VESSEL OF PRAISE GOSPEL BAND

DEVOTION ONE

TITLE: WHAT IS THE QUALITY OF YOUR SERVICE TO GOD?

TEXT: LUKE 19:13, 1 CORINTHIANS 12:4-6

Service means carrying out duties, being useful for a particular task. God gave everybody special gift that can be referred to as “TALENT” there is nobody that is living without at least one talent.

How effectively are you using your God given talents? Are you doing it whole heartedly? Our services in God’s house should be without eye service, God’s standard is very high; so He is not expecting anything lower than His standard from us.

God wants you to give Him quality service in anywhere you are functioning in the church.

God wants the best of every service we want to render in His kingdom. But King David replied to Araunah, "No, I insist on paying the full price. I will not take for the lord what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing." (1chronicles 21:24) It is either you give Him your best or nothing, He will not settle for less, He cannot compromise His standard for anything.

Are you doing your service fully with all your strength? “Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free”. (Ephesians 6:6-8). Put all your best to God's work; don't use your service as a means of winning your pastor's heart. Some people work with their strength when somebody is around looking at them,but when nobody is watching; they do things nonchalantly, forgetting that God is watching.

What is the motive behind your service? Is it to get the favour of man and your pastor? Is it that you want to show to the world that nobody can do it better than you?

Are you doing it so that you will be promoted? Or are you doing it to give glory to the giver of all good and perfect gifts? which is the best thing to do with your gift.

Remember God cannot be deceived; then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. (Revelation 2:23b) our service to God should be borne out of love and affection we have for Him, and not for other selfish reasons.

We should not render service to God; basically because we want to get something from Him. We should not offer any service that is not worthy to God, we are not doing Him a favour by working for Him, He has nothing to loose if we don’t work for Him, but we have a lot to loose when we stop working for Him.

“Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain”. (1corinthians 15:58) it is not all service in the house of God that attracts positive reward; you cannot render unworthy service to God and be expecting positive reward. Revelation 22:12 says “Behold I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone ACCORDING to what he has done” (NIV) . Whatever service you render to God will be rewarded; if your service needs positive reward; you will get it. Anybody that renders unworthy service to God will be rewarded negatively.

FOR YOUR SERVICE TO BE REWARDED POSITIVELY; YOU

NEED TO DO THE FOLLOWING.

• Give yourself fully to the service; you must do it with joy even when nobody is there to tell you thank you.

• Count it all joy when you are being persecuted or treated unjustly (James 1:2-3)

• Do not give up on your service; remember you are doing it for God and not man, so you need to keep working to the end. (Luke 9:62)

• Make sure you don’t use your talent as a weapon against the kingdom of God. For example if you are a chorister; because something happened in the church; you refuse to lead praise and worship in the church, such person has turned the gift that God gave to him/her to a weapon against God. Lucifer did it and God relegated him to nothing.

• Always appreciate God by giving him the glory for endowing you with such a great talent. Remember He does not share His glory with any man; praise Him rather than praising yourself.

• Do your service without complaining or grudging. (Philippians 2:14)

Whenever God's service clashes with your personal things; the things of God must be given priority.

In conclusion; we need to encourage ourselves not to give up rendering our genuine service to God. Knowing fully well that He will reward us in due season. (Galatians 6:9).

DEVOTION TWO

TITLE: DON’T LOOK BACK

TEXT:GEN 19:12-17, 23-26.

The determination to turn from the character that annoys God; is a big sign of spiritual growth. This means that you care about how God feels about you.

Obedience is an important factor that should be taken serious when walking with God. Partial obedience is as good as disobedience. (Deut 28:15 to the end). in the text; the angel of God told Lot to run quickly with his household out of Sodom, the instruction given to them was that they should not look back.

Was the instruction obeyed fully? No. Lot's wife looked back for one reason or the other, and she became a pillar of salt. Looking back caused her her future. the plan and purpose of God in her life was destroyed because of her act of disobedience. Many have missed their breakthrough because of their disobedience to God. They try to do things their own way and not according to God's plan.

Many Christian today started their Christian race well, but the distractions of this world have caused them to look back, and this has caused them their eternal glory in Christ. (1cor 9:24-25) " do you not know that in a race all runners run, but only one get the prize. everyone who competes in a game goes into strict training, they do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever" God created us to serve him, He wants us to have close fellowship with him. Walking with God; may be challenging,but there is gain in walking with God.

