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“And in that day, I will set apart the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there, in order that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the land. I will make a difference between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall be. And the Lord did so”. Exodus 8, 22-24 . After multiple attempts to convince Pharaoh, Moses and the children of Israel were still faced with resistance. Pharaoh won’t let go of the people of Israel. In fact, he was not even moved by the signs performed by Moses and Aaron and instead, asked the taskmasters to increase their daily load and make their jobs harder. A little note: Do you sometimes feel like the more you pray, the harder your problems become? Why? The answer is that your prayers are working. They are causing the strongman behind the scenes to react enough to reinforce his position and retaliate . But from the third plagues in Exodus 8, 17-18, the Lord began to attack their powers. The magicians of Egypt could no longer replicate what Moses and Aaron did and admitted that it was the finger of God. By the time it came to the fourth plague, there was a clear demarcation between Egypt and Goshen where the children of Israel dwelt. The Lord put a difference between Egypt and Israel by providing an escape for Israel. There were plagues in Egypt, but Israel was untouched. They escaped all the calamities that were befallen their Egyptians neighbours, when the whole country was in agony and despair, Goshen was free from them: They escaped. Divine escape: To “escape” means to break free from confinement or control, to getaway, to get out or run away. The Lord set Israel apart so: They can get away from the plagues. What was killing and destroying others was not near them. He set His people apart so that they would be protected He put a difference between them so that Israel will be preserved Ultimately the Lord set them apart so that He can set them free from oppression. Generational oppression was terminated by divine intervention. In these days and times, the enemy of our souls is not resting but the Lord will provide a way of escape for His people if they dwell in Goshen. In Psalm 91, 1 it says: “He who dwells in the secret place of the “Most High” shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty” . As long as we dwell under His shadow, everything from verse 2-16 will be ours. We will escape “the snare of the fowler, the perilous pestilence, the terror by night, the arrow by day and the destruction at noonday. “He shall cover us with His feathers, and under His wings we shall take refuge”. Note: God did not stop the plagues from happening, but He protected, preserved, and delivered His own. He made a way of escape for them . Prayer Points: 1. Commit the year into God’s hands. Pray for divine protection. 2. Ask the Lord to mark you with His blood and pray for exemption as in Ezekiel 9, 3-7. 3. Pray that the Lord will fight those who fight you and take up your battles.

The God that set apart

We are set apart for Divine Escape.

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“I will make a difference between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall be. And the Lord did so”. Exodus 8, 23-24 Introduction: The children of Israel have been in captivity for 400 years. A Pharaoh, threatened by their growth, decided to oppress them and subjected them to slavery. For centuries, they knew nothing but oppression, hardship and slavery. They were working hard but not benefitting from it because they were working for someone else until they started crying out to God. And their fate was changed by one encounter after they cried out to the Lord. In Exodus 3, 7-8: “And the Lord said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians...” We are talking about the Year of our divine escape which ultimately speaks about deliverance, protection and preservation but we have our part to play. We have to take some steps to trigger the change (watch out for my message “Triggers of Miracle”). Before they got there, the children of Israel “cried out unto the Lord” . I. Cry Out to the Lord: First thing first. We have the tendency of thinking that God knows what we are going through, so we don’t need to tell Him about our problems. After all He is omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent. He knows everything including what we are going through. While this is very true, God is still waiting for us to call upon Him: “Thus says the Lord who made it, the Lord who formed it to establish it (the Lord is His name): ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know” Jeremiah 33, 2-3. The first thing that set your change or deliverance into motion is you crying out to the Lord. The Almighty God Himself has extended an invitation to us by asking us to call Him. “Call upon Me in the day of trouble. I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me” Psalm 50, 15. A shut mouth is a shut destiny. In the spirit realm, your mouth is a powerful tool to start a change. Even God the Father, our all in all, open His mouth to enact change. The bible in Genesis 1, 2 tells the state of the earth, the void and the darkness in it. God the father didn’t like it. So what did He do? In verse 3, the bible says: “Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light”. God opened His mouth to reverse or change the ugly state of the earth. A. Why do we need to cry out? One can argue that if God is all knowing, and He knows what I am going through, why do I then need to cry out or call unto Him? Crying out to God is first and foremost a statement of discontent. It is a sign that we are not happy about our situation and that we need change. Your silence might be synonymous to your consent or agreement with the situation you are in. In the history of nations, there was no independence or freedom or major changes with the people silent and quiet. The moment they rebelled and start talking, they set up a movement for change. · Crying out to God is a statement of rebellion against your situation and a desire for change you are longing for. So, in this year of Divine Escape, we have the responsibility of initiating the escape by crying out to God. · Crying out to God is an “act of humility” from us. It is recognising that we cannot do it on our own. · Crying out to God is giving Him the right of way to act on our behalf. · Crying out to God is acknowledging His Supremacy and Power to deliver. B. How? What then is the right way to cry out to God? Prayer Prayer is the number one tool and weapon giving to us to enforce change. The bible is full of examples of people that through prayer called upon the Lord and their circumstances were changed. Out of desperation, Hannah cried out to the Lord for a child without even opening her mouth in 1Samuel 1, 13-18. The bible says only her lips were moving. But her heart was talking louder than any amplifier and she got a change of situation. Another man by the name of Jabez in 1Chronicles 4, 10 realised he was meant to be an honourable man, but his life did not reflect that prophecy of honour. The scripture says: “And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested” . What about Jacob? David? blind Bartimaeus? And so many others? These people changed their stories by crying out to the Lord in prayer and He intervened. In this Year of Our Divine Escape , do not keep silent. Like the children of Israel, start crying out to God. Call unto Him day and night and will certainly experience that which He has promised us this year.

Cry out to the Lord!

“I will make a difference between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall be. And the Lord did so”. Exodus 8, 23-24...

