YOUR SPIRITUAL FATHER
“For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.” - (1 Corinthians 4:15)
READ: 1 Kings 19:19-21
Many people do not take the issue of who their spiritual father is seriously. Some people say that they have multiple fathers; such people are bastards because no human being can have more than one father. The role of your spiritual father in your life is very important. Even though Elijah said that Elisha, his spiritual son, had asked for a hard thing, he practically committed God to give a double portion of his spirit to him (2 Kings 2:9-15). That is a good example of the role a spiritual father can play in a fellow’s destiny.
If you claim to have a spiritual father, you must do some things to prove it. If you are disobedient to your spiritual father, you are not his true child, and you cannot get the things that you expect to get from him. Also, a grown-up child will take care of his parents. If you don’t sow anything, either in the form of service or material resources, into the life of your spiritual father, God will not recognise that relationship. (2 Kings 3:11) says that Elisha poured water on the hands of Elijah. That is what made their father-son relationship valid and qualified Elisha to get the double portion of his father’s spirit.
One night, during my prayer walk, some people met me and asked me to pray with them. For them not to disturb my prayers, I simply told them, “God bless you.” As I went further, a fellow who was driving a bus passed by me and stopped. He took the little money he had in the bus, ran to me, and gave it to me. That time, when I said, “God bless you,” it was from the depth of my heart. The money was not much, but he showed that I am truly his father so he could get something from me. When Isaac asked Esau to prepare food for him, it was not because he was hungry or that he could not afford to feed himself, he was telling the young man, “Spoil me so that I can bless you from my heart.” There are blessings that come from the heart of your father; such blessings can never be reversed, as we see in Genesis 27:33-37.
Do what will make your spiritual father so willing to bless you that, even if what you ask for is beyond his control, he will commit God to give it to you.
ACTION POINT:
Do something special for your spiritual father or mother today to spoil him or her.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Mark 12-13
THE FUTURE YOU
“Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons.” - (Deuteronomy 4:9)
READ: Deuteronomy 6:6-7
No matter how hard you try, you cannot live forever. The only way you can continue to live in the next generation is through your children. This is why you must raise your children well.
You have learnt some lessons in life so far, some of which were from mistakes you made in the past. You must ensure that the people you leave behind after God has called you home are taught these lessons so that they don’t have to make the same mistakes you made. If your children make the same mistakes you made, you have not done a good job of teaching them. It is where you stop that they should start from; they should not repeat your mistakes. If you are a father and you don’t want your children to be greater than you, it only means that your greatness will die with you. Abraham was great, Isaac was very great, and Jacob was exceedingly great; that is the correct order of things. Years ago, before God gave me a private jet, one of my sons bought a jet, and some people criticised me for publicly dedicating it, saying that I, the father, did not even have a Mercedes Benz. I responded, “The jet belongs to my son, show me what your son has.”
I often ask my children to pray that I am not taken away soon because it is where I stop that they will start from. Some of my children are already pastoring churches that are bigger than the one I pastored when I first became General Overseer.
When many people read Proverbs 13:22, they think that the inheritance that the Bible refers to is only money. If you are a good man, the inheritance you will leave for your children will exceed money; the major inheritance you will leave for them will be wisdom, and you will also leave influence, a good name, properties, and so on. Therefore, you must train the ones who will carry on from where you stop. Sometimes you will need to leave some of the things you are doing now to train them because you must invest in the ‘future you’. Occasionally, I take my children and grandchildren to our hometown, where we can be alone. In those times, I tell them stories, answer their questions, and we just have a nice time together. I am leaving an inheritance for the ‘future me,’ I hope you are doing the same.
REFLECTION:
How much are you investing in the 'future you'?
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Mark 10-11
WISDOM
“Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.” - (Proverbs 4:7)
READ: Proverbs 1:20-33
Today’s memory verse says that in everything you get, you must get wisdom. In other words, wisdom is the most important thing you can get.
