LET US GO

Scripture: Deuteronomy 1:1-8

"Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said,
“Let us go up at once and take possessionof it;
for we will certainly conquer it".Numbers 13:30(AMP)

Most times believers are so caught up with making heaven that they fail to notice brethren around them who are falling out of the faith. It is good to strive to make heaven but it is better to make heaven along with your family and friends.

FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT

Scripture: 1Timothy 6:11-16

"Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life,
whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good
profession before many witnesses." 1 Timothy. 6 v 12(KJV)

The bible calls it a "good fight", meaning it's a victorious fight. It's not a fight, where you figure out who is going to win. It is a fight where we already know the winner- The believer. All you need to do as a believer, is how to enforce your victory. Let the enemy know he has no authority over what God has given you. Jesus said on the cross, "it is finished".

TRY ME AND SEE (II)

Scripture: Malachi 3:8-11

".... And try me now in this."
Malachi 3:10(NKJV)

In 1995, a young man met me at home with a long list of questions about tithing and giving. Being the very rationalistic type, he did not agree with some notions on the subject. I set out to show him what the Bible teaches. It took us days and days of meeting again and again to dig in more, but once he saw it in God's word, he became a committed tither.

TRY ME AND SEE (I)

Scripture: Malachi 3:8-11

".... And try me now in this."
Malachi 3:10(NKJV)

Here the subject of Tithes and Offerings is introduced. We often talk about only one, which is the tithe, missing the offering. The curse listed in verse 9 is a consequence of robbing God of both. God is literally saying that you should try Him by giving your tithe ( Tithe is ten percent of your income) and offerings and see what He will do – as promised in verse 10.

BREAKING BREAD

Scripture: Acts 2:42-46

The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion
of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it
not the communion of the body of Christ? 1 Cor. 10:16(KJV).

Breaking bread is a term used to describe the Holy Communion instituted by Jesus at His final feast of Passover on earth (Matt. 26:26-28). The Communion is eating the body and drinking the blood of Jesus Christ. It is an act of faith and deep fellowship. The Holy Communion is an activity with powerful spiritual ramifications.

USE YOUR FAITH

Scripture: 1 John 5:1-4

"For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world;
and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith"
1 John5:4(KJV)

Feedback: Share how it feels to walk in the love of God and positively influence others.

Stephanie and I had a project worth over 10 Million Naira in the year 2000. It concerned the sale of part of a family estate. It lingered for months without any progress until one day realizing I had been passive about it, I decided we should actually use our faith like a mechanic would use his spanner. We took an active stand of faith by praying a prayer of agreement based on Matt 18: 19.

DROP THE BAGGAGE

Scripture: 1 John 1:1-10

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us
our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness".
1 John l: 9(KJV)

Effective prayer does not only draw from what you say today, but even more from what you did yesterday. This is why the sin of today must be repented of today and discarded. If not, it becomes the mountain that hinders your tomorrow. Nothing offends God like stale sin. Sin is offensive enough to God when it is new, but even more when the night falls and the dew falls upon it.

GOD’S MEDICINE

Scripture: Proverbs 4:10-27

"For they are life unto those that
find them, and health to all their flesh."
Proverbs 4:22(KJV)

A man once met one of our Pastors to be prayed for. He had woken up one morning to discover that he was clothed with a strange affliction. His body was swollen all over, from head to toe. Satan had launched a sudden attack. In spite of several visits to doctors, no diagnosis could be made, drugs prescribed did not help.

TRUST IN GOD

Scripture: Proverbs 3:1-12

"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart;
and lean not unto thine own understanding."
Proverbs 3:5(KJV)

In the early part of the last century, a great ship was constructed. At that time, it was the greatest ever in size, splendour and beauty. It was decked with royal tapestry and exquisite furniture. One thousand five hundred men and women, the cream of the society boarded this revolutionary technological piece.

THE IMPORTANCE OF VISITATION

Scripture: Acts 15:36-41

"And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again
and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached
the word of the Lord, and see how they do."Acts 15:36(KJV)

In our text, Paul was telling Barnabas, 'come and let us again visit our brethren'. He was referring to their many converts scattered all over the Gentile land. Paul saw it as a necessity to visit those they had brought to the faith, in order to know how they were faring. He knew that they needed to be reaffirmed of the goodness of God and the Gospel of Christ Jesus.

BE HOSPITABLE

Scripture: Acts 9:36-42

"But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed;
and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise.
And she opened her eyes..."Acts9:40(KJV)

We live in a world where being good to others is gradually becoming a pipe dream. Hospitality has
long been thrown out of the dictionaries of so many people. There is a heavy wave of greed and avarice blowing all over the world in the name of capitalism and free market economy. Men now prefer to heap up wealth for their progenies than to help their neighbour. It has become ancient to be kind and generous.

PRAYER INTIMACY

Scripture: Luke 9:28-36

“Continue in prayer, and watch in the same
with thanksgiving;” Colossians 4:2 (KJV)

Intimacy is a deeper level of relationship where there is absolute trust, deep understanding and strong love or affection between the parties. This level of relationship is usually found between a husband and wife. It is the type of relationship that exists between God and Jesus and it should be the type of relationship we should have with Jesus Christ. However Intimacy takes a lot of time, commitment and consistency to build.

LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE

Scripture: Matthew 5:13-16

“But the path of the just is as the shining light,
that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.”
Proverb 4:18 (KJV)

 Feedback: Ponder on Jesus’ words, “forgive them for they know not what they do”.

Most people think that a leader is someone who has the highest title or who possesses the highest qualification. Being a leader is not determined by one’s status, age, gender, or position, but by the ability to affect, motivate, and influence people towards the achievement of a goal. Just like a light has the ability to influence the visibility of a thing or environment, a leader must possess the ability to influence and stir his or her followers towards a set goal.

