SEPTEMBER HOPE FOR THE BLESSINGS AHEAD
People can never predict when hard
times might come. Like fish in a net or birds in a snare, people are often
caught by sudden tragedy. Ecclesiastes 9:12 Always have hope for the blessings
ahead of you and not the present trouble. We must be people that can manage the
difficult circumstances that come into our lives. When the crisis comes, the
challenge on us is how to overcome and how to finesse through the challenge.
David was in a difficult situation as recorded in 2 Sam 12 v 13-23. Bathsheba
his wife had just given birth to a son and the child became deathly ill.
Immediately, David went into prayer for the healing of the child, he fasted and
lay on the ground all night.
It was a desperate moment that needed
desperate measures from the king. For seven days, David’s prayers for the child
went on. His state was a sorry one and all the people in the palace did not
know what to do with the king. The King’s daily duties were forgotten for seven
days as he tried to deal with this issue. The child however died. David’s
response is noteworthy. After receiving the bad news, he rose up, washed,
anointed himself and changed his clothes. He went into the house of the Lord
and worshipped Him. When he came to his own house, bread was given to him and
he ate. The intriguing thing is the people in the palace expected David to be
worse after hearing the news of the death of the child and upon asking why he
reacted in the most unlikely manner,
David said the Lord had done as he
pleased, further agony and sorrow on his part was not going to bring him back.
God loves you so much and He wants you to pick up the pieces and move from that
place of lamentation. God still has much in store for you; there is no reason
for you to think this is the end of your own journey. I know the situation is
hurting you but do not try to reverse what you cannot reverse, rather praise
the Lord for what he has done in your life. After the death of this child, God
blessed David with Solomon who later became the heir to his throne. God will
still give you friends, brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers. Just hold on
and let his grace lift you up. Rise up and eat some bread for there is still a
long journey ahead of you. Do not let your set back deprive you of the
blessings that are head of you.
SEPTEMBER 2 REMEMBER LOT’S WIFE
“Remember Lot's wife.” Luke 17:32 I was
amazed as I went through Luke Chapter 17:32. It is loaded with great meaning.
The story of Sodom and Gomorrah captures the wrath of God over two cities that
had become wayward and denied the grace of God completely through their sin.
Lot and his family happened to live in one of these cities but because of the
prayers of Abraham, God saved him and his family.
What is eye catching about this verse
is that in the whole New Testament, this is the only time that Lot’s wife is
referred to. What can we possibly learn from remembering Lot’s wife? When Lot
and his family were taken out by the angels of the Lord, they had an
instruction not to look back. They were to leave Sodom and Gomorrah and all
that was in it. They had lived in those cities, their lives were there, and
these cities were part of them. Their friends and relatives were there and yet
God said to them, ‘Don’t look back!’ When they were told to leave, they left
the city in a hurry because God’s anger over the cities was so great. Lot’s
wife was in motion but the moment she looked back she became a monument! she
looked back She turned into a pillar of salt. She disobeyed an express command.
There are many people in the Church today, who have become stagnant and have
stopped growing because they looked back and disobeyed the command that had
been given. The Lord does not give us a provision of giving up in this life.
Even when we are hurt by the circumstances of this life, the Lord wants us to
carry on and maintain our focus on Him.
This is hard but when you remember
Lot’s wife, you will not want to turn into a monument. There is one thing about
a monument; it stays where it has been put. If placed in a valley, a monument
will stay there. It has no will of its own but is dragged around by others.
Forget what lies behind, past hurts, past failures and past disappointments.
Continual meditation on these will simply turn you into a monument. You will
stop growing and your passions and dreams will die. When that happens, your
purpose in this world will be aborted. Paul forgot what lay behind and pressed
on towards the mark.
Drag yourself towards your goals even
in moments when the temptation to look back is great. God has a prize ahead of
you and the price for it is resisting the temptation of looking back
(Philippians 3:13-14). Isaiah 42 v 9 says that it is imperative to forget the
former things before we can fully appreciate the new things. Lot’s wife had a
problem appreciating the new thing that the Lord was doing, she failed to
comprehend the intensity of God’s visitation for her family because her heart
was still in Sodom and Gomorrah. You cannot effectively cling to the things
ahead of you unless you effectively leave the things that are behind. The Lord
will not fill your hands with new things if they are still full of old ones.
SEPTEMBER 3 ONE DAY AT A TIME
So teach us to number our days, that we
may apply our hearts unto wisdom. (Psalm 90 v 12) The successful and the not so
successful people have one thing in common. They are all given a
twenty-four-hour day. Nothing can be done to change this truth. The poor and
the rich also have this in common. Time is one of the most precious resources
that we are all given. To succeed in anything, time has to be used properly and
with diligence. Of all the resources that you have, time is the most important
one that you will never be able to buy back in case you have lost it. You can
lose your house, your car and even money but these can be bought back. No court
on earth can order anyone to restitute you of your time.
You have to live with the fact that you
are past yesterday and you have added another day to your age. Time is
constantly moving and as it moves, it closes old windows of opportunity and
opens other windows. Learn to discern how you will utilize your time. Your
future depends on what you do today and how you invest your time. Don’t waste
time dwelling on the mistakes you made yesterday. Learn from yesterday’s
experiences but do not waste more time lamenting the errors thereof! Success
demands strict time management and a realization that every minute is precious
towards goal attainment. Every second that passes could as well be your success
and your recognition.
Never allow idleness to get hold of you
because idleness consumes time. Evaluate yourself on a daily basis. Evaluate
the things you have done that contribute to your ultimate goal. Never take
things for granted. Do not leave your success to chance. Your success will come
from deliberate efforts that are carefully ordered on a daily basis, minute by
minute and second by second. Success is not an accidental thing; it comes out
of diligent time management. Living your success to chance is a disaster in the
making, it will cause you to die disappointed and miss your opportunities
because of failing to discern the seasons. Leaving things to chance will cripple
your progress and hinder you from attaining those goals that are so precious to
you. Be possessive of your time, hug your time to your heart and do not allow
anyone to take it from you.
Do not allow events, no matter how
painful or exciting slow you down. Success is tailored in time; it is the
wrapping paper in which success comes in. If that time is missed, if the season
has passed sadly success would also have been missed. Time for you is in the
present, tomorrow is not guaranteed. Make it a habit not to spare for the
future what you can do in the today. The future is not yours, what you have is
the present. The Psalmist recognized how precious time was and he asked for
strength and wisdom to number his days. If you can manage your time well, you
can manage every other resource.
SEPTEMBER 4 NO DISTRESS CALLS
May our sons flourish in their youth
like well-nurtured plants. May our daughters be like graceful pillars, carved
to beautify a palace? May our farms be filled with crops of every kind. May the
flocks in our fields multiply by the thousands, even tens of thousands, and may
our oxen be loaded down with produce. May there be no breached walls, no forced
exile, no cries of distress in our squares. Yes, happy are those who have it
like this! Happy indeed are those whose God is the LORD. (PSALM 144:12-15)
Those who are parents will tell you that their main desire for their children
is that they live securely even long after they are gone.
The truth however is all the insurance
companies of this world could never be compared to the assurance that is found
in God. His care and love for us goes beyond our imagination. God desires that
you receive abundance; He desires that your own children benefit from your
investment of faith in the Lord. Your farms must be filled with not only one
crop but with crops of every kind. Your oxen must be loaded down with produce.