More interestingly, the Bible reading for today tells us that wisdom is crying in the streets:
Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets: - (Proverbs 1:20)
Unfortunately, many people ignore the cry of wisdom and are not interested in her. People who do not heed the cry of wisdom usually suffer the consequences of being foolish, and it may be too late by the time they realise it. For people who will let wisdom pour out her spirit on them and teach them her words, she always makes herself available, and they are tremendously blessed for it.
I am sure you are asking yourself, “How can I get wisdom?” Psalm 111:10 says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. If you want to be wise, the place to start from is to fear God and prove that you fear Him. Proverbs 16:6 says that the fear of the Lord is to depart from evil. Every time people commit sin, they are simply displaying foolishness. Daniel 2:20-22 says that it is God who gives wisdom to the wise. If a fellow does not have a relationship with God, he or she cannot get wisdom.
James 1:5 says:
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
The way to get wisdom is first to fear God and then simply ask Him for wisdom; it is as simple as that. Now, because wisdom is the correct application of knowledge, the limit to your wisdom will be how limited you are in knowledge. As you ask God for wisdom, you must also increase in knowledge so that you will keep increasing in wisdom. This is why I am always reading books. I want to learn something new every day, even if I have to ask someone to teach me.
Beloved, wisdom indeed is the principal thing. Jesus Christ is the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24) and you must accept Him as your Lord and Saviour if you want to be wise.
PRAYER POINT:
Father, please give me wisdom.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Mark 8-9
COVER NOT YOUR SINS
“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” - (Proverbs 28:13)
READ: 1 Samuel 15:22-29
In my primary school days, our teacher told us the story of a man who offended his king. The king was very angry and called the man concerning the issue. The man immediately got on his knees and pleaded for mercy. He admitted his offence and said that he was very sorry. The king pardoned him because of his repentant heart. Our teacher told us that if we are wrong and admit it while asking for mercy, we will obtain mercy. However, if we try to cover our wrongs, we will surely get punished. The lesson stuck with me, and so, when I do something wrong, I don’t try to cover it. If I offend God, I turn to Him and say, “Lord, I have offended you, please have mercy on me.”
If you want to obtain mercy from God, you must not cover any sins that you commit. The reason God always had mercy on David is that he never tried to cover his sins; rather, he would confess them to God. In (1 Chronicles 21:1-16), when Gad came to tell David that he had offended God, not only did David accept his wrong, he called the elders to fast and pray with him for forgiveness. Compare that to Saul in (1 Samuel 15:20-21). After Samuel had come to tell him that he had not carried out God’s instruction to the letter, he made excuses instead of accepting his wrong. When Samuel refused to worship God with him, he did not plead with him to help appease God, rather, he pulled Samuel’s skirt just because he didn’t want the elders to see Samuel walking away from him. He clearly wasn’t making the sacrifice to ask for mercy, he was doing it to cover his sin and make everything look alright. (1 Samuel 3:19) tells us that God honoured Samuel and never allowed his words to fall to the ground, but in (1 Samuel 16:1), as much as Samuel pleaded for Saul, God said that he should not waste his time because He had rejected Saul.
Beloved, covering your sins will land you in destruction. When you do something wrong, don’t try to keep up appearances. Your Christian life is not about publicity, it is more of your personal relationship with the King of kings. Confess your sins and plead with God for mercy. When you do that, He will have mercy on you, but if you cover your sins, you are risking His total rejection.
ACTION POINT:
Don't cover your sins; confess them and repent genuinely.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Mark 6-7
FRIEND OF GOD?
“And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.” - (Genesis 14:20)
READ: 2 Corinthians 9:1-7
I have a close friend who was the president of a country. One day, I said to him, “You’ve been president for almost seven years, and you’ve never given me anything since.” He looked at me and said, “You’ve never asked.” I replied, “Friends don’t ask. If we are friends, I don’t need to ask you. A friend gives to his or her friend without him or her asking.”
When lovers are in a courtship and there is no exchange of gifts between them, no matter how small, that love might just be questionable because one of the major ways of demonstrating love is by giving (John 3:16).
