MEMORISE: For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:23

READ: Romans 6:18 -23

18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.

20 For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.

21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.

22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

MESSAGE

Many people are in the miry clay of life. A miry clay is a situation so terrible, you cannot get out of it by yourself; you need external help to get you out of it. When Doctor tells someone that they have done their best and there is nothing more they can do to make the fellow feel better, he knows that at that point, except God comes to his aid, he is finished. Thankfully, l have a God who specializes in lifting people out of the miry clay and placing their feet on the rock to stand firm (Psalm 40:2).

What do you do for the Almighty God to pull you out of the miry clay? The first thing is to realise that it is sin that brought you into the miry clay in the first instance. When the paralysed man was brought to Jesus in Mark 2:1-12, the first thing the Lord said to him was, “Your sins be forgiven you”.The word of God is clear: the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Sickness is an agent of death. You must repent and forsake your sins before you can come out of the miry clay. The Lord told the man at the pool of Bethesda, “Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee” (John 5:14). If you don’t get rid of sin in your life, you may never get out of that miry clay. David said in Psalm 66:18: “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:” How can you be expecting an answer from God when He cannot even hear your prayers at all?

I was invited to Tunisia about 11 years ago to speak at the World Prayer Conference and I said, “Brethren, I have come to submit to you that God answers all prayers”. Some deep theologians called me aside and said that it is not true. Don’t let anybody deceive you, God answers prayers. He said, “Call on me and I will answer you” (Jeremiah 33:3). He didn’t say, “I may answer you”. The only variable there is, He can only answer the prayers He hears. If He doesn’t hear, how will there be an answer? Isaiah 59:1-2 says clearly that it is our sins that prevent God from hearing us.

If you are still obeying God half-heartedly, change your ways. It is in your best interest to do so.

KEY POINT

Sin blocks you from the life of God and gives you death as an inheritance. Stay away from sin.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Hosea 5-9

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 28: WHAT CAN WASH AWAY MY SIN

1. What can wash away my stain?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

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.

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MEMORISE: A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Matthew 7:18

READ: Galatians 5:22 -25

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

MESSAGE

As we continue with our lessons on the works of grace, we will study a manifestation of the Holy Spirit in believers called ‘the fruit of the Holy Spirit’. If a Christian has gifts of the Holy Spirit but does not have the fruit of the Holy Spirit listed in our Bible reading of today, such a person is headed for destruction. An example of this is when a believer becomes proud because God performs miracles through him or her. Matthew 7:22-23 says: ‘Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will l profess unto them, l never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity”. They had the gifts of prophecy and working of miracles, but God didn’t even know them. That is because though the gift was present in their lives, the fruit was absent. This is why you must never be satisfied with just having the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The fruit is more important than the gift, so you must ensure that you experience this important work of grace.

According to Galatians 5:22:23, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith meekness and temperance. While you may already be working miracles, God is asking you to move higher. You may be performing miracles, yet are difficult to live with, you might get the gifts and still end up in hell. What will it profit you if you are a powerful evangelist but get left behind when the rapture takes place? Of what use is your anointing if you will end up in the same place as the devil? Anointing is good and l love it, but l don’t want to be anointed and then become a candidate of hell; God forbid. Jesus Christ said if you want to know those who will go to heaven, look out for the fruit of the Holy Spirit in them, not the gifts.

Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 7:20-21)

Don’t be deceived by the anointing of God already at work in your live. If you don’t manifest the fruit of the Spirit, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

PRAYER POINT

Father, please let me begin to bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit from today, in Jesus name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Daniel 4-5

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 30: 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.

CHORUS
Trust and obey!
For there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus,
But to trust and obey.

2. Not a shadow can rise,
Not a cloud in the skies,
But His smile quickly drives it away;
Not a doubt nor a fear,
Not a sigh nor a tear,
Can abide while we trust and obey.

3. Not a burden we bear,
Not a sorrow we share
But our toil He doth richly repay;
Not a grief nor a loss,
Not a frown nor a cross,
But is blest if we trust and obey

4. But we never can prove
The delights of His love,
Until all on the altar we lay,
For the favour He shows
And the joy He bestows
Are for them who will trust and obey.

5. 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: 1 Peter 1:8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

MESSAGE

Having the Holy Spirit does not mean that you have arrived – not at all. He gave you the Holy Spirit for a reason and that is to witness according to Acts 1:8. A witness is someone who tells others about what they have seen or heard. When God asks you to witness, He is saying you should tell people about the things you have heard and seen about Him. To really prove that what you are telling them is true, He gives you, gifts of the Spirit. This is the work of grace that comes after the Holy Ghost baptism.