These are the works of your hands, your
business, your job and everything that brings revenue into your life, God wants
it all to be loaded down with produce. You have security in Him, today He is
saying NO to breached walls, no to forced exile, no cries of distress in your
squares or streets. It might be looking gloomy, God is saying NO to the things
that were opposing you. This is the promise of the Lord to you. That opposition
that you were facing cannot stop you for God has arisen on your behalf. This
battle is not yours, it is the Lord’s! Is anyone trying to unseat you or send
you into exile? The Lord has said NO to all this… You will prevail because He
Has said so. Those calls of distress will not be heard within your walls
anymore because the Lord God Almighty has declared it.
SEPTEMBER 5 NEVER GIVE UP
So let us come boldly to the throne of
our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to
help us when we need it.” Heb 4 v 16 (NLT) By now you should have figured out
that life is not always rosy and that there are challenges every step of the
way. Those who make it in life are the people that never give up. It is an
established fact that winners never quit and quitters never win. Your situation
today is not an indication of your tomorrow.
Before you give up, remember that we
have a God who enjoys giving us victory. What we pass through today is
perfecting us for our ultimate destiny. God has given us access to His throne.
He did not call us to be apologetic about our position in Christ but to behave
like sons and approach His throne boldly. Your background does not matter,
approach God’s throne with boldness. Your problem is never too big for him for
He is the author and the finisher of your faith. Many believers are not daring
to approach the Lord’s throne but there is a lot of joy in doing that When you
learn the habit of approaching Him boldly, your obstacles will continually melt
in His presence. Those who have mastered the habit of approaching God’s throne
will testify that all the things that appeared like mountains in their lives
turned into little ant hills, they can testify that their deserts burst out
with streams of rivers.
You might look like nobody today and it
feels right to give up, there is victory that is available for you if you only
focus on God. You are not a failure and there is no reason for you to feel so.
Lean on the Lord and His life will permeate through you. He is the one that
says come unto me you who are heavy laden and I will give you rest. You can
lift your head high and allow your praise song to come out of your mouth
because it is not over for you yet. Your situation is not your end; it is just
a comma in the sentence of your life.
SEPTEMBER 6 MEET YOU AT THE TOP
As an eagle stirreth up her nest,
fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth
them on her wings: So the LORD alone did lead him, and there was no strange god
with him. DEU 32:11-12 (KJV) Towards the end of Moses' life as recorded in the
book of Deuteronomy, he began to give important words to the children of Israel.
These were words they needed to hold on to because their success or failure
depended on them. The Lord gave Moses a song and this song is recorded in
Deuteronomy 32. As I read the Song of Moses, verse 11 and 12 stood out. The
verses were a shining gem and I started meditating on them and knew I should
encourage you with this word. Nature is full of great biblical lessons for us.
Visualize an eagle with the little ones that are supposed to take their first
flying lesson and they are comfortable in their nest that is high up (Jer
49:16).
The height of the nest depicts security
and comfort and all the little eagles have ever known is comfort. One day, the
mother eagle comes and destroys the nest-she destroys the comfort zone because
her desire is that the little ones move on to the next level. Imagine the
eaglets crying to the mother to stop it! Looking at the mother and thinking,
"has she gone crazy...why is she destroying our place of refuge, why is
she destroying our comfort?" All the time the eagle is thinking, this is
the time for my little ones to go to the next level. A time for them to
discover that they have wings and that they can soar and not just sit in the
comfortable nest waiting to be fed. A lot of us can identify with the above,
look at the Lord as being the mother eagle and we are the little eaglets that
are comfortable in our nests and comfort zones.
So many times the Lord has shaken us
out of our comfort zones for us to discover our potential. Have you been
stirred lately, has your comfort zone been destroyed? It is the Lord who is
telling you that you are ready for your ‘Flying lesson Number One.’ The eagle
will bear the little one's wing on the tip of her own wing in the first lesson.
Though the course is obviously difficult, when the little eagle obeys, it will
not fail. It is in moments like these that the Lord demands that we observe,
obey and follow what He is doing. Our God is a God of restoration; He is a God
who builds cities from ruins.
SEPTEMBER 7 THE INTERNAL GOLD FIELD
But we have this treasure in earthen
vessels that the Excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. 2Cor 4:7
A mere look with the natural eye will not reveal it, you would dismiss the Gold
Field as a simple space, good for nothing.
However, those who know can always
tell, they can always distinguish a piece of land that has gold or treasure
below it from that with nothing. In this hi-tech generation, machines and
computer programs have been developed to do this. In the same way, when you
look at yourself with the natural eye, it is easy to dismiss yourself as good
for nothing. You may think of yourself as a failure or a mistake. The Word
tells us that you were fashioned by the Lord when you were in your mother's
womb.. That means that we carry a special destiny with us, we are designed for
special purpose.
Did you know that even the very hairs
of your head a numbered? Yea it is very easy for you not to notice but the Lord
carefully watches over you. Why do you look without for things that are within?
Many have failed to realize that the Lord has put something awesome inside
them. There is a gold field within you, a field that carries treasures that
this world has never seen. You have abilities in you. Outside, you are merely
an earthly tabernacle, wearing an Earth-Suit. The earth suit on its own is
nothing but dust but God carefully put treasure in that delicate body. He has
done this so that the excellence of power maybe of God and not of us. Others
consider themselves not beautiful, others consider themselves too fat, and this
makes them miss out on the treasure God has put inside them. A few however have
managed to overcome their exterior limitations, they have managed to remove the
rubble that hindered them and reached out for the treasure.
When you dig for natural gold, you have
to remove rubble and invest strength and resources to get the gold/ treasure.
This principle applies also for the treasure that is in you; you need to do
some digging, to go on a journey of discovery. In this journey, you need to
invest time and resources. You cannot discover the treasure over night; you
have to work on it. Do not be perplexed child of God by the limitations that
exist outside you, Stop panicking when your environment closes in.
There is a God in Heaven who has put
all you need to cope inside you. He has designed you as an overcomer! All that
you have been looking for is safely stored within you. Go out there and give
the world the opportunity to see that the excellence of power is not of man but
God. The day you start digging your internal gold field is the day you will
start leaving a mark in this world. A lot have died and have been buried with
that treasure, make a decision today to start digging.
SEPTEMBER 8 THE MIGHTY HAVE FALLEN
How are the mighty fallen, and the
weapons of war perished! 2 Samuel 1:27 In all the things that I have gone
through, God was aware and He was leading me in His paths. I was humbled to
realize that no matter how I strayed, the Lord was with me all the way, shaping
my destiny. David wrote this song as a funeral song for Saul and Jonathan when
they were killed in battle. As I looked back, I saw how those that are called
mighty and those that had great strength are not there today. I thought of the
excellent students that were better than me in school.
The question that came to me was,
"Where are they?" I could not find an answer, the only thing I could
say was, "Thou knowest oh Lord... some of them are no longer alive
today." I am here because the Lord was shaping my destiny, He held me in
His righteous right hand. From time immemorial, the mighty in this world have
fallen but those who depended on the Lord have stood upright. Know who you have
trusted in.
When you look at the situations that
are surrounding you today, remember that the Lord shapes the destiny of His
own. No level of intimidation can avert the grace of God that is upon your
life. How the mighty have fallen and the weapons of war perished... Psalms 46 v
9 tells us that the Lord causes wars to end. He breaks the bow and snaps the
spear in two; he burns the shields with fire. When the battle lines are drawn
against you, remember that there is only one constant power, that of the El
Shaddai God.