Many people claim to be God’s friends, but from their reaction when it comes to giving to God, you will realise that they are not. Real friends of God will not wait until an announcement is made for offerings to be made to God before giving to Him. Real friends of God will constantly look for ways to give to Him because of how much they love Him.
I recall a time that I went to minister at a church some years ago, and everyone in the congregation was looking so radiant. By looking at them, you could tell that God had really blessed them. I was thinking about how blessed they were when the minister on the altar said, “It’s offering time.” You could see the joy in the auditorium as they all clapped and shouted. Then, God told me, “This is why I have blessed them so much; they give to me cheerfully.” Those who are always happy to give to God, and who don’t need to be cajoled or asked before they do so, always enjoy abundant blessings. God sees them as His genuine friends, so He also doesn’t wait for them to ask before giving to them.
David was a man who always wanted to give to God. He said in (1 Chronicles 21:24) that he would never give God anything that costs him nothing. As a result, God said that He had given him everything he ever wanted and that if he wanted more, He would have given him (2 Samuel 12:8). He never let him lack anything because he was His friend indeed. God never asked Abraham for a tithe in Genesis 14:20 before Abraham gave it to Him. Nowadays, even after God has said that we should bring tithes into His house (Malachi 3:10-12), some Christians still argue about whether they should pay tithes or not. Such Christians are only pretending to be friends of God.
REFLECTION:
Are you really a friend of God?
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Mark 4-5
Take advantage of the free bus arrangement to and fro Lagos provided by R.C.C.G. @rccgyp1 from Mondays to Fridays, from 14th October till December 6th.
See flyer for shuttle schedule.
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BE MERCIFUL
“Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.” - (Matthew 5:7)
READ: Matthew 18:21-35
Many people ask God for mercy, but when God looks into their lives and sees that they don’t show mercy to others around them, He withholds His mercy. From our memory verse today, you will realise that if you are merciful to others, you will also enjoy God’s mercy. Psalm 130:3 says that if God were to count our iniquities, we will not stand. It is only by His mercy that we are still alive, and if we are wise, we will also have mercy on those around us.
In our Bible reading for today, Jesus Christ told the story of a man who owed the king ten thousand talents. The king commanded that he and his family be sold in order to pay the debt, but the man asked for mercy, and the king forgave him of the debt. The same man went out and saw someone that owed him a hundred pence. His debtor begged for a little more time to pay his debt, but this man refused to forgive the debtor and locked him in prison. The king heard about it, withdrew his mercy, and gave the unmerciful servant to tormentors. Proverbs 11:17 says:
The merciful man doeth good to his own soul: but he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh.
The Scripture above says that when you are merciful, you are doing good to yourself, but if you are cruel, you are hurting yourself because your cruelty will only rob you of the mercies of God.
In John 14:23, Jesus said if you love Him, His Father will love you, and both of them will come and dwell in you. How do you show God that you love Him? (1 John 4:21) says that if you love God, then you must love your brother. Love your neighbour like yourself because you cannot say you love God and hate your neighbour. If you decide not to love your neighbour, you are telling God that you don’t need His love. Galatians 6:7 says:
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Whatever you sow is what you will reap. If you sow mercy into the lives of others, you will reap mercy. However, if you decide to sow unforgiveness, then do not complain when you reap unforgiveness (Job 4:8).
ACTION POINT:
Be merciful to everyone.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Mark 1-3
COMMITTING GOD
“I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.” - (Psalm 138:2)
READ: Isaiah 40:4-8
Do you know that it is possible to commit God to do some things for you and leave Him with no choice but to do them? Psalm 115:3 says that God is sovereign, He does as He pleases, but if you know Him well, you can position yourself such that the Almighty will do what you want.
