[January 4] FIRST THINGS FIRST
FIRST THINGS FIRST
Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' "For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Matthew 6:31-33Many times, we get overwhelmed by too many things. Modern life tends to be cluttered with too many things demanding for our attention. The presence of the cell phone and social media can make us run our lives around in circles without achieving much for God and ourselves. That is why we need to have priorities.
Our vision and goals must be based on right priorities. First things first. When we learn the alphabets, we begin with, ‘A, B, C…’ When we learn numbers, we begin with, ‘1, 2, 3…’ in both instances, we start at the point which will lead us to the next logical step and build on that foundation. In the same way, when we want to order our lives, we need to start from the point that will lead us to the next logical step and build up on that.
Our Lord Jesus gave us the first thing to seek for. He said our priorities must be set by putting the things of God first in our lives. In our rush to acquire the comforts of life, we are tempted to push the things of God on to the back burner. However, when we seek God first, all the other parts of our lives fall in place.
Here are some ways to make God first in your life:
- Read the Bible for at least ten minutes daily
- Pray a minimum of ten minutes daily
- Attend church services regularly
- Serve God with your time and talents
- Honour Christ with every choice you make
- Win one soul to Christ this year
- Generously support the work of God with your finances
Prayer: Heavenly Father, you are the priority of my life. Give me the grace to live my life in a way that pleases you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Scripture Reading: Matthew 6 : 31 - 33
31 Therefore do not worry, saying, `What shall we eat?` or `What shall we drink?` or `What shall we wear?`
32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
[January 3] HAVING A VISION AND SETTING GOALS
Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. Proverbs 29:18
For us to make the most of a year, we must see ahead of the year and work with specific targets. We need to have a vision for the year and set goals to achieve them.
• Vision. Where there is no vision, people perish. Vision is a clear picture of what you desire to achieve or experience in the future. We are sustained and kept on track in life by the quality of our vision. When we live our lives without any clear picture of where we are headed or what we want to do with the talents and opportunities we have, we waste the days and squander the gift of life that God has blessed us with.
• Goals are part of a vision. They are the vision broken down into achievable parts. We can use days, weeks, and months to set clear targets for our vision. When we do that, we are able to measure our progress as the days turn to weeks; and weeks turn to months.
Without a clear sense of where we are going and where we want to get to, we will settle for any destination. Without vision, we will accept anything that comes our way and allow other people to set the agenda for our lives.
The NIV renders today’s verse as, ‘Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint’. To cast off restraint is to have no guide or control. Can you imagine what would happen if there was no pipe to guide the water from the pump station into your house? That pipe acts as the ‘restraint’ that controls and guides the water from the pump station. Without it, the water will be wasted.
That is what vision is like. Without it, you waste your precious life. Don’t go through this year and the rest of your life without a clear vision. Invest your time in reflecting on what you want to do and achieve this year.
This year, God is calling on you to develop a vision that will provide guidance and direction for every effort you make and all the energy you spend.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to live purposefully this year. Give me the discipline to follow through with your plan for my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Scripture Reading: Proverbs 29:18
18 Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
INCREASE DECLARATION FOR 2022
INCREASE DECLARATION FOR 2022 I confess today That Jesus Christ is my Lord and Saviour. In Him, I have Life His Abundant Life. The Lord is my Light and Strength As He is, So has He made me By His Spirit I Increase in Word and in Wisdom In faith And in favour The Lord has said, In blessing I will bless you In multiplying I will multiply your seed So I can boldly say My God shall increase me more and more. What I place in God’s hands Grows into overflow Though I begin small, My end shall greatly increase In this year of Increase I Grow in Grace And In Strength To be all that God wants me to be In Jesus’ name, Amen
[November 3] WHEN GOD CALLS
WHEN GOD CALLS
And before the lamp of God went out in the tabernacle of the Lord where the ark of God was, and while Samuel was lying down, that the Lord called Samuel. And he answered, “Here I am!”(1 Samuel 3:3-4)
God called Samuel ‘before the lamp of God went out in the tabernacle’. This term refers to the period just before a new day began. The practice was for the lamp in the tabernacle to be turned off at sunrise. The Bible makes a reference to this time to show us a unique trait of Samuel; he was alert and watchful. In the stillness of dawn, he was alert enough to hear God whisper his name.
God called Samuel while he was lying down. It bears noting that the passage does not say he was asleep; simply that he was reclining. The impression you get was that, although Samuel was lying down quietly, he was not in a deep sleep. The young man was probably in a praying mood. What if Samuel had been deeply asleep? Would he have heard the Lord whisper his name?
‘The Lord called Samuel’. God mentioned Samuel’s name. God’s calling to each of us is by name. He knows each name and where to find us when He is ready to speak to us. Our Lord does not give one person’s message to another by mistake. The Lord specifically addresses each one of us when He has to do so.
From Samuel, we learn to wait on the Lord at all times. We learn that even when it seems like we’ve waited so long and it’s almost too late, the Lord will show up ‘before the lamp goes out’. He will not be late. He will be on time.
