YOU HAVE TO SHOW INTEREST

Luke 19:1-5. 

This is the story of Zacchaeus and how he met Jesus. The first time I read this story with understanding my eyes were opened to something great. Look at what Zacchaeus did, the bible says in verse 3 and 4 "And he was waiting to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way."

Now this was a man that was very rich and people both respected and feared him but he didn't care. He had heard about Jesus for a long time and was desperate to see who he was. Let me draw back here and point out that Zacchaeus was not a born again Christian, in fact most task collectors were considered as cheats. But he knew that there was something different about Jesus and he wanted to see it. 

The size of that crowd would have originally discouraged him but he didn't get discouraged. Instead he climbed a tree like a child and because he did he found favor in the eyes of Jesus. Jesus could sense his desperation and he became one of the people that had the opportunity of hosting Jesus in his home.

Now the lesson here is that you need to show God how desperate you are to have him in your life. Zacchaeus is a good example. He didn't think about his status in the society or what people will say, all he was interested in was Jesus. My friends I want to give you the best advice I can offer, FIX YOUR EYES ON JESUS, show interest in him and his ways and you will see that Jesus will willingly come to into your home. I pray you read this with caution and adopt Zacchaeus as a role model.

ASSIGNMENT 

1) Try and show interest in Jesus and his ways. When He sees how desperate you are he will come to your home.

2) You can only gain the interest of God only when you seek him first.  Therefore determine to put him first from today and he shall add other things to you and even more than your mind can fathom.

YOU ARE MORE THAN WHAT YOU THINK YOU ARE

            WHO AM I? This is a question majority of us humans run away from answering, but have you noticed that as much as you run from it is always staring you directly in the face? Do you really know who you are or do people tell you who you are. For certain if you don’t know people will help you define your existence. Now don’t get me wrong here, I’m not talking about your name or your resume or even your surname, I’m talking about what stuff are you made of or simply put your person and how do you see yourself. In Numbers 13:31-33, the people of Israel saw themselves as grasshoppers to the descendants of Anak and the painful part was that they didn’t only think it but said with their mouth’s, “we looked the same in their eyes”. What a way to degrade the army of the Lord.

            If you don’t know who you are in Christ Jesus, this is the time to ask him that simple question. But first by way of reminder if you have ever thought less of yourself or you’ve seen yourself as worthless just as in the case of Gideon in Judges 6:15, or just maybe everyone you’ve relied on has failed you or perhaps you have been abused and molested or lived a rough and terrible life, God still says “YOU ARE THE APPLE OF MY EYES, YOU ARE INSCRIBED ON THE PALM OF MY HANDS, BEFORE YOU WERE BORN I KNEW YOU, YOU HAVE A FUTURE AND A HOPE, YOU ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD AND A CITY SET UPON A HILL THAT CANNOT BE HIDDEN...God has so much in store for you and loves you dearly with everything even more than you can imagine, let no one tell you differently. Dear friends, there is so much on the inside of you that you have not yet figured out. I’m sure you are always thinking is this where it all ends, is this what life is all about, all the hustle and struggling just for survival is that why I’ve been dumped on this earth? A capital NO is your answer. God is not a wicked God, there’s more and trust me serving God pays a great deal.

            I urge you today get angry, go to God and ask him “Lord who am I” and he would answer you. Also in your spare time please read Judges 6, 7, 8, it will show you how a man (Gideon) who thought he came from the weakest clan in Manasseh and the least of his family was called by God as a mighty warrior and also saved the people of Israel from the hands of the Midianites.

“AND WHAT EVER GOD HAS SAID YOU ARE, THAT’S WHO YOU ARE. AND I LEAVE YOU WITH THIS, HE SAID THAT HE WOULD NEVER LEAVE YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU (DEUTERONOMY 31:6) KEEP HOLDING ON”.

ASSIGNMENT

·         Go to God in prayers today and ask him, Lord who am I and what is the reason for my existence.

·         Lord whatever potential that is in me that is yet to become a reality, Lord Reveal it unto me.

·         Pray for the peace of Nigeria, and decree the exposure of any one or group of people that is determined to sink this nation to the grave in Jesus Name...AMEN.

   

HE CAN CALM THE STORM

This morning I woke up feeling very alarmed due to a nightmare I had. But then I got to study my bible and I came across the story of how Jesus calmed the storm and it brought me a huge relief in my spirit and that’s what I want to share with you so please follow me on this.

Matthew 4:35 - 41.Now Jesus had finished what He was doing in a particular city and He told the disciples that they should leave to another place. When they got on the boat there was a heavy storm that was breaking the boat and allowing water to enter which would have lead them to sink. Then the disciples ran to where Jesus was sleeping and woke Him up asking if He really cared about their lives. And Jesus rose up and said "Peace be still" and the storm calmed and then He turned to His disciples and said "why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?"

