WISE DECISION

Scripture: Joshua 24:14-28

“..But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” 
Joshua 24:15b (KJV)

People go after different pleasures in life. Indeed, we have the freedom of will that allows us to pick our decisions. As thrilling as it is to have the freedom to choose, we must understand that our choices have consequences and must
therefore, be made wisely.

Joshua told the Children of Israel to choose. He gave them freewill to act (Joshua 24:15). Elijah made the same declaration to the people in First Kings chapter 16 verse 28. Your decisions can make or mar a life (Proverbs 18:21). They determine the path you follow and your ultimate destination. Joshua clearly stated his choice. He chose God. This is the wisest decision he ever made. Who else would you choose to work with than the God who made all things (Colossians 1:16), declares the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10) and aligns all things to work in your favour (Romans 8:28).

The freewill to make choices does not give us the liberty to make decisions to please ourselves and for our convenience. As Children of God, our decisions should put God first and wholly to please him. Jesus pointed us to the right path to choose when he said “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life” (John 14:6a). No decision will be better than choosing the path that leads to life which is Jesus. Every other thing falls in place when this most important decision is made. This year, let your choice reflect what God wants for you. Choose to walk with God.

REMEMBER TO ATTEND: Leadership/Communion Service tomorrow, 5:30PM

PRAYER: Lord, help me to choose you over everything no matter the circumstance in Jesus name.

FAITH BYTE: As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. We choose him always.

BE ACCOUNTABLE

Scripture: Proverbs 16:1-3

“I have the right to do anything,’
you say-but not everything is beneficial.”
1 Corinthians 6:12a (NIV)

There are consequences for every action you take (Proverbs 14:14). Some may manifest here while others may not until judgment day. However, one thing is certain; you will give account of and reap a reward for every deed you have done (2 Corinthians 5:10) and every word uttered (Matthew 12:36).

God gave humans the freedom of choice to make and not to mar their lives. Do not abuse this privilege by assuming that your life is yours and therefore, you are answerable to no one (1Corinthians 6:12a).

THE POWER THE HOLY GHOST

Scripture: Acts 19:1-10

“….Have ye received the
Holy Ghost since ye believed?”
Acts 19:2 (KJV)

It is God’s desire for every Christian that after you get born again, you should receive the Holy Ghost (Acts 1:8) The Holy Ghost is the third person in the Godhead. Yes, you have the Holy Spirit living inside of you when you get born again and the outpouring of the Holy Ghost which Jesus spoke about in Acts 1:8 is the essential energizer for witnessing for God with signs and wonders following.

DELIVERANCE FROM THE WICKED

Scripture: Acts 12:1-11

 “And when Peter was come to himself,
he said; now I know of a surety that the
Lord hath sent his angel and hath delivered
me out of the hands of Herod, and from all the
expectations of the people of the Jews.”
Acts 12:11 (KJV)

Feedback: Consider the pleasures of staying in God’s presence.

God throws his weight around on behalf of those who obey his commands. His eyes run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show himself strong on the behalf of those whose hearts are perfect towards Him (2 Chronicles 16:9). In the course of doing God’s work, you will stir the anger of the
enemy and he will set out to destroy you but God is more than able to keep His children safe.

WORSHIP GOD

Scripture: 1 Chronicles 16:23-31

“…bring my sons from far, and
my daughters from the ends of the earth;
Even every one that is called by my name;
for I have created him for my glory,…”
Isaiah 43:6-7 (KJV)

Worship means a lot of things to a lot of people but what does it mean to worship God? It means letting go of everything and surrendering your all to Him. It is a deep reverence for and total submission to his will. It means living your life to please God and just being a source of joy to Him.

There are people who maintain high moral standards but do not have an intimate relationship with God. The purpose of man is to give God glory (Isaiah 43:7; 1 Corinthians 10:31) and worship
is the best form of giving God glory.

AVERTING EVIL PLOTS

Scripture: Acts 20:1-6

“Although they plot against you,
their evil schemes will never succeed.”
Psalms 21:11 (NLT)

The enemy would always want to attack the flow of the gospel especially by not allowing the unsaved to be reached. Oppositions will definitely come up to attack the preaching of the word of God but it is important in the midst of these trials to remain focused and refuse to become distracted. People of God frequently meet stiff opposition and rebellion from the enemy geared towards eliminating Christianity but God’s word can never be crushed.

WORTHY IS HE

Scripture: Revelation 5:1-10

“...You are worthy...because you
were slain, and with your blood you
purchased for God persons from every
tribe and language and people and nation.”
Revelation 5:9 (NIV)

Genesis recounts the effort God put into creating the world. It highlights the creativity and sovereignty of the one who upholds the earth. He made all things perfect for our enjoyment but man fell due to sin.

Our text tells the anguish of the writer who could not find anyone worthy to open the seals of the book (v3-4). Someone, however, comes to the rescue (v5-6).

AN INDESCRIBABLE GIFT

Scripture: Matthew 2:1-11

“Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift”
2 Corinthians 9:15 (NIV)

During Christmas people worry about what to give to friends and family members. They scurry around shops in a bid to find the most suitable gift to mark the celebrations.
 
The wise men from the East bestowed the most valuable gifts anyone could bestow upon a baby.Yet their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh diminish in the face of God’s gift of His Son to mankind.

THE RIGHT ENVIRONMENT

Scripture: Mark 4:13-20

“By their fruit you will recognize them.
Do people pick grapes from thorn-bushes,
or figs from thistles?”
Matthew 7:16 (NIV)

It may seem reasonable to blame the seed when the harvest is poor but it is of importance to note that the condition of the soil, also, determines the outcome of the seed. The seed is the talent or ability that God has put inside of you. The soil is your environment and where the seed dwells.