WHAT DO YOU HAVE?

Scripture: II Kings 4:1-7

‘‘A man’s gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him
before great men.’’ Proverbs 18:16 (KJV)

No one is born empty. Not even the so called handicapped or challenged ones among us. God has multiple talents and gifts deposited in each and every one of us, to help us enjoy life, impart others and fulfil our purpose. There is therefore, no excuse for anyone to live an empty life, for God has given us all that pertains to life and godliness (II Peter 1:3).

COMPEL THEM!

Scripture: Luke 14:56-23

‘’And the Lord said to the servant, Go out unto the highways
and hedges and, compel them to come in, that my house
may be filled.’’ Luke 14:23 (KJV)

The life of a believer is the life of soul-winning. That is the dominion mandate to all Christians, and as a true believer, we must not compromise on the master’s command of making disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). Don’t waste any more time. It’s unfair to let another sinner slip into hell because you did not tell him about God.

PRAY FOR YOUR PASTORS

Scripture: II Samuel 21:15-17

‘‘And he said, Lord I am ready to go with thee,
both into prison, and unto death.’’
Luke 22: 33 (KJV)

The devil, aware of the key role pastors play in tending to the flock, daily bombards them with numerous spiritual and physical problems because he knows that their fall will be calamitous to the entire church. David, though a mighty warrior, waned in strength and was almost killed in the battle with the Philistines had Ishbibenob not defended and killed the giant that meant to kill him (II Samuel 21:15 – 17). Like Ishbibenob, you must be quick to defend and protect your pastors.

PROTECT YOUR PASTORS

Scripture: II Samuel 21:15-17

‘‘And he said, Lord I am ready to go with thee,
both into prison, and unto death.’’ Luke 22: 33 (KJV)

The devil, aware of the key role pastors play in tending to the flock, daily bombards them with numerous spiritual and physical problems because he knows that their fall will be calamitous to the entire church. David, though a mighty warrior, waned in strength and was almost killed in the battle with the Philistines had Ishbibenob not defended and killed the giant that meant to kill him (II Samuel 21:15 – 17). Like Ishbibenob, you must be quick to defend and protect your pastors.

THE TRUE YOU

Scripture: Genesis 1:26-28

‘‘Beloved, now we are the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear
what we shall be: but we know that when he shall appear,
we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.’’ I John 3:2 (KJV)

A mirror does not define you, for it gives an incomplete, unwholesome reflection of a small aspect of the great, beautiful personality called you. Your reflection in the mirror therefore must never be your basis of self-awareness; neither should you permit anyone – including yourself; box you into a lesser definition. Truthfully speaking, nothing and no one can truly, perfectly define you, except the one who made you – God.

OFFENCES

Scripture: Luke 17:1-10

‘‘Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles,
nor to the church of God:’’ I Corinthians 10:32 (KJV)

If is one thing that constitutes the biggest obstacle to peaceful and harmonious living, it is offence. Offence is any act capable of breeding anger, bitterness, pain or strife in the heart of an individual towards his fellowman. While not every offence is intended, every wrongful, careless, and insensitive act can be interpreted as offensive and is liable to spark bitterness. This is why everyone must be sober in thoughts, words and actions, especially so as to guard against causing an offence.

DON’T LET ANGER

Scripture: Ephesians 4:25-27

‘‘And don’t sin by letting anger control you.
Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry.’’
Ephesians 4:26 (NLT)

Feedback: Ponder on how sharing the love of Christ to others makes you feel.

Have you noticed that the longer you contemplate on the hurt done to you, the angrier you get? Have you also noticed that you have no inner peace, and that you lack focus and coordination when you are angry? Anger is a sin that can put you in spiritual jeopardy, as well as constitute a lot of discomfort to you and everyone else around you. Though natural and normal, anger becomes a sin when it lingers for too long or is nurtured into harmful or malicious acts. Don’t be a fool; resist anger and its evil consequences (Ecclesiastics 7:9).

BE OBEDIENT

Scripture: II Kings 5:1-14

‘‘Thou shalt therefore obey the voice of the Lord thy God,
and do his commandments and his statutes, which I
command thee this day.’’ Deuteronomy 27:10 (KJV)

Many believers are ever willing to obey God and do His will, but are disobedient to civic and spiritual leadership or authority. They look down on their leaders, fault all they do, and reason out whatever instruction they are given, before they choose to obey or not. While God can talk to you through the leading of the Holy Spirit, He also places leaders in our lives to guide and aid us in executing daily what He has instructed us.

THE BLESSING OF GOD

Scripture: Genesis 12:1-4

‘The blessings of the Lord maketh rich,
and he addeth no sorrow with it.’’ Proverbs 10:22 (KJV)

The blessing of God is a beautiful gift which cannot fully be described, and quantified. Its absolute, free, unconditional and enduring; from generation to generation. It cannot go stale or go out of value, but new every morning; manifesting the steadfast love and mercy of God (Lamentation 3:22 - 23). He’s indeed, blessed who God has blessed; for such cannot be cursed.

GREED

Scripture: II Kings 5:20-27

‘‘Don not love money; be satisfied with what you have.
For God has said, ‘I will never abandon you.’’’ Hebrews 13:5(NLT)

Greed is an unquenchable desire or lust for pleasures, wealth or fame. Such desires are often born out of selfishness, and the want to impress, show off, or lord over others. Greed, if not checked, destroys, as is the case with Gehazi in our key scripture. Greed is a sin that can bring trouble not just to the one who practices it, but his/her entire household (Proverbs 15:27).

Fear of present or future lack, scarcity, faithlessness, doubt and sheer insatiable hunger for life’s pleasures are some of the causes of greed. Greed manifests in different forms; rivalry, bribery,