A lot of Christian started in spirit, but ended up in flesh. Though they may still be active in their service in the church, but spiritually they have gone back to perdition. What lot's wife looked back to could be what she left behind, and other things they are used to in Sodom. This made her to loose all good things that lies ahead for her. Looking back deprives people from seeing good things that God is preparing for them. The storms of this life makes people to turn their back against God, but if you endure to the end; you will sing the song of victory.

Once you have decided to follow God; you are a new creation, you need to forget totally about your old ways, and embrace your new life in Christ. Some people cannot persevere, they cannot endure hardship that would lead them to eternal life. Instead they give up and go back to their old self that will lead to eternal destruction.

(Isah 43:18-19) " forget the former thing, do not dwell on the past. see I am doing a new thing. Now it springs up do you not perceive it?"

Many believers today are struggling to concentrate fully on God. They are still living in the past. (1Pet1:14) "As obedient children do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance"

Don't loose your focus, you konw why you are running the race. Don't give up untill you achieve the purpose. I pray that at the end of our christian race we will not be disqualified in Jesus name Amen. Therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw of everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us(Hebrew 12:1)

On the final note, God created us and He put our eyes in front, if He think that there is something to look back to; may be He would have put another eye at the back of our head, but because there is nothing to look back to because He said we should forget the former thing, so He put our eyes in front. so that we would be able to see all good things that lies ahead of us. The importance of our heavenly race is to make heaven, to reign with Christ. People that are living a life of sin will not reign with Him, if you did not run the race to the final line (HEAVEN) you will not reign with Him.

Whatever you are going through today is not enough for you to turn your back against God, He is the only lasting source of life that can satisfy the desires of your heart. Run your christian race to the end. DON'T LOOK BACK!

DEVOTION THREE

TITLE- WHOSE VESSEL ARE YOU?

TEXT- 11 TIMOTHY 2:20-21

What is a vessel? A vessel is a household material useful to do one thing or the other. It may be a container, pot, cup, bowl, jug, basin, or bottle.

A vessel may be used for HONOURABLE or DISHONOURABLE purpose in the house. For example; our glass cups are for drinking, while the toilet bowls are for use in the toilet, though it is made with ceramic like other bowls and mugs in the house, but the toilet bowls are serving their purposes in the toilet.

Nobody can go into the toilet bowl to take his or her drinking water, no matter how clean the toilet bowl is. Yet the toilet bowl is serving a purpose in the house.

We are all spiritual vessels that can be used for honourable and dishonourable purposes.

At this juncture; you need to ask yourself this question “what purpose am I serving in the house of God”? Is it honourable purpose? Or am I serving a dishonourable purpose?

Being a vessel of honour or dishonour is a matter of choice

1 Thessalonians 4:4 says “that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and in honour” we are all vessel because our hearts can retain something in them. It is what you have in you that will determine the type of vessel you are.

WHO ARE THE VESSELS UNTO HONOUR?

· Vessels unto honour are those that have been purified, cleanse and set apart for master’s use.

· They are the people that can go extra mile for the things of God.

· They are the people that are rooted and grounded in God, that even when they are going through hardship; they will not turn their back against God.

· They are the people that have the attitude of Christ in them.

· They are the people that are filled with the Holy Spirit.

Vessels unto honour are used to carry out glorious assignment; the king of kings is the only one that can do all things. He gets these things done by empowering some people (vessels of honour).

To be used by the king of kings is the greatest honour. Nothing can be compared to being used for the master’s service. As vessels unto honour; we need to examine ourselves regularly so that we will know when we are going out of God’s will.

Self examination is important; because if the channel that connects us with God is blocked with pride, anger, bitterness, hatred, jealousy, lies, selfishness and other desires of the sinful nature, how can we be used by God? Ezekiel 18: 24 says “But if a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits sin and does the same detestable things the wicked man does, will he live? None of the righteous things he has done will be remembered. Because of the unfaithfulness he is guilty of and because of the sins he has committed, he will die”.

God cannot use a filthy vessel; any vessel unto honour that is dwelling in sin becomes a vessel unto dishonour, so it is very important to live right so that the glory of God will continue to rest on us.

WHO ARE THE DISHONOURED VESSELS?

· They are those that are being rejected because they did not meet for the master’s use.

· They are those that are living in flesh rather spirit.

· They are those that are manifesting the fruit of the flesh instead of manifesting the fruit of the spirit.

