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

READ: Psalm 133:1-3.
1Behold, 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. Father, we thank You for our various communities and how You have kept us through the years. Please, help us to work in unity to bring great development to our community in Jesus’ name.

2. Lord, we cancel every satanic operation in our community. Witches and wizards will never be able to operate in this community in Jesus’ name.

3. Lord, let Your peace and unity reign in our community. Father, do not let the enemy come between us. Please, keep us in one accord.

4. Father, we decree that the fathers, mothers, youth and children shall enjoy divine safety in our community in Jesus’ name.

5. Lord, let no kidnapper, armed robber, ritualist or any other, evildoer attack our community successfully in Jesus’ name.

6. Father, let Your light shine forever in our community. Make our community a miracle center in Jesus’ name.

7. Father, let there be no natural disaster- whether fire, flood or any other kind in our community in Jesus’ name.

8. Father, send helper to our community. Send helpers from every side and let the government of this nation favor our community in Jesus’ name.

9. Father, send helpers to our community, let there be a great salvation of souls in Jesus’ name. Let men be drawn to the light of Your word in Jesus’ name.

10. Father, favor our community so that everything that has been difficult for us to do will now be easy, in Jesus’s name.

11. Father, give our community leaders wisdom to lead us to greater heights in Jesus’ name. Let holiness reign in our community in the mighty name of Jesus.

12. Pray about that particular thing you want God to do in your community.

13. He will rise on your behalf in the mighty name of Jesus.

THANKSGIVING:
Father, thank you for the men, women youth and children in our community. We are grateful for what You have done and what You will do amongst us.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalm 48-50.

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 14: 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?

3. 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!

4. 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.

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MEMORISE:
Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Deuteronomy 31:6

READ: 2 Chronicles 32:7-8

7 Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us than with him:

8 With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

MESSAGE:
In the memory verse of today, Moses the servant of God encourages the children of Israel to be of good courage and not be afraid of their enemies. There are many reasons we cannot afford to be afraid of people. Proverbs 29:25 says:

“The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe.”

Anyone who wants to represent God in the world must be courageous or else he or she would make a mess of his or her divine assignment as in the case of King Saul. When confronted with not obeying God’s instructions to the letter, he said “…I have sinned: yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel…” (1 Samuel 15:22-30)

Another reason we should not be afraid of any man or thing is that God is with us. His name is Emmanuel. He Himself said “…I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” (Matthew 28:20). In Isaiah 43:2-3, the Bible says:
“When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.”

In the face of threats of war from Sennacherib King of Assyria, Hezekiah said in 2 Chronicles 32:8:
“With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.”

Hebrews 10:35 says:
“Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.”

Never cast away your confidence by giving way to fear. Beloved, I encourage you to fear not and be courageous in whatever situation you may find yourself, and God shall be with you- body, soul and spirit, in Jesus’ name.

PRAYER POINT:
Father, please touch me in the areas where I need Your intervention today. Let my joy be full, in the mighty name of Jesus.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalm 46-47.

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

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MEMORISE:
Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. Matthew 9:29

READ: Matthew 9:20-22
20 And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment:

21 For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.

22 But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.

MESSAGE:
There is tremendous power in a divine touch. A divine touch could be positive or negative. Naaman knew the power in a touch; that was why he was disappointed when Elisha did not come out to welcome him to Samaria. 2 Kings 5:11 describes it thus:
“But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.”

Apart from God touching an individual for healing, a fellow can equally touch the Divine with the hands of faith and get healed, according to our Bible reading of today. Some years ago, during one of our Conventions at the Redemption Camp in Nigeria, the Lord asked us to provide a piece of cloth for people to touch by faith so they could receive their miracles. However, He warned that people should only touch and not hold the clothe. A man went ahead to grab it instead of touching; it took the special grace of God for him not to die as he began to shake from morning until evening. While others got their miracles by a touch of faith, he got ‘vibrations’ because of faithlessness.

A divine touch can bring the dead to life as we see in the story of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:11-15). The Bible says Jesus only touched the bier of the son of the widow and commanded him to rise; that was all. I pray for you: The Almighty God will touch your unpleasant situation and you will laugh last, in Jesus’ name. the widow of Nain laughed last because of a touch from the Author of life. A touch that comes from faith can work for both the person touching and for the fellow being touched. In Matthew 9:29-30, two blind men cried to Jesus for healing. When Jesus found out that these men had the required faith, He touched their eyes and they received their sight.