Going by today’s memory verse, if you can find what God’s word says about what you want and align yourself with it, He will be committed to doing His part. For example, Psalm 75:6-7 says that promotion comes from God. (1 Samuel 2:7-8) also says that God decides whom to raise and whom to bring down. Since you know this, the question now becomes, “How do I get God to promote me?” The answer is in (1 Peter 5:6):
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
Therefore, if you notice that it seems like it is taking a long time for God to promote you, then you can make up your mind to be humble. Once you are humble, He will be committed to exalting you in order to fulfil His word. Proverbs 22:29 says that if you are diligent in your business, you will stand before kings. Proverbs 12:24 also says that the hand of the diligent shall bear rule. Therefore, if you want to get to the very top, you must add diligence to your humility, and in line with God’s word, He will raise you so high that you will be in the category of kings. You can get God to do what you want if you do what He wants.
The devil, however, also knows this principle. When he doesn’t want God to do something for you, he tempts you to do something wrong so that he can accuse you before God and commit God not to bless you. This is why Revelation 12:10 calls him the accuser of the brethren. He knows that God will not go against His word, so he tempts you into committing sin and accuses you before God. This is why it is foolish to obey the one who has decided to destroy you by committing sin. When next the devil tempts you, tell him, “I refuse to be a fool.”
Beloved, never give the devil the opportunity to use God’s word against you, rather, use God’s word to your favour by always praying according to His will.
REFLECTION:
Are you doing the things that will commit God to bless you and answer your prayers?
@pastorpoju We really need to pray for these "TABLE SHAKERS" FOR GOD TO SHOW THEM MERCY, AND OPEN THEIR EYES TO SEE, THAT THE BIGGEST PROBLEM OR ENEMY OF THE CHURCH AND MAN, IS NOT DARKNESS; BUT, DEATH. CONSEQUENTLY, THE GREATEST NEED IS LIFE, DIVINE LIFE, OVER AND ABOVE, LIGHT, DIVINE LIGHT
LOVE FOR GOD
“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” - (Matthew 22:37)
READ: Psalm 63:1-8
Occasionally, I wonder, “Do I still love God like I used to? Was there a time when I loved Him more than I do now?” In the past, many of us were willing to do anything for Him; we were hungry to please Him at whatever cost and give to Him even when we had next to nothing. I remember the days when we used to have Bible Study Leaders Retreat, and we would take offerings. From the offerings, you would know that if the congregation had more, they would willingly give more. One brother gave his belt because he didn’t have any money to give!
How is your love for God now? Is it greater or less than it was before? There are people who, when they got born again, could dance vigorously during praise and worship, not caring if anyone was looking at them. Now, they can’t even shout hallelujah at the top of their voices. No matter how big a fellow is, he or she is still nothing before God. If a person is too big to dance for Him, He can decide to show that fellow how small he or she really is.
One day, I asked God, “Lord, David did a lot of terrible things, even more than Saul, yet You said David was a man after Your heart while You rejected Saul. I know that You are not partial, but I am curious to know why.” He responded, “What did David do in (2 Samuel 6:14)?” I replied, “He danced with all his might.” Then He asked, “Can you show me a place in the Bible where Saul danced for me?” That was when I really knew why God rejected Saul. It is not so much about dancing; rather, it is about the heart of a man after God has raised him. David’s love for God increased as he went higher, while Saul’s love reduced as he went higher. Which of these two are you?
If a believer’s love for God is reducing, such a believer is not far off from offending Him, and that might result in God rejecting the fellow. If you don’t believe me, read Philippians 1:9-10:
And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;
May your love for God keep increasing for the rest of your life, in Jesus’ name.
PRAYER POINT:
Father, please let my love for You abound more and more every day, in Jesus' name.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Matthew 25-26
THE MEANING OF LIFE
“And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” - (John 6:35)
READ: John 10:9-10
Many people have sought to find out the real meaning and essence of life. I have discovered that the only thing that gives life meaning is a relationship with Jesus Christ. Without Christ, life has no meaning. Without Christ, a man is like a boat, rocked back and forth by the waves of this world. He may pursue a variety of personal objectives, amass wealth, achieve success in one field or the other, or gain pleasure in one thing or another, but soon he will discover that they are all momentary and unsatisfying without Christ. No matter how rich you become, Ecclesiastes 5:10 says that money doesn’t satisfy. In Christ, you have everything you need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).