· They are those that their hearts are filled with filthy things.

It is the level of our holiness that will determine the measure of power of God that will rest upon us.

As spiritual vessels; we cannot be empty, is either you are filled with the things of God (spirit of God) or the things of the devil (satanic spirit).

If a vessel unto honour begin to have filthy things in him/her, the spirit of God will depart from such vessel and satanic spirit will take over his/her heart.

Saul is a good example; when he disobeyed God, the spirit of God left him, and a satanic spirit came into him. (1 Samuel 16:14)

A vessel of dishonour can become vessel of honour, if he/she is ready to repent, and if he makes himself/herself available for God to purge him/her of his sinful nature. (11Timothy 2:21) “If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work”.

For example; if you have a cup that you have not used for a long time, you cannot just pick the cup and start drinking with it. You will need to wash it before you can drink with it. That is how God deals with any vessel he wants to use. So also can a vessel unto honour can be discarded if he/ she is dirty.

BENEFITS OF BEING A VESSEL UNTO HONOUR.

· He/she will enjoy eternal inheritance. (Heb 6:10)

· God will glorify himself through them, and they will reign with Christ. (11 Timothy 2:12)

· He/she will be able to know the heart of God. (Amos 3:7)

· He/she will enjoy close fellowship with God. (Eph 2:13-14)

CONSEQUENCES OF BEING A DISHONOURED VESSEL

· They will suffer disgrace, dishonour, and rejection. (Matt 10:33)

· They will have their portion in the lake of fire. (Rev 21:8)

I pray that God will cleanse us of everything that can make us to be vessels unto dishonour in Jesus name. we will not be discarded, and on that glorious day, we will reign with Him.

DEVOTION FOUR

LAUNCH OUT INTO THE DEEP

TEXT: LUKE 5: 1-11

The deep sea hides great treasures; it contains wonderful things that are hidden in the depth of the sea.

Yet if you walk along the shore; looking at the sand, the sea shell and the waves, without venturing to launch to the deep water, you will only know little of wonderful secrets that are in the deep sea, but if you take the pain to go deep into the depth of the sea, you will see more valuable treasures better than what you see on the shore.

Likewise the bible is a great ocean; it hides in its depth the most glorious secrets that can make you to be relevant in the kingdom of God and the world at large. All the wealth of redemption is hidden in the bible, for you to enjoy these benefits you need to dig deep into the word of God.

2Peter 1:3-4 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

There are a lot of promises and glorious inheritance in the word of God.

We can never find the wonderful things in the bible by merely searching along the shore. (Skimming, scanning, and glancing through.)

The word of God is new everyday. The bible is an inexhaustible book; you cannot say you have known everything in it. Even a passage that you are very conversant with; by the time you read it again it will give you another understanding.

Yet there are people who toil away and draw their net through it and find nothing. This is because they search only the shore; they did not endeavour to launch into the deep word of God. The Holy Spirit is our helper; you need to ask for his help anytime you want to study the scripture, and he will give you understanding and direction.

Colossians 2:2-3 My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, n whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

HOW TO LAUNCH INTO THE DEEP WORD OF GOD

· Don’t be mere surface reader, read with understanding and ask the Holy Spirit to help you.(Matt 5:6)

· Search for the treasures with diligence, eagerness, love, and strong faith.

· Let your heart be hungry for God. Always desire to know more of Him.

· Let go of convenience and find Christ. Don’t be too comfortable with the little you know about word of God. Commit more of His word into your heart.

· You need to let go of what you know and follow what He says. (Lk 5:5)

· Give Him a place in your heart and He will give you direction.

WHAT YOU WILL FIND WHEN YOU LAUNCH OUT INTO THE DEEP WORD OF GOD

· In the deep you will find your miracle. (Luke 5:6-7)

· In the deep you will know who you really are, by knowing the plan and purpose of God for your life.

· It is in the deep that you can fulfil destiny. (Luke 5:10b-11)

· Launching into the deep put an end into struggle in your life. (Luke 5:4)

· You will get true knowledge of the word of God. (Luke 5:8-9)

DEVOTION FIVE

TITLE: OVERCOMING THE STORM OF LIFE

TEXT: MARK 4: 35-41, MATTHEW 7:24-27

In our Christian walk; storm is inevitable, if you want to make it in life, you cannot avoid the storm that shapes and molds.