The touch of faith is required in order to get a miracle. May your faith be strong enough to get you a divine touch so that you will have great testimonies, in the mighty name of Jesus.

PRAYER POINT:
Father, please touch me in the areas where I need Your intervention today. Let my joy be full, in the mighty name of Jesus.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalm 43-45.

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 6: GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS.

1. “Great is Thy faithfulness,”
O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not,
Thy compassions, they fail not
As Thou hast been
Thou forever wilt be.

Chorus
“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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MEMORISE:
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Revelation 23:13

READ: Colossians 3:1-4

1If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

MESSAGE:
One major attribute of God is that fact that He occupies the beginning and the ending of everything that exists. In other words, when we look at the beginning of everything that exists, the first personality we will find is God and as we travel through eternity, we will still find God. As a matter of fact, this attribute makes Him the God that He is. The implication of the above revelation is that our God is in January of every year and if you are privileged to see December of that same year, you would find Him there, taking charge of every minute until the last day of the year, God is in control of everything that happens, both now and in the future. Nothing catches Him unawares.

Now, what lessons can we learn from these truths about the Almighty God? One, He does not only know our beginning, He determines it. Two, because He determines our beginning, He also determines our ending. Three, because He determines our ending, it is wisdom for us to completely hand over our lives to Him this is because He knows how best to keep it for us. Paul, one of the Apostles of Jesus Christ, being assured and persuaded of this truth, writes in 2 Timothy 1:12:
“For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.”

Beloved, I want you to commit your life unto Jesus Christ, whose name is the Alpha and Omega, knowing very well that He knows the end of this year from the very beginning. He will direct your path unto righteousness which is obtainable only through His accomplished work of redemption and He will keep you away from all evil. If you are still contemplating giving your life to Him, please do this today without further delay (2 Corinthians 6:1-2).

The gospel was preached to a man but he decided to postpone the day of his salvation. Unfortunately for him, he died before he could decide for Jesus Christ. This will not be your portion in Jesus’ name. May the Almighty God keep you, bless you and see you through the remaining part of the year in Jesus’ name.

PRAYER POINT:
Father, You are the Alpha and Omega. Please keep my going out and my coming in throughout the rest of this year and lead me in the path of righteousness in Jesus’ name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalm 40-42.

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 1: ALL HAIL THE POWER OF JESUS NAME.
1. All hail the pow’r of Jesus’ Name!
Let angels prostrate fall;
Bring forth the royal diadem,
And crown Him Lord of all!

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

3. Let every kindred, every tribe,
On this terrestrial ball,
To Him all majesty ascribe,
And crown Him Lord of all!

4. Oh, that with yonder sacred throng
We at His feet may fall!
We’ll join the everlasting song,
And crown Him Lord of all!

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MEMORISE:
And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. Luke 19:13

READ: Joshua 13:1-6.

1Now Joshua was old and stricken in years; and the LORD said unto him, Thou art old and stricken in years, and there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed.

2 This is the land that yet remaineth: all the borders of the Philistines, and all Geshuri,

3 From Sihor, which is before Egypt, even unto the borders of Ekron northward, which is counted to the Canaanite: five lords of the Philistines; the Gazathites, and the Ashdothites, the Eshkalonites, the Gittites, and the Ekronites; also the Avites:

4 From the south, all the land of the Canaanites, and Mearah that is beside the Sidonians unto Aphek, to the borders of the Amorites:

5 And the land of the Giblites, and all Lebanon, toward the sunrising, from Baalgad under mount Hermon unto the entering into Hamath.

6 All the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon unto Misrephothmaim, and all the Sidonians, them will I drive out from before the children of Israel: only divide thou it by lot unto the Israelites for an inheritance, as I have commanded thee.

MESSAGE:

Jesus’ parable in the memory verse of today was directed to the disciples who He was preparing for the Great Commission in Mark 16:15-16. They were to ‘occupy’ means ‘to keep busy’ alone; it is more than that. We must not keep ourselves ‘busy’ doing nothing substantial. To understand the import of Christ’s command in Luke 19:13, we must look at the Bible reading of toady. The Lord assessed the occupation of the Promised Land under Joshua’s leadership as below His expectation. This should be food for thought for the Church today. Joshua 13:1 says:
“1Now Joshua was old and stricken in years; and the LORD said unto him, Thou art old and stricken in years, and there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed.”