In Ephesians 2:1, Apostle Paul referred to those without Christ as being ‘dead in trespasses and sins’. He said in verse 3 that they fulfil the desires of the flesh, and if anyone has lived long enough, he or she would have discovered that the desires of the flesh do not bring satisfaction. At the end of the day, what people need to gain the joy that they seek is to satisfy the burning desire to connect with their Maker, the Lord Jesus Christ. Until that is done, they will always feel empty. Cars, awards, titles, and all the money in this world can never fill that void in their hearts. Until they have a relationship with Christ, their lives will remain meaningless. This is why when people become born again, all of a sudden, they feel this inner peace that cannot be explained. What follows after is joy. Life now suddenly has a meaning.
Beloved, make Christ your top priority. Don’t trade Him for money or anything else because it will profit you nothing if you gain the whole world and lose your soul (Matthew 16:26). People who do not have Christ will not only live a life of depression and chaos on earth, but they will also suffer for eternity in hell. The worst thing about hell is not the unquenchable fire and undying worms that will torture its occupants (Mark 9:48); it is the eternal separation from God and the regret of choosing to continue in sin despite hearing several messages of God’s salvation. Save yourself from that torment by giving your life to Christ now if you haven’t done so, and ensure you live holy henceforth.
NOTE: If you are born again, you can make this message into a tract. Put the contact details of any RCCG parish at the back of the tract so that people who read it can have a minister of God to call for counselling and prayers. Use it to win souls to Christ.
KEY POINT:
A life without Christ is empty.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Matthew 23-24
@kunle_kenny There is a whole world of difference between LIGHT and LIFE.
Someone can have LIGHT=KNOWLEDGE, TRUTH, and at the same time, know nothing about LIFE= EXPERIENTIAL REALITY AND GROWTH. LIFE IS GREATER THAN AND SUPERIOR TO LIGHT, ANY DAY, ANY TIME.
'IMPOSSIBLE' PRAYERS 2
“But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” - (Matthew 19:26)
READ: Joel 2:25-26
Today, I will conclude my teaching on ‘impossible’ prayers. There is a popular saying that an opportunity, once lost, can never be regained. The fellow who said that did not put God in the equation. With God, nothing is impossible. He can restore the unrestorable. You might have lost an opportunity in the past and now you think that it is impossible to regain that opportunity. However, there is nothing impossible with God.
In Ezekiel 37:1-11, God restored life to dry bones. God can restore that opportunity that you think is long gone to you if you have faith. He specialises in doing the impossible.
When I was studying at the University of Lagos, I applied to the Federal Ministry of Education for a scholarship to pursue a Master’s degree. Time passed, and I never got a response from the ministry. Somehow, I raised the money for my tuition, and life went on. When I was close to obtaining the Master’s degree, I met someone I used to know back when I was a games master in a secondary school. He was a games master at another school, and we had met when both of our schools were involved in a competition. As we talked, I found out that he now worked at the Federal Ministry of Education. I told him, “You people are very tough at the ministry. I applied for a scholarship, and I wasn’t even called for an interview.” He told me that he would look into it. I thought I would get a letter asking me to come for an interview, but to my surprise, the letter I got was to tell me that I had been awarded the scholarship. Since I had already paid my tuition, I bought a land and built my first house with the money I was awarded. God used a casual meeting to restore an opportunity that I thought was long gone, and it led to me building my first house.
What you may have lost could be more serious. If you have lost your first love for Christ, and the passion and love that you had for Him at the beginning seems to have died, God will restore your love for Him today, in Jesus’ name. You can love Him far more than you ever did. All you have to do is cooperate with Him as He guides you on what to do for that love to be restored.