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Introduction: Israel was defeated and the ark of God was captured by the Philistines in Ebenezer and taken into the temple of their god, Dagon. The Lord proved to them that He is the only God, beside Him there is no other and at the mention of His name and in His presence everything that exalts itself bow. So the Philistines were forced to return the ark of God, but the ark was not sent back to its original abode but displaced and transported into Kirjath Jearim. After a long time, the children of Israel came back to God for help and He delivered them from the hand of the Philistines. They took some steps that caused the Lord to help them and to wrought victory for them over their enemies. As the Lord promise us His help this year, we want to learn from the Israelites in this passage in order to obtain Divine Help that will bring us victory. 1 Samuel 7, 2: KJV “And it came to pass, while the ark abode in Kirjath- jearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years: and all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord”. CSB “Time went by until twenty years had passed since the ark had been taken to Kiriath-jearim. Then the whole house of Israel longed for the Lord ”. VOICE “Time passed, 20 years or so, from the time that the covenant chest was taken to Kiriath-jearim, and all the people of Israel began to grieve over their separation from the Eternal One ”. The ark of God which was the symbol of God’s presence used to be in Shiloh where the sanctuary of God was built and Eli was the presiding prophet and his two sons Hophni and Phinehas were the priests. Every year the children of Israel will go and sacrifice in Shiloh and sought the Lord’s face and worship like in the case of Elkanah and his wife Hannah (1 Samuel 1) because the presence of God was there. Samuel the prophet was brought up and met the Lord in the temple at Shiloh under the supervision of Eli. In the midst of nations that worship foreign gods (Baals), Shiloh was a place where the children of Israel at that time were meeting and seeking the presence of God and proclaiming Him as the only true Yahweh, Elohim that delivered them form Egypt. It was a place that separated them and distinguished them from other perverted ways of the people that surrounded them. But all these came to an end when they disobeyed (especially the priests over them) and the ark was captured. Shiloh means “Peace, a Place of Rest” . As long as the Israelites were meeting God in Shiloh, they had peace, rest and prayers were answered (like in the case of Hannah) because they showed true reverence to Elohim. But because of disobedience, the ark was moved to Kirjath Jearim (city of forest or woods) and they lost the devotion they once had in worshipping God. All that time, they resorted to the worship of other gods of the land and subjected to the attacks of the Philistines. The “Presence of God” had changed location and position. The ark was now relegated to Kirjath Jearim and the posture of the Israelites changed as well. From fervent worshippers of Yahweh to the worshippers of the Baals and Ashtoreths. It took 20 years for them to come back to that place of seeking God earnestly. The bible says they lamented (wailed, moaned, grieved with sorrow) “over their separation from the Eternal One”. It took them a long time to realise the glory had departed indeed and to come back to seeking after Him. What is our spiritual posture in the Lord now? Are we still seeking first the kingdom? Is our heart still yearning after the presence of the Lord? Are we still longing for intimacy with the Father? Are our priorities rights or do we have misplaced priorities? The Psalmist said: “ As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, o God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?” (Psalm 42, 1-2). As we cannot survive without water, so should we long after God because we cannot survive without His presence. If we don’t seek Him earnestly as believers, we will end up in a “in a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water” (Psalm 63, 1). Unlike the Israelites we don’t need to travel to Shiloh to meet the Lord. Jesus has made the way for us to enter into the Holy of holies. We have the invitation to boldly come before His throne (“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” Hebrew 4, 16) . All we need to do is to find the secret place and dwell in there in His presence. We just have to create the time and space to wait upon the Lord. Seeking God and yearning for His presence should be our priority this year. Hosea said: “Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the Lord, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you” (Hosea 10, 12). This year, in order for us to obtain Divine Help, let’s our heart yearn more for the Lord, for His presence. Let’s develop intimacy with the master and linger and wait at His feet. Let nothing else satisfy us: Not even the presence of the angel, nor revelation of His knowledge but Him alone. That is the beginning of our victory. Pray to get to that place, let’s change our posture. “You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16, 11).

Yearn and long after the Lord: 1 Samuel 7,2

Introduction: Israel was defeated and the ark of God was captured by the Philistines in Ebenezer and taken into the temple of their god,...

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Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you return to the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths from among you, and prepare your hearts for the Lord, and serve Him only; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.” So the children of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and served the Lord only (1 Samuel 7, 3-4). As we study yesterday, the children of Israel after a long time came back longing for the Lord and seeking Him. But it wasn't enough for them to yearn for His presence and for His glory. They had to go a step further: Serving Him with all their hearts. Over the course of the twenty years that they forsook the ark of God, the children of Israel replaced the worship of Yahweh with the worship of other gods, the gods of the land. Their hearts were no longer fully committed to the Lord as they were commanded by Moses: You shall have no other gods before Me (Exodus 20, 1). Their devotion was no longer to the Lord only but shared with other gods: Baals and Ashtoreths, the idols of the Philistines. An idol is an image or other material object representing a deity to which religious worship is addressed; or any person or thing regarded with admiration, adoration, or devotion. Let’s break it down. According to this definition, idols are more than carved images or representation talked about in the bible. They are anything or person that command our admiration, adoration or devotion or more than God, or anything taking precedence over your relationship with God can become idols in your lives. Idols can cause us to rely, depend or glory in them instead of looking up to God solely. As a Christian, follower of Jesus, nothing should require our worship more than God, nobody should be esteemed higher than our relationship with God. Nothing in our lives should come before God. No substitute or replacement. Money, car, house, job can become an idol in someone’s life, even a spouse. If you don't want to give hospitality because church members will stain you carpet, your house has become an idol. Further, unforgiveness, pride, reputation, self-esteem, our desire to live a comfortable life, be successful and popular can become an idol. These are just few examples. The question is what or who are we giving priority in our lives? The Holy Spirit will be able to tell us individually the idols in our heart that we need to dethroned. They are an abomination to the Lord because He is a jealous God and does not share His glory. According to Ezekiel, these are things that hinder us in our Christian journey or become a stumbling block and cause us to trip in our walk with the Lord. The idols in our hearts impact on our prayers and can prevent them from being answered. “Now some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me. And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts, and put before them that which causes them to stumble into iniquity. Should I let Myself be inquired of at all by them? “Therefore speak to them, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Everyone of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, and then comes to the prophet, I the Lord will answer him who comes, according to the multitude of his idols, that I may seize the house of Israel by their heart, because they are all estranged from Me by their idols” (Ezekiel 14, 1-5). This year, let’s get rid of the idols of our hearts and walk in the fear of God only so that we are not ensnared. “They served their idols, which became a snare to them” (Psalm 106, 36). .