There are basically nine gifts of the Spirit, as seen in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 and they can be grouped into three. One group is called the revelation gifts. The revelation gifts consist of the Word of Wisdom, Word of knowledge and Discerning of Spirits. When you hear someone say something about you that he or she could not possibly have known except God told him or her, that is the Word of knowledge. For example, while l am preaching many times, God tells me things about people in the congregation and l announce it starting with “There is someone here …”. Despite not knowing these people, what l announce is usually the exact situation of the people involved – that is the Word of knowledge at work. God knows all things and from time to time reveals them to those whom He has given this gift to. It is a powerful gift of the Holy Spirit.

There is another group of gifts called the Power Gifts – the Gift of Faith, the Gift of Healing and the Gift of the Working of Miracles. Then of course there are three others called the Vocal Gifts – these are the Gifts of Prophecy, diverse kinds of Tongues and the Interpretation of Tongues. The Almighty God can give you any of these 9 gifts after you are baptised in the Holy Spirit and have started working for Him. Interestingly, 1 Corinthians 12:31 says: “But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew l unto you a more excellent way.”

The only place in the Bible where you are allowed to be covetous is when it comes to the gifts of the Holy Spirit. After my Holy Spirit baptism, l asked God for all the gifts and He answered me. I give Him glory and honour that when you ask Him, He is more than willing to give.

PRAYER POINT

Father, please give me all the 9 gifts of the Holy Spirit.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Daniel 1-3

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 23: TAKE MY LIFE AND LET IT BE

1. Take my life and let it
Consecrated Lord to Thee
Take my moment and my days
Let them flow 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

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.

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

5. Take my will and make it Thine,
It shall no longer mine:
Take my heart, it is Thine own;
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

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MEMORISE: Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Isaiah 1:18

READ: Ezekiel 36:24 -27

24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.

25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.

26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

MESSAGE

The Christian race is a marathon, not a sprint. Some of us thought that Jesus would come within a few years after we got born again. Although He hasn’t come yet, believe me honestly, His coming is far nearer than it was then; He will soon be here. Since this race is a marathon, then it means that in addition to strength, you would also need endurance if you want to run the race successfully. Endurance comes by the special grace of God which He makes available to keep you standing until the end. These are the works of grace.

When I became born again, we were taught that there were three works of grace that God makes available to Christians – Salvation, Sanctification and the Holy Ghost Baptism. I decided to check further and discovered that there are at least 7 steps in this process.From our Bible reading, you will discover that the first thing God says He will do even before Salvation is to gather His own together (John 6:44). You cannot be saved unless God draws you first.

When I came to The Redeemed Christian Church of God, it was because I had a problem my education could not solve and God used that problem to draw me to Himself. When somebody is talking about their salvation experience and they say, “I found the Lord”, they are only speaking from their limited knowledge. God was never missing; it is He who found you (John 15:16). This is why, if you are truly saved now, you should always thank God for the salvation of your soul.

It is however, possible that God could be drawing a man, yet the man refuses to come to Him.The end of such people is always disastrous. There was a popular chief God sent me to preach salvation to and every time I visited, he would say, “Not yet”. One day, he had a stroke that rendered him unconscious; I was called to pray for him and within one hour, he was restored to perfect health as if nothing at all had gone wrong. This time I told him, “I feel God is giving you a last chance; will you give your life to Christ now?” Again, he said, “Not yet”. The next time I heard about him, he was dead. If God is drawing you to Himself and you keep refusing, you are telling Him clearly that you prefer hell to heaven. You had better surrender to Him now for your own good.

REFLECTION

Check yourself: have you been ignoring the call of God to live holy?

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ezekiel 39-40

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 28: WHAT CAN WASH AWAY MY SIN

1. What can wash away my stain?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole
again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

CHORUS
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 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!

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MEMORISE: And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. 2 Kings 2:9

READ: 2 Kings 2:9 -15

9 And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.

10 And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.

11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.

