved, there are a lot of blessings for those who hear from God. One of these blessings is that such people would avoid mistakes. For example, the word of God to the people in Cornelius’ household was based on Peter’s ability to hear from God and his obedience to the instructions given to him (Acts 10). In the same vein, Philip’s ability to hear from God took him to the Gazan desert where he gained the soul of the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:26-39).

For example, hearing from God can reveal the type of business you can do to prosper. It can also help you know where to go, live or what type of friends you should keep. If you desire to hear from God directly, you must give your life to Christ and live wholly for Him.

REFLECTION

Have you been hearkening and living according to His words?

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 35-37

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 23: TAKE MY LIFE AND LET IT BE

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

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

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

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

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

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

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MEMORISE: In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee. 1 Kings 3:5

READ: Genesis 12:1 -4

1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:

2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

4 So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.

MESSAGE

God still speaks to this day, but unfortunately, many people do not hear Him because they are too busy with the affairs of life. The painful thing is that people do not know what they are missing by not listening to their maker. In today’s text, we read about Abraham’s encounter with the Almighty God.

Now the Lord had said to Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy father’s kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that l will show thee.

Genesis 12:1

There are some lessons we can learn from this singular encounter that changed Abraham’s life, One, God discovered the love and sincerity of Abraham so He revealed Himself to him. This love for God was demonstrated in his positive and prompt response to God’s command to leave his father’s house. Another lesson is that the dialogue between God and Abraham did not contain commands alone; it was backed by et real blessings. The Bible says, ‘So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). Abraham became the father of faith because the word of God penetrated his heart. In the Scripture from where we took the memory verse, we read this f the encounter of Solomon with the Almighty God. During that divine encounter, God gave Solomon a blank cheque and this is a typical privilege enjoyed by those who have such dialogues with God.

In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what l shall give thee.

I Kings 3:5

To be genuine children of God, we must surrender completely to all His commandments. This is where many people often miss it – they are not ready to obey God fully. They want freedom from His commandments; they want to take over the affairs of life without any recourse to God Almighty. I encourage you to give your life to Jesus Christ today. Seek His face without ceasing – not just what He has to give and you will receive great revelations from Him that will transform your life for good.

PRAYER POINT

Father, please speak to me today, and always.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 32-34

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 3: ANCIENT WORDS

Holy words long preserved
for our walk in this world,

They resound with God’s own heart

Oh, let the Ancient words impart.

Chorus

Ancient words ever true

Changing me, and changing you.

We have come with open hearts

Oh let the ancient words impart.

Words of Life, words of Hope
Give us strength, help us cope

In this world, where e’er we roam

Ancient words will guide us Home.

Holy words of our Faith
Handed down to this age.

Came to us through sacrifice

Oh heed the faithful words of Christ.

Holy words long preserved

For our walk in this world.

They resound with God’s own heart

Oh let the ancient words impart.

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MEMORISE: Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; John 8:31

READ: Deuteronomy 28:1

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:

MESSAGE

Anyone can become the best. There are however, conditions that must be fulfilled if you want to become the best. The Bible says: “I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth” (Ecclesiastes 10:7). It all depends on the readiness to pay the price. In our Bible text, we read the promises of God that assure us of being the best. However, in the same text, we read the conditions to fulfil – hearkening to the voice of the Lord,,observing and doing all His commandments

How many of us are ready to hearken to the voice of the Lord today? I have taught ministers what it means to hearken, which is different from listening. To hearken is not just to listen but to pay very close attention to the details of the voice of the commandment of the Lord. Only then can you fulfil the details of God’s instructions. The Bible says that faith can only come by hearing, and hearing by the word of God and not the word of men or the voice of our carnal body (Romans 10:17). For example, if you want to be the best financially, you must pay close attention to Malachi 3:10, which says:

Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meal in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if l will not open you the Windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be enough to receive it.

A closer look at the passage will reveal why some people have been paying tithes but have not received the promise of super-abundance. “Bring all the tithes” the Bible says – not some. “Bring it ” not “Send it” – meaning that God cherishes our presence before Him more than our gift. He wants our fellowship. He is not a beggar, we must come with fear and trembling, praying that He would even accept our tithes and offerings.

Another example is when we want God to perform miracles through us. The Bible says that some results cannot be achieved without prayer and fasting (Matthew 17:21), even though some translations have removed fasting for reasons best known to them. Beloved, you can be the best if you will pay the price of surrendering your life to Christ and living according to His will.

PRAYER POINT

Father, please give me the best and make me the best, in Jesus name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 20-24

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 21: STANDING ON THE PROMISES OF GOD

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.

Standing, standing,

1 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: For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9

READ: Mark 4:35 -41

35 And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side.

36 And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.

37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.

38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?

39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?

41 And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?

MESSAGE

A financial storm is another critical storm of life that every believer must take care of by the power in the name of Jesus Christ. The Bible says: “The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender” (Proverbs 22:7). The Scripture further says: “The rich man’s wealth is his strong city: the destruction of the poor is their poverty” (Proverbs 10:15). The first thing to do to still a financial storm is to work hard. The Bible says:

He becometh poor that dealeth with a slash hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich. He that gathererh in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame:

Proverbs 10:4-5

The Bible further says in Proverbs 22:29:

Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.

Thus, hard work is good. However, hard work alone may guarantee safety from financial storm because the Bible says: “Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman wake th but in vain” (Psalm 127:1). Right from the fall at Eden, man has been laboring with little reward (Genesis 3:17-19). Therefore, the curse of poverty must be broken and the only One who can do this is Jesus Christ our Redeemer.

Our memory verse for today shows that Jesus sacrificed everything to restore man to a life of bliss. We must invite Him into our lives so that every financial storm blowing against our lives would be stilled.

We need to cry to God in the name of Jesus Christ, who,promised that whatever we ask the Father in His name shall be done for us (John 14:14). He says also in Matthew 7:7-8, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that a sketch receiveth; and he that seeketh find etch; and to him that knock etch it shall be opened”. God will end poverty in your life today and He will use your testimony to draw many into His Kingdom, in Jesus’ name.

PRAYER POINT

Father, please bless me, and still my financial storms today.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 12-14

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.

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;

O 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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