RCCG Powerline Zonal htqs

10/03/2021

A school bus driver is needed for urgent employment at a reputable school at Ago Okota. Call 08164108001

06/12/2017

OPEN HEAVENS BY PST. ENOCH .A. ADEBOYE

WEDNESDAY 6TH DECEMBER, 2017

WHAT DO YOU SEE?

MEMORISE:
I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved. Habakkuk 2:1

READ:
Habakkuk 2:1-3
1 I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.
2 And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.
3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Psalm 108-112 & Habakkuk 3

MESSAGE:
The power of vision is one very crucial lesson we can learn from Elisha’s unshakable focus when his master was about to be taken up to heaven (2 kings 2:1-15). Vision gives direction. What you see is what you attain, and what you focus on determines what comes to you in life. You can never rise above your vision. While speaking to Abraham concerning His promise that Abraham’s descendants would inherit the land of Canaan, the Lord plainly told him that what he would possess would be determined by the extent of his vision. Genesis 13:15 says,

“For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.”

People have often said that what the mind can conceive can be achieved. What can you see? What can you picture or envision concerning your future? For your mind to be able to see clearly, you have to be born again and have a recreated spirit which is capable of seeing things the way God sees them (Romans 12:2).

In addition, what you focus on is equally very important. This is because what you focus on expands and fills your sight. Your focus affects you significantly, shapes your life and determines what you attract to yourself. The sons of the prophets in all three locations Elijah visited before his rapture to heaven focused on loss. They focused on the fact that their national prophet would soon be raptured, and they would soon be without their leader. Consequently, that was exactly what they got. On the other hand, Elisha focused on his singular goal of receiving a double portion of the Spirit of his master, Elijah, and he got it. We have a way of attracting what we focus on. What or who is your focus? Hebrews 12:1 says we should look unto Jesus. In other words, it says we should make Jesus Christ our focus. Furthermore, 2 Corinthians 3:18 says,

“But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

When we focus on Jesus, we will begin to change from what we are into what He is. Focusing on Jesus is a major change medium that will definitely make us what we ought to be. Until you focus on Him, you will unknowingly be focusing on other things, individuals or even yourself. What is your focus today?

ACTION POINT:
Catalogue what you spend your time doing in a day, and this will give you a good indication of what your focus really is.

HYMN 7:
1. O Jesus, I have promised to serve Thee to the end;
Be Thou forever near me, my Master and my Friend;
I shall not fear the battle if Thou art by my side,
Nor wander from the pathway if Thou wilt be my Guide.

2. Oh, let me hear Thee speaking in accents clear and still,
I dare not trust my judgment: Thy way shall be my will;
Oh, speak to reassure me, to hasten or control;
Oh, speak, and help me listen, Thou Guardian of my soul.

3. O Jesus, Thou hast promised to all who follow Thee
That where Thou art in glory there shall Thy servant be;
And Jesus, I have promised to serve Thee to the end—
Oh, give me grace to follow, my Master and my Friend.

4. Oh, let me see Thy footprints, and in them plant mine own;
My hope to follow duly is in Thy strength alone;
Oh, guide me, call me, draw me, uphold me to the end;
And then in Heav’n receive me, my Saviour and my Friend.

20/11/2017

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: MONDAY NOVEMBER 20TH 2017

THEME: FASTING BOOSTS FAITH

Memorise:

Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting. Matthew 17:21


Read: Matthew 17:15-21

17:15 Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.

17:16 And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.

17:17 Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.

17:18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.

17:19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?

17:20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

17:21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

Message:

“For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.” 1 John 3:8b

From the above scripture, we understand that since we are expected to do the works of our Master, we as true disciples of Jesus Christ are here not only to advance the Kingdom of God on earth, but also to destroy the works of Satan in lives, home and circumstances of people (John 14:12). To be effective in this assignment, you cannot approach the battle physically; rather, you need both divine revelation and spiritual backup from God. Let us take the disciples of Jesus Christ as a case in point. Matthew 10:1 says,

“And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.”

At this point, the disciples were empowered by the Lord to heal all manner of sicknesses and diseases, and to cast out demons. Not too long after they were empowered, a demonized boy was brought to them for deliverance. They struggled for so long to cast out the demon, but they just could not deliver him. Finally, this case was referred to Jesus and He delivered the boy. The disciples thereafter went back to Jesus to find out what was amiss, and why they could not deliver the boy. In response to their enquiry, the Lord told them that they had manifested some unbelief, and that their prayer was not backed up with fasting (Matthew 17:20-21).

