KEEP AT IT

Scripture: 2 Kings 13:20-25

“But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith. Galatians 5:22 (KJV)

Elisha said shoot and he shot and Elisha sent the arrow of the Lord’s deliverance from Syria. “Thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek till thou have consumed them.” The word ‘till’ used in the passage meant it was not going to happen once but in a process.

GOD’S HELPING HAND

Scripture: 2 Kings 13:14-19

“Thou wilt shew me the path of life; in thy presence is fullness
of joy: at thy right hands there are pleasures for evermore.”
Psalms 16:11 (KJV)

Prophet Elisha puts his hands upon the King’s hand, signifying the hand of God imparting strength and direction. It was to guide the King as he prepared for action. Note that, it was the king who first put forth his hands in obedience to divine instruction. That is to say, you must take a step (action) for God’s hand to wrap it up.

SPIRITUAL WEAPONS

Scripture: Mark 16:14-20

“And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall
they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues”
Mark 16:17 (KJV)

"These signs shall follow them.” You are a “signs commander”, “stop being afraid; you can raise the dead, open blind eyes, heal the sick and cause the lame to walk.

Jesus said, these things you see me do, if you believe in me, greater than these would you do (John 14:12). He meant every word he said. Be obsessed with believing God’s word for miracles.

ADDRESS IT SHARPLY

Scripture: Mark 9:14-27

“… Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him
and enter no more into him.” Mark 9:25(KJV).

Jesus spoke sharply to the evil spirit (cause) responsible for the dumb and deafness (symptoms) and the spirit came out. You have to be bold and serious in your dealings with evil spirits; command it out in the name of Jesus,

BIND THE DEVIL

Scripture: Luke 10:17-20

“And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord,
even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.
Luke 10:17 (KJV)

Feedback: Share what you encountered while sharing God’s love with others.

Sickness is of the devil. I read an account of a woman diagnosed of breast cancer; she was skinny and bony, completely emaciated. A man of God was invited to pray for her. While he was praying, God opened his eyes in the realm of the spirit. He saw a little demon like the size (shape) of a monkey hanging by her shoulder.

FAITH AT WORK

Scripture: Genesis 22:1-13

“For as the body without the spirit is dead,
so faith without works is dead also.” James 2:26 (KJV)

What does it mean for faith to be at work? Genesis 22:1- 24 gives us an understanding of this. It is the accomplishment of the Abrahamic covenant. From our scripture reading, Abraham was supposed to kill his only son but he told his servants “we will go and worship and come again to you” (verse 5). No wonder Abraham was referred to as the father of faith.

Now they got to the mountain and he laid his son (who was 18 years old) on the altar. He yielded himself because he understood how faith worked. His faith had produced Isaac against all odds, so he knew that God had something planned, even if it meant raising Isaac back from the dead. Romans 4:21 tells us that Abraham was fully persuaded.

LONG LIFE

Scripture: Deuteronomy 34:1-8

“With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.”
Psalm 91:16 (KJV)

Adam lived for 930 years. One of his great grand children lived for 969 years, (the longest in biblical record.) In the process of time, Noah lived about 730 years, as you begin to count down; life expectancy of man began to drop. God spoke to Moses, saying 120 years and there after he brought it down to 70 years. (Psalm 90:10). God was simply describing the extent to which decay has crept into the affairs of man.

The Bible says in Genesis chapter 6 that the earth was so corrupt and full of iniquities and God regretted that he created man. However, just like God never loses in any battle, Noah found favour in the sight of God. He was a righteous man, so God allowed Noah to become the progenitor of mankind. Yet, when Noah gave birth and the world began to get filled up again. The same decay came back and continues to affect mankind. Abraham worked by faith, broke the law (decay) at his time, lived 175 years when God said 120 years. With your faith in Christ Jesus today, you can live as long as you want.

PRAYER: I choose life and I reject death in Jesus Name.

FAITH BYTE: I shall not die but I shall live and declare God’s goodness.

CONFESS POSITIVELY

Scripture: Hebrews 10:19-25

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering …”
Hebrew 10:23 (NKJV)

The bible says, if you faint in the day of adversity, (if you quit), your strength is small. You are not a small man. Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. The word of God says, “I can do all things through Christ which
strengthens me.”