To fulfil destiny; you would pass through the storm to get to your destination. Jesus Christ told his disciples in verse 35 “let us go over to the other side” this shows they have a particular destination that they were going. (The other side)

On their way to their destination; the storm started, if they had gone back because they are afraid of the storm, they wouldn’t have gotten to their destination.

The disciples were afraid of the storm, they thought they would drown, but because Jesus was in the boat with them, they overcame the storm.

Jesus was in the boat with them; yet they experienced the storm, this implies that though you are in Christ, troubles will come, but because God is on your side, your victory is sure. (Matt 7: 24-27)

In this text; Jesus likened those that put his words into practice to a wise man who built his house on the rock. Those that hear his words and did not put it into practice are likened to the foolish man, who built his house on sand. The promises in the word of God are enough for believers to rely on during trials.

To overcome the storm of our lives, we need to put our trust in God. He is our rock and we need to sink our root of faith deep in him. To overcome the storm you need one thing to do; that is to involve the controller of storm, the one that can calm the storm of your life. His name is the lord Jesus Christ.

Some people believe they can calm the storm of their lives with their canal wisdom or with their natural strength. These people can be likened with those who build their house on sand, which the wind will easily blow away. You cannot calm the storm of your life with your canal wisdom or strength. It takes the intervention of God to calm every storm that one is facing; the disciples did nothing on their own to calm the storm, because they understand that their power cannot calm the storm. All they did was to call on Jesus to help them to rebuke the storm.

HOW TO OVERCOME THE STORM

· Always have a close fellowship with God by praising, worshiping, exalting and praying.

· Study and meditate on the word of God. Be familiar with his words (Joshua 1:8)

· Pray with understanding (pray by making reference to relevant scripture.)

· Remember that you are not alone in that situation alone. Jesus is in it with you, so don’t hesitate to commit everything to him.

· Do not take any decision on your own always ask God for direction. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

· It is very difficult to concentrate during trials, but do not forget to engross yourself by confessing positive words. His words are powerful; but when you refuse to speak the word, it becomes powerless.

· Always rejoice in the lord even in that situation that you are in. the bible says we should rejoice always. Rejoice while you are waiting for God to calm the storm of your life. (Philippians 4:4)

DEVOTION SIX

TITLE: THE LIVING WATER WILL FLOW

TEXT: JOHN 4:4-15, JOHN 7:38

what do you understand by the word “ the living water?” Living means when something is alive or when something has life.

Therefore “living water” refers to running, moving, flowing, healthy water which support life. This type of water is safe for drinking, and for other things we use water for.

The opposite of living water is still stagnant water, which can cause diseases, instead of good health.

Water is essential in human living. It is vital for drinking, cooking, cleaning and so on. No human being can live without water, you can hardly do your day to day living without water. The maximum you can stay without water is between five to ten days.

Spiritual water is also essential for believers so that they can grow and spiritually healthy. Spiritual water water helps to nourish a believer body, soul and spirit.

A believer that refuse to drink the spiritual water will always be thirsty of satisfactions that are to be derived from God.

Such person will be spiritually weak and unhealthy. The spiritual satisfaction that are meant to be derived from God cannot be gotten from any other source. A lot of people have tried to search elsewhere for this satisfaction, but they end up not satisfied.

Jesus told the woman at the well that if she drink from the water from the well, she will still be thirsty, but if she drink from the living water which only him can give, she will not be thirsty forever. This explain why those people that goes around looking for satisfaction outside God end up becoming more thirsty, because it is only God that can satisfy our needs. “thirst” in this context can be explained as longing for something, or searching for solution or a way out of a particular situation.

Jesus has given out the invitation in Isaiah 55:1. He is the only one that can quench our “thirst” that we will never be thirsty again. He is the only one that can satisfy us.

WHAT DOES THE LIVING WATER DO?

The “living water” means the holy spirit(John 7:38-39) if you accept to drink from the living water, the holy spirit would indwell and empower you to do great exploit.
The living water makes you a new creature, by wiping away your past, give you a new beginning in God and a hope for better future.
The living water makes the presence of God to be evident in your life because Jesus promise that spring of living water will flow from within us. (John 7:38)
The living water enables you to do the unusual.
The living water gives you peace and comfort from God. (John 14:27)
Assurance of eternal life (John 6:63)
Boldness to do things you cannot do with your own ability. (Act 10:38)

DEVOTION SEVEN

TITLE: THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE

TEXT : GENESIS 2:24, EPHESIANS 5:25-33

God ordained marriage so that husband and wife could be helpful to themselves. Marriage is also for companionship, couple should see themselves as one mind, one soul operating in two bodies.