KEY POINT:
God can reverse the irreversible.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Matthew 21-22
'IMPOSSIBLE' PRAYERS 1
“And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.” - (Numbers 13:30)
READ: Mark 11:12-24
In continuing my teaching on the categories of prayer, I will focus on ‘impossible’ prayers today. The Bible says that some things are impossible with men, but with God, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26), (Luke 1:37). If you have any doubt about this at all, just take a look at Redemption City, and you will know that with God, all things are possible. There are buildings in Redemption City that were built in seven days and which have been standing for around 40 years. The first secondary school building in the city is a two-storey building that was built in 18 days. I don’t use human engineering, I use divine engineering because, with my God, nothing is impossible.
The moment God hears, “It can’t be done” from your mouth, it just may never be done. This is because Numbers 14:28 says, “...as ye have spoken in my ears, so will I do to you:” Despite a fellow’s unbelief, God’s purpose will always be done, only that He will raise up another generation that will get the work done. In Numbers 13-14, twelve spies were sent to Jericho; ten of them came back and said that they couldn’t take the land, while only two said they could. God ensured that all the people who said that they couldn’t take the land were wiped out in the wilderness, while only the two who said that it was possible entered the land. In (2 Kings 7:1-17), Elisha proclaimed a seemingly impossible economic breakthrough within 24 hours. Everyone in the room kept quiet except one man who said that even if God created windows in heaven, it would be impossible. The breakthrough happened, but that man did not partake in it. Never say that anything is impossible; the moment someone says that something cannot be done, as far as he or she is concerned, it just may never be done.
When Jesus said in John 14:14, “If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it,” He was not joking. Therefore, if I ask for something that seems impossible, He will give it to me because He did not put any limit on what I can ask for according to His will (1 John 5:14-15).
Beloved, don’t express doubt when it comes to God. Don’t try to understand what He can do and how He will do it. Just believe.
KEY POINT:
Believe that with God, it can be done, and it will be done.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Matthew 18-20
You can have dominion spiritually; you have already won without a fight because the greater One is inside You. 1 John 4:4.
October 2024 Holy Ghost Service
#Dominion
HARD PRAYERS
“Thus saith the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me.” - (Isaiah 45:11)
READ: 2 Kings 20:1-11
Over the last three days, I have discussed very easy prayers and easy prayers. Today, I will talk about hard prayers.
You pray hard prayers when you ask God to change the natural order of things and negate the laid-down laws that govern the world. For example, when Joshua stopped the sun from setting, he prayed for something that was contrary to nature (Joshua 10:12-14). Also, in today’s Bible text, King Hezekiah wanted the sun to go backwards as a sign that he would be healed. That was a hard prayer, but God did it still. If God answered these prayers by breaking the laws of nature just because someone asked Him to, then there is nothing that is too difficult to ask Him to do in your life.
Years ago, a pregnant woman came to me, saying that she already had daughters, but that her in-laws had threatened to chase her out of her husband’s house if she didn’t deliver a son with her current pregnancy. I told her that according to science, a baby’s gender is decided within 72 hours after it is conceived. She replied that I was not the one who will change the gender of the baby; all she wanted was for me to agree with her in prayers. I did so, and she gave birth to a boy. You may say that the baby was probably a boy all along, however, I shared this testimony while preaching one day, and a woman came to meet me after the service. She was eight months pregnant and had done a scan which revealed that the baby in her womb was a boy. However, she wanted a girl because she wanted to be able to share her dresses with her daughter. I told her, “You know very well that this baby is fully formed by now.” She replied that I was not the one who will perform the miracle; she just wanted me to agree with her in prayers. I did so, and she gave birth to a girl!
Nothing is too hard for God to do (Jeremiah 32:27). He made the laws of nature and can suspend them at any time. He can reverse the irreversible just because you ask Him to. During one of our programmes, a man wanted to see the miracles happening at the altar and whispered to God that he would like to be taller. He outgrew his trousers on the spot and everyone could see it! Indeed, nothing is too hard for God to do.
