THE VICISSITUDES OF LIFE CAN BE GOD’S PAN!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 25, 2020.

SUBJECT: THE VICISSITUDES OF LIFE CAN BE GOD’S PLAN!

Memory verse: "But as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.” (Genesis 50 vs 20.)

READ: Genesis 37 vs 27 - 28; 45 vs 5 - 8:

37:27: Come Let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother and our flesh.” And his brothers listened.

37:28: The Midianite traders passed by; so the brothers pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.

45:5: But now , do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.

45:6: For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting.

45:7: And God sent me before You to, preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

45:8: So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his House, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.

INTIMATION:

Perhaps no other account in all of Scriptures illustrates the strange vicissitudes of life more vividly than the biography of Joseph (The Dreamer), and God’s sovereignty. God’s creations are tools in His hands to achieve His plans. His knowledge and wisdom are beyond human comprehension, and past searching out. Joseph was born into privilege. He was the eleventh, and the favorite son of Jacob, one of the patriarchs of Israelite history. Though Joseph was loved by his father, he was hated by his brothers because of his favored status. Joseph stoked his brothers' hatred by telling them of dreams he had, where his brothers bowed down to him.

One day the brothers could contain their rage no longer. They seized Joseph and threw him into a pit. Their first thought was to kill him, but they changed their minds when they saw a caravan heading for Egypt. Instead of murdering him, his brothers sold him as a slave to members of the caravan—the Ishmaelites. They returned home and told their father that he had been killed by a wild beast. People may mean evil against you, but in God’s plan, such situations are for good. No matter what you are going through in life, remember God is in control. When others intend evil against you, know that they can only be God’s tools. As Joseph said to his brothers in our memory verse, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.” 

In Egypt, Joseph became the trusted servant of Potiphar, an official in the king's court. Unfortunately, Potiphar's trust was shattered by one false accusation against Joseph by his master’s wife. Without so much as a court hearing, Joseph was thrown into prison. He was doomed, or so he thought. But a perplexing turn of events raised him to unexpected heights.

In prison, Joseph met the king's cup bearer and the king's baker. Both men were troubled by strange and mysterious dreams. When they told Joseph their dreams, he interpreted the strange visions for them. Days later his words came to pass in precisely the way he had announced. What kind of special powers did Joseph possess? How could he interpret these dreams? Joseph merely attributed his ability to the God of Israel, a God not worshiped in Egypt. 

Two years later, Pharaoh had a dream. His advisors could not even begin to interpret it. Joseph was summoned from the prison to decipher the strange, troubling images. After a moment of silence, Joseph declared that the visions meant that Egypt would be blessed with seven years of abundance, followed by seven years of famine. 

In grateful response, Pharaoh appointed Joseph second-in-command in Egypt (a Prime Minister in a foreign land). Again, Joseph downplayed his own abilities and spoke instead of the power of the Awesome God. And just as he predicted, the seven years of abundance came, as did the seven years of famine. Joseph's unique supernatural gift of God propels him to power.

Joseph's appointment to second-in-command, remains an astonishing moment in ancient history. How do we explain his rise from an impoverished foreigner to an imperial leader? Joseph said to his brothers, "God turned into good what you meant for evil. He brought me to to high position I have today so I could save the lives of many people" (Genesis 50 vs 20). And that is the best explanation of all—the wonderful act of an awesome God. 

The experience in Joseph’s life taught him, and teaches us, that God brings good from evil for those who trust in Him. He overrules people’s evil intentions to bring about His intended results. In Joseph’s case, He brought good from the brothers’ evil deed, Potiphar’s wife’s false accusation, the butler’s neglect, and seven years of famine. Trust God enough and wait patiently for Him to bring good out of bad situations you face.

Although Joseph’s brothers didn’t kill him outright, they wouldn’t expect him to survive for long as a slave. They were quite willing to let cruel slave traders do their dirty work for them. Joseph faced a 30-day journey through the desert, probably chained and on foot. He will be treated like baggage, and once in Egypt would be sold as a piece of merchandise. His brothers had wanted to get rid of him, but God used even their evil actions to fulfill His ultimate plan. He had sent Joseph ahead to preserve their lives, save Egypt, and prepare the way for the beginning of the nation of Israel. God is sovereign. His plans are not dictated by human actions! Hallelujah!