(Gen 2:18)God created Eve for Adam as help meet, to love and to share things together. God did not create her to be Adam's maid or servant.

God took out Adam's rib to create Eve. It is not because God ran out of resources to make Eve, but to proof a point to human beings. (that they are one). On this note, men should see their wives as their equal half rather than seeing them as their subordinates.

The first reason why God instituted marriage is for companionship and mutual relationship. For this to be achieved there must be effective communication between couple.

There are other reasons why marriage institution is established, but if the above reason is not met, other reasons that will be discussed later may be difficult to meet. (Gen 2:20-23) the scripture says “but for Adam: no suitable helper was found” this is so because Adam could not relate or communicate with the animals because they have nothing in common. When God finished creating Eve, Adam said “this is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.”

When you are in marriage institution, your spouse should be seen as the bone of your bones and flesh of your flesh, This makes living together as couple easy and peaceful. Seeing your spouse as your “better half” would make peace, love and harmony to reign in the family. The home would be free from fight, discord, anger, hatred and unforgivable spirit.

OTHER REASONS WHY GOD ORDAINED MARRIAGE

For fruitfulness (Genesis 1:28) to have children.
To bear each others burden (helping in each others weakness) where your spouse is weak; you may be strong there, so use your strength to cover his weakness.
To raise and train children in the way of the lord.
To help each other financially, spiritually, and morally.
For sexual satisfaction, so that there would not be any cause for adultery. (1Corinthians 7:2-5
To love and care for each other

HOW COUPLES CAN FULFIL GOD'S PURPOSE FOR MARRIAGE (TWO BECOMING ONE)

couple are one mind and soul operating in two physical bodies. They can fulfil the law of “two coming together to become one” by doing the following:

They should make Christ the solid rock of the marriage.
They should see themselves as equal. (Don't think you are better or knowledgeable than your spouse)
they should know how to settle their disagreement mutually without involving other parties.
They need to know the right channel to seek counsel on issues that concern their home. If need be, godly counsel from the pastor would be better.(This should be the last result.)
They should not keep record of wrong against themselves. Instead it should be addressed.
They should be able to say the “magic word” “sorry” to each other without problem.
There should be effective communication for both parties to be able to pour out their minds without further problem or fear.
The in-laws should know their boundaries and maintain it.
As couple your spouse should know everything about you without holding back some “secret”
They should both discuss how to run the home and how to discipline the children.
They should love their spouse as themselves. (Ephesians 5:29)
There should be mutual trust in the home.
There should be tolerance, as there is no perfect being. What you want your spouse to improve on should be discussed politely with love.
Couple should respect each other, remember; respect is reciprocal. It should not be one sided.

DEVOTION EIGHT

TITLE: MISPLACE EXPECTATION ON FOOD

TEXT: GENESIS 3: 1-5, DANIEL 1: 5-8

Food is very important to every human being. For a believer to grow fully without any malnutrition or deficiency, he/she needs to feed on both physical and spiritual food.

Physical food nourishes you physical body for growth and development to take place in your body. If you fail to eat all your balanced diet, malnutrition will take place in the body. This can pose danger into our health.

As important as it is to take balanced diet, it is crucial to know that there are some food that you need to avoid so that your health will not be in danger. (1 Cor 6: 12-13) “12 All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything. 13 Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food, but God will do away with both of them. Yet the body is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body”. This shows that not all food is beneficial to our health.

Likewise as believers we eat spiritual food together with the physical food so that we can grow both physically and spiritually. (1 Peter 2:2) “

As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby” we need to be spiritually healthy for us to be able to run our Christian race successfully.

Spiritual food nourishes our spiritual man; it draws us closer to God. As believers, if we fail to eat the spiritual food that God wants us to eat, it will lead to spiritual dryness and spiritual undernourishment. We need to be careful of the spiritual food that we eat. The kingdom of darkness also has their own spiritual food. Examples are lies, hatred, bitterness, anger, unclean spirit, jealousy, strife and so on.

In our text; God told Adam and Eve to eat from every tree in the Garden of Eden, except one particular tree. When the serpent came to deceive Eve, he presented it to her that eating from the forbidden fruit is not bad, but will only make them to be as wise as God.