Take away the idols of your heart: 1 Samuel 7, 3-4

Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you return to the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and...

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And Samuel said, “Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.” So they gathered together at Mizpah, drew water, and poured it out before the Lord. And they fasted that day, and said there, “We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel judged the children of Israel at Mizpah (1 Samuel 7, 5-6). The whole assembly of Israel gathered in Mizpah and prayed and fasted. This is as relevant to us now as Christian as it was to them. As a child of God we need to develop a lifestyle of prayer. We can never grow spiritually beyond our prayer life, meaning we cannot grow as a believer without a regular and constant communication with the Father . Prayer is a dialogue or communication with the Lord, a moment when we talk to Him as children will do with the fathers and He will answer us back and pour out His heart concerning matters relating to us and His kingdom. This cannot be taken lightly. Let’s not wait until we are in trouble before calling upon the Lord and start sending SOS (Save Our Souls/Save Our Ship) messages to heaven. Prayer is certainly not an emergency only line or the last resort to our problem. It is a daily routine to build that relationship between Father and son/daughter. Prayer is an act of humility when we tell God we cannot do without Him, so we need His help, His opinion and His guidance about our life; it is a time when we submit our heart to the Master. Prayer involves God in our lives and provokes His response as said in 2 Chronicles 7:14 “if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land” . Revival happened that day in Mizpah when the people prayed because they turned from their idolatrous ways and repented. Even Jesus, God incarnated, often prayed when He was on earth to teach us how important it is ( Luke 6, 12: "Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God" ) so much that the disciples caught the revelation and asked Jesus to teach them to pray (Luke 11, 1). Samuel gather Israel to Mizpah and there they prayed and fasted unto the Lord. Mizpah means “watch tower” . In the book of Mark 14, 38 NKJV: "Watch and Pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" . Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane told the disciples to “watch and pray”. It was a crucial time for Jesus, nearly the last leg of His purpose on earth and knowing the frailty of our human nature, He asked the disciples to watch and pray to enable them to go through what was about to happen. To watch means “to be alertly on the lookout, look attentively or observe as to see what comes, what is done or what happens; is to look or wait attentively and expectantly watch for a signal or for an opportunity” . We are not only called to pray but also to be on the lookout as watchmen. A watchman is to see what is happening around him and act accordingly, whether to thwart illegal activities or to detect and warn about any danger lurking or coming. Jesus commanded the disciples to watch so “they don’t stumble and enter into temptation". “ Keep alert and pray that you’ll be spared from this time of testing. For your spirit is eager enough, but your humanity is feeble” (The Passion Translation) ; “Stay awake, and pray that you aren’t led into a trial of your own. It’s true—even when the spirit is willing, the body can betray it” (The Voice) . We are to stay awake, to keep alert so that we are spared from trials and testing times or so that we are able to endure them and not fail. As watchmen, we are to report anything spiritually illegal in our bodies, in our finances, in our churches, ministries, in our cities and nations to heaven in prayer and thwart every plan of the enemy. As children of God, there is no spiritual victory we will ever attain and maintain without prayer . This year, we need to watch and pray in order to obtain divine help.

Watch and Pray 1 Samuel 7, 5-6

And Samuel said, “Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.” So they gathered together at Mizpah, drew water,...

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Now when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel had gathered together at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines. So the children of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not cease to cry out to the Lord our God for us that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines.” 1 Samuel 7, 7-8 While the revival was taking place at Mizpah and the children of Israel found their way back to Yahweh, the enemy also was making his moves as his manner is because he doesn’t relent from pursuing. Listen child of God, the enemy will always try to come against you that is why we need to constantly watch and pray so we do not stumble. The bible says our adversary the devil is going through and fro like a lion, seeking who he may devour. So the Philistines heard about what was going on and their lords went up against Israel, not ordinary Philistine but lords. This was enough to send fear into the midst of the Israelites considering their past experience with the Philistines. The Philistines had defeated Israel many times and had been a thorn in their flesh though the land was promised and given to the Israelites as their inheritance from God (“Now Joshua was old, advanced in years. And the Lord said to him: “You are old, advanced in years, and there remains very much land yet to be possessed. This is the land that yet remains: all the territory of the Philistines and all that of the Geshurites, from Sihor, which is east of Egypt, as far as the border of Ekron northward (which is counted as Canaanite); the five lords of the Philistines—the Gazites, the Ashdodites, the Ashkelonites, the Gittites, and the Ekronites” Joshua 13, 1-3). These past defeat and failures made the Israelites to be afraid of the Philistines when they too heard about that the Philistines were coming against them (beware of what you hear and see!!!) . Sometimes some negative news or experience of the past in our lives can cause us not to take the next step for fear of failure but the bible says “for a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again” (Proverbs 24:16) . So though you fail in the past, try again. Trust the Lord for deliverance next time for “He delivers the righteous from many of his afflictions”. Do not be afraid of the threats of the enemy like the Israelites and fail to discern the change of season in your life. “Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth” (Isaiah 43, 18-19) . David said: “though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war may rise against me, in this I will be confident” (Psalm 27, 3) . Fear brings in doubt, follow by discouragement which leads to hopelessness and then defeat. This year arise and stand in faith. Faith comes by hearing the word of God. Whose report will you believe this year? Let us not walk by sight but by faith. When fear knocks at your door, let faith opens it and you will see that fear will run off and disappear. Let us cast off fear "for we did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but we received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father” (Romans 8, 15).