This experience of the disciples goes to show that when you are having doubts or even unbelief, and you decided to truly seek God’s face in prayer and fasting, such doubts, fears and unbelief would give way to faith. When you fast, it strengthens your faith and your prayer life is given a boost. We often attempt certain assignments without the backup of a commensurate level of faith, and hence we experience failures in such assignments. You can actually add fire to your faith and shut doors against unbelief and doubt by spending time with God through fasting and prayer. Do you still harbour doubts, fears and unbelief in your heart about any assignment God has given you? Discard them now! God wants you to operate in the realm of faith and not doubt. Feed your faith with God’s word, prayer and fasting, testimonies of what God has done, and shun all remarks contrary to the advancement of your assignment.


Action Point:
Always ask questions! If you can ask the Lord questions on things you do not understand, He will provide the answers.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Psalm 22-27
Obadiah 1


AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 1: MY FAITH LOOKS UP TO THEE

1. My faith looks up to Thee,
Thou Lamb of Calvary,
Savior divine!
Now hear me while I pray,
Take all my guilt away,
Oh, let me from this day
Be wholly Thine!

2. May Thy rich grace impart
Strength to my fainting heart,
My zeal inspire!
As Thou hast died for me,
Oh, may my love to Thee
Pure, warm, and changeless be,
A living fire!

3. While life’s dark maze I tread,
And griefs around me spread,
Be Thou my guide;
Bid darkness turn to day,
Wipe sorrow’s tears away,
Nor let me ever stray
From Thee aside.

4. When ends life’s transient dream,
When death’s cold, sullen stream
Shall o’er me roll;
Blest Savior, then in love,
Fear and distrust remove;
Oh, bear me safe above,
A ransomed soul!

12/11/2017

12/11/2017

OPEN HEAVENS BY PST. ENOCH .A. ADEBOYE

SUNDAY 12TH NOVEMBER, 2017

DOES OUR WORSHIP BENEFIT GOD?

MEMORISE:
I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from my enemies. Psalm 18:3

READ:
Revelation 5:11-13

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Job 25-29 & Amos 2:4-3:2

MESSAGE:
Giving is a common and crucial activity that every serious minded believer in Christ should regularly engage in. The wise believer would hear this and flow with it, but those who think they are “smart” will hear and ignore it to their own undoing. Luke 6:38 says that you should give and it shall be given to you. Have you ever asked yourself who benefits when you give to God? Can you make God richer by giving to the Owner of the universe? Can you add to the Owner of silver and gold by giving to Him? Everything you have, you received from Him (1 Corinthians 4:7). You are the one who gains from giving to God. When you refuse to give, who loses? The Holy Spirit answers that question in Proverbs 11:24:

“There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.”

If you fail to give, you are the one who loses. Your giving determines how far you go in life. Overflowing abundance is a product of sacrificial giving. If you have been sowing sacrificially to God and His Kingdom but you have not yet reached the level of swimming in abundance, you should be celebrated. Why? It is because you are not likely to die until God pays you back in full. The One who said we should owe no man cannot afford to owe you.

Moreover, when you praise God, who gains? Can your praise add to Him in reality? In Psalm 18:1-3, David said several things about who God was to him. He said God is worthy to be praised, because he realized that when he praised God, he got delivered from his enemies. In other words, refusing to praise God would have resulted in him becoming a casualty in the hands of his enemies. So who loses if you refuse to praise God? Today’s Bible reading talks about God’s mass choir in Heaven. It says the size is something like 100 trillion. If God has such a great choir of angels and saved souls worshiping Him, what difference will adding or subtracting your voice from it make? Do you think that God will miss your voice? Therefore, who gains from worshiping and praising God? It is you! Every time God demands that we give something to Him, it is for our own good and not His. Only the fellow who wants to deceive himself or herself will think otherwise.

ACTION POINT:
Serve and worship God because your life, joy and peace depend on it.

HYMN 3:
1. O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

Chorus:
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!

2. When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.
[Chorus]

3. And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.
[Chorus]

4. When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then shall I bow, in humble adoration,
And then proclaim, "My God, how great Thou art!"
[Chorus]

05/11/2017

OPEN HEAVENS BY PST. ENOCH .A. ADEBOYE

SUNDAY 5TH NOVEMBER, 2017

WHY PRAISE HIM?

MEMORISE:
Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's. Psalm 103:5

READ:
Psalm 103:1-8

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
1 John 5, 2 John, 3 John
Jude & Hosea 13

MESSAGE:
Anytime you find it difficult to worship God, just know that pride might be creeping into your heart. If pride finds a place in your heart, God will begin to resist you from that moment (James 4:6). May God not resist you! Some people have become too big to dance for the King of kings in public. Be warned! 1 Peter 2:9 says we were created, chosen and called to praise God, and so, anything that tries to hinder you from praising God must be avoided like a plague. However, why should you be grateful to God? Why should you thank and praise Him? Our Bible reading gives some reasons. The first reason is for the salvation of your soul (Revelation 1:5-6). When the blood of goats and that of other animals could not wash our sins, God had to send His Son Jesus Christ to shed His Blood for that purpose (Hebrew 10:4). How much did you pay for the Blood of Jesus to wash away your sins? How much have you also paid to receive cleansing by the same Blood, whenever you fall into sin? If Christ had not offered His Blood, there would not have been one soul saved in all of the earth! So what do you do about this? Be thankful for the blood of Jesus!

