Your Faith Will Triumph · Tuesday 05

by Pastor Chris Oyakilome

 

For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith (1 John 5:4).

Proverbs 22:6 says, "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Imagine that as a Christian parent or a minister of the Gospel, your son or daughter isn’t living according to the training that you gave him or her in the Word. There may be some who’d be quick to judge and say, "So-and-so’s parents are Christians, yet he behaves like a sinner." If this happened to you as a parent, don’t be moved by what others may be saying.

Challenges come to everybody; so at the time you’re facing your own challenges, stay focused on God’s Word, and put your faith to work. Soon enough, that child will come into the right place and be all that God destined for him to be. Even the time others might have thought he lost will be regained, because God said, "And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the canker worm, and the caterpillar, and the palmer worm…" (Joel 2:25). So in such matters, don’t allow the negative sentiments of others dissipate your faith.

God gave us His Word so that no matter what we see or hear, we’re not distracted; we stay focused. After all, as students, we were not Doctors, Lawyers, and Architects whilst in the university. We were in school, being trained for what we were going to be. If someone saw you while still in school and said, "Hey, you don’t look like a Doctor, Lawyer or Architect," you’d probably have replied, "I don’t look like it yet, because I’m in training for it."

In like manner, we’re all still being trained by the Spirit of God through the Word to be all He’s destined us to be. If you already have children, keep training them in the Word. Even when it looks like they’re not imbibing the culture of the Word, keep at it. Recall what we read in Proverbs 22:6, "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Give some time; the results of the training will be evident.

Never give up your faith because of the negative opinions of gainsayers; learn to live by the Word. No matter what you see or experience, your faith will triumph. Glory to God!

Prayer  

Dear Father, my faith increases as I give myself to the study of your Word. Teach me to take advantage of the grace that’s in Christ Jesus, and to live a life of faith that is based on your Word, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Further Study: 2 Corinthians 2:14; Mark 9:23

1 Year Bible Reading : Romans 8:18-39 Psalms 70-73

2 Year Bible Reading : Ephesians 6:1-9 Isaiah 56

The Virtues Of Faith, Hope, And Love · Thursday 31

And now abideth faith, hope, charity (love) these three; but the greatest of these is charity (1 Corinthians 13:13).

Faith, hope and love, are three important principles revealed to us in the Word. All three of them work together, but love is revealed as the greatest of the three. Anyone who comes to Christ immediately learns the value of faith, because faith is imparted to your spirit when you hear the Gospel. With that faith, you receive the Holy Spirit, and begin to walk in newness of life.

As you mature spiritually, you learn something about hope. Hope ministers patience. The more you grow in the things of God, the more you realize that though your faith can do anything, some things have to wait. At this stage, you start learning how to trust God. Trust is the mixture of faith and hope. When the Bible says Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness, he trusted Jehovah with his life. 

The reason love is the greatest is that love encapsulates both faith and hope. When you walk in love, you walk in faith and hope. To walk in the greater levels of the anointing of God’s Spirit, you’d have to understand the power of God’s love, and walk in it. 

The Lord Jesus explained something beautiful about love in Matthew 22:35-38, when a certain lawyer, wanting to test Him, asked, "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" Jesus answered him thus, "…Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the great and first commandment" (ASV). If you ask people to list the Ten Commandments, they’ll most certainly not start with this. They’d say, "Thou shall worship no other God before me." But Jesus brought love before worship. He knows that if you’d love Him, you’d worship Him.

It’s not so much what your faith or hope can do; God is more concerned about what your love can do. Go beyond faith and hope, and function in the arena of love, where your words and actions are motivated only by love.

Prayer  

Dear Father, I thank you for filling my heart with your love by the Holy Spirit. This love overwhelms me today, and many experience the joy and genuineness of your love-power through me, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Further Study: John 4:24; Deuteronomy 6:5

1 Year Bible Reading : Psalms 52-55 Romans 5:12-21

2 Year Bible Reading : Ephesians 4:25-32 Isaiah 51

It Matters How You See · Thursday 10

While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18).

As one who’s born again, it matters how you see. God doesn’t want you to see or observe situations like an ordinary man; hence, He instructs us in 2 Corinthians 4:18 to see the invisible. It takes the anointing to do that. For example, when David was sent to the battlefront by his father to check on his brothers, he heard Goliath, the champion of the Philistines, taunting the children of Israel. He then enquired from the soldiers what would be done for the one who defeated the giant.

However, his eldest brother, Eliab, berated him and tried to shut him up, urging him to go back home (1 Samuel 17:28). Eliab couldn’t see spiritually; he didn’t perceive that there was an anointing on David’s life. He couldn’t see the future that God was going to make David king of Israel.

It’s possible to look at a child and know that child’s future; it takes the anointing to do that. It takes maturity in walking with the Spirit to know such things. When the Lord Jesus was brought into the temple as a little baby, Simeon and Anna, both prophets of God, saw Him, and recognized Him as the Messiah. The one who’s spiritually mature never disdains others or treats them scornfully. He’ll envision their future and treat them with love.