Let go of past failures and do not be afraid 1 Samuel 7, 7-8

Now when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel had gathered together at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against...

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Now as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel. But the Lord thundered with a loud thunder upon the Philistines that day, and so confused them that they were overcome before Israel (1 Samuel 7, 10). The Israelites came to a juncture where they recognised that their strength and ability over the years have failed in this battle against the Philistines, and since the last battle with the Philistines, they have been under their control. This had pushed them to come back to Yahweh in an act of repentance. In the previous verse, the Israelites out of fear of the Philistines coming against them asked Samuel to intercede for them. Israel cried out for God in their time of need and God answered in a strange way against their enemies. Most of the time when we call upon God in situations, He answered in unusual way beyond our human comprehension and understanding. The bible says He “thundered with a loud thunder upon the Philistines that day, and so confused them” . In human understanding, this is so impossible. How can this happen? But that is why He is God and we need His help. Only Him can do the impossible and the unheard off. It was a miracle that day for Israel and God is still doing miracle when we call upon Him in our lives, when we surrender our all to Him and accept that we are limited in what we can do and achieve by our human ability and trust Him. We cannot rely on our own understanding, intellect or ability to see the manifestation of God’s power in our lives. To experience the supernatural, we need to give up our reasoning and just trust God and allow Him to lead us. Supernatural is not explained by natural laws or scientific research. It is divine, beyond our finite mind so trust Him . “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3, 5-6) . Some of the benefits for those who trust God and His word are: The Lord is a shield to those who trust Him (Psalm 18:30) He saves those who trust Him (Psalm 17:7) He defends them (Psalm 5:11) He laid up great goodness for them (Psalm 31:19) He surrounds them with mercy (Psalm 32:10) In 2 Corinthians 1, Paul and his team in Asia were confronted with death but trusted in the Lord and were delivered ( “Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us” 2 Corinthians 1, 9-10 ) This year, as we are calling for Divine Help, let’s trust God and lean not on our own understanding in the face of difficulties. Our God is able to deliver us He makes a way where there is no way .

Lean not on your own understanding 1 Samuel 7, 10

Now as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel. But the Lord thundered with a loud...

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And the men of Israel went out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, and drove them back as far as below Beth Car” (1 Samuel 7, 11). The children of Israel drove the Philistines far from their territory and built a memorial of the great deliverance wrought for them by Yahweh at the same place where they were defeated twenty years ago. The stone was set to remind them of the help of God from the oppression and assault of the enemy and their renewed faith in God but also a point of demarcation between Israel and the Philistines. The bible says they pursued the Philistines as far as below Beth Car. Beth Car became a borderline when the story is told of that battle and where the enemy was limited to. People of God, as we are praying for divine help and the Lord is giving us victory, let us keep the enemy at bay and focus on serving the Lord to the best of our ability. Let us not give room to the enemy in our lives but set boundary that the enemy cannot cross and we ourselves should not step over. Boundaries that should be kept so that we do not invite the enemy back into our lives or go back to things that the Lord has delivered us from. Let’s “work our salvation with fear and trembling” by avoiding sin and any opportunity for sin. Yes it is true that “by grace we have been saved through faith, and that not of ourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2, 8-9) but “what shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?”(Romans 6, 1-2). For example if the Lord has delivered you from addiction, do not go back hanging out with your sin partners but set a boundary in your relationship with them. If you want to witness to them about your deliverance (which is very good), approach it in the power of the Holy Spirit and with the help of another mature believer around so that you can be accountable. “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12, 1). How do we set those limits? By crucifying the flesh and feeding not in to its desires: “Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6, 11. Pursuing and investing into our spiritual growth: “Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2, 22) By seeking things that edify us in the Lord. “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful” (1 Corinthians 6, 12). “Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another” (Romans 14, 19).

Set boundaries for the enemy 1 Samuel 7, 11

And the men of Israel went out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, and drove them back as far as below Beth Car” (1 Samuel 7, 11). The...

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So the Philistines were subdued, and they did not come anymore into the territory of Israel. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel (1 Samuel 7, 13). This was a long lasting victory as the bible says the Philistines were subdued all the days of Samuel. To subdue is to bring under control, to tame, to defeat, to crush, to quash and overpower so while Samuel was around, the Philistines were overpowered. Samuel was a prophetic voice in Israel at that time having taken over from Eli. Prophets in those days speak the word and the mind of God to the nation. The bible says “and the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation (1 Samuel 3, 1). In the time of Samuel where there was no king in Israel, he was the one guiding the nation by the word of God as the Lord promised them through Moses: “I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him” (Deuteronomy 18, 18). So the Spirit of the Lord was upon the prophet to declare God’s intention to His people as a nation on a political level and as His children on a spiritual level. As long as they obey the word of the prophet, there was victory over the enemy. Today we tend to run only after the spoken words through prophets but the Bible is also divine instructions that we need to follow and obey. We need both for “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Timothy 3, 16). In Joshua 1, 8 we read: “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success”. Even Jesus used the written word (Luke 3, 4; Luke 4, 4) though He is the revealed word and the apostles did the same. While Samuel was alive, the Philistines were subdued because the nation believed and obeyed the word of the prophet Samuel. The bible says “Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe his prophet, and you shall prosper” (2 Chronicles 20, 20). Most often we find it easy to believe and trust prophetic words given unto us but the fulfilment of those words depend on us obeying the whole counsel of God. “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth” (Deuteronomy 28, 1). God delights in our obedience than anything else “So Samuel said: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? (1 Samuel 15, 22)”. The Apostles in the book of Acts (5, 29) told the religious leaders that “they ought to obey God than man” and how can we obey God if not through His words? Be it from the bible or small, still and gentle voice of the Holy Spirit? Obeying the word brings us blessings and prosperity as stated in Deuteronomy 28 and Job 36, 11. Obedience to the word not only subdues the enemy but also gives us rest (And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? Hebrew 3, 18). For us to have divine help, let us observe and obey the instructions of God.