SEPTEMBER 9 GOOD SUCCESS
This book of the law shall not depart
out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou
mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou
shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Josh 1 v
8 (KJV) Purpose is a wonderful thing but it is not complete unless there is
fulfillment of that purpose. It would be failure to miss the things you are
supposed to do on this earth by just a small fraction. It is God’s desire that
we empty ourselves of everything he put in us and be a complete blessing to the
world. Joshua had just taken over leadership from the great man Moses. His was
going to be a mammoth task because Moses was a successful predecessor; he had
run his part of the race well.
Joshua needed to be successful and
certainly needed someone to show him the way to the top. In the above
scripture, the Lord speaks to Joshua and gives him the formula which if we all
follow today, we will impact this world like we never imagined. Joshua was told
that everything was in the Word; all success tools are in there. His part was
to find them and apply them in his life every day and he would never fail.
Mahatma Gandhi spoke forcefully to Christians when he said the following:
"You Christians have in your keeping a document with enough dynamite in it
to blow the whole of civilization to bits, to turn society upside down, to
bring peace to this war-torn world. But you read it as if it were just good
literature, and nothing else." For too long we have sought success from
other ends.
The Word of the Lord is "powerful,
sharper than a two edged sword." (HEB 4:12) Many times we treat the Word
as if it was a rusty, blunt knife. This is the time to audit your life, and
discover how rich you are. Discover how the Lord has invested power in you
through His Word. When you take the Word, there is no mountain that is
insurmountable and there is no problem with no solution. David understood the
secret and he says in Psalms 119, "Thy Word have I hidden in my
heart." Joshua was commanded to study the Word continually, meditate on it
day and night and to be sure to obey everything in it.
The promise was that he would enjoy not
just success but good success. Joshua stands as one of the greatest leaders of
all time and the secret is in the Word. The Word changes those who read it,
meditate on it and act on it. Surrender religion and get a relationship with
the Lord that continually draws you towards His Word. What has been filling
your mind? What have you been meditating on? "For as he thinketh in his
heart, so is he." (Pro 23:7) You are a sum total of the things that you
meditate on and think about. When you take the Word and make it your companion
during the day and at night, that act alone will transform your thinking
patterns
SEPTEMBER 10 THE SHIP IS ABOUT TO DOCK
The king had a fleet of trading ships
that sailed with Hiram's fleet. Once every three years the ships returned,
loaded down with gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks. 1 Kings 10:22 (NLT)
Are you battle weary? Is this the state you have degenerated into? Tired of
fighting? Rise up and fight again. Having done all to stand you need to stand
therefore (Ephesians 6:13). When God gives a promise, it is yes and amen in
Christ Jesus (2 Cor 1:20). There is a waiting period, a period of incubation in
which you need to wait expectantly and endure hardship as a good soldier of the
Lord.
Those who wait upon the Lord shall
surely renew their strength. Long ago, there was no sophisticated
telecommunication technology and when a ship was loaded and left the harbour;
it was a waiting game for the day the ship would return. People would perish at
sea and the great depths would swallow the sailors with a great loss of
merchandise. You can understand the reason of the excitement when the ship docked
after a long period of waiting and anticipation. It meant that the merchant had
no loss and that his crew was safe. Psalm 107:23- 30 relates one such voyage.
God brought the sailors who were plying routes on the great seas safely into
harbour. There is power in the Word, it bring strength and victory. Before the
ship reaches the harbour, there is a great voyage that must be undertaken. The
seas have their own pirates, robbers and perils. The above scripture tells us
about the great fleet that Solomon had. These ships returned once in every
three years loaded down with the best of merchandise. These ships, would sail
around the world and bring the best from those different lands. Solomon had to
learn to wait for three years the ships were out.
Learn to wait child of God, for in due
season, there is a reward for the one who patiently waits. You must walk in
faith and confidence. Jesus in one of his sermons said, (Matt 12:40-42) “ For
as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son
of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of
Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it:
because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than
Jonas is here. 42 The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with
this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of
the earth to hear the Wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is
here.” Be still and know that a greater one is in our midst. Solomon in his
entire splendor is nothing compared to the Lord Jesus, all you are asked to do
is trust in Him and patiently wait on Him. Your ship is loaded down with gold,
silver and ivory and it’s about to dock.
Prepare yourself to receive the best of
the land. In moments like these, the devil would want you to be battle weary.
Do not despair, this is the time to make that last move of faith for indeed,
the Ship will dock despite what the circumstances are. Today you must hear the
voice of the Spirit. He is speaking to you and saying "The Ship is about
to dock." The season of uncertainty is coming to an end. The delay you
were experiencing on things is coming to an end. It is not over for you, your
ship is coming and it is coming loaded. Arise in praise for the Lord's time is
now. Finish off the enemy that was holding back what’s yours through praise.
SEPTEMBER 11 THE VICTORY IS IN YOUR MOUTH
But what saith it? The word is nigh
thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we
preach; (Rom 10:8 KJV). As the Jesus hung on that cross, His confession
remained positive, though in pain, He understood the principle of the spoken
Word and the victory that it carries in it. In one statement, Christ summed up
the things that He had done and accomplished for us. He said '...it is
finished.' (John 19:30). Those were His last words. The words were decisive and
final. Believers must start walking in the finality of those words and live
victorious lives today. The words meant the end of defeat for us, the end of
sickness and failures. He paid the price on the cross.
Today we live in a world where we are
bombarded with many things. It is easy to be carried away and run with the pace
of this world. There are two main things that hinder us from experiencing the
best in God. These two factors limit and keep us in a cage in which even the
least of our potential will not be realized. We develop limiting mindsets that
put Christ far from our reach. He is high up and cannot be brought down to deal
with our situation. (Who shall ascend into the heavens and bring Christ down?).
We also fail to recognize the power
Christ has. We have no idea how much He can do to turn our situations around.
We think He is still with the dead (Who can descend into the deep and bring
Christ up?) The book of Romans speaks of how in this day we increasingly need
to put our faith in the Lord. There is a righteousness that comes because of
faith in the Lord. Through this faith, we can overcome the two paradigms above.
The Word is near you, even in your mouth and in your heart. That is the Word of
faith that is preached. The Word carries victory in it, if you confess it and
do what it says; you will enjoy the victory that it carries. Be encouraged because
you can overcome the challenges that surround you.
All you need to do is to raise the Word
of faith. God has put tremendous power on our lips. When we speak, we speak
oracles and things should fall into place and come into being. What have you
been speaking lately? Death and life are in the power of the tongue (Pro
18:21). You are a sum total of the things you say. God is closer to you than
your breathe, there is no need to descend or ascend, to be poor or rich, young
or old for you to have access to this victory. The Word is in your mouth. The
words that you say can change your life forever. Through words, the wise have
been separated from fools and the successful from the failures. Words can
change the destiny of an individual, organization or nation.
SEPTEMBER 12 WHO IS SPEAKING FOR YOU?
This is an impossible thing the king
requires. No one except the gods can tell you your dream, and they do not live
among people." The king was furious when he heard this, and he sent out
orders to execute all the wise men of Babylon (Daniel 2:11- 12). There is no
consolation in ignorance and those that try to use ignorance as an excuse will
perish. God said in His Word that his people “perish for lack of knowledge”
(Hosea 4:6). Words are so powerful and when spoken, they create something. God
Himself created the world by speaking the Word. What is happening today in your
life is a result of the things you have been speaking. The devil understands
the power of our words and he uses them against us to destroy us. If you are
not careful and vigilant you will be the architect of your failure.