Joshua became old and did not have the required energy to lead the battle against the inhabitants of the land which God had given to the children of Israel. In the same vein, when Jesus Christ said that we should go into the world and preach the gospel to every creature, he was actually saying that we should occupy the land so as to establish His reign on earth. It is beyond keeping ourselves busy just for the sake of it. The questions now are, “Are we really occupying while awaiting Jesus’ second coming?” “Can we say we are occupying both the geographical and spiritual landscape and atmosphere of the world?” “What can we show for all the millions we are spending on missions and evangelistic efforts?” “Have we paused our efforts to occupy the nooks and crannies of the kingdoms of this world like the disciples of old?” We must always remember that our mandate is to make disciples of all nations.

Beloved, we must not lose ground any more. As a matter of fact, we must recover the grounds we have lost. We must summon courage to go after the enemy and recover the kingdoms that once belonged to the Church and the cathedrals that have been turned to dens of sin. Christian nations that have become secular must be revived and brought back to the light of the gospel of the Son of the Living God. May the Lord help us.

ACTION POINT:
You must be active in spreading the gospel to the whole world and win back institutions and nations for the Lord our God.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Nehemiah 13.

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 8: HO, MY COMRADES! SEE THE SIGNAL.
1. Ho, my comrades, see the signal, waving in the sky!
Reinforcements now appearing, victory is nigh.

o 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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MEMORISE:

Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. John 6:54

READ: Mark 14:22-24.

22 And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body.

23 And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it.

24 And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many.

MESSAGE:

Jesus offered His body to His disciples and by extension to us His present-day apostles. An invitation to a Holy Communion Service is an invitation to come and partake in the life of the Life-Giver. The body of Jesus was broken for us and so, when we partake in the Lord’s Super, we are eating Jesus’ body which is meat indeed (John 6:48-50). Whoever eats His body has eternal life.

The significance of the Lord’s Supper resides in its value. The value of a meal is determined by how mush you put into it. To give us the Lord’s Supper, Jesus Christ had to pay a great price by shedding His blood on the cross. The Lord cannot pay such a great price only for us to remain in the congregation of the dead. After so great a price has been paid for such a meal, we must reap the benefits of life to its fullest. Jesus said:
“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John 10:10

The Holy Communion meal positively affects our body, soul and spirit. When you partake in the life-giving meal comprising the broken body of Jesus Christ, value is added to your life. No matter how empty or meaningless life may have seemed, partaking of the Holy Communion meal gives you new life- ensuring that you can have a better life, go further and achieve greater things.

To access the benefits of Holy Communion Meal however, you must first accept and acknowledge Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then begin to live by the commandments of the One who paid the supreme price for the salvation of your soul.

You must however be careful not to partake of this meal unworthily (1 Corinthians 11:27-29), as doing so would bring condemnation. This is why many are weak and sickly in the congregation. In order not to partake of the meal unworthy, you must do a self-examination and ensure that you do not have a lifestyle of sexual immorality and other sins.

PRAYER POINT:
Father, please let the broken body and the blood of Jesus Christ, avail for me in all areas of my life in Jesus’ name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Nehemiah 11-12.

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 29: WHAT CAN WASH AWAY MY STAIN.
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.

o Refrain:
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 pardon, this I see,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
For my cleansing this my plea,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

3. Nothing can for sin atone,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
Naught of good that I have done,
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.

5. Now by this I’ll overcome—
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
Now by this I’ll reach my home—
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

6. Glory! Glory! This I sing—
Nothing but the blood of Jesus,
All my praise for this I bring—
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

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MEMORISE:
For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Mark 8:36

READ: Revelation 3:14-19.

14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;

15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.

16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

MESSAGE:
Many times in the Scripture, Jesus warns believers against the lust of the world. As Christians, we are enjoined to set our affections on heavenly things so that we would not be drawn into covetousness. Our memory verse today poses a great question that every believer must reflect on.

Beloved, whet is your spiritual state today? In today’s Bible reading, our Lord accused the Church in Laodicea of being lukewarm; they were neither hot nor cold. What could have been responsible for this? They had been carried away by their material prosperity. Unfortunately, the Church today is just like the one in Laodicea; services have now become jamborees and we have ministers who are not genuine. Jesus described the Church in revelation 3:17 as “…. wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:” This tells us one thing: if not properly managed, material prosperity could be very dangerous.