Now if you can clearly observe this story you will see that faith has a lot with our everyday living. I thought to myself maybe Jesus wanted to test them because there would have been no way He was unaware of that heavy storm. And the disciples realized that they could do nothing without Jesus. This is one of the reasons we pray in Jesus' name; because His name carries power. The only way you can overcome a storm is through Jesus. Although the disciples did not need to wake Jesus up from His sleep. They would have simply confessed in the name of Jesus and that storm would have been calm but because they didn’t have faith, they failed and had to wake Jesus up.

Faith is the only trigger for the open heavens Of God's blessings. Faith in God is what Causes God to move on behalf of men. I have heard of testimonies of how men and women put their faith in God believing him for a job, fruit of the womb, admission, signing of contracts, promotion in jobs etc. You can be one of these people to share a greater testimony. All you have to do is to take a leap of faith and trust God. But remember faith without works is dead. It's not enough to confess it, you have to put your faith to work. 

I encourage you to build up your faith because it is only when you believe in Jesus that the storm can be calmed. I see this story and I think of many Christians who don’t know the extent to which Jesus can help them so they run to man for help. But there is nothing God cannot do. You just have to play your part which is believing that He can. Note that God who took you to the level you are can protect you from that devil. The storm can be calmed and He is the only one that can calm it. So believe in Him today.

"Even If Your Faith Is As Small As A Muster Seed It Can Move Any Mountain (Say Kilimanjaro) And I And That It Can Stop Any Storm"

CONFESSION

"Lord helps me to grow my faith in you. Help to be able to withstand any storm that comes my way"

ASSIGNMENT

1) Take time out to study the word of God because the bible says that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17).

2) Please pray for Bishop David Abioye today as God adds another to his life today.

GOD BLESS YOU

ENTER INTO YOUR PROMISED LAND

Whatever you do not possess, you cannot access. If God has given you a territory, a place, a location as your own or a promised land, all you have to do is to rise up and possess it. Understand dear friends that God cannot rise for you to possess for you what he has already placed into your hands or put differently given to you. You have a part to play and that is possessing your possession or inheritance.

Set out now and cross the Arnon Gorge. See I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his country. Begin to take possession of it and engage him in battle.

Deut 2:24

Someone reading this might just ask; how do we possess or take possession of our inheritance or our promised land given to us by God? The simple answer is you possess by engaging in battle or you can as well call it a spiritual warfare by the word of God. Looking at the lives of the people of Israel coming out of Egypt towards the Promised Land, we understand that;

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It is very possible brethren that God can give unto you what is still in the hands of the enemy; Joshua 12:1-24.

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It is very possible that what rightfully belongs to you is still arrested by the devil.

Until you rise up from your slumber, sleep, coma or captivity to possess and contend with it, it never leaves the hand of the devil. Some of us think that the devil goes on vacation most times and so we just relax and let him have a field day...hmmm. It took the people of Israel 40years to get to the Promised Land but even in it their welcome party was a battlefield.

Dear friend there’s really no time to relax. Bishop Abioye says that “For every new level there is a new Devil”. For every Jordan you cross there’s a bigger one ahead of you. Never ever let your guard down. In Video games, you notice that every next stage or level (easy, medium, hard) you get into, you havetougher opponents and greater obstacles well is the same with the battles you face to get into your promised land. Your destiny might not look promising at the moment, in fact it might even look lower than it but stay put and keep on pressing on.

But thus saith the LORD, even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children.

Isaiah 49:25

When you lift a step to possess your inheritance God moves ten steps ahead of you to make every crooked way straight and eliminate what so ever wants to stand in your way. “He brought us out to bring us in”.

Assignment

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Take a step today to possess what God has already delivered unto you.

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Always stay prepared for the next level with the word of God.

 

KNOWING THE ABILITY OF GOD

Someone was preaching last week in my church and he said something that caused me to think deeply. He said and I'm paraphrasing that, this God we serve, has He changed? Remembering the times of old when men of God will speak into the atmosphere and the enemy will tremble and fall at their feet. Why is it now like God has changed, because many Christians who command things to happen for then end up not happening. 

I sat In my chair and wondered about this. I know my God has not changed, He is the same yesterday, today and forever. So meaning the challenge is from us (I call it a challenge because it can be dealt with). While thinking about this I discovered that the major problem is that we don't realise the greatness of the power of our God. Not that we are not aware, because we hear millions of testimonies; but that we do not fully realise that there is nothing God cannot do. Sometimes when the devil attacks, people make the mistake of thinking it's the will of God thereby not putting into practical all they have been thought about the power of God.

Lemme tell you something, the God you serve is a God who fed Elijah by ravens. He is the God who made manna fall from heaven in the desert. He is the God who fed Five thousand men. He is the God who the hem of his garment healed the sick. He is the one who has put you where you are today. I can go on and on about who He is, my question to you is that do you believe in His ability. The things He has done before do you believe he can do it to you or through you. 

If you don't I advice that you start now. John 14:12 says "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father". 

I have good news for you today. You can do all things. You don't even need to disturb the spiritual leaders in your church. Philippians 4:13. 

Assignment 

1) Don't just say you know what God can do, also believe he can.

2) Start commanding those things that be not as though the were. 

3) Creat a relationship with God. He won't give you more than you can chew.