The Word urges us to condemn every word
that is raised against us in judgment before those words take effect in our
lives (Isaiah 54:17). A story is recorded in the book of Daniel that shows us
how the devil can manipulate our ignorance or lack of knowledge. King
Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that he could not understand and as was the custom,
he called all the magicians that were in the land to tell him his dream and the
interpretation. The magicians told the King that his request was impossible and
that only God would tell him his dream but the problem was, he did not dwell
amongst people. When they could not tell him the dream and the interpretation
he made a decree that all the wise men should be killed. This was not true and
the amazing thing is that Daniel and his friends were part of the wise men of
Babylon but they were not summoned to this meeting. The devil was conspiring
against them.
The decree of the king was not
selective; it was going to affect all the wise men. The truth is that God
dwells amongst His people and the Word tells us that nothing is impossible for
those that believe but the magicians had disqualified this before the king with
no one to dispute their words. Men were sent to find and kill Daniel and his
friends. Daniel requested more time from the king so as to interpret the dream.
The secret was revealed because Daniel and his friends entreated God for a
revelation of the information.
The decree was reversed only when
Daniel went to the King to speak for himself and he requested more time. Who is
speaking on your behalf? Have you taken time to reverse words that have been
spoken against you? Words have power and you have to increasingly understand
that power and use it to your benefit. Do not allow people to define your
destiny, God wants to do the best with your life. The devil might be telling
you that you will not live through the year but rise up and speak against that.
You are meant to live until you are satisfied. Be vigilant and sober; reverse
negative words spoken against you.
SEPTEMBER 13 NOW IT’S ON YOU AND YOU FAINT
“Behold, thou hast instructed many, and thou
hast strengthened the weak hands. Thy words have upholden him that was falling,
and thou hast strengthened the feeble knees. But now it is come upon thee, and
thou faintest; it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled.” Job 4:3-5 KJV You have
strengthened the hands of those who were weary and encouraged them to carry on
and not give up before. There is a question that I have always asked myself,
"When it happens to you, how are you going to react?" Job was in the
ministry of encouraging others. He was a man others could look up to for
guidance in times of pain and failure. His friends for several times had been
encouraged by this man Job by his counsel, their lives had been improved.
The Lord was about to take Job to the
next level; he was about to bring promotion in his life. Job had upheld those
who were falling and had strengthened the feeble knees. In this season, Job was
facing adversity, in moments like these; realize that the Lord is still for you
and is faithful to carry you through. You have to be focused on the Lord
continually because in your adversity, God is taking you to the next level. Be
careful of what you say because in such moments, the devil will suggest that
you curse God and die. Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall
fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall
yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no
herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my
salvation.
The LORD God is my strength, and he
will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high
places… (Hab 3:17-19) Have things been going wrong in your life? Have you felt
that the Lord has forgotten you and are you discouraged to the point of giving
up? The above scripture paints a number of scenarios. In these scenarios we see
desolation and disaster. They are scenarios in which all things seem to fail.
However, the scripture goes on to say, "I will rejoice in the Lord, I will
joy in the God of my salvation." God is looking for people that will draw
their joy from the Lord and not the things that surround them. When you trust
in the things that are around you, they are bound to change and hence your view
of life will change with them. However, when you put your trust in the Lord,
the Lord does not change hence we can be able to rejoice when things appear dim
and unbearable.
Your strength has to be the Lord and
nothing else. If you trust in man, intelligence and other outside variables,
all these things are bound to change. Our God has an unchanging nature; he is
not changed by world events! When we learn to put our faith in Him, we will not
be dismayed and we will recognize that in all seasons, he causes us to walk
upon our high places. The situation that you are facing today can be overcome,
just learn to look up to the Lord and He will strengthen you. He will cause you
to be fruitful in a season of drought and will cause you to overcome even when
you do not have strength. When adversity comes, do not faint, stand and have
confidence in the Lord!
SEPTEMBER 14 CALM UNDER PRESSURE
“We are troubled on every side, yet not
distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken;
cast down but not destroyed; Always bearing in our body the dying of the Lord
Jesus, that the life also of Jesus may be made manifest in our body.” 2 Co 4:8
– 10 I gave my life to Jesus Christ at a young age and my thinking was that it
was the end of all life troubles and challenges. Many new believers have no
idea how to react when troubles mount in their lives. The Apostle Paul came
face to face with troubles many times in his ministry. When troubles come, be
aware that troubles are common to all.
Though there is trouble on every side,
the Lord Jesus is still sitting on His throne at the right hand of the Father
interceding for you. When you are in trouble, refuse that distress takes root
in you. When you allow distress, it will weaken you and it will rob you of your
praise. Don’t be perplexed by the size of your situation, never let it lead you
to despair, trust in Jesus who is able to solve any problem. Persecutions will
come because of our faith in the Jesus. Sadly in that persecution, you are not
forsaken. Jesus said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. He is not moved
by the circumstances we are in. The Lord is always close to us; He is Emmanuel,
God with us! When you look at that situation, it might be mountain high but
remind it of how big your omnipresent God is. Your enemies may scheme against
you; they might even think that your end has come because of the excellent
plans they have devised but though you are cast down, you are not destroyed.
All the troubles are meant to demonstrate or manifest the life of Jesus in us.
Job 5 v 20 records, “In famine he shall redeem thee from death: and in war from
the power of the sword.” It may rumble and thunder around you but God’s
faithful provision will be seen in your life. There may be panic around you as
people fear different things but the Lord will redeem you just to demonstrate
the life of Jesus in your mortal body. Never let go of our eternal hope that
one day we will meet with Him. He Himself will wipe away all your tears. It
will be wonderful to hear Him say, “Well done good and faithful servant.” Don’t
grow weary in doing well; don’t give up on your integrity because of the
pressure. He will reward those who endure to the end, those who face the
pressure so that God’s power may be made manifest in their lives.
SEPTEMBER 15 CHRIST THE HEALER
Psalm 107 v 20 He spoke, and they were
healed – snatched from the door of death. (NLT) We live in a world that is full
of harsh realities and one of those is different types of disease. One thing
that you will notice in the ministry of Christ is that He always came across
diseases in every place He went to. His ministry included healing the sick, and
this has not changed, He is still on a mission to set the sick free. The Word
carries much power in it and the moment it touches you, it is like He Himself
Has physically touched you with His hand. You can literally reach out to His
Word like you are reaching out for the hem of His garment. The devil’s mission
is to kill, steal and destroy (John 10 v 10) but Jesus wants us to prosper and
to be in good health. Sickness is a limitation, it comes to physically disable
you and hinder you from fulfilling your purpose. It wants to stop you from
reaching your maximum potential. Ultimately, sickness brings death. God sends
His Word to counter any negative situation. When God speaks, every situation
must bow because He is the Creator of everything. Psalm 107:20 says when God
spoke, the people were healed; they were snatched from the door of death. The
nature of the sickness does not matter. God will snatch you from the jaws of
death despite the report of the doctor. God’s Word is eternal; it remains
relevant in all time, it is the same yesterday, today and forever. This is why
you can hold on to the word that He has spoken. Dan 10:19 says “And said, O man
greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And
when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak;
for thou hast strengthened me.” (KJV) Take the Word, begin to read it despite
your sickness, when you continue hearing the Word, you will be strengthened.
Speak the Word loudly to yourself, it is medicine and will bring your healing.
SEPTEMBER 16 DON’T LISTEN TO EVERYTHING
“Also take no heed unto all words that
are spoken; lest thou hear thy servant curse thee: For oftentimes also thine
own heart knoweth that thou thyself likewise hast cursed others. All this have
I proved by wisdom…” Eccl 7 v 21-23 [KJV] Our words are powerful weapons that
we can use to get something. They are spiritual and can accomplish great spiritual
works. This is why as believers we should be careful what we say and hear.