Prayer: Abba Father, I completely put my trust in You. Your thoughts for me are for good, not evil. I pray You upturn all evil intentions of people in my life for good, after the order of Joseph in the Scripture. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

BE ETERNITY CONSCIOUS!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY FEBRUARY 24, 2020.

SUBJECT: BE ETERNITY CONSCIOUS!

Memory verse: "While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal." (Second Corinthians 4 vs 18.)

READ: Psalm 39 vs 5 - 6:

Psalm 39:5: Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, and my age is as nothing before You; Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor.

39:6: Surely every man walks about like a shadow; Surely they busy themselves in vain; He heaps riches, and does not know who will gather them.

INTIMATION:

To make the most of your time on earth, you must maintain an eternal perspective. You should be mindful of eternal inheritance than what you can get now. Everything you see and have now will one day pass away. This will keep you from majoring on earthly things which are minor and help you concentrate on the thing that is eternal, and that is the ultimate! 

The Faithful Christian will concentrate on the things that are eternal and not on the things that are of this world. His mind sees beyond this world to the existence of the new heavens and new earth that is yet to come. Therefore, he is not willing to sacrifice the eternal for the enjoyment of the temporary. Though the Christian may enjoy the benefits of this world, he does not obsess over the temporary tp the exclusion of the eternal.

Ironically, the brevity of life on this earth has been of little concern to many people. They spend so much time securing their lives on earth but take little or no thought about where they will spend eternity. Wisdom, riches, and personal achievements matter very little after death—and everyone must die. We must not build our lives on perishable pursuits, but on the solid foundation of God. Then even if everything we have is taken away, we still will have God, Who is all we really need anyway.

Nothing seen or experienced in this life is worth the eternal life with God, and nothing we have here on earth will matter a thing in eternity. Even now, so much of what we waste our energy on will not matter even a year from now, much less for eternity. Don't trade your life for temporary things. The Bible, in First Corinthians 7 vs 31, says, "....For the form of this world is passing away." We should be unhindered by the cares of this world, not getting involved with the burdensome pursuit of earthly things, and should deal as sparingly as possible with the things the world thrusts on you because the world, as you see it, is on its way out.

You've probably heard the expression "You can't take it with you.” That is absolutely right. But the Bible says you can send it on ahead by investing in people who are going there! The Bible, in First Timothy 6 vs 18 - 19, says, "Let them do good, that they are rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold of eternal life." Be wise, be selfless, and be rich in good works.

Because life is so short, there is folly in trying to amass riches. For this reason, the wise see past the temporary futility of riches in order to focus on those things that go beyond life. By the time one realizes the futility of a wasted life in seeking riches, it is often too late to repent and turn to God. Jesus warned us on distractions by earthly things when He said in Luke 9 vs 62, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." What does Jesus want from us? Total dedication, not halfhearted commitment. We can't pick and choose among Jesus' ideas and follow Him selectively; we have to accept the cross along with the crown.

Prayer: Abba Father, in You all things consist. Endue me with the spirit of complete obedience and trust in You—the Owner of all things. I pray that the cares of this world will not hinder me from fighting the good fight of faith that I may lay hold of eternal life, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

UNION WITH UNBELIEVERS!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 23, 2020.

SUBJECT: UNION WITH UNBELIEVERS!

Memory verse: "But go and learn what it means: ‘I desire mercy not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” (Matthew 9 vs 13.)

READ: Mark 2 vs 15 - 17: 

2:15: Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi’s house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him.

2:16: And when the scribes and the Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, “How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?”

2:17: When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

INTIMATION:

Jesus came into the world to save sinners, and no sinner is beyond His saving power. He gladly associated Himself with sinners because He loved them, and because He knew that they needed to hear what He had to say. He spent time with all manner of people—poor, rich, bad, good, etc. Therefore, as ambassadors of Christ, our union with unbelievers is encouraged to enable us reach out to those who have need for His saving grace, no matter their kind. We should befriend those who need Christ, even if they do not seem to be ideal companions. Are there people you have been neglecting because of their reputation? They may be the ones who need most to hear the message of Christ’s love in their lives, and from you.