Similarly, you ought to be grateful for your deliverance. Concerning this, Hebrews 2:14-15 says,

“Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.”

Revelation 12:11 also says that the Blood of Jesus Christ makes it possible for you to overcome your worst enemy: Satan. The blood protects you from harm’s way. What about your translation from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of Jesus Christ, made possible by the light of the glorious gospel of Christ (Colossians 1:13)? Have you ever paid for this? How about the healing stripes? 1 Peter 2:24 says because of the lashes that Jesus received, you and I can now access divine healing for every category of sickness. What about His love? Can you pay for His incomparable love with which He has loved you, even while you were deep in sin? But for this love, where would you be by now? Yes, you ought to equally praise Him for His tender mercies that keep you alive on a daily basis (Lamentations 3:22-23). Even when you go to sleep, do you realize it is not by your power that you wake up? Psalm 3:5 says it is God who does this daily, and this is just another reason to praise and worship Him. Are you ready to give Him the thanks and praise that is due to His holy Name?

ACTION POINT:
Today, use every opportunity you have to just praise, thank, adore and worship the Lord.

HYMN 2:
1. What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
Oh, what peace we often forfeit,
Oh, what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer!

2. Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged—
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful,
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
Take it to the Lord in prayer.

3. Are we weak and heavy-laden,
Cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge—
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In His arms He’ll take and shield thee,
Thou wilt find a solace there.

01/11/2017

*OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL*

*DATE: WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 1ST 2017*

*THEME: OVERFLOWING LAUGHTER.*

*Memorise:*
And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me. Genesis 21:6

*Read:* 2 Kings 2:1-15

2:1 And it came to pass, when the Lord would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.

2:2 And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the Lord hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel.

2:3 And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.

2:4 And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the Lord hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho.

2:5 And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.

2:6 And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the Lord hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on.

2:7 And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan.

2:8 And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground.

2:9 And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.

2:10 And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.

2:11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

2:12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.

2:13 He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;

2:14 And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the Lord God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over.

2:15 And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.

*Message:*
In Joshua 7, after the Israelites had defeated the people of Jericho, Joshua sent a handful of soldiers to attack Ai. Because Ai was just a little town, he expected victory without a sweat, but to his utter dismay, his people were defeated.

After receiving the sad news, he fell on his face overwhelmed by shame, because defeat brings shame. The enemy would have laughed, wondering how a small city such as Ai could defeat Israel.

However, while Joshua was lying before the Ark of the Covenant with his face to the ground, God told him the cause of the defeat and what to do to have victory again. Have you been defeated by a weakness or an enemy you considered too weak to bring you down? I declare to you that this is your season of laughter!
The Lord will show you the way to victory today, and your laughter will begin.

Moreover, beyond laughter, there is something called overflowing laughter. In today’s Bible passage, when Elijah was about to be transported to Heaven, Elisha his servant had some unpleasant experiences everywhere he went with his master. As they visited each of the schools of the prophets, the sons of the prophets, who were students in these schools, called Elisha aside and said to him,

“Daddy’s boy, everywhere daddy goes, you go with him. Do you know that your daddy will be going finally today, and you will have no one else to follow about? We shall soon see what will become of you.”

L Every time they say this, Elisha replied them saying, “I know my master is going today, but mind your own business.” After Elijah was taken to Heaven and his mantle dropped, Elisha grabbed it and smote the river like his father had done, and the River Jordan parted into two for him to go through. The sons of the prophets, who were watching from a distance, came and bowed down to him. They had no choice but to admit that indeed, the spirit of Elijah is now rested on him.

The greatest laughter comes when your mockers become your servants. When God called me into ministry, a lot of people laughed. The greatest laughter came from my village, where they said, “Look at him - the only lecturer from this village who we thought was going to become an important personality. We knew something was wrong with him the moment he joined that church of 'Amen' and began saying 'Amen, Amen'.”

Nevertheless, today, God has given me overflowing laughter. Wherever they are laughing you to scorn, the Lord will give you overflowing laughter in Jesus’ Name!

*Action Point:*
Pray that everyone who has been experiencing sorrow, disgrace and shame for long in your local assembly will begin to experience overflowing laughter from now on.

*BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:*
James 4-5
1 Peter 1
Hosea 9

*AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE*

*HYMN 4: THROUGH THE LOVE OF GOD OUR SAVIOR*

1. Through the love of God our Savior,
All will be well;
Free and changeless is His favor;
All, all is well.
Precious is the blood that healed us;
Perfect is the grace that sealed us;
Strong the hand stretched out to shield us;
All must be well.