It may be easier for a person to fast when he barely has something to eat, than when his or her kitchen is loaded with all sorts of food. I remember many years ago when my meal was one finger of plantain per day. In those days if I dared eat two in a day, I would have to fast the following day. It takes the grace of God and strong determination to fast when your storehouse is full of assorted food. In the same vein, it may not take a long time for a woman to dress up for Church service on Sunday morning when all she has is just two pairs of shoes. However, when she has to choose matching shoes among many pairs, she may end up struggling to get to church on time. If King Solomon could ask God to take away the vanity of riches from him, how much more should we (Proverbs 30:7-9).

God called on Adam after he had sold himself to Satan and the three main temptations in history- the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. He responded by saying he was hiding because he realized that he was naked. He was right: riches without God is spiritual nakedness. Beloved, don’t be deceived. Only Jesus Christ can satisfy; nothing else can- not even the possession of the whole world.

PRAYER POINT:
Father, please set me on fire for You so that I may remain hot even until Your second coming.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Nehemiah 9-10.

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 11: I NEED THEE EVERY HOUR.
1. I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine can peace afford.

o Refrain:
I need Thee, oh, I need Thee;
Every hour I need Thee;
Oh, bless me now, my Savior,
I come to Thee.

2. I need Thee every hour, stay Thou nearby;
Temptations lose their pow’r when Thou art nigh.

3. I need Thee every hour, in joy or pain;
Come quickly and abide, or life is vain.

4. I need Thee every hour; teach me Thy will;
And Thy rich promises in me fulfill.

5. I need Thee every hour, most Holy One;
Oh, make me Thine indeed, Thou blessed Son.

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MEMORISE:

The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been born. Mark 14:21

READ: Mark 14:17-21

17 And in the evening he cometh with the twelve.

18 And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me.

19 And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one, Is it I? and another said, Is it I?

20 And he answered and said unto them, It is one of the twelve, that dippeth with me in the dish.

21 The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been born.

MESSAGE:
There are basically two sides of life- the right and the wrong. When we consider the role Judas Iscariot played in the crucifixion of Jesus, we cannot sympathize with him. This is because, although someone had to betray the Savior, it did not have to be Judas. As a matter of fact, Jesus had warned the disciples in John 6:70, saying:
“..Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?”

Why was it Judas who betrayed Jesus? Juda Iscariot’s greed pushed him to sell Jesus out. John 12:4-6 says he was a thief, always stealing from the treasury. In Colossians 3:5, we are enjoined to mortify the parts of our bodies which push us to commit sin. We are also to run away from those sins like covetousness and greed that can easily get us entangled. Had Judas done this, perhaps he would not have fallen prey to the deceit of the devil. Cain was another person who led a negative life; he murdered his brother as a result of envy. Rather than finding out why God rejected his sacrifice, he jealously killed his godly brother. He never knew peace afterwards (Genesis 4:10-15). Reuben, the first son of Jacob also led a negative life of adultery to the point that he slept with his father’s wife (Genesis 49:3-4). His father cursed him, saying that he would not excel.

Beloved, it is better not to be born at all than to be born and go to hell. Jesus warned Judas Iscariot but it was to no avail. That was why what he got from the King of kings and the Lord of lords was ‘woe’. What a worthless and negative life! All the years he spent following the Master were wasted for thirty pieces of silver!

Before you crucify Judas Iscariot, look inward and see whether you are wearing the same shoe as he. If you are, repent today and begin to live on the right side of life as a child of the Most High.

PRAYER POINT:
Father, help me not to do anything that would hinder Your plan for me, in the mighty name of Jesus.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Nehemiah 7-8.

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 2: AMAZING GRACE! HOW SWEET THE SOUND.

1. Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.

2. ’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.

3. Through many dangers, toils, and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

4. The Lord has promised good to me,
His Word my hope secures;
He will my Shield and Portion be,
As long as life endures.

5. Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

6. The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who called me here below,
Will be forever mine.

7. When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’d first begun.

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MEMORISE:
And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, Luke 17:15

READ: Luke 17:15-19.
15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,

16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.

17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?

18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.