However, the union with unbelievers has inadvertently been contrasted by many to the apostle Paul’s sayings in Second Corinthians 6 vs 14 - 16, “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols....”

Here the apostle Paul advises that believers and unbelievers cannot be joined together effectively for a common purpose, such as business partnership. A Christian should certainly not bind him or herself to any non-Christian who would lead him or her into compromising his or her Christian principles. A Christian should refrain from aligning him or herself with another wherein Christian principles and values are subjugated to the morals and behavior of unbelievers. The difference in their beliefs can weaken the believer’s commitment, integrity or standards, especially for new converts, and those not yet deeply rooted in Christ. 

The apostle Paul had earlier explained that this does not mean isolating oneself from unbelievers which is against Christ’s leading, “I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.” (First Corinthians 5 vs 9 - 10.) 

The apostle Paul made it clear that we should not disassociate ourselves from unbelievers—otherwise we could not carry our Christ’s command to tell them about salvation (Matthew 28 vs 18 - 20). Rather, we are to distance ourselves from the person who claims to be a believer, yet indulges in sins explicitly forbidden in Scripture by rationalizing his or her actions. By rationalizing sin, a person harms others for whom Christ died and dims the image of God in Himself or herself. He wanted believers to be active in their witness for Christ to unbelievers, but they should not lock themselves into personal or business relationships that could cause them to compromise their faith. 

Jesus said to the Father, “As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the the world.” (John 17 vs 18.) Jesus did not ask God to take believers out of the world but instead to use them in the world. Because Jesus sends us into the world, we should not try to escape from the world, nor should we avoid all relationships with non-Christians. We are called to be the salt and light (Matthew 5 vs 13 - 16), and we are to do the work that God sent us to do. 

One must do his or her work in the secular world in order to support his or herself, whether with unbelievers or believers. The “world” is defined by the nature of its behavior. Being in the world indicate being involved in the evils of the secular world (covetousness, idolatry, adultery, etc), against the tenets of Christianity. If Christians would disassociate from those of the world, they would have to separate themselves from the world and live in isolation. While living in the world, Christians must be cautious about their associations with those of the world, and should not compromise their Christian faith. 

Prayer: Abba Father, give me the grace to effectively witness for Christ amongst the unbelievers without any form of compromises in my day to day activities, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

BREAKFAST BY THE SEASIDE
Life's Punchlines... (Volume 3).
❤🇳🇬🇳🇬 Year 2020🇳🇬🇳🇬❤.

Preacher: Priest Godsknight O.J

Topic: The First Prophet (2).

Text: Num 14v28" Say to them, 'As I live', says the LORD, 'just as you have spoken in my hearing, so I will do to you."

In our last class, we spoke about you becoming a first prophet to yourself, after tapping from those first prophets God placed over you. This is not limited to religious settings alone, exercise your veto power in your office (John 10v34-35).

Until a lion 🦁 learns to write his own stories ✍, every story will always glorify the hunter. You need to own your own journey, the way God designed it.

Leverage on good foundations (Ps 11v3), you were made to withstand the test of time ( Eph 6v10-20). Jesus is the surest First Prophet, & His foundation is the standard for those willing to be first prophets (1 Cor 3v11).

Your first prophet is very important to your destiny. With a senseless one, senselessness will rub on you over time. To a blind person; humans can't be seen, choose wisely!

Jabez had a wrong first prophet in the person of his mother, he had to take up the first prophet office by himself when he got tired of hardship (1 Chro 4v9-10).

I Prophesy, every chain holding you captive because of your parents' errors is loosed today ( Is 49v24-26), you're set free indeed in Jesus Name (John 8v 36 ).

No one has the right to alter your God-giving scripts (Ps 40v7), not even the devil 😈, or his secretaries (John 10v10a). Your penalties won't go to throwing in Jesus Name (Ps 126v1-6).

Before Herod killed James, the church was as silent as grave. When he laid hand on Peter, the Church prayed! Your first prophets won't sleep off when you need them the most in Jesus Name (Acts 12v1-12).

Receive the oil of gladness, & garments of praise that terminates despondency in Jesus Name (Is 61v1-7). Finally, be careful of whom you listen to, avoid dream killers.

God bless you🤝.
Instagram: @PriestGodsknight.

SAVED IN CHRIST!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 22, 2020.