The serpent already knew what would happen after eating the forbidden fruit, but he presented the deceit in a very good way that was irresistible to them. This was the beginning of the fall of man, the serpent succeeded in breaking the relationship between God and Adam and Eve.

The serpent used his tactics to deceive Eve by making her to see the forbidden fruit as a very good and harmless way of being like God. The devil is still at work of deceiving believers to see some “satanic food” as the best and fastest way to their breakthrough.

The “forbidden fruit” that the devil is using to deceive believer may be sexual immorality, lies, fraud and so on. If you are trying to have a rethink of your actions, he will be giving you a good reason why you are being justified for your actions. That is why you need to constantly ask for God’s leading and direction.

Eve’s expectation when she wanted to eat the fruit was to become like God in knowing good from bad (getting wiser) instead, it brought about separation between them and God. All the benefit they were enjoying from God ceased because of their misplaced expectation.

If we allow the devil to deceive us by bringing something that is against the will of God for us, as a way to our breakthrough, it can break the relationship between God and us. In the quest to “help God” in their situation, some believers have put their expectation on wrong or negative spiritual food that the devil gives, and this has made the glory of God to depart from them.

There are some “forbidden fruits” that God does not want His children to eat. Examples are lies, anger, hatred, jealousy, strife, back-biting, sexual immorality, evil thoughts towards others. (These are spiritual food from the kingdom of darkness.) The devil has his ways of making these things to be attractive to believers.

If you fall into the trap of the devil by yielding to his advice, you will not achieve your expectation, but the devil would accomplish his own purpose, which is to separate you from God. Daniel refused to defile himself with the royal food that the king made available for him. Eating royal food and drink could be the best thing anybody could ask for, but it could be bait against somebody’s destiny. Not all that glitter is gold!

WHAT TO DO TO AVOID MISPLACE EXPECTATION

Ask for God’s direction and guidance before taking any step. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Don’t jump at every opportunity without seeking the face of the lord.

Don’t be enticed with “Rosie” or fast way to breakthrough.

Make up your mind not to follow the broad way that leads to destruction and death. (Proverbs 14:12)

We should not be ignorant of the devices of the enemy; the devil may present that “poisonous food” in a well presented package, but do not misplace your expectation. Be on your guard against the devices of the enemy.

DEVOTION NINE

TITLE- JEALOUSY: A HINDRANCE TO BLESSING

TEXT: Genesis 4: 2b-12

What is jealousy? It is being envious of someone who has something we do not have. It is being envious of someone’s success, achievements and breakthrough. Jealousy is a sin unto God; it is not an attribute of a good Christian. Instead it shows that such believer is still living in flesh.

Jealousy comes from fear, insecurity and covetousness. When you are jealous, it means you are not satisfied with who you are and what you have. Jealousy is the act of having the desire to be like other people in beauty, riches, intellect and talent. When you are unable to achieve these, you get jealous of the people that you feel they are better than you.

Having the spirit of jealousy shows that you are not satisfied with what God has given to you and you do not appreciate Him. The scripture says that we should be contented with what we have without coveting people’s things.

The text reference (Genesis 4: 2b-12) Cain and Abel are brothers. Abel offered good sacrifice unto God, but Cain did not offer God his best sacrifice. When God blessed them accordingly; Cain became jealous of his brother, the jealousy grew to the level that made him to kill his brother. A lesson here is that when you become jealous, you can take an irrational decision. Your sense of reasoning would be taken over by the devil, and the consequences could be disastrous!

God was very angry with Cain for killing his brother; He placed a curse on him. If he was not jealous of his brother’s blessing, may be God would have blessed him during subsequent offering, but his act of jealousy fetched him curse!

As children of light; we should be happy when people around us are progressing. We need to rejoice with people that are rejoicing, not in pretense but wholeheartedly.

The bible says we are created in the image of God, and God instructs us to have the same attitude like Jesus Christ. If you are Christ like; you will not be jealous of people that are succeeding. Jealousy is not of God, it is synonymous with the kingdom of darkness. It is the work of flesh and not of spirit; the scripture says we should live in spirit so that we would not gratify the desires of sinful nature. (Gal 5:16) If you obey this scripture; you will be manifesting the fruits of the spirit rather than manifesting the works of flesh.

1 Corinthians 3:3 says “you are still worldly; for since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men”? No matter how long you have been in Christ; if you still harbour jealousy in you, it shows you are worldly and the love of God is not in you.