13 He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;

14 And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over.

15 And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.

MESSAGE

God wants the body of Christ to always go from glory to glory. He wants it such that men and women of God have followers who operate in greater measures of anointing. That is why He said we should make disciples of nations (Matthew 28:19-20). As powerful as He was,during His earthly ministry, before leaving He said: “Verily, verily, l say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that l do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because l go unto my Father” (John 14:12). No matter how greatly anointed your spiritual father is, God can anoint you more than him. You may be asking, “Are you saying that God can anoint me more than you?” Yes, indeed He can.

There was a woman who was in the Redemption camp when she received a call that her daughter had died while giving birth to a set of twins, both of whom had also died. After the programme, she went to the hospital and took with her a bottle of anointing oil that we had blessed, dropped a little of the oil in the twins’ mouths and said, “Don’t waste my time; come back to life” and they both came back to life. The body of her daughter was just about to be wheeled to no the mortuary at the time, she stopped the hospital staff, poured a little anointing oil on the daughter, placed an anointed handkerchief on her head and the daughter also came back to life. She raised three people from death in one day. Even I haven’t raised more than one person from death in one day yet. Thus, you can do even more than your Father-in-the Lord. For all my children, the anointing on you will be much more than the one on me, in Jesus’ name.

The reason we have had many men of God in the past and no one to carry that same measure of anointing now is simply that many people are not willing to serve the anointed with all their hearts. Not many people can carry the same burden that their Father-in-the-Lord do. If your soul is occupied with the world, you cannot carry the anointing of your Father-in-the-Lord whose focus is completely on doing the will of God. Elisha got a double portion of Elijah’s anointing because he remained loyal and committed to the latter.

KEY POINT

You can be more anointed than your spiritual parents, if you are completely loyal to them.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ezekiel 33-35

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 1: ALL HAIL THE POWER OF JESUS NAME

1. All hail the power of Jesus’ name!
Let angels prostrate fall;
Bring forth the royal diadem,
And crown Him Lord of all.
Bring forth the royal diadem,
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 our 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,
And crown Him Lord of all.
And shout in universal song,
And crown Him Lord of all.

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MEMORISE: Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. Matthew 7:12

READ: Luke 15:11-32

11 And he said, A certain man had two sons:

12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.

13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.

14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.

15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.

16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.

17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!

18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,

19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.

20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.

21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.

22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:

23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:

24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

25 Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing.

26 And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.

27 And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.

28 And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.

29 And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:

30 But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.

31 And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.

32 It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.

MESSAGE

The elders have a proverb that says you first chase away the fox before you ask the hen, “Why did you stray?” In Mark 4:35-41, when there was a storm in the boat and the disciples woke Jesus up, He first stilled the storm before saying, “Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?” This is how Jesus treat us His children. He will first solve the problem before scolding you. Why then do many parents and guardians leave their children to be devoured by the fox when they see that they have strayed?

When the children God has planted around you err, protect them from the error they have made first to ensure it doesn’t destroy them, before you turn to discipline them. A father, for example, may throw out his daughter because she got pregnant outside wedlock. Such an action would further expose the girl to the fox already trying to destroy her. At the end of the day, that child may get into worse problems, especially if she finds help from the wrong set of people.

Children must not be cast away because they made a mistake. With all the mistakes you make, God continues to call you His child. Should there be discipline? Yes, of course. Children should be disciplined when they misbehave, but first, fix the problem and keep them safe.

While you discipline a child, it should always still be clear to that child that you love them. There is something called tough love. A child will know if the real reason you are taking an action is to protect your reputation or out of your love for them. Nothing hurts a child more than to experience lack of love from the parents.

I know it can be disappointing when children don’t meet up to their parents’ expectations. I am a father too and sometimes l would have taught my children to behave a certain way, only to hear that they did the opposite outside of the home. However, let us remember that we do the same thing to God and He doesn’t cast us out. He chastens us because He loves us. Your labour over all the children God has planted around you will not be in vain, in Jesus’ name.

PRAYER POINT

Father, please give me the patience and wisdom to protect and discipline the children around me with love, in Jesus name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ezekiel 28-30

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 31: WONDERFUL STORY OF LOVE

1 Wonderful story of love!
Tell it to me again;
Wonderful story of love!
Wake the immortal strain.
Angels with rapture announce it,
Shepherds with wonder receive it;
Sinner, O won’t you believe it?
Wonderful story of love!

Refrain:

Wonderful! Wonderful!
Wonderful story, Wonderful story of love!

2 Wonderful story of love!
Though you are far away;
Wonderful story of love!
Still he doth call today.
Calling from Calvary’s mountain,
Down from the crystal bright fountain,
E’en from the dawn of creation;
Wonderful story of love!