SUBJECT: SAVED IN CHRIST!

Memory verse: "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (Romans 8 vs 1.)

READ: John 3 vs 17 - 19:

3:17: For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
3:18: He who believes on Him is not condemned: but he who believes not is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

3:19: And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

INTIMATION:

Jesus was sent by God the Father to redeem mankind from sin. He was made sin with our sin on the cross as our substitute. He was crucified and died for our sins on the cross. Then after He had satisfied the claims of justice, “The soul that sins shall die” (Ezekiel 18 vs 4), He was raised from the dead, justified in spirit, made righteous in spirit, and made alive in spirit. That was a new birth. It was for this reason God said "....You are My Son, Today I have begotten You," (Acts 13 vs 33). And when we confessed Jesus, and accepted His substitutionary work for us in redemption, we were recreated—made New Creation, and adopted as sons and daughters of God.

When you are in close spiritual and salvational relationship with Christ, you come into a saved covenant relationship with God wherein you are not in a state of condemnation. In this state one is free from the bondage of sin. In Christ one is not directing his life according to the desires of the flesh, but according to the directions of the Spirit. He is not walking according to the pride of meritorious conduct, but according to his submission to the word of God.

God draws men and women to Himself through the medium of of words of preaching and teaching of the gospel. In this way He calls them unto salvation without respect of persons. It is the responsibility of each individual to have a willing attitude in coming to Jesus. It is God’s part to provide the means that draws one to righteousness, and it is people’s responsibility to have the attitude of being receptive to God’s drawing power. God provided the gospel event in order to draw all people to Him. Individuals must voluntarily respond to the gospel, and thus be drawn to God. 

All those who would obediently turn to Jesus, would partake of the eternal purpose of God through Him. The plan that was in the mind of God before the creation of the world was to bring redeemed sons and daughters into eternal dwelling through the cross. Jesus was in the world in order to bring about this plan. Those who will respond to the grace of God that was revealed through Jesus, would be in possession of Him. 

The Believer is a new specie. He or she has received into his spirit the life and nature of God. The old things have passed away. These old things are spiritual death, his union with Satan, and his sins committed while he was spiritually dead, and in union with the Adversary. It doesn't matter the kind of sins, they are all remitted. The new creation is the product of God, created in Christ Jesus. The new creation is born from above, born of the Holy Spirit, through the Word, and reconciled with the Him.

The moment that we become new creations, we are saved. We are from that moment sons and daughters of God. It would be an abnormal thing if He should recreate us, impart to us His own nature, and leave us under the blighting curse of condemnation, unable to stand in His presence without the sense of guilt and inferiority, hence He made us His own righteousness in Jesus Christ (Second Corinthians 5 vs 21). The righteousness of God means the ability to stand in the God's presence without sense of guilt, condemnation or inferiority. God has given us His own righteousness in Christ Jesus so that we can fellowship with Him. 

Prayer: Abba Father, thank you so much for the unparalleled privilege of Your adopting me as Your son, an heir, and joint heir with Christ, and giving me Your righteousness in Christ. Engrace me to harness fully my inheritance in Christ, in the mighty Name of Jesus I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

BREAKFAST BY THE SEASIDE
Life's Punchlines... (Volume 3).
❤🇳🇬🇳🇬 Year 2020🇳🇬🇳🇬❤.

Preacher: Priest Godsknight O.J

Topic: The First Prophet (1).

Text: Num 14v28 " Say to them, 'As I live ', says the LORD, 'just as you have spoken in my hearing, so I will do to you."

The words we speak are Spirit and Life, we must invest them like true gods. Every life needs a first prophet, even Jesus needed a first prophet (Is 9v6-7, Is 61v1-11 ).

Words are powerful, proverbs 18v21 described them as "Life and Death" on the tongue. God is "The Word" (John 1v1-5), hence, Our words must always be seasoned with grace (Ps 19v14).

You're the first prophet over your life. However, when you as the first prophet is powerless or clueless, other prophets will take over your office ( 1 Kings 13v11-30).

As God's Oracles (Jer 1v5), we must always speak a word in season into any situation we're going through, exercise your authority today (Is 55v11).

The office of the first prophet is very important, it's an office that represents God on any matter. When a child is born, the first few words spoken into his or her life stays relevant till that child can speak for himself or herself.