The scripture says in Romans 8:8 that those that are in flesh cannot please God. If you want to please God; you should do away with every works of flesh.

DANGERS OF JEALOUSY

· Jealousy is a sin, and sin hinders prayers. (Isaiah 59: 1-2)

· The spirit of God cannot dwell where jealousy dwells. (Matthew 6:24)

· The person will be tormented by devil because he or she belongs to their kingdom.

· The person will experience closed heavens; everything will be difficult for such person.

· Instead of blessing the person will inherit curse.

HOW TO DEAL WITH JEALOUSY

· Guard your heart against evil thoughts and feeling. (Proverbs 4:23)

· Ask the Holy Spirit to help you.

· Dwell on the word of God constantly. (Philippians 4:8)

· Be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. (Philippians 4:8)

20/03/13

DEVOTION TEN

TITLE: CAN YOU HELP GOD?

TEXT: PROVERBS 3:5-6, ISAIAH 55: 8-9

Our God is a sovereign God, He does as He pleases. He does not take advice or permission from anybody before doing what He wants to do. God created heaven and the earth without anybody giving Him an Idea on what to create, yet when H e finished He said all the things He created were good. (Genesis 1:31)

God does things in His own way and at His own time. His ways are not our ways. (Isaiah 55:8)

Human beings are always in hurry for their request to be met; this makes them to think that God is running late in granting their requests. In other to get their request met faster than God’s time, they involve their human knowledge. You cannot get anywhere with your human knowledge, because human beings are limited in knowledge and power. They apply human knowledge thinking they want to “help” God to get things done faster. Instead of getting a faster result, they find themselves in trouble with God.

In the quest to get things done faster than God’s stipulated time, they involve themselves in all sort of negative and shady things that does not bring glory to the name of the lord. This prolongs their problem rather than putting an end to it as they thought.

When you try to bypass God and want to get things done your own way, God will not force you to be patient and wait for His time, He will allow you to have it your own way. (He has given everybody free will to decide). He knows you would come back to Him after your human wisdom might have failed you.

The saddest part of this is that if you pull away from God’s plan or way, to get things done your own way, if you realise your mistake and you return back to Him, you will have to start afresh. Maybe you were very close to your breakthrough before you pulled out; coming back will make you to start again from the starting point, because you will need to go through some process of repentance and prayer of forgiveness.

It is better to wait on God and allow Him to come to our rescue at His own time. Trying to do things without waiting for God can prolong your breakthrough. Nobody can help God; you cannot get things done faster than His own time, but you can get it messed up. There is time for everything (Eccl 3:1) if it is not time for God to act; you cannot force him to act. If you can wait for His time, when He is ready to act; He will redeem all the time you waited for Him. When Lazarus was sick; his sisters sent for Jesus, but he did not come until he was four days dead! When Jesus appeared, the sisters believed Jesus was late in coming because Lazarus’s body was already decomposing. Jesus called Lazarus forth and people were amazed. The lesson here is that God is never late! If you wait for His time, He will bring the best out from that difficult situation.

(1 Corinthians 1:19-20) Says the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. When you apply the wisdom of this world to solve problem, you will get foolish result. An example of somebody that could not wait for God’s timing was King Saul, he was waiting for Samuel to come and make sacrifice in Gilgal. He waited seven days as Samuel has told him, he got impatient and he carried out the sacrifice himself. Samuel told him he has acted FOOLISHLY. (1 Samuel 13:8-13) This foolish act cost him his throne.

Anybody that is trying to do things without waiting for God’s time is acting foolishly like Saul, and it can cost the person his or her inheritance in Christ.

Wait for God! Don’t complicate your situation!

24/03/13

DEVOTION ELEVEN

TITLE: MY STORY WILL CHANGE

TEXT: PSALM 126:1-5

In the course of our Christian race, we will encounter many ups and downs. We would encounter many obstacles that could make us to doubt God. The truth is if we do not allow the situation to overrule our faith, we will be victorious. God will see us through the situation.

Being a bona fide child of God does not mean you will not have problem, God did not guarantee us problem free life. (John 16:33) “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble, but take heart I have overcome the world”.

Problems and tribulation are part of our test that we must pass, for God to move us to His divine place of honour for our lives. The higher you are ranked by God the bigger the test you will go through. Your reward will also be proportional to the test you went through.