Solomon in the above scripture cautions us to be careful on what we hear.
You do not have to hear everything that
is said in this world. Solomon as a ruler of a great kingdom, faced situations
that needed an exercise of wisdom! He continually had to deal with false
accusations and most of these things were created by words. Wisdom had taught
him that we do not need to hear everything that is said about us. If you are a
person who wants to hear everything, you will hear your servant curse you one
day. You also at one time have cursed or said bad things about others in
private.
You must leave that balance to exist
about things that are said in this world. Wisdom is to listen to things that
are of importance. Wisdom dictates that we should avoid offence that comes from
words. When you hear something that is not pleasing, it is wisdom not to put it
to heart. In the same way, when you hear someone saying something that is not right
about someone, you have no right to go and parrot it to them. You also have
said things about others and how would you feel if they were taken to them.
Words can build and destroy people. They are an instrument for expressing love,
compassion but in the same vein they can be used to transmit hate and
destruction.
Be careful with the words that you say.
When you are asked to relate something, do you add in things that were
originally not part of what you were told? Do you try to impress people by
putting in a few lies? Well, this can work out badly for you for words are
permanent, with no chance of obliterating them. When you give ear to the wrong
words, you will make premature decisions that will be detrimental to your joy.
You will destroy relationships that are foundational in your life and are meant
to help you towards attaining your goals. John 2 v 24-25 (NLT) says, “But Jesus
didn't trust them, because he knew what people were really like. No one needed
to tell him about human nature.” Jesus did not want to receive the comments of
the people; He did not even take to heart the things they said. He understood
human nature. Use your words to build bridges. Words are truly powerful; it is
wisdom to know what to say and what to hear. Don’t entertain words of
discouragement. In is a seed of greatness and what you hear will either water
it or uproot it. The choice is yours today; choose not to listen to everything
you hear. If you have heard something already that was not meant for you, do
not commit it to heart… Quest to fill yourself with the Word only because it
will nourish you and strengthen you
SEPTEMBER 17 HARVEST TIME
"If you keep my laws and are
careful to obey my commands, I will send the seasonal rains. The land will then
yield its crops, and the trees will produce their fruit. Your threshing season
will extend until the grape harvest, and your grape harvest will extend until
it is time to plant grain again. You will eat your fill and live securely in
your land.[Leviticus 26 v 3-5] Numbers 23:19 says, “God is not a man that He
should lie…has He ever promised and not carried it through?” There are times
when we doubt God’s promises and wonder if He meant what He promised. The truth
is God honours His Word and His promises are yes and amen in Jesus Christ. He
is a covenant keeping God.
The above scripture makes us aware that
before the promise comes, you have to keep His laws and obey His commands. The
common problem in the body of Christ today is the lack of obedience to the Lord
but a desire to partake of His promises. We have so many people that are busy
running away from God’s will for their lives but at the same time want God to
meet His end of the bargain. Nothing is impossible to the one who diligently
follows the Word.. Through obedience, Jesus wants to bring you into an unending
harvest period. The land is designed to yield the best to those who obey the
Father.
At times we are in lack not because the
Lord does not want to provide but because of failing to follow through on His
Word. God respects His set principles and those who follow them receive His
promises. "I will look favorably upon you and multiply your people and
fulfill my covenant with you. You will have such a surplus of crops that you
will need to get rid of the leftovers from the previous year to make room for
each new harvest.
I will live among you, and I will not
despise you. I will walk among you; I will be your God, and you will be my
people.[Leviticus 26 v 9-12] You are set for abundant harvests in this season.
Your silos are too small to contain the harvest that has been turned over to
you. As you do the Word of God, there is an unlocking of abundance in your
life. As a believer, God intends for you to thrive in the midst of chaos, he
wants you to eat the best of the land.
SEPTEMBER 18 HIS PROMISE AND HIS OATH
And so, having patiently waited, he
obtained the promise. For men swear by one greater than themselves, and with
them an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute. In the same way
God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the
unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, so that by two
unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken
refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set beforeus.
This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and
one which enters within the veil, [HEB 6 v 15-19 NAS]
In the midst of chaos and confusion,
the children of God should rely on the Lord despite their location. Don’t
panic, there is a Word for every situation you may go through. Do not fear for
your investments even for your own life, we have not received the spirit of
bondage again to fear. God has confirmed our salvation, liberty and success in
this life through two things; His promise and His oath. These according to the
book of Hebrews are absolutes! God’s promise on its own is good enough but for
Him to give us full assurance; He also gave us an oath. The above scripture
highlights that it is impossible for God to lie.
He does not retract on His Word and
like man He does not change His mind. Beloved, God Has made up His mind
concerning the things that relate to you. You might seem to be going under but
remember today that there are promises that He has deposited into your life. To
solidify those promises, He made an oath with just you in mind. What a mighty
God we serve! In verse 18 of the above reference, we are told, “so that by two
unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken
refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.”
There indeed is hope that is set before
us; it is because of this that you can rise up from your mess. In that test of
life that you are in, you can be strengthened by the knowledge that He Has not
abandoned you. He is surely a God that turns your mess into your message and
your test into your testimony.
SEPTEMBER 19 PEACE BE STILL
And there arose a great storm of wind,
and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the
hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto
him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the
wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there
was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that
ye have no faith? Mark 4 v 37- 39 [KJV]
The story of the Titanic is probably
one of modern day stories that relate to the rage that the sea can unleash. One
of the most challenging times for any sailor is not when the sea is calm but
when there is a storm and high winds or when there is a threat of sinking from
whatever reason. A storm at sea can destroy even a state of the art ship and
bring it down to the peril of those in it. Jesus and the disciples came face to
face with one such storm at sea. My spirit is drawn towards the words that
Christ had said in verse thirty-five just before they started off on that trip.
“And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over
unto the other side.” LUKE 8:35. ‘Let us pass over unto the other side.’
The next thing we hear after those
words is the arising of a great storm. There is a relationship between the
words Christ spoke and the arising of the storm. That is evidenced by the
experiences that we go through in life. Many times when the Lord gives you a
Word, the devil tries his best to oppose it. Many have gone through moments
when they knew that the Lord was calling them to expand their horizons but they
faced great opposition after receiving the word. You need to constantly focus
on that word until it is fulfilled in your life. That opposition does not mean
the Lord has forsaken you.
He said, ‘I will never leave you nor
forsake you.’ Christ was in the ship, at peace and resting when there was chaos
all around the boat. Why would He be so much at peace in the midst of the
storm? He had released a Word and despite the opposition, that Word was going
to be fulfilled, they were going over to the other side. Jesus rested in that
Word. The disciples were panicking and they woke Jesus up, they lacked faith.
They blamed Jesus for being at peace in the midst of the storm. When Jesus woke
up, He spoke to the sea and there was immediately a calm that amazed everyone.
Jesus did not say,
‘That was close!’ He asked, ‘Why are ye
so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?’ The disciples feared for their
lives despite the fact that the author of life was with them! They feared the
storm and the sea yet the Master of it all was with them. You might think that
indeed the disciples had no faith since Christ was right there with them but
this is the same thing with you today, Christ is right there with you in your
heart but you demonstrate the same fear the disciples showed that day.
When you pass through the storms of
life, put your faith in Christ. The word has been released concerning your
destiny, come hail or thunder, nothing will stop its fulfillment. Life
threatening situations will come but have faith in Him. I hear His voice in
your situation saying, ‘HUSH…Peace be still!’ He is watching over that word to
perform it.
