THE KINGDOM OF GOD ON EARTH – Monday April 20th 2015

THE KINGDOM OF GOD ON EARTH 

Memorise: Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10

Read: Matthew 6:9-10, Bible in one year: Judges 1:1-3:6, Matthew 24:15-35

The nature of our expectation from God directly depends of His promises to us. Some promises of God may sound incredible, but He is always committed to bringing them to pass. If your expectation does not agree with His promises, you may forfeit its fulfilment. Our God is good and gracious He does many things to prove His divine power. There are times when God unravels some mysteries to make us believe and know absolutely that His plan and purpose for us cannot be compared to our current struggles and toils. This is why every child of God must pray the kingdom of God into their life (Matthew 6:10). When you make such prayers, you are saying to God: “Let there be no difference between your promises for me and the situation of my life.”.

God has special and specific promises for the righteous alone. These promises are great, and they transcend the condition of any national economy. Righteousness is the only key that ensures the enjoyment of God’s blessings in this world, with the guarantee of making heaven. When the kingdom of God comes and His will is done on earth, then there will be no defeat, failure, sickness, lack, regret or hopelessness. The scripture does not say that the will of God will be done for everybody. It says it will be well with the righteous (Isaiah 3:10). That is to say, only those who are doing the will and the pleasures of God will enjoy His blessings.

“Thy Kingdom come” is a desperate call by someone in need of change. It is a cry for hope in the midst of hopelessness, a cry for healing in the midst of sicknesses and a cry for deliverance in the midst of bondage. It is a deep cry seeking for the intervention of Heaven when earth has failed. Have you been in the bondage of debt for some time? That same is removed now in Jesus’ Name. Do you know that your time of favour is coming? It is just around the corner. God will remember you and make you overtake those who have earlier gone ahead of you. Once you forsake the government of self and that of the devil; God will begin to administer the affairs of your life. You will then realise that there is no challenge or difficulty too great or too bad for God to fix. As you thirst after His Kingdom, He gives you permanent victory and your life begins to reflect His original plans and purpose in every area. God’s power is supreme. His power cannot be compared or equated with any other power. This is why I am sure that every power working against the fulfilment of God’s will in your life here on earth shall be consumed by the fire of the Holy Spirit.  

Prayer Point

Father, let your kingdom come in my life, and let your will be done in all of my ways.

BACK TO YOUR VOMIT? – Sunday April 19th 2015

BACK TO YOUR VOMIT? 

Memorise: And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. Luke 9:62

Read: 2^nd Peter 2:20-22, Bible in one year: Joshua 23:24, Matthew 23:29-24:14

Often, we find someone who starts off very well in the Christian race and then cools off later. Sometimes, some people who used to be very hot for the Lord may even leave the Lord completely. When such things happen, thoughtful minds wonder, “Who will be the next to leave the Lord?” invariably, the answer is “Not me!” We are all kept standing by the grace and strength of the Lord. Another word for going back to your vomit is backsliding. It means to turn away from the Lord (1^st Kings 11:9). It also means to grow cold and leave your first love (Revelations 2:4). When a person returns to his vomit, there will be a loss of joy, happiness, peace of mind and power. Darkness and murmuring will replace light and songs of praise. That will not be your portion in Jesus’ Name. When I was meditating on Elisha’s  decisions to kill off his oxen, I realised that he did this to demonstrate the burning of the bridge that could lead him back to his vomit (1^st Kings 19:21). The one who is going to become great must make up his or her mind never to look back. Whatever will not let you follow Jesus through and through will be destroyed in Jesus’ Name. I am never sympathetic to anything that could stop me from becoming what God wants me to become. Whatever will not let you ascend to the greatness that God has for you must give way. Any friendship with the world or association with anyone that will impede your progress to the place of greatness must be removed.

The past is gone, and the present must be faced with proper zeal and commitment. Anyone driving a car cannot afford to concentrate. Anyone driving a car cannot afford to concentrate on the rear mirror if they want to avoid catastrophe and disaster. This is why Paul said that he forgets those things that are behind (Philippians 3:13). There are many reasons why some people go back to their vomit. The major reasons why Lot went back to his vomit was because he lusted after something that was not God’s will for him. The love of money has made many people sell their future. This was the case with Judas Iscariot (John 12:4-6). You cannot serve God and please the world at the same time. When you find someone who has always been fervent in the things of God now giving excuses for being absent from church programmes, it is only a matter of time; the person will soon return to his or her vomit. If you find yourself in such a situation, God is saying to you like the prodigal son, return and be forgiven. God does not want any sinner to die in his sins; neither does He want His children to be at the mercy of the devil. It doesn’t matter how far down you have gone; He is ready to make you a better child of His.  

Action Point

Examine yourself; if you have backslidden in any way, repent and return to your first works.

GIVE WISELY – Saturday April 18th 2015

GIVE WISELY 

Memorise: The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself. Proverbs 11:25

Read: Genesis 23:12-24, Bible in one year: Joshua 22, Matthew 23:1-28

 

There are certain things people don’t know about sowing and reaping. This lack of knowledge has denied some people their harvest. There is a need therefore to always ask God for the wisdom of sow and reap rightly in every area of life. It is one thing to know what to sow and it is another thing to know how to sow it. Of importance also is the need to know where to sow and how to water what has been sown to produce the desired harvest. Ask any farmer who understands natural farming principles, he will tell you that reaping a good harvest is usually a walk in the park once the correct principles are followed. There are people who will sow today and want to reap today. According to Scripture, such an expectation is not applicable to great harvests. There was a time I was sowing a particular item into the life of people and I was worried because the harvest was taking time. I therefore asked God what was happening and He said “Son, if you plant maize, you can harvest it within three months, but if you plant yam, you will have to wait a little longer.” The greater the quality of seed sown, the longer you will have to wait to enter into your harvest.

Entering into your ultimate financial breakthrough may not come as easily as you think. It may involve sowing at a time most inconvenient; it may even involve seemingly endangering your today and tomorrow through a selfless seed. I have discovered that it is not poverty that stops some people from giving but their unwillingness to give. The good news for those who sow in tears is that they will always reap in joy. Many people have lost their harvest because of impatience. If you have sown quality seeds, give them enough time to mature so that you can enter into your desired harvest. Also, it is important for you to know that God does not expect you to meet every need out there. You have to be sensitive to locate the grounds that will give you your desired results. The ability to offer something big is a choice. Stop limiting yourself. When God has brought you ton a level where you can give a =N=10,000 offering and you are dropping =N=1,000, what you are indirectly telling God is that you don’t deserve to be on the level He has placed you. Don’t demote yourself by your attitude to giving to kingdom projects. Do you complain that you cannot give because you are poor? That is the excuse the devil uses to deny many from entering into their breakthrough. You may not sow money all the time, but you can offer your commitment to the work on ground. All those volunteered their service at no cost towards various projects at the Redemption Campground have been mightily blessed of the Lord. All the artisans who had only their skills to sow at that time have now become channels of blessings to others.

Key Point

Whatever you sow may leave your hand, but it cannot leave your life.