Rachel was dying, so she called her child "Ben- Oni", meaning "Son of sorrow ". Jacob understood it, & immediately corrected it as "Benjamin", meaning "Son of the Right Hand" ( Gen 35v16-18).

You don't need a "Dying First Prophet", else you'll get a "Dying Great Destiny". Whether we humans like it or not, we'll always need a First Prophet. The words of your First Prophet will sustain you, till you're fit to exercise that office yourself.

A daughter of Israel was shot an arrow, which led to a fatal accident. God told me about it, & asked me to pray for her. I visited her at the hospital, prayed that Jesus should heal her without a scar & Jesus answered (Eccl 8v4). I decree health to your body, you shall break even in your righteous endeavors in Jesus Name.

God bless you🤝.
Instagram: @PriestGodsknight.

WALKING AFTER THE SPIRIT!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 21, 2020.

SUBJECT: WALKING AFTER THE SPIRIT!

Memory verse: "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (Romans 8 vs 1.)

READ: Romans 8 vs 4 - 8:

8:4: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
8:5: For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
8:6: For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
8:7: Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
8:8: So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

INTIMATION:

When you are in close spiritual and salvational relationship with Christ, you come into a saved covenant relationship with God wherein you are not in a state of condemnation. In this state one is free from the bondage of sin. In Christ one is not directing his life according to the desires of the flesh, but according to the directions of the Spirit. He is not walking according to the pride of meritorious conduct, but according to his submission to the word of God.

We must not understand our walk after the Spirit to mean that one is directed by inner nudges of what one would interpret to be a supposed direct intervention by the Spirit. In Christ we are no more guided by our subjective emotions that focus on the emotional performances of the individual, but guided by the apart knowledge of God’s will enumerated in God’s Word. When one is guided by the Spirit, he or she is directed by the Spirit-inspired word that comes from God. Walking after the Spirit involves the desire to hear, the readiness to obey God’s Word, and the sensitivity to discern between your feelings and His promptings. 

We all have evil desires, and we can’t ignore them. In order for us to follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance, we must deal with them decisively. These desires include obvious sins, such as sexual immorality and demonic activities. They also include less obvious sins, such as hostility, jealousy, and selfish ambition. Those who ignore such sins or refuse to deal with them reveal that they have not received the gift of the Spirit that leads to a transformed life. 

Not being guided by the Spirit is being carnally minded, which is to have the mind of focusing on one’s own desires. But those who behave according to the Spirit-inspired directions of God are not living according to their desires to live after their own wills. In a religious context, being carnally minded is focusing on one’s own ability to perform law in order to save one’s self. The carnally minded person is walking in sin, though he may not recognize the fact he is in sin. But the Spiritually minded person focuses by faith on the cross and God’s grace. He has life and peace because he is trusting in the grace of God and not in his abilities in reference to law keeping.

Though we seek to do that which is good, the nature of our being as free-moral individuals in a world of choice does not give us the ability to live flawlessly. Though the conscience of the Christian is made sensitive by the law of God as revealed through the Holy Spirit, the Spirit does not directly control the behavior of the Christian in reference to law in order to guard him from sin. It is wrong for anyone to claim that the Holy Spirit subjects free-moral Christian in order to guard him or her from sinning. 

The person who lives after the Spirit has crucified the old man of sin. He has put to death the desires to allow the lusts of the flesh to direct his life. But the person who lives according to the lusts of flesh in order to follow his own will is headed for eternal condemnation. Though we often willingly corporate with our sinful nature, it is not us but the sin in us that is evil. And it is this power of sin at work in our life that is defeated when we embrace Christ.

Live each day controlled and guided by the Holy Spirit. Then the words of Christ will be in your mind, the love of Christ will be behind your actions, and the power of Christ will help you control your selfish desires. Through faith in Christ we stand righteous before God. We need no longer live under sin’s power. God does not take us out of the world or make us robots—we will still feel like sinning and sometimes we will sin. The difference is that before we were saved we were slaves to our sinful nature, but now we can choose to live for Christ. 

Prayer: Abba Father, my utmost heart desire is to walk after the Spirit. Engrace me to obey the leading of the Holy Spirit in every area of my life, in Jesus’ Name I prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!