SEPTEMBER 20 WHO COULD DO IT BETTER THAN JOSEPH?
" As they discussed who should be
appointed for the job, Pharaoh said, "Who could do it better than Joseph?
For he is a man who is obviously filled with the spirit of God." Gen 41:38
Joseph was a brilliant young man, intelligent and with a big portfolio of dreams.
Success was definitely supposed to be a given for him. Here is a young man who
had the doors to his future wide open for him and nothing was going to stop
him. His father loved him very much but in that love, he had to deal with
hatred from his brothers. He had amazing dreams and in those dreams, he had to
deal with the opposition that was coming to him from all directions. The
summary of this young man was that of a person in conflict. He had a dream and
a vision but he had to go through a tough road to the realization of those
goals and dreams. There is a journey to be taken on the road to the realization
of your dream. Joseph waited for several years to hear the words in Gen 41:38
said to him, "Who could do it better than Joseph?" Obstacles are
never a signal for the end of your dreams. Today I want to assure you that God
is keeping your dream alive. Joseph found himself in the hands of his brothers
and they had plans to kill him. His brothers threw him into a pit.
In that pit Joseph should have been
calling unto to the father like some of us. We usually confront God with the
question "Why me?" I am sure God's answer has always remained the
same, "Because you are special!" In those situations, the Lord is
busy preparing you for that big dream that you have. You are so special to Him.
When he left the pit, he was sold into slavery. It was time for him to come out
of the familiar territory and go to Egypt ahead of his family. The methods that
God used to bring Joseph closer to his throne were unconventional. As a slave
in Potiphar’s house he did well and was promoted but at that moment, a false
accusation came and he landed in prison. All these things were allowed to
prepare Joseph. From prison, Joseph saw the fulfillment of his dream.
I want to encourage you today that the
dream you have is not dead God is keeping your dream alive in every situation
that you face. Romans 5:3-5, Paul says tribulations are good and the reason is
that when you go through tribulation, it brings about perseverance.
Perseverance brings about proven character, and proven character hope. And hope
does not disappoint because of the love of God. Hope in the Lord and you will
not be disappointed. The tribulations that we face are not a misnomer; it is
the highway of God for the realization of your maximum potential. In
everything, keep your focus on Him.
SEPTEMBER 21 YOU WERE FREED TO BE FREE
For freedom Christ has set us free;
stand fast therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. (Gal 5:1
RSV) The sad thing about the slave trade was not the very act of making people
slaves but it was the pain that came with the breaking up of the families. The
social fabric of Africa was dealt a severe blow as the most productive, the
fathers, and the beautiful ones were taken as slaves. At this juncture, I will
define what a slave is, according to the Oxford Dictionary. A slave is, "a
person who is the property of another and is obliged to work for him or her or
one who is dominated by another or by an influence." Paul addresses the Galatians
and he says to them. It was for freedom that Christ Has set us free. Stand fast
therefore and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery. When one is born
again, there is a danger of failing to understand what Jesus Has done and
thereby a failure to walk in the power of His might. One then remains in
bondage. Christ died to free all from the forces that once held us captive. We
were slaves in our sins. We were bound and being led to death. There was
disruption in our lives. Everything that we worked on did not succeed. When
Jesus came and we received Him, He made us free and we must enjoy the freedom.
Many have remained in the pain of
poverty and all the negative things that have happened in their lives for
failing to embrace His freedom. Many lead themselves back into captivity
through crippling mindsets. Paul urges us and he says, "Stand fast
therefore." Don’t be carelessness. Disregard everything that may seek to
destroy you and just stand. You have to stand and defend this freedom that you
have received from Christ! With the freedom that you have attained, do not
submit yourself again to the yoke of bondage. It is possible as a believer to
put yourself under the yoke of the enemy again. This is why it’s so imperative
for you to stand fast.
The yoke of slavery does not have any
power over you anymore. There is only one person who can put you under that
yoke again-that person is you. The devil cannot do it; no demon in hell can put
you under that yoke again. They can only succeed with your help. The African slaves
looked forward to a day of freedom. When that day came, some of them were used
to slavery that they were happy remaining with their masters as slaves. Have
you been a slave for too long that you are happy marching back into that
lustful relationship? You are emerging a winner; you will not and cannot be
enslaved again in your life.
SEPTEMBER 22 THE LORD CAN FIX IT!
So he said: "From the one who eats
came something to eat; out of the strong came something sweet." Three days
later they were still trying to figure it out. (Judges 14:14 NLT) When the Word
comes, it is an encouragement to His children. It brings strength where
naturally there is no strength. Samson was appointed by the Lord as a judge in
Israel; they were under the oppression of the Philistines. In their distress,
the people started crying to the Lord. God was moved and Samson was raised.
As Samson was on his way to Timnah, a
young lion attacked him The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon Samson and
he ripped the lion apart like a little kid. Don't you remember that the Bible
says that when the devil comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will
raise up a standard against him? Rise up and make use of the strength that the
Lord has made available to you.
Later on, Samson revisited the carcass
of the lion and he found there was honey inside it A situation that could have
ended Samson’s life became a source of victory and nourishment for him. Some
bees had made honey in the carcass of the young lion. Samson's danger became
the source of beautiful honey which did not only feed him but even others. Is
this not what the Lord wants to do in us, when we pass through difficult times,
it not his desire that we will find good in bad and be a blessing to other
people. Samson then coined a riddle: "From the one who eats came something
to eat; out of the strong came something sweet." God’s desire is to bring
the best out of your difficult situation. God can turn around the situation for
your own good. The carcass of the lion was rotting but amazingly Samson found
honey in it. Is there a situation in your life which you which is rotting? God
through his Holy Spirit wants to bring the best out of it. You must be rest
assured that the hand of the Lord is there to turn things around for your own
good.
SEPTEMBER 23 AND OUT CAME THIS CALF
So I told them, 'Bring me your gold
earrings.' When they brought them to me, I threw them into the fire – and out
came this calf!" Exo 32:24 God heard the cry of the children of Israel as
they were oppressed in Egypt. In His compassion, he sent Moses his servant to
rescue them and set them free from the yoke of slavery. As Moses was coming
down from the mountain where he was meeting with the Lord, he found the whole
nation in crisis. The people had turned away from God and were worshipping a
golden calf. Aaron understood and knew the command that God had given to
Israel. Remember he was Moses’ spokesperson in Egypt.
When Aaron is questioned about what had
happened in Moses’ absence, he refuses to take responsibility. God wants to
take you to new dimensions but as long as you are still full of excuses, you
will not experience it. Failure to take responsibility results in stagnancy.
When Aaron was confronted by Moses concerning his sin, he answered Moses, “…I
threw them into the fire and out came this calf,” (Verse 24). He tries to run
away from responsibility. Many times you hear people blaming their fathers for
the things that have happened in their lives.
God has provided a way out of your
situation, and that way is for you to arise and take responsibility for your
situation. Aaron was supposed to fall down and repent for his sin. His was a
sin that caused a loss of many lives in the nation that day but all he does is
attribute the misfortune to some miracle that happened in the fire and produced
a golden calf. This is the season for us to focus on God like never before. If
there are any golden calves in your life, this is the time to destroy them and
move your eyes to focus on the Lord Jesus. An excuse is a justification of
fault or a release from an obligation or duty. The Lord is saying to you today
enough of those excuses. Arise and change things around you; the power is in
your hands.