KEY POINT:
There is no impossibility with God.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Matthew 12-13
EASY PRAYERS
“For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.” - (2 Corinthians 1:20)
READ: Numbers 23:19-20
Today, I will continue my teaching on the various categories of prayer by looking at the second category: easy prayers. You pray easy prayers when you ask God for what He has already guaranteed in the Bible. For example, asking God for your daily bread is asking for something that He has already guaranteed (Matthew 6:9-11). The shepherd does not eat grass; it is meant for the sheep. So, when you ask God for food as His sheep, it is an easy prayer that He will answer easily (Psalm 23).
Psalm 35:27 says that God has pleasure in your prosperity. Therefore, asking for wealth is an easy prayer. Years ago, when I asked God for money to build a small house in Mushin, Lagos, He said, “Don’t ask for a house, I have decided to give you a city.” So, when seven of us gathered in Ilorin to pray for a campground, one of us began to prophesy, “I have already provided the land, I will only show it to you.” The land was already provided because He guaranteed it in His word (Psalm 2:8).
One of my children said, ‘Give me’ is the prayer of a child. When your son comes to ask you for food, he is just saying, “I am ready for the next ration,” he is not bothered about the provision of the food. In the same vein, you should not be bothered about things that God has already promised you in the Scriptures. They are already provided for you, so all you need to do is ask, and you will get them at the right time. There is no need to worry about money, food, or all those things that make you comfortable; God has already provided them (Matthew 6:25-34).
When you worry about the things that God has guaranteed, it shows that you have little faith. Before you came to this world, He had prepared everything you need to survive. Just ask for them when you need them. As you ask, pay attention to whatever instructions He will give you on how to get them. In (1 Kings 17:4-6), He told Elijah to go to the brook and food was brought to him there. If Elijah did not obey, he would have died of hunger even though food was available for him. Your well-being is God’s responsibility; stop worrying about it.
KEY POINT:
Worrying about your daily needs is a sign of faithlessness. If God has guaranteed them in His word, just ask Him and He will provide them at the right time.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Matthew 10-11
VERY EASY PRAYERS 2
“Wherefore thou art great, O Lord God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.” - (2 Samuel 7:22)
READ: Psalm 100:1-5
Yesterday, I taught about praise and worship being in the category of very easy prayers and the fact that even little children can praise God. Today, I will discuss God’s reaction to very easy prayers.
The first thing you must know about this category of prayers is that God is looking for people that pray this way. Students seek knowledge, politicians seek power, businessmen seek profit, but God seeks worshippers. He is constantly searching for people that will worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). When He finds such people, He is so happy that He gives them blessings and miracles that they did not even ask for. Psalm 67:5-6 says:
Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us.
When we had just begun to hold the Holy Ghost Service at Redemption City, I was fasting and praying towards the programme one day when God said, “Don’t pray, just praise Me.” I did that, and the way He responded amazed me. On the first night of the Holy Ghost Service, He healed 14,000 people. We were few then, so that was almost everyone in attendance! After the programme, I was in my prayer room, thanking Him because I had not seen such before. Then, He told me to praise Him more and that He would do more the next day. I did not understand what He was saying because almost everyone had been healed on the first day. What I did not know was that the people who had gotten their healing went to tell their friends, and more people came the following day. On that day, 16,000 people were healed! I became frightened. Imagine having a congregation of 15,000 people, and by the next day, it had grown to 30,000! Praising and worshipping God causes Him to do frightening miracles.
A few years ago, during a wedding ceremony in a parish of The Redeemed Christian Church of God, the groom suddenly fell and died while signing the marriage register. All the pastors gathered and prayed all the prayers they knew, yet the young man’s corpse grew colder. Then, someone said that they should all stop praying and just praise God. Not long after they started doing that, the groom rose from the dead.
Beloved, the easiest route to getting God to pay attention to you is through praise and worship. Do it continuously.
ACTION POINT:
Just like you did yesterday, spend the rest of today praising God. Don't ask for anything; just praise Him all day long.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Matthew 7-9