There are many of God’s children who are tired of waiting as they see their lamps burning out without hearing from the Lord. Some wonder if God really knows about them; they wonder if they still matter to the Lord. Yes, you matter to Him. He knows your name. He knows where you are, and He knows what tone to use to speak to you.
Samuel’s answer to God is the answer that many godly people had used before him, ‘Here I am’. That is how Abraham answered when God called. That is how Moses answered when God called. However, that answer did not seem to be sufficient in Samuel’s case. He answered, ’Here I am’ but heard nothing more.
That tells us that God demands different responses from each of us when He calls. We cannot just respond as others ahead of us have done. We have to respond as God wants us to respond.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, I know you know me. You know my name and where I am. I am ready for you. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
Scripture Reading: 1 Samuel 3:1
Faith To Refuse Part 2 (Sunday Service)
SUNDAY, 1ST NOVEMBER, 2020
Speaker- Dr. Mensa Otabil
Message Title- Faith To Refuse Part 2
Faith is essential for us to receive from God and become what God wants us to be, as well as to bring down strongholds.
Sometimes, however, we need faith that does not just receive but also rejects.
Genesis 14:18-23
Two kings came to Abraham:
King of Salem, Melchizedech - offered food and blessings
King of Sodom - offered goods, riches
Three statements were made:
1. "I have raised my hand to the Lord" - Abraham had made a vow to God before the battle, which was still in force. A vow in the past that is still having effect is very important.
2. "I will not take anything that is yours" - self-imposed limitation/restraint. Abraham placed an embargo on himself, qualified it (a thread or a sandal strap), and specifically directed it to the person and situation he was involved in (the king of Sodom).
3. "Lest you say, 'I have made Abraham rich" - Abraham knew he would be rich. He was careful who would get the glory for his prosperity. He was determined not to deny God the glory for what happened to him.
Why Abraham refused
- The source of the offer: Sodom was associated with evil. He may have considered it as bad riches.
- The circumstance of the offer: Sodom had already lost so much. He did not want to take undue advantage of Sodom's calamity, when they were at the lowest point of their lives.
What is Faith to refuse in this case?
Faith to refuse is believing so much in the future God has planned for you, that you refuse to get there by any means necessary, including destroying or taking advantage of others.
Other examples in this regard are
- David, when he refused to kill Saul although he had a right to, after being pursued by Saul himself.
- Elisha, when he refused the reward from Naaman although he led him to his healing.
Sometimes we may have an advantage, and our success has the potential of destroying someone completely; and this is the point where we need to have faith to refuse!
As a nation and continent,
* If we believe in the greatness of our victory, we must have the faith to refuse being victims.
* If we believe in the greatness of our the wealth we must have the faith to refuse to sell that wealth at the expense of the land.
* If we believe in the greatness of our citizens, we must refuse looking up constantly to foreign experts.
God has a great destiny for you and you must believe in it so much that you refuse to accept anything that will destroy your testimony!
AMEN!!!
[November 2] GRACE FINDS US
GRACE FINDS US
Scripture Reading: 1 Samuel 3
Now the boy Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation. (1 Samuel 3:1)
This week, we will consider Samuel’s call by the Lord. Samuel was a miracle gift that the Lord gave in answer to his mother, Hannah’s, prayer. He was also a gift that his mother gave back to the Lord after he was born. He was a gift from the Lord that was given back to the Lord.
The calling of Samuel is a clear picture of how God’s grace finds us when we don’t seem to qualify for what God wants us to do. Let us turn our attention to a couple of indications in the passage.
The first is that Samuel was not born into the priesthood family. Samuel was not a Levite. He was from the tribe of Ephraim, of which there was no mention of the priesthood. Yet, our passage tells us that Samuel ‘ministered to the Lord, before Eli’.
Although, his natural tribe did not qualify him for the service of the priesthood in Israel, God brought him in by grace. It appears that Samuel was able to minister to the Lord in Shiloh because his mother gave him totally as a gift to the Lord. Samuel’s mother’s act of faith and generosity opened a path for him into an area of operation that was closed to his family.
The second is the spiritual state of Israel. The passage describes the spiritual condition of the nation with these words, ‘the word of the Lord was rare in those days’. That phrase did not mean that God was not speaking; instead, it meant that people were not hearing from God.
Eli, the priest, had grown physically weak and ineffective as a leader; while his sons defiled the Temple with their immoral acts. This troubling state of Israel’s priesthood was the atmosphere that Samuel ministered in. In spite of the wrong things happening all around him, Samuel kept his heart for the Lord and ministered to the Lord in holiness.
Although from a non-priesthood tribe, Samuel ministered to the Lord. We learn about God’s grace from how He allowed Samuel into the priesthood. The Lord we serve can call people who may not have all the natural qualifications to do things reserved for a select group.
We cannot write ourselves off simply because of a natural limitation in our lives. The same God who bypassed the sons of Eli, who were from the priesthood family, to speak to an Ephraimite boy, can bypass many to reach out to you. May grace find you today.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for your grace that is able to locate me wherever I am. Help me to serve you with a true heart. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