Learn to see others through the eyes of your spirit. This can be achieved by praying and rejoicing in Christ for them; before long, He’ll begin to show you their future: "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come" (John 16:13).

Prayer  

Dear Father, I thank you for helping me to see the real value of people, including children, and also for empowering me by your Spirit to discern their greatness, and play my role in helping them discover and fulfil their destiny in Christ, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Further Study: 2 Corinthians 5:7; Romans 1:17

1 Year Bible Reading : Acts 20:17-38 Job 22-24

2 Year Bible Reading : Galatians 2:13-21 Isaiah 30

Invest Your Time In Spiritual Things ·Saturday 05

See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil (Ephesians 5:15-16).

Time is an asset, which you must learn to invest wisely. Investing your time wisely means investing your time in spiritual things. Moses had this on his mind when he prayed to the Lord to "...Teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom" (Psalms 90:12). Each day you live is an opportunity to accomplish so much, but the question is: How well do you schedule your day?

When you wake up in the morning, don’t just roll off your bed and stumble blindly into the day. Spend quality time first to fellowship with the Holy Spirit in prayer and in the Word. Ask Him to guide you as you schedule your activities for the day and prioritize your activities. Ask Him to help you save time, and you’d discover how much you’re able to accomplish for the Kingdom on a daily basis. Then, you’ll become more productive, effective and progressive.

Remember that life’s got no extra time; so make every day count by doing only those things that’ll advance the Kingdom of God, and improve your life. There’re people who have desired for a long time to read the entire Bible in one year but haven’t been able to achieve this. Some start bu tdon’t complete it. "I usually don’t have enough time," they lament, trying to exonerate themselves, but that’s not a good enough excuse. Time is a fixed asset; it’s only twenty-four hours in one day; so we have to prioritize.

If you were wishing to have more time to study God’s Word, the truth is, you may never get it. What you need is to create the time to study the Word, and schedule your prayer times as well, because your whole future depends on it. Proverbs 1:32 says, "For the turning away of the simple shall slay them…." The simple are those who ignore truth; they ignore revelation and never take spiritual things seriously. They know it’s important to pray, but they’re too busy to do so. God calls them the simple, and He says their complacent attitude shall make them victims in life.

Don’t be like the simple, who would rather do other things than spend time on spiritual matters. Choose always to be spiritually alert so that when the "evil day" comes, it’ll meet you well prepared and you’ll know what to do.

Prayer  

Dear Father, I thank you for the guidance of your Spirit in my life, and the wisdom that you impart to me each day. I’m continually yielded to the Lordship of your Word. Thus, my steps are ordered in victory, success, and excellence, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Further Study: Psalms 33:10; Psalms 90:12

1 Year Bible Reading : Acts 17:16-34 Job 6-8

2 Year Bible Reading : 2 Corinthians 13:7-14 Isaiah 25

Be Truthful · THURSDAY 03

Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds (Colossians 3:9).

Lying is one habit you ought to eschew because of its dangerous consequences. Truth always eludes liars, and the Word of God is truth (John 17:17). The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of Truth (John 16:13), and He builds up a resistance against those who don’t celebrate the truth. The more they lie, the more He resists and avoids them.

A liar isn’t merely someone who told a lie; he is one who makes a habit of lying; he constructs lies. Revelation 22:15 says, "For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie." Notice the Bible doesn’t say, "whosoever telleth lies," but "whosoever loveth and maketh a lie." The liar plans or strategizes his lies. He knows what he is doing is wrong but still goes ahead to do it, because he’s self-centred; selfish.

liar is also one who says something contrary to God’s Word. The Bible says, "…yea, let God be true, but every man a liar..." (Romans 3:4). As long as a man’s confessions are inconsistent with God’s Word, then they’re lies. For example, the Word says in Romans 5:1, "Therefore being declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (CKJB). If you’re born again, you must accept and walk in His righteousness. If you keep saying, "no one can really be righteous before God," that would be a lie, because it’s inconsistent with what God has said.

1 Peter 3:10 tells us something instructive: "For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile." You can’t be speaking God’s Word, and at the same time lying. That’s a contradiction. The New King James Version renders the latter part of 1 Peter 3:10 thus: "…let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit." The man who deceives others never realizes his own deception. He suddenly "wakes up" and discovers life has passed him by. He doesn’t deserve truth because he doesn’t tell the truth.

If you’re a man of truth, truth will promote and protect you. The Bible says, "…His truth shall be your shield and buckler" (Psalms 91:4). Form a habit of speaking the truth always; this doesn’t just mean desisting from unwholesome communication, but speaking in consonance with the Word. That’s a key principle on how to prosper and have good days.

Prayer  

Dear Father, thank you for teaching and instructing me through your Word how to live successfully. Thank you for the Holy Spirit who leads and guides me to walk in truth. I’m lifted to a higher level of glory, where I manifest your excellence and righteousness, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Further Study: Isaiah 44:25; Proverbs 12:19

1 Year Bible Reading : acts 16:16-40 Job 1-2

2 Year Bible Reading : 2 Corinthians 12:11-21 Isaiah 22