Everyone has a seed. However, the reason some people bring forth massive harvests while others struggle is due to the quality of their soil.

PERSIST

Scripture: Daniel 10:10-14

 “Keep on asking, and you will
receive what you ask for…”
Matthew 7:7 (NLT)

Sometimes, when we pray, we receive immediate answers. At other times, we may have to wait awhile before the answers come. Then what do you do when the answers to your prayers are not forth coming? Do you fold your hands and do nothing? Do you forget about it or you complain and grumble to people and to God? This is not the right approach if you are to receive your answer.

When we must have presented our request to God in prayers, what we do, thereafter, matters a lot.

COME NEAR

Scripture: Luke 15:11-24

 “Come near to God and he will
come near to you. Wash your
hands, you sinners and purify
your hearts you double minded.”
James 4:8 (NIV)

 Feedback: Share how it feels to win a soul.

Many believers encounter temptations that lead them into sin. They are aware of the consequences of sin, and even hate it, yet they find themselves going back to it again and again. We cannot remain
slaves to sin when Christ has already freed us from its shackles (Romans 6:19).We must break away from this dangerous cycle.

Jesus uses the parable of the prodigal son to clearly expose the destructive effects of sin

USE YOUR GIFT

Scripture: Matthew 25:14-30

“To those who use well what they are
given, even more will be given, and they will
have an abundance. But from those who do
nothing, even what little they have will be away.”
Matthew 25:29 (NLT)

Biology teaches how during reproduction, of the millions of sperm cells that are released during copulation, usually only one or a few would succeed in fertilizing the female egg to form a foetus. The fact that you are alive is a miracle and a privilege. Your birth and life is for a purpose

GOD IN POWER

Scripture: Acts 8:1-8

“He said to them, “Go into all the
world and preach the gospel to all creation.”
Mark 16:15 (NIV)

The instruction to go into the world and preach the gospel is a non-negotiable mandate that applies to all believers. Most times because of the fear of rejection, ridicule, or persecution, some believers hold back from adhering to this God given mandate. But it is important to note that the same power that Jesus had is available for the believer today, so fear should not be a barrier to populating the kingdom of God.

GOD’S SEAL

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:1-14

“Now he which stablisheth us with you
in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;
who hath also sealed us, and given the
earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.”
2 Corinthians 1:21-22 (KJV)

In ancient times, and also in some cultures, kings embossed  their royal seal on documents to close them. It was used to prove the authenticity of the document and the authority of the bearer of the seal. The bearer wields the same power and influence that the ruler,

SUBSTANCE OVER FORM

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 30:13-21

“…..for the LORD seeth not as
man seeth; for man looketh on
the outward appearance, but the
LORD looketh on the heart”.
1 Samuel 16:7 (KJV)

In accounting, there is a principle called ‘substance over form. The principle is that when preparing accounts, one is to give preference to the ‘substance’ of the transaction more than the strict legal ‘form’. For instance, if someone who has a fixed deposit with a bank asks the bank to lend him money using his fixed deposit as collateral,

NEVER GIVE UP

Scripture: Genesis 26:16-22

“Be ye strong therefore,
and let not your hands be weak:
for your work shall be rewarded.”
2 Chronicles 15:7 (KJV)

The devil expects you to give up when he puts obstacles in your way but one of the characteristics a Christian must possess is resilience because the devil will never stop trying to bring God’s children down and

GOD WITH US

Scripture: Genesis 26:25-35

“What shall we then say to
these things? If God be for us,
who can be against us?”
Romans 8:31 (KJV)

The presence of God is the most powerful, reliable and infallible shield a Christian can have against the darts and works of the enemy. The Lord surrounds His people like the mountains surround Jerusalem (Psalm 125:2). It was God’s presence that brought Isaac good increase and blessings and made his enemies to approach him for peace.

THE PRINCIPAL THING

Scripture: Proverbs 4:1-10

“Wisdom is the principal thing;
therefore get wisdom:
Proverbs 4:7a (KJV)

Feedback: Share how confessing God’s promises impacted you.

Few words contrast so sharply as wisdom and foolishness. Everyone wants to be regarded as a wise man or woman but what most people consider to be wisdom, is mere foolishness in the eyes of God


People believe that knowing how the world works, how to make
gains in life, how to outwit and outsmart your opponents, and
how to make good economic and political judgments are the
factors that make them wise. As a result of such beliefs, every
time they win, the world system concludes that they must be
wise. Surely, its a good thing to score wins but we must realize
that wisdom is a much deeper concept than just winning or losing
in life.

The book of Proverbs chapter 4 speaks very graphically about
the benefits of retaining and applying the word of God in our
daily lives. His word guides, protects, promotes and enriches the
believer’s life. When you retain and apply God’s word, it will
bring you honour and give you long life (Proverbs 4:10) because
it will keep you walking in line with his will for you. God told
Joshua to make His word the guiding principle of his leadership
style and he would have good success (Joshua 1:8). Wisdom,
therefore, is to know the Lord, keep His commands, and apply
His word daily in your life’s journey.

Reflections: How do I apply God’s word to every aspect of my life?

PRAYER: Lord, I pray for the
grace to keep your word
in my heart and to apply
your word daily in my life
in Jesus name.

FAITH BYTE: I yield my life completely
to God; I am motivated
and passionate about
His word.

This Week's Walk of Faith: Study Proverb 11:30 and spend this week
practicing the wisdom in this verse.