Subdue through obeying the Word of God 1 Samuel 7, 13

So the Philistines were subdued, and they did not come anymore into the territory of Israel. And the hand of the Lord was against the...

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So the Philistines were subdued, and they did not come anymore into the territory of Israel. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel (1 Samuel 7, 13). The children of Israel subdue the Philistines throughout the lifetime of Samuel and the hand of God was against their enemies. The word of God not only subdues the enemy but engages the hand of God on our behalf. The bible says “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10, 31) for the hand of God is powerful and mighty (1 Peter 5, 6) to lift the humble and to discipline the disobedient ( “Wherever they went out, the hand of the Lord was against them for calamity, as the Lord had said, and as the Lord had sworn to them. And they were greatly distressed” Judges 2, 15). In the bible we see how the hand of God intervened for His people by delivering them from bondage (“So the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm, with great terror and with signs and wonders” Deuteronomy 26:8). But the hand of God does more than delivering us from the oppression of the wicked just to mention a few. The hand of God gives us favour: “this Ezra came up from Babylon; and he was a skilled scribe in the Law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel had given. The king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the Lord his God upon him” (Ezra 7, 6). The hand of God empowers us for His work: “And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord” (Acts 11, 21). The hand of God encourages us: “So I was encouraged, as the hand of the Lord my God was upon me; and I gathered leading men of Israel to go up with me” (Ezra 7, 28) The hand of God brings down the fulfilment of prophecies: “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who has fulfilled with His hands what He spoke with His mouth to my father David” (2 Chronicles 6, 4) The hand of the Lord guides us: Ezra 8, 18-31). The hand of God changes our lives and beautify it: “You shall also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, And a royal diadem in the hand of your God” (Isaiah 62, 3). What is the hand of God? The hand of God is the demonstration of His power and His performing ability in our lives. It is a symbol of God’s might as the great warrior but also as a loving Father that guides us with His hands. How do we then get the hand of God to move in our lives? By believing, trusting, and confessing the word of God but also by obeying His instructions. The word of God is a powerful sword to fight off our enemy (Hebrews 4, 12), a shield to protect us (Proverbs 30, 5), a light to guide us (Psalm 119, 105). It builds our faith (Romans 10, 11) and sanctifies us (Ephesians 5, 26). We activate the hand of God through His word. As Jesus said: “blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” (Luke 11, 28).

Engaging the hand of God in our lives 1 Samuel 7, 13

So the Philistines were subdued, and they did not come anymore into the territory of Israel. And the hand of the Lord was against the...

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“Blessed is she who believed for there will be a fulfilment of those things which were told her from the Lord” Luke 1, 45 . As the year starts and it is a beginning of a new decade, it is of great importance for us to know the mind of God concerning the year. What we do this year will impact on the coming ten years to come and will determine our destiny. This year is the first of the ten to come or the foundational year of a decade. We cannot afford to miss what God wants to do in our lives. When God speaks His mind and gives direction concerning His people, we have the responsibility as children of God to run with that word in order for us to see the manifestation of it. For the word of God certainly does not return to Him void but it does face resistance from the enemy. That is why we need to run with it by contending with it as a weapon in warfare against the enemy (“This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare” 1 Timothy 1, 18) . A: What does Divine Accomplishment mean to us then? As a ministry and children of God, it means that this year: We would see the fulfilment of the word of God concerning our lives. We will experience greater things that only the hand of God can do. We experience divine ability and enablement to do the work of God We will see the impossible made possible for us The word of God will prevail in our lives God will restore unto us even those delays promises that were lost or that the enemy stole from us B: Our responsibility: What do we do then? We have already established that we have a part to play in this whole process of accomplishment. As pregnant women don’t just sit down but prepare for the arrival of the child, so do we also have the responsibility concerning the promise of God in order to see it come to pass. What do you do? 1) The first thing to do is to believe the word of God: Mary was told that she will see fulfilment because she believed. It might seem like a simple thing to do but ask Zachariah the high priest. As impossible as that might seem, try and believe the word of God even in the face of adversity by: Doing what Peter did, taking God at His word as a child . Luke 5, 5: “But Simon answered and said to Him, Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net”. Not relying on our expertise . Peter was a professional fisherman but took the advice of a carpenter because that carpenter was operating from another realm. Not looking at your experiences and failures . Peter failed the first time but by believing the master’s word, he succeeded this time around. Not looking at our limitations . Zachariah looked at their ages and doubted the word of God whereas Mary considered the impossibility of what she was told and yet chose to believe. Dwelling on the word of God because “man shall live by every word that proceed from the mouth of the Lord”. 2) Pray with the word: Praying with the word of God is not only praying the will of God but also enforcing the power of God over our situations and circumstances. It helps to superimpose the decree of God over demonic arrangements and manipulations of your life, thereby breaking satanic hindrances and barriers. Prayer Points: Pray for the Holy Spirit to empower you afresh. Pray for the Holy Spirit to breathe afresh over every promises in your life like in the valley of dry bones. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you divine strength and ability. Pray that the Lord will help your weaknesses. Pray for favour to be able to possess your promises (Psalms 44, 3: “They did not gain possession of the land by their own sword, nor did their own arm save them; but it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your countenance, because You favoured them”). Pray that the favour of God will overrule and override protocols on your behalf (Esther 2, 2-13). C: Prophetic declarations for this year of Divine Accomplishment: We decree and declare over our lives this year that: God will visit us this year. Every dream and vision will see manifestation this year in Jesus name That which was as if it wasn’t going to happen, as if it was over will suddenly receive the life and power of God Not only shall we conceive but we shall also bring forth and hold our dreams in our hands this year. This year, we will enter our greatness in Jesus name This year we shall be called by a new name which the mouth of the Lord will name Whereas we were forsaken, we shall be remembered We shall possess our inheritance in Christ. "Not by might nor by power, but my Spirit; says the Lord of hosts. Who are you, o Great Mountain? Before us you shall become a plain”.