3 Wonderful story of love!
Jesus provides a rest;
Wonderful story of love!
For all the pure and blest;
Rest in those mansions above us,
With those who’ve gone on before us,
Singing the rapturous chorus;
Wonderful story of love!

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MEMORISE:
“And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children.”
Isaiah 54:13

READ: Matthew 19:13-15
19:13 Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them.

19:14 But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.

19:15 And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence.

Prayers

1. Father, thank You for all the children in my family, church, community and around the world.

2. Father, as children will be returning to school this month, please provide for their parents and guardians. Please, make a way for all children that should be in school but are unable to go.

3. Father, please bless my children and all children around me with a sound mind, in Jesus’ name.

4. Father, please use my children and all children around me for Your glory.

5. Father, please keep all the children around me away from evil influences and keep drawing them closer to You, in Jesus’ name.

6. Father, please give all the children around me pure hearts. Let their hearts remain pure in You, in Jesus’ name.

7. Father, please put Your angels on guard over all the children around me.

8. Father, please let the blood of Jesus be a mark upon my children and all children around me, in Jesus’ name.

9. Father, please reveal Yourself to all the children around me, just as You reached out to Samuel at such a young age, in Jesus’ name.

10. Father, please help me and everyone who has influence over the children around me to lead them according to Your will, in Jesus’ name.

11. Father, please make all the children in my family, church and community light and salt to this world, in Jesus’ name.

12. Your personal prayer point for all children around you.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Ezekiel 25-27

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 22: SWEET HOUR OF PRAYER

1. Sweet hour of prayer!
Sweet hour of Prayer!
That calls me from a world of care,
And bids me at my Father’s throne
Make all my want and wishes known;
In seasons of distress and grief,
My soul has often found relief,
And oft escaped the tempter’s snare
By thy return, sweet hour of prayer,

2. Sweet hour of prayer!
Sweet hour of prayer!
Thy wings shall my petition bear
To him whose truth and faithfulness
Engage the waiting soul to bless;
And since he bids me seek his face,
Believe his word and trust his grace
I’ll cast on him my every care,
And wait for thee, sweet hour prayer.

3. Sweet hour of prayer!
Sweet hour of prayer!
May I thy consolation share
Till from mount Pisgah’s lofty height,
I view my home and take my flight;
This robe of flesh I’ll drop, and rise
To seize the ever lasting prize
And shout while passing through the air,
Farewell, farewell, sweet hour of prayer.

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MEMORISE: But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way. 1 Corinthians 12:31

READ: Acts 19:11 -16

11 And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul:

12 So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.

13 Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.

14 And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so.

15 And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?

16 And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

MESSAGE

God wants you to grow spiritually so that you would eventually become a giant in the spirit realm. In l Corinthians 12:31, God says you are allowed to covet earnestly the best gifts. When l read that passage, l told God, Lord, give me a double portion of the Spirit of Elisha, double spirit of Peter, double spirits of Paul, double spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ during his earthly ministry, add everything together and double it again”. He responded that l was asking for trouble because people would not let me rest. I said l wanted it still because l could not afford to be anything else but a spiritual giant. You must make up your mind not to be an ordinary Christian from today.

If you want to become a spiritual giant, 2 Kings 2:1-8 teaches that you must be loyal to your own Elijah. When Elijah wanted to leave this world, Elisha followed him three times; each time, Elijah told him to go back, but he refused. Your Elijah is your father-in-the-Lord. In 2 Kings 2:9-15, when Elijah was departing, Elisha got a double portion of his spirit.

One day, l was praying that my children would be greater than l, and one of them said, “Anyone who will be greater than you probably will never eat again”. He said that because of how often l fast, but then l told him not to leave God out of the equation. It doesn’t matter how great God made your father-in-the-Lord, you can become greater just by honoring and being loyal to him. Elisha got a double portion of the spirit of Elijah because he pursued the same vision as he.

Learn to minister to the one whom God has placed over you spiritually. In 2 Kings 3:11-12, the Bible tells us that Elisha ministered constantly to his spiritual father. It wasn’t long after that in 2 Kings 13:14 that we read that a king called him “Father”. If you are committed to honoring your father-in-the-Lord by serving him, you would receive something that you could otherwise have labored greatly in the spirit to get. Somebody once said that the tail of a lion is more powerful than the head of a dog. Your father-in-the-Lord is already a lion; if you are committed to following Him as he follows Jesus, you can do greater things than when you are on your own.