When Satan brings problems, he wants to discourage you and force you to accept that you are not able. Tell him, “He is a liar.” I am not going to be discouraged. I am going up not coming down. The bible says, I am the head and not the tail, I am successful and not defeated, I am a winner and not a loser, I am rich and not poor. I am not suffering. Hallelujah. Hope is the picture of a better, improved tomorrow. Confessions of hope mean that instead of saying and confessing your problems you are confessing what is better; drawing from God’s word.

The recommendation is; do not stop saying that it is getting better. The more you say what can be, the clearer the picture of a better future and that picture will become your future.

PRAYER: Lord, help me to trust and rely on you when the storms of life come.

FAITH BYTE: By the words of my mouth I am justified, therefore I keep speaking positively.

FAITH INSPIRED ACTIONS

Scripture: 2 Kings 7:1-19

“As the body without the spirit is dead,
so faith without works is dead” James 2:26 (NIV)

For you to receive answers from God, you must learn to take faith inspired action. Don’t sit down till you die in that condition. Your action can make all the difference in you life.

From the Scripture we read in 2 Kings 7:1-19, a word of prophesy came through Elisha of a miracle God was about to perform within 24hrs in the land of Samaria.

THE TOMB IS EMPTY

Scripture: Matthew 28:1-10

"Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death:
because it was not possible that he should be held of it."
Acts2:24(KJV)

Upon Satan's discovery that his master plan for Christ extermination had boomeranged, he embarked on a war of lies to make men doubt that the Saviour rose triumphantly from the grave, so as to corrupt their faith. Till date, the facts are there for all to see, the tomb is empty.

CHRIST IS RISEN

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:12-27

"And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain;
ye are yet in your sins......" 1 Corinthians 15:17 (KJV)

Various scholars have challenged the historical fact of Jesus' brutal execution on a Roman cross two millennia ago. Some claim that Jesus never really died on the cross (viz the Koran). Some claim that Jesus actually fled to India. Infact, there is an existing tomb in Kashmir referred to by these Muslims as the true burial site of Jesus (viz Ahmadiya Muslims).

IT IS FINISHED

Scripture: Isaiah 53:7-12

"And he made his grave with the wicked and with the rich in his
DEATH; because he had done no violence, neither was
any deceit in his mouth" Isaiah 53: 9(KJV)

Feedback: Share how took risk and what your faith produced in the past week.

The word translated "Death" in our text today in the original Hebrew text is in the plural reading "DEATHS" indicating that Jesus died twice on the cross. Firstly, he died spiritually, the moment that God laid our sin on him. At that hour, the sinless Son of God became blemished with the sin of the whole world. Notice that a strange phenomenon occurred in Luke 23:44

CHRIST PAID FOR ME

Scripture: Isaiah 53:1-65

"But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for
our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him;
and with his stripes we are healed."Isaiah 53:5 (KJV)

The kind of suffering Jesus went through for us is almost unimaginable. Infact, Isaiah records in chapter 52:14 that there were many who were appalled at Him; His appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness. Jesus' brutal execution by the Romans left him beyond recognition.

BEFORE THE CROSS

Scripture: Luke 22:39-46

“And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly:
and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down
to the ground.” Luke22:44(KJV)

The gospel text for today is very blunt in reporting what scientists previously claimed to be an exaggerated report of a questionable gospel writer. It had never been medically reported that any human had become so distressed and in agony of spirit that they broke into a sweat of blood, as Luke
reported about Jesus. But it was recently reported in March 21, 1986 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, that such a condition although not very common does exist; called HEMATIDROSIS. In this condition, severe anxiety releases chemicals that break down the capillaries of the sweat glands, allowing blood to be mixed with sweat drops.
 

Jesus sweated blood in great agony. He was facing the fact of being made sin. He was becoming man's mortal substitute. Adam had sinned in the garden and lost humanity to Satan. Jesus was
confronting sin in the Garden to bring man back to God. It was a tough duel but we were on his mind. He was taking man's spiritual death and disease upon his hitherto perfect body. He who knew
no sin had yielded his will to God to drink that cup of horror until the entire debt that humanity owed was paid.
 

What a loving God. This is what we celebrate in Easter.

PRAYER: Thank you Lord for breaking the curse of hardship. I do not need to sweat to eat. Thanks for being my substitute.
 

FAITH BYTE: Jesus has been made sin for me. I am now the righteousness of God in him.