Divine Accomplishment

“Blessed is she who believed for there will be a fulfilment of those things which were told her from the Lord” Luke 1, 45. As the year...

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Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us” (1 Samuel 7, 12). Israel led by Samuel, after the great victory over their enemy built the stone of remembrance to acknowledge God’s help in the battle. The Ebenezer memorial was an act of gratitude and thankfulness from a nation that received forgiveness of God but more than that, freedom from the enemy’s oppression. This was to celebrate and remind everybody that it wasn’t by their own strength or might but through divine help. Throughout the bible we see how God wants His people to remember all that He does for them. With Noah and every living creature, God Himself set a rainbow in the sky to remember His covenant with the earth. To Moses and the children of Israel, the Lord commanded them not to forget the day that He took them out of Egypt (Exodus 12; Exodus 13, 3 “Remember this day in which you went out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the Lord brought you out of this place”). And Jesus asked us to do the same by breaking bread in remembrance of Him (Luke 22, 19) . It is an act of thankfulness. We remember what the Lord has done for us and begin to thank Him, we are acknowledging that without Him we wouldn’t have got to where we are. It is also an act of humility to remind us from where the Lord has picked us or met us and that we are grateful for the work of Jesus on the cross. Anytime we thank God, we recognise that He is all to us and we enthroned Him in our lives as the one we owe it to. And when we begin to exalt Him like this, He grant us audience into His presence: “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name” (Psalm 100, 4). Thanksgiving is the key into His gates and praise will take us into His courts and if we want to go beyond His courts and get to His presence before His footstool or throne, worship Him (“Exalt the Lord our God, And worship at His footstool, He is holy” Psalm 99, 5). We Thank God for what He has done for us, we Praise Him for His creation and wonders and we Worship Him for who He is. Father I thank you for your provision for us and I praise you for your wonderful deeds and redeeming grace; I worship you for you are the only true God Elohim, Yahweh, El Shaddai, the Saviour of my life, the Almighty God, the loving Father, the Merciful one. Worship brings us into the temple and the presence of God. It is a time when we surrender our whole being before Him and in return, He responds. For us to have divine help this year, let us go beyond just asking, seeking and knocking. Let us fill our hearts with thanksgiving, praise and worship.

Thank God for His work in your life 1Samuel 7, 12

Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us”...

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Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you return to the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths from among you, and prepare your hearts for the Lord, and serve Him only; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.” So the children of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and served the Lord only (1 Samuel 7, 3-4). Now that we took away all the idols of our hearts, we need to serve the Lord with all our heart this year as Joshua commanded the Israelite “But take careful heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul” (Joshua 22, 5). Things tend to compete for our attention in our Christian walk but we must endeavour this year to keep our heart fixed on God and worship Him alone. Even Jesus had to make that choice when He was tempted by the Devil in the wilderness. “And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve” (Luke 4, 8). Our heart is the centre of our emotions, feelings and will. It can determine the course of our actions. We love with the heart and the same heart hates. We kill people in our heart without physically touching them, we commit sin in our heart without it showing (Matthew 5, 21-28). The bible says “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12, 43). So what is abundant in our hearts? What is the meditation of our heart? What are our motives? To serve the Lord with our heart is to surrender our emotions, feelings and meditations and will to Him. Our heart might be dictating us to say or do something that in the natural may be right but what is the word of God saying about that? What is our motive behind that action? This might seem impossible to serve the Lord with “all our heart” as mere mortals with flesh and blood, but that is why we meditate (focus one’s mind, ponder, think deeply) on the word of God. David said in Psalm 119, 11: NKJV “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You”. Other translations said: “Your word I have treasured and stored in my heart, that I may not sin against You” (Amplified version). We must keep the word of God as a treasure, a valuable item, a precious stone. We must cherish it in our heart, then out of the abundance of that treasure (the word of God, His commandment, His testimonies, His precepts in our heart) our mouth will begin to speak, our decision will be based on the word and certainly we will be led by it. The word of God is Spirit and it is Jesus Himself, the word become flesh (John 1, 14). So hiding or treasuring the word in our heart is treasuring and valuing Jesus in our heart and definitely, enthroning Him in our heart where He becomes the Master of our life, “for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6, 21) and “a good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil” (Luke 6, 45). Serving the Lord with all our heart is to submit wholly to Him, is to have purity of heart and love Him with all that we have and not allow our fleshly desires to lead us. The Lord Himself through the Holy Spirit will grant us the ability to serve Him if we ask Him “because we are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” (Galatians 4, 6).

Serve the Lord with all your heart 1Samuel 7, 3-4

Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you return to the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and...