SEPTEMBER 24 BE OF GOOD CHEER
These things I have spoken unto you,
that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be
of good cheer; I have overcome the world. (KJV) Looking at the events taking
place around us, it is to despair, but the words above must bring us comfort
today. It might appear as if worldliness is prevailing against good today but
be of good cheer, Jesus overcame the world. There is no one who is above the
law for there is a higher law in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Lord of
justice and we can derive comfort in the fact that he is the one who defends
the helpless. All the answers we ever need are stored up in his Word.
We can never get peace from the things
that are around us but only from his Word. If you have been searching for peace
from your surroundings, this is the time to give up the search and look for
peace from the Word. He is the one who gives peace that surpasses all
understanding. It is a given that there will be tribulation in the world. These
words were spoken to the disciples and to us. Praise God for Christ has subdued
the world and he has put the world under His feet. Many of the great leaders in
the New Testament had to taste prison life in their pursuit of the heavenly
vision. Look at John the Baptist, Paul, Peter to name but a few.
In Psalm 11David investigates how the
righteous should react in the midst of crumbling foundations. He gives the
answers; the Lord is in His Holy temple and he sees everything that is
happening in our lives. The situations in our lives, at the moment are in the
Lord's full view. He is a just God and he will see to it that justice is
carried out? Just remember the words of our Lord Jesus, "In the world you
shall have tribulation but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."
The requirement is not just being cheerful but demonstrating cheerfulness that
goes beyond the known measure. Hold on, for thy deliverance is nigh for our
Lord Jesus spoke and said, "Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which
thou hast, that no man take thy crown. (Rev 3:11-KJV).”
SEPTEMBER 25 GOD’S COMPASSION TO HIS OWN
The LORD is like a father to his children,
tender and compassionate to those who fear him. For he understands how weak we
are; he knows we are only dust. Our days on earth are like grass; like
wildflowers, we bloom and die.
The wind blows, and we are gone – as
though we had never been here. But the love of the LORD remains forever with
those who fear him. His salvation extends to the children's children of those
who are faithful to his covenant, of those who obey his commandments! (Psa
103:13-18 NLT) You have been in a place of uncertainty before, where you did
not know how things will turn out in your life. The Lord is like a father to
his children, he is tender and compassionate to those who fear him. One of the
most fascinating relationships is between a father and his child. A Father stands
in the place of a provider. God desires to provide for your every need and to
give you your heart’s desire. David had seen this type of provision and love
from God and he exclaims and says God is like a father to his children. In
every situation, you ought to continually realize that you have a Father in
heaven that is interested in all the details of your life. Besides fatherhood,
God is also tender and compassionate to those who fear Him.
Those who fear the Lord see the
tenderness of the Lord and His compassion. Life has always been expressed by
the word of the Lord as a moment, as a breath, something that disappears as
soon as it appears. David says that our days on earth are like grass, like wild
flowers, we bloom and die. He says the wind blows and we are gone as though we
have been never been here. Life is not something we can easily disregard and
live like we will live forever. We all have testimonies of people we have
buried, righteous and unrighteous.
This goes to show that our lives are
for a moment. We need to rise up and live every day to the full and all to the
glory of the Lord. This is the time for you to know that the love of the Lord
is with you. Paul says in the Book of Romans that nothing shall separate us
from the love of God. The promise is not only to you but also to your
children’s children. A lot of insurance companies promise that your family will
be looked after when you die, however, there is no guarantee for that. David
points us to the Life Assurance of God and this is not to you only but also to
your children and not to them only but to their children also. What better
inheritance can you leave the next generation? The love of the Lord will give
them success and victory in everything.
SEPTEMBER 26 WORDS AND MEDITATION
Let the words of my mouth, and the
meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my
redeemer. (Ps 19:14 KJV) What are the imaginations and meditations of your
heart? Your imagination has the power to make you see beyond the defined
limitations in your life. The Lord delights in those that meditate on His Word.
If your meditation is abused, it is capable of bringing the worst results in
your life. The tragedy today is that many people increasingly abuse their
meditation as they meditate on negative things. On your way to the top, you
have to use your imagination to give you a glimpse of the beautiful place that
you are going to. If you do not learn to imagine positively, you have failed to
master the art of living positively.
There are limitations in your life
today because you still have not fathomed the power you wield as you imagine
and meditate. Do not give room to negative thought for it is capable of
destroying your dreams and vision.
Negative imaginations are like a cancer
that starts small but when it’s finished with you, it will have destroyed all
the cells of your body. Negative imaginations are a great threat to your
ability because they magnify your failures to proportions that are too big you
can’t see your successes. When that happens, you will not continue because the
seed of fear will take root in you. This is the time to destroy the imaginary
boxes that you have created in your life. You have to increasingly feel the
need of moving out of your comfort zone. You will be amazed how many
opportunities you missed as you imagined negatively and limited yourself. You
were created to be free and there is no reason for you to subject yourself to
invisible chains. Today, examine the words of your mouth and the meditations and
imaginations of your heart. Are they acceptable in the sight of God? Are they
enabling you to reach out for the promises of God or they are crippling you and
robbing you of all the ability to make it in life? God is already your strength
and ability.
Through the great deposits he has made
in you are supposed to rise above the clouds and sour like an eagle. Don’t let
your words and thoughts limit you. You remain the master of your destiny. Your
success depends on you. From the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The
way you look today is a result of the way you have imagined and thought. You
can change your whole outlook by changing the meditation and imaginations that
re in your heart.
SEPTEMBER 27 DIG TRENCHES IN THIS VALLEY
And he said, Thus says the Lord: Make
this [dry] brook bed full of trenches. 17 For thus says the Lord: You shall not
see wind or rain, yet that ravine shall be filled with water, so you, your
cattle, and your beasts [of burden] may drink. (2 Kings 3:16-17) They were
stuck in the rut; dryness was the order of their day. There seemed to be no
solace for this group that had set off to fight a battle hoping to bring
victory home. The threat was real; they were going to die without even a single
arrow being shot at them.
Their silent killer was going to be the
lack of water to quench their thirst. It was looming and was sure to happen
unless a miracle took place. Elisha the prophet was summoned into the
situation. He was a man of God with solutions to mind boggling situations such as
this one. His answer to the state of things was way out of the ordinary. It was
not a conventional one! They needed water now and his solution was a round
robin. "Dig trenches in this dry brook bed." Everyone knew that no
matter how much you dug; there would be no water out of that ground! But God's
Word is for doing! Peter and his fellows had toiled all night and caught
nothing but when Jesus told him to launch into the deep, he said, "at thy
word I will let down the nets." The result was a net breaking and boat
sinking catch.
There is something that they needed to
make before God would play his part. The little energy they had left had to be
spent digging in the dry valley. The water did not come instantly, it also
demanded for them to dig deep into their patience reserves. Naturally, the wind
must bring the clouds from somewhere and rain must fall to solve this type of
problem. Well, not necessarily, God is not limited to the methods we are
accustomed to. The prophet dismissed these two normal channels and said the
valley would still be filled with water. Everyone would drink and be spared of
imminent death. Your answer is not in the Economics books, it is not in certain
indicators in the economy of your country.
God has certain methods at His
disposal. Are you caught between a rock and a hard place? Are you out of ideas
on how to make a trip out of that difficulty which is ever threatening your
life? There is only one thing to do, DIG! Make that valley full of trenches.
God is sending a flush flood from unexpected sources. Your business might not
be doing so great right now, DIG! When you obey Him, you will reap the reward
of a fulfilled Word. Instead of crying for lack, what system have you put in
place so that when opportunity begins to flow, your trenches will retain what has
come? Build a system, it might seem to be bringing in little but hey, morning
is breaking and that water will flow and fill those trenches.