KEY POINT

You can become a spiritual giant by honoring and being loyal to your spiritual leader.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ezekiel 21-22

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 18: PRAISE TO THE LORD THE ALMIGHTY

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 befriends 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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MEMORISE: There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil. Exodus 23:26

READ: Genesis 1:27-30
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.

MESSAGE

God’s plan for everyone is that they would be fruitful and multiply.
That is why He gave every woman considered barren in the scripture a testimony. The only person who died barren is the woman that mocked her husband- King David, for dancing before God (2 Samuel 6:20-23). If you have been considered barren, God is about to surprise you, in Jesus name.

You however, have a part to play as God is set to make you experience all round fruitfulness. John 15:1-5 makes it clear that you must be joined to a fruitful Vines to be fruitful. He said in verse 4, “Abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it Abide in the very Vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.” To become fruitful, you must be totally joined to the fruitful Vine. You must abide in Him.

Many years ago, we held a program in Lagos, Nigeria, during which I urge everybody to ask for something special from God. There was a lady there who said, “Father, I’m not going to ask you for anything anymore because I have repeatedly asked You for what I wanted and You didn’t give me. I used to ask for a husband, and now I’m too old to have children, so I won’t ask again. However, I will continue to to serve You all the days of my life”. God heard her and a few days later, a man came and said he wanted to marry her. She looked at the man and told him to pray again as she was already past menopause. He said he already had children, but he was a widower, so he was looking for a wife who would also be a mother to them. They got married and nine months later, she gave birth to twins- tow boys. When you commit yourself to the True Vine, He will make sure you become fruitful.

The true Vine can make you fruitful in every aspect of your life. God is the one who said in Leviticus 19:13 that everyone must pay the wages of those that work for them. If you are committed to God and His kingdom, you will definitely bear fruit. God said He is not unrighteous to forget your labour of love (Hebrew 6:10).

The Lord will definitely reward you as long as you remain connected to Him.

ACTION POINT
Be totally committed to God.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: . Ezekiel 16-17

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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MEMORISE: And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. Luke 12:15

READ: Deuteronomy 8:11-20
11 Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day:

12 Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein;

13 And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied;

14 Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;

15 Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint;

16 Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end;

17 And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.

18 But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.

19 And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish.

20 As the nations which the LORD destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the LORD your God.

MESSAGE

If l were to ask you, “Which will you consider more important – the blessing or the Blesser?” you are likely to say the Blesser. However, there are millions of self-professing Christians around the world today who prioritise God’s blessings above the One who blessed them in the first place. When you begin to choose your job over God, you are prioritising the blessing over the Blesser. I want you to do an honest check within yourself now; which one have you been prioritising – the blessing or the Blesser?

The unfortunate thing about prioritising the blessing over the Blesser is that the Blesser can withdraw His blessings at any time. In 1 Samuel 16:1,
God told Samuel to stop pleading on Saul’s behalf because He had given the throne to someone else. In Genesis 48:20, we see how Jacob blessed Ephraim above his older brother Manasseh. Ephraim eventually became ten times successful than his brother (Deuteronomy 33:17). However, when success came, Ephraim forgot God (Psalm 78:9-11), God kept sending prophets to Ephraim but he refused to listen to the Blesser. After some time, God said, “Let him alone” (Hosea 4:7). By the time we get to Hosea 5:9, God said that Ephraim would be desolate. Ephraim lost his blessings because he prioritise them above the Blesser. When success comes, don’t forget God because He has the power to give and to take away.

When l became General Overseer of The Redeemed Christian Church of God. I decided by faith that God would feed everyone that came for our annual convention. One of the young men who was a baker said he would provide the bread for breakfast. He later on changed his mind and decided not to supply us bread as he had promised because he didn’t like a message l preached. God however, sent help to us and we were able to purchase the bread we require. Years later, my baker friend appeared at my house very early one morning. I said, “What can l do for you? You came very early”. He said he would have come but one of his tires got flat and he didn’t have a spare. His was a man who used to have numerous cars; now, he didn’t even have a spare tire because he placed the blessing above the Blesser

Beloved, focus on the Blesser and not the blessing.

KEY POINT
God is more important than all the riches,great position and blessings in the world. Never forget that.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ezekiel 5-8

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 18: PRAISE TO THE LORD THE ALMIGHTY

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 befriends 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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