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And Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. Then Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him (1 Samuel 7, 9). As we progress in our fast, we continue to study this book to see what the children of Israel did for them to obtain divine help from the Lord and what they did is still relevant for us today under the new covenant because the principles of God are ageless. In the midst of their fear, Israel turned to the prophet and ask for continuous prayer on their behalf. Samuel therefore offered sacrifice unto the Lord and cried out to the Lord on behalf of Israel in other word, he interceded for Israel. We study earlier that we need to watch and pray. This time around, we need to take it a step further in pleading with God in intercession on behalf of our families, our churches, our cities and nations. Intercession is praying on behalf of others like Daniel did on behalf of his nation (Daniel 9). Intercession is praying the will of God concerning others, is laying hold of His word to see it come to pass and persist in prayer until breakthrough like Daniel. Even if the answer delays. In intercession, we begin to engage the word of God in spiritual battle against the enemy to see the fulfilment of that word. Though Jesus is our ultimate intercessor, as believer we encourage to intercede for one another and for things happening around us and seek divine intervention and see the will of the Father be done on earth as it is in heaven ( “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence” 1 Timothy 2, 1-2 ). Abraham interceded for Sodom and Gomorrah and Lot and his family were saved. The church prayed for Peter in prison waiting for execution and an angel of the Lord was sent and he was delivered. Samuel the prophet who has the word of God, interceded for Israel and God answered him. We can do the same if we want to see things changed in our churches, in our nations, in our families. Intercession is not only for some few special anointed people but for all of us as believer.

Hold unto the word of God and Intercede: 1 Samuel 7, 9

And Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. Then Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel, and...

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As with other cities in the region at the time, Pergamum was a Greek city that was later taken over by the powerful Roman empire of Asia Minor. Pergamos was known for its impressive monuments with the building of amphitheatres, temples and stadiums. It was also known for its pagan worship with temples built to various gods but the gospel of our Lord Jesus reached there and a church was born as we see it in the book of Revelation. How did the Pergamum church look like? Jesus mentioned few good points about this church: Her works she dwelt where Satan’s throne is She held fast to Jesus’s name She did not deny the faith even when her bishop Antipas was martyred To the brethren in Pergamum he says you live where the throne of Satan is. This was the official regional head office for the worship of the emperor. Christ was commending the church which was surrounded by idol worship of the highest form that He was aware of what they were facing but had held onto His name. These brethren had one of them executed in the cruellest way possible, Jesus referred to him as "Antipas My faithful servant" and yet did not deny the faith. These points might applied to some of us today in our Christian walk: We have good works though surrounded by idols worship and the grip of the world, we still hold fast and profess our faith. Some even in the midst of persecution and death threats. Regardless of all these qualities, the Lord Jesus had few things against the Pergamos church. Not many, just a few. Why? Because those few things had become a stumbling block in her way so much that she was compromising on major issues. These brethren of Pergamum allowed certain doctrines to creep into the church: The doctrine of Balaam and the doctrine of the Nicolaitans. What are they? The doctrine of Balaam: Balaam loved the world, he accepted gifts he shouldn't have and gave evil advice against the children of Israel. Balaam cursed the children of Israel but didn’t succeed so at the end used ruse to get them. He caused the children of Israel to sin against the Lord by inviting foreign women (Numbers 25: 1-2 “Now Israel remained in Acacia Grove, and the people began to commit harlotry with the women of Moab. They invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods” ) into the camp. At first, it was just a harmless thing isn’t it? They were just trying to “socialise and integrate” their new community and “not isolate themselves” we can argue. But in doing that, the children of Israel removed themselves from the protection of God. It was a trick from Balaam to caused them to stumble (trip over) and sin against God (Numbers 31: 15-16 “And Moses said to them: “Have you kept all the women alive? Look, these women caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the Lord in the incident of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the Lord ”). They committed sexual immoralities and eat things sacrificed to idols. Balaam “loved the wages of unrighteousness” (2 Peter 2:15) and was “greedy for profit” (Jude 1:11). The doctrine of the Nicolaitans: The Nicolaitans were a sect of Gnostics who not only practiced but taught impure and immoral doctrines. They believe in having multiple wives, eating food served to idols, commit fornication and all forms of immorality. They were suspected to have come from one of the six initial deacons of the church (Acts 6: 5-6 “And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch, whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them” ). He was believed to have gone his own way teaching believers that their liberty in Christ permitted them to do whatever they chose including immorality. It is a liberalism kind of view whereby there is “freedom, liberty and equality”. So all these things about “Do’s and Don’ts” do not matter anymore. Note: Nicolas was once among the deacons. These people gradually allowed themselves to be deceived and has adopted practices of the pagans that were living in that city. They allowed the world to creep in. How does these apply to us today in the church? Today in the church, people cannot take correction or rebuke any longer because “where the Spirit of God is there is liberty” and “Jesus loves them just as they are”, so they do as they are pleased, as their flesh dictates to them. Abstinence, restrain and self-control are no longer part of their Christian worship. Believers are committing and leaving in sexual immoralities without seeing anything wrong with it. Brethren are taking all kinds of liberty and it is so hard to differentiate between them and the world, the same way the church in Pergamum was “eating things sacrificed to idols” which made it difficult to distinguish them from the pagans around them. We are dressing like the world. Especially as we come to the close of the age we will have to deal with all forms of sins and dilutions that will want to make their way into the church of God. One of those things for example is this doctrine of grace whereby people can do whatever they fancy and feel like doing and still not feel condemned because they are “saved by grace”. It is so erroneous. The church is compromising on some fundamental truths that made us Christians (meaning those who have been with Christ) in the first place, all in the name of integration and love . Some of these things are coming from even people that may be once upon a time, we highly esteemed because they were part of us like Nicolas was once among the deacons. But these people have now deviated from the truth and are propagating deception as it was in the time of the apostle: "Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us” (1 John 2, 18-19). Warning: People of God, it doesn’t matter how big the person’s church is, it doesn’t matter how well known he is, if such person is not declaring the truth of the gospel of Christ, don’t listen to him for the sake of your soul. It doesn’t matter how close you are with your friend, if he is not declaring the whole truth of the gospel and is compromising on certain truths, please beware of such a person. “He who has the sharp two-edged sword” cuts both ways. Therefore both the sinners and the people who are allowing sin will suffer equally. Prayer: Pray that the Lord will help you to be focused Pray for the Lord to grant you the spirit of discernment Pray for the grace not to compromise

3. Pergamos, the compromising church: Revelation 2:12-17

The compromising church in the book of Revelation, Pergamos.