19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

MESSAGE:
Our title is a coinage of the words ‘heart’ and ‘gratitude’ meaning a heart of gratitude. God can perform miracles in the life of anybody; all He demands is gratitude thereafter. Anyone who lacks gratitude will ultimately miss everything good in life, and may not be blessed again. We see this in the story of the ten lepers Jesus healed in our Bible reading for today. Jesus asked:
“….Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.”

Although Jesus healed ten lepers, it was the one who returned to testify that was made whole. While the attitude of the other nine couldn’t take them beyond their healing, the one who returned to give thanks got not just healing but wholeness. Jesus certified him as permanently healed. You too can receive perfect miracles if you show gratitude to the one and only miracle worker- Jesus Christ.

Some wise children of God even give promissory gratitude by vowing to do one thing or the other in anticipation of their miracles and it works for them. Hannah is a good example; she promised God that if He would give her a male child, she would gratefully dedicate him to God. In the end, she got more than she asked for- six children in all (1 Samuel 2:21).

This is the direct opposite of a so-called Christian who God blessed with a big business opportunity, then picked offense when a man of God suggested that He should thank God. He eventually lost the opportunity. You must cultivate the habit of worshipping God for who He is, thank Him for what He has done in the past, in anticipation of what He will continue to do. He is Jehovah El-Shaddai- the God who is more than enough for all situations. Never trivialize even the miracle of sleeping and waking, among others. You will be more thankful when you see people who cannot ease themselves without medical aid.

When you are grateful to God, you will receive even more blessings of the One from whom all blessings flow. The best way of saying thank you to God for His provision is by giving your life to Christ. You can also show gratitude by paying your tithes consistently (Malachi 3:10). As you do, the Lord will bless you mightily in Jesus name.

PRAYER POINT:
Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name (Psalm 103:1).

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Nehemiah 4-6.

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

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MEMORISE:
“Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray.” (Psalm 5:2)

READ: Psalm 5:1-3 (KJV)

1. Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation.

2. Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God; for unto thee will I pray.

3. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.

MESSAGE:
The Psalmist, in our memory verse for today, made a great discovery. He found that prayer is very important to anyone who wants to be victorious in life.

Not only that, the Person to whom we channel our prayers is even more important.

In (2 Kings 6:26-27), we see a woman who misdirected her prayer to the King of Israel when she was in distress.

Thank God the king was wise, he redirected her focus to the Lord. We must channel our prayers to the right person.

No wonder Psalm 5:3 says: “…in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.”

Luke 18:1-8 paints a true picture of where we should direct our prayers.

Only God knows how long it took the judge to pay attention to this helpless widow. However, she did not relent in asking.

Jesus Christ said:

“Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?” adding “I tell you that he will avenge them speedily.

Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” The lesson we should draw from this is that had the woman directed her prayers to God, she would not have suffered from the insensitivity of the judge. We should however also learn persistence from this widow.

Beloved, to whom are you directing your prayers? If it is your pastor, despite the fact that he is God’s representative, you are missing it. Is it the government of your country?

No government of this world can adequately solve your problem. The King of Samaria, in (2 Kings 6:26-27), was sincere enough to tell the woman who came to him that he himself was helpless.

When we seek solutions to our problems from people, we’re making a god out of them. Seeking solutions from people rather than God leads to disappointment.

Jeremiah 17:5 says:

Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord.

Put your trust in the Almighty God who gives liberally without upbraiding (James 1:5); He will definitely help you.

ACTION POINT:
From now, redirect your prayers from men to God and you will never be disappointed.

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Nehemiah 1-3

HYMN 20: PRAISE TO THE LORD, THE ALMIGHTY, THE KING OF CREATION.

1. Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation;
O my soul, praise Him, for He is your health and salvation!
Come, all who hear, now to His temple draw near,
Join me in glad adoration.

2. Praise to the Lord, above all things so wondrously reigning;
Sheltering you under His wings, and so gently sustaining!
Have you not seen, all that is needful has been sent by His gracious ordaining?

3. Praise to the Lord, who will prosper your work and defend you;
Surely His goodness and mercy shall daily attend you.
Ponder anew, what the Almighty can do, if with His love He befriend you.

4. Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in me adore Him!
All that has life and breath, come now with praises before Him!
Let the Amen, sound from His people again;
Gladly forever adore Him.

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