The good news is; when you are passing through the test, God will never leave you to go through it alone. He will be with you to lead, guide and strengthen you through the period. It may seem God is silent concerning the situation, but remember the teacher is always silent during a test.

God is the writer of the story of our lives; He knows what He has for each and everyone of us. (Jeremiah 1:5) “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; before you were born I set you apart, I appointed you as a prophet to the nation”. He said His thought towards us is of good and not of evil; this should give us the assurance that the writer of the story of our lives wrote it to have a happy ending.

(Psalm 30:5) “ weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning” Whatever you are going through today, be rest assured that you will give glory to God at the end, because your story will have a happy ending.

Hannah, Joseph, Daniel, Abraham and Sarah, Zechariah and Elizabeth are case study. These people all maintained their stand in God when they passing through their various difficult situations. They did not sin against God; they did not turn their back against God. When God saw their loyalty and commitment; He changed their story. Develop positive attitude when things are not going on well, don’t give in to the plan of the devil. The devil wants you to give up and turn your back against God. Don’t! Keep your stand in God; he will turn the table around in your favour. I pray for you today that whatever situation you may be facing, God will visit you and change your story for good in Jesus name.

WHAT TO DO FOR GOD TO CHANGE MY STORY

v Take your stand in Christ, don’t compromise your faith. (1 Peter 5:9-10)

v Be expectant, don’t loose hope, and don’t accept the devil’s trick that the situation cannot change. (Romans 12:12)

v Pray, study the word, praise and worship God while waiting to change your story. Do not be weary; it is very easy to be discouraged when things are not working well.

v Never let your love for God grow cold. It is easy to feel cold towards God when you have an unpleasant situation, but that should be the time to confess positively and remind God of His promises.

v Surround yourself with positive people that have fear of God. They will be able to give you godly counsel and encourage you. Don’t mingle with people that will discourage you. (1Corinthians 15:33)

24/03/13

DEVOTION TWELVE

TITLE: DOING THE WILL OF GOD

TEXT: 1 THESSALONIANS 4: 1-12

As children of God our primary aim is to live our lives to please God. For us to do the will of God perfectly, we need to live in absolute obedience.

God does not accept partial obedience; He wants His children to obey Him absolutely, even when it seems too hard to do. The text highlighted ways that believers needs to follow to do the will of God. These are:

v You should be sanctified- sanctification means separation from the world and unto God. You need to separate yourself from things of the world, and focus on things of God/spirit. You should not do things the way people of the world do things, because you are different from them. This change should reflect both inwardly and outwardly. Your dressing, your group of friends, your attitude your utterances should show that you are for God.

v You should avoid sexual immorality- Our body is the temple of God, therefore we should honour God with our body. God cannot dwell in a filthy body, He says whoever destroys His temple (our body) He will destroy. ( 1 Corinthians 3:16-17)

v Present yourself in sanctification and in honour- purge yourself of anything that does not glorify God. Things like anger, malice, backbiting, bitterness, strife, hatred, jealousy and other works of the flesh. (Romans 8:8) says that those that live in flesh cannot please God.

v Don’t be in passionate lust – As children of God; we should not lust after worldly things like people of the world. Our desires should be on the things of God rather than things of the world. ( 1 John 2: 15-17) (Matt 6:19-21)

v Live in peace with people – Don’t take advantage of people, do not cheat, and do not have dubious character towards people that comes your way.

v Live in love – The bible says whoever does not love, does not know God, for God is love. (1John 4: 7-8) W e need to demonstrate the love of God to others by loving and forgiving them when they offend us. Though there are some “unloving ones” you would do everything to be at peace with them; yet they will not love or like you. You do not need to follow their way, show them love in return. The bible says we should love them that hate us. God demonstrated His love for us, while we were still sinners Christ died for us. We should not wait for those people to love us before we would them love.

v Live a quiet life- The bible says in Colossians 3:17 “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him”. God wants us to glorify Him in all we do; our way of life is not an exception. Living a quiet life does not need mean you should live in penury, it does not mean you become a loner by moving away from friends and family, but do things moderately and in order. Use your wealth or recourse in a way that it will glorify God. Let your daily life win the respect of outsiders.

v Study the word of God- Commit yourself to the word of God; let studying the word be your lifestyle. Worship Him constantly, give yourself the things of God, and live in obedience of His word.

“You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised” (Hebrew 10:36). We need to make it a point of duty to do the will of God so that we can receive what He promises us. 4: 1-12