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According to historians, Smyrna was a very rich city about 40 miles from Ephesus that rose to prominence due to its harbour conditions and well-designed roads. This made it a successful city frequently visited by travellers. As the other churches, a message was sent to the church in Smyrna from the Lord. What was the attributes of this church? She was known for its works, tribulation, poverty and suffering of blasphemy from some agents of Satan that pretended to be their brethren and yet were not. Among all the churches, Smyrna and one other church are the only ones the Lord Jesus did not have anything against and yet were the ones that were to suffer tribulation. Jesus said that He was aware of all that they were going through, that nothing, not one of their bad experiences had escaped Him. He encouraged them to be fearless but then, confirmed to them that they were going to go through even more troubles!!! How do we relate to this? Sometimes as Christians, we suffer hardship not because of sin or mistake but purely because the enemy of our souls want to discourage us and cause us to stumble and give up. Trials and difficulties can sometimes be an indication that we are doing the right thing. The promises of God in those moment are reassuring. Isaiah 43: 2 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you”. According to this verse, occasionally, we would go through some troubles and the Lord says He will be with us in it. Secondly, to the church of Smyrna, Jesus encouraged them to be fearless . Matthew 10:28 “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell”. We are living and approaching the times and seasons when as Christians, we will face trials. But that is not the time to give up but to endure till the end. Matthew 10:22 “And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved”. Jesus said to His children that His concern was for them to go through and come out on the other side victorious. The crown of life await those who will overcome. 2 Timothy 4: 7-8 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing”. Prayer: Pray for the grace of God to be able to stand firm in the midst of trials. Ask the Lord to strengthen you.

2. Smyrna, the persecuted church: Revelation 2: 8-17

According to historians, Smyrna was a very rich city about 40 miles from Ephesus that rose to prominence due to its harbour conditions...

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1. Ephesus, the loveless church: Revelation 2: 1-11: Ephesus which lies on the south western part of Turkey is now an archaeological village with no Christian there. This was a city that was well populated and ranked with Rome and other great cities of the time, it was a city that had everything going for it. In the same way the church in Ephesus was one of the most dynamic in terms of its relationship with God. The church of Ephesus was a church known for “her works, her labour, and her patience, for her hate of evil, for her discernment, her perseverance and her hard work for Christ’s sake”. Does it sound familiar? Some of us we do all these things for the Lord. We are patient, we detest evil and don’t associate with it in any form, and we are not weary of doing good for the sake of our faith in Christ and the Lord likes it because He acknowledged the “works” of the church of Ephesus. God expects us to perform some duties in the kingdom also known as works, as stated in James 2: 14 “ What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?” So when Jesus said l know your works, He was saying l have taken note. However, the Lord had something against the church of Ephesus: Their first love. The church had departed from their first love of Jesus. They had been busy doing good works to the detriment of the love that should follow them. Loving the Lord is our first commandment (Mark 12: 30 “and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment”). These days, we are busy doing works but neglecting that which matters: our first love. Once love grows cold we run the risk of letting a third party into the relationship. What then is our “First Love”? The characteristics of first love and how to know is cold: Passion: When our service to the Lord is void of passion and has become routine or something we do to fulfil “all righteousness”, then our love is growing cold. Colossians 3: 23 “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men” Zeal: When the zeal of the Lord is no longer consuming us in reaching out to the lost and the wounded, we are no longer making the service of the Lord our delight. Psalm 69:9 “Because zeal for Your house has eaten me up, And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me”. Desire to please: First love will cause us to want to please the Lord in everything we do. Ephesians 6: 6 “not with eye service, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart”. An eagerness to seek His presence and wait upon the Lord: Exodus 33: 11 “So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle”. What can we do to go back to this first love? The disciples were bound together by love because they had a purpose and the understanding of that purpose caused them to love Jesus even unto death as martyrs. When we focus on Christ and are bound by our purpose in Him, there is nothing that can break us, neither is there anything that will cause us to grieve the Holy Spirit. The Ephesians church no longer exists because they failed to pay heed to the warning of the Spirit and continued like Martha to be “busy doing rather than staying at His feet”. The truth is when love starts to grow cold, the person sometime is not even aware this is happening until it's too late. Are you doing less for God now than you used to? What are some of the things you used to do for God and now, you can only say "l used to do this"? Prayer: Pray for your first love to be restored. Pray for God to give you a new zeal for His works. Pray for grace to finish well.

1. Ephesus, the loveless church: Revelation 2: 1-11

1. Ephesus, the loveless church: Revelation 2: 1-11: Ephesus which lies on the south western part of Turkey is now an archaeological...

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The book of Revelation was written by the disciple of Jesus, popularly called the disciple whom Jesus loved, of the 12 he was the only one who died naturally. In chapter one Jesus introduced Himself and laid the foundation for what was to come verses 11-20. Apostle John started the book of Revelation with a message of the Lord Jesus to seven churches that existed those days, to commend and rebuke them of their works and to warn them of things that might happen to them if they do not repent. We might say that this message was solely intended to those churches at the time of John’s vision on the Island of Patmos and that it has nothing to do with us today in our modern Christianity. But if we all agree that the vision about the state of the church and what will happen to them in the future, then as Christian, we can use these churches as a yardstick to see where we stand in the Lord. We learnt that every church has an angel. When the word of God says Angel it refers to two different people, supernatural beings from heaven and the pastor or leader of a group of Christians. In Revelation, Jesus was speaking to His church leaders and the church as a whole, obviously He will not tell an angel l know your works, your labour and patience. This was to His people and we realise that these warnings are in no way different from what God is giving to the church today.

The Seven Churches: Revelation 2 and 3

The book of Revelation was written by the disciple of Jesus, popularly called the disciple whom Jesus loved, of the 12 he was the only...

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