Nothing else is going to contain the
water for your benefit but the trenches you have invested effort and sweat in.
This word is prophetic for you today, it is releasing for you uncommon favor.
It is unlocking locked doors. As the Word does this, make sure you are ready to
retain and contain the flow of the water. Build your capacity to a level where
you can contain that which God is doing. I pray for you today, that every
stumbling block that has been zapping away your energy be removed. I pray for
you that your feeble knees and weak hands be strengthened with mighty. I pray
that you may make that valley of dryness full of trenches in preparation for
your turn around. Keep digging!
SEPTEMBER 28 TAKE ACTION TOWARDS YOUR DREAM FULFILLMENT
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it
with all your might; for there is no work, nor plan, nor knowledge, nor wisdom,
in the grave where you go. (Ecc 9:10) So you have these great dreams? That is a
wonderful thing. Those dreams must be given life and expression for them to be
meaningful. You must take action towards their fulfillment. Many realize that
they have wasted much time and nothing has been achieved in their life time. A
lifetime is made up of minutes, hours, days, months and years. What you use
your minutes for directly translate to what you used your lifetime for. Solomon
found this secret and said, “Whatever your hands find to do, do it with all
your might…” There is nothing as terrible as half baked bread! It is a waste of
both effort and resources.
Your life must be lived in a calculated
manner for it to produce results. Manna still rains from heaven but for those
who have taken time and effort to walk into the desert. There is no fruit
without hard and honest work. Nothing comes around on its own except
bills-these will come at the end of the month whether you act or not. The
greatest limiting factor is procrastination. A tendency to never do anything,
leaving things for tomorrow that must be done and accomplished today. To be
great, you must relentlessly pursue that greatness. Today my challenge to you
is that you must refuse mediocrity. Work on the things you are on as if it is
your last opportunity to do it. This applies to everywhere you find yourself-at
work, in school wherever! There is no “work in the grave, or plan, or
knowledge, or wisdom.”
This means if your life is lacking
these four virtues-work, plan, knowledge and wisdom your existence is
questionable. You might be holding a job; you might even be doing stuff in your
life but is that the best that can come out of you. What would happen if you
put in a bit more effort? If you planned better, if you sought more knowledge
on the subject matter and if you operated with God given prudence? What steps
have you taken today towards that big goal? How do those steps contribute to
the attainment of it? What have you deferred that you were supposed to do?
Those mountains will not move when you do nothing; they will only move when you
start doing something. Keep digging trenches in that valley.
SEPTEMBER 29 DRIVE FURIOUSLY
And the watchman told, saying, He came
even unto them, and cometh not again: and the driving is like the driving of
Jehu the son of Nimshi; for he driveth furiously. (2 Ki 9:20 KJV) Jehu was
known for a unique way of doing things. It was his signature and from afar, the
watchmen could identify him. He drove furiously, with no hesitation or fear!
The nation was in crisis and when he was called upon to play a role in
correcting things, there was little vacillation from Jehu. Time and again, life
may hit a stagnant spot.
All may seem lost and it might appear
as if there is no way out. Daily tasks become mundane and you feel like you are
a spent force. There might not be cheering on the grandstands of your life. Not
much fanfare but like Jehu drive furiously because as you continue pushing,
something must give. When things seem to wrong, DRIVE! When there seem to be no
progress, DRIVE! When you seem down, DRIVE! Jehu drove that chariot furiously.
As you keep DRIVING, the stubborn situation must give way! You are a failure
when you cower back and surrender. DRIVE furiously, victory is in view. Say
"I WILL DRIVE" When one sets of to dig a well, to get the water he
knows he must endure until he gets to the water table. They may be a few
trickles of water along the way but he will not cower back and say his
Endeavour is not fruitful. The hour he hits the water table, all his labour is
fruitful at once.
Giving up is worse than never beginning
as someone else will come and put minimum effort to profit on your labour. Heed
the word to day; you must drive furiously towards the attainment of that
university degree. The studying might be hard and painful but drive still.
Others are in a place of pain, not sure if their business toiling will bring in
a profit, as you continue driving there is something that will give. A few
years ago, I was put in a tight place where I needed to do sales. I was never
confident with my sales skills. I knocked several doors without much success
but as I continued, I started selling the product effortlessly. My failures
turned out to be really a learning curve. Today I salute you because you have
come this far. Let me be that cheering voice in your grandstands as I join in
with the crowd of witnesses gathered to cheer you on. You can’t be a failure as
heaven itself is on your side.
You are crowned with power from on
high. You have been given the ability to make it. What seemed hard and
impossible must give in to your persistent effort. As you sustain what you are
doing and repeat it over and over again, victory is imminent. Drive furiously!
Your victory is awaited on by many. You must be the example to others. Your
giving up does not profit anybody. You can turn around that business, marriage,
finances or whatever seems to be your obstacle. Just keep driving.
SEPTEMBER 30 MOVING TO THE NEW LEVEL
"Come on now, let's go across to
these uncircumcised pagans. Maybe GOD will work for us. There's no rule that
says God can only deliver by using a big army. No one can stop GOD from saving
when he sets his mind to it." (1 Sam 14:6 MSG) As you drive furiously,
there will be impediments in your way. You must lean on the resources that are
deep within. As the environment opposes dig within where you will find a
cushion against the outside torrents. New levels and new dimensions are sitting
right inside of you. There are still mountains to climb and accolades to
collect in your life. You are not a spent force! Jesus said, the one who
believes in Him “…out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water John
7:38).”
When these rivers of living water start
flowing, they will break into your normal routines of life. They are a flood
and not a trickle of water! They will break into your marriage, your business,
your family life, your job and everything about you. Success has always been an
inside job, never external! Jonathan drew out of his inner resources at a time
when Israel was under the oppression of the Philistines. There were no weapons
in the land. You could count the number of swords available in the whole
country. The people of the land were in hiding, afraid! It was a pathetic
situation. In the midst of all this, Jonathan said to his amour bearer, “Come
on now…” Beautiful words which I want to repeat to you today, Come on now! The
way things are is subject to change. Come on now, you have the power to
transform the way things are. Come on now, disregard the dictates of your
environment and rise to a level of prominence over your circumstances.
Come on now, you are not a beggar in
life but a master according to the order of God. Come on now, you carry inner
resources that can take you to the top! Against all odds, Jonathan stood up
with his armour bearer to go to the garrison of the Philistines to challenge
the status quo. If you looked at them from the outside, they were ill equipped
and sheep for the slaughter. They were outnumbered; all odds were stacked up
against them. The power inside continued to propel Jonathan forward. He was
equal to the task and drove furiously towards the achievement of the freedom of
all in his nation. He knew that as a prince, there were sacrifices to made and
comfort zones to be abandoned for the greater good of all. Jonathan spoke words
that propelled him forward. His belief in God was well intact. “There is no
rule that says God can only deliver by a big army.” He can save by few too,
glory to God! Jonathan was provoking something in the heavens. Heaven will back
up the one who believes. God is proud to be associated with the one who will
entirely trust in Him. He is not glorified by bench warmers. He is not
glorified by those who are fearful. He is not glorified by those who are
crybabies! You better wipe those tears and rise up to levels never imagined. He
is glorified by those who will rise and act. This is the season to drive
furiously. When Jonathan got into the garrison of the enemy, they all began to
fall before him and his armour bearer slaughtered after him. They fell because
of what was inside of him. Drive I say, drive furiously
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