2. Though we pass through tribulation,
All will be well;
Ours is such a full salvation;
All, all is well.
Happy still in God confiding,
Fruitful, if in Christ abiding,
Holy through the Spirit’s guiding,
All must be well.

3. We expect a bright tomorrow;
All will be well;
Faith can sing through days of sorrow,
All, all is well.
On our Father’s love relying,
Jesus every need supplying,
In our living, in our dying,
All must be well.

30/10/2017

*OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL*

*DATE: MONDAY 30TH OCTOBER 2017*

*THEME: SHUTTING UP MOCKERS*

*Memorise:*
The hope of the righteous shall be gladness: but the expectation of the wicked shall perish. Proverbs 10:28

*Read:* Psalm 35:15-19

35:15 But in mine adversity they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together: yea, the abjects gathered themselves together against me, and I knew it not; they did tear me, and ceased not:

35:16 With hypocritical mockers in feasts, they gnashed upon me with their teeth.

35:17 Lord, how long wilt thou look on? rescue my soul from their destructions, my darling from the lions.

35:18 I will give thee thanks in the great congregation: I will praise thee among much people.

35:19 Let not them that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice over me: neither let them wink with the eye that hate me without a cause.

*Message:*
God is a specialist at disgracing mockers and giving His children the last laugh. This season, you shall laugh last in Jesus’ Name! in Mark 10:46-52, when Bartimaeus was crying to Jesus for help, some people were irritated.

Do you know that there are people who do not want your voice to be heard at all? “Shut up you blind beggar! With people like us around, do you think the master would have time for a beggar like you?” They laughed at him with an air of importance, but he ignored their mockery and cried out for help all the more. They got angry at his defiance. “You’ve got some nerve, you noisy fellow! If you know what is good for you, you better keep your mouth shut!” They continued mocking him as the crowd moved along.

However, to their amazement, Jesus suddenly stopped and said, “There is a blind beggar along the street behind us. Go and bring him here now.” Immediately, the laughter of the mockers ceased. The laughter of your mockers has come to a permanent end today in Jesus' Name! The same mockers became his helper. They politely took him to Jesus, and after Jesus healed him, he became the center of attraction.

Very soon, you that people thought would never amount to anything will become the center of attraction in Jesus’ Name!

A particular sister was dying at the University of Lagos Teaching Hospital. Her husband met the doctor and they confided in him that she would not live to see the following morning under any circumstance. So he went to his wife, pretending to care for her, and he told her he would see her the following morning, secretly expecting to meet her co**se by then.

As he left the hospital, he phoned his mistress and said, “My stupid wife will pass away tonight. Come over and let’s have fun.” The mistress came to his house and they were “having fun”, but because they never expected anyone to disturb them, they did not even lock the door of the bedroom. They were in for the shock of their lives.

After this man left the hospital earlier on, that same night, the Lord Jesus Christ visited his sick wife and said “I am the Lord that healeth thee; rise up and go home.” As she got up and walked out of the hospital, the nurse thought they were daydreaming and seeing her ghost, and so they did not stop her. She got home and caught the two evil doors in their illicit act. She said to them, “You thought I was dead, but I am alive and well.”

Every evil expectation of your enemies shall be disappointed in Jesus’ Name! You shall laugh from now on!

*Prayer Point:*
Father, turn every expectation of my mockers to disappointment.

*BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:*
Hebrews 11-13
Hosea 7

*AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE*

*HYMN 8: GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS*

1. Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

Refrain:

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

2. Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

[Refrain]

3. Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

[Refrain]

*HAVE A FULFILLED WEEK*

09/10/2017

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: MONDAY 9TH October 2017

THEME: REPRESENTING GOD?

Memorise:
Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. 1Timothy 4:12

Read: 2 Thessalonians 3:1-8

3:1 Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you:

3:2 And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith.

3:3 But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.

3:4 And we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you.

3:5 And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.

3:6 Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.

3:7 For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you;

3:8 Neither did we eat any man's bread for nought; but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you:

Message:

Who are you? If you are a child of God, then you must behave like God and reflect all that He represents. God is love. He is pure and there is no darkness in Him. If you are a child of the devil, your life will be patterned after the devil. I am a branch of Jesus because I am permanently rooted in Him. What about you? As a child of the Most High God, you are expected to demonstrate His nature everywhere you find yourself. You are an ambassador of Jesus Christ, called to show forth the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). To be a representative of God to the world and a role model among believers, it is required of you to surrender yourself solely to Him. By so doing, you will be laying a good foundation for others to emulate. In many churches today, their modus operandi is “do as I say” and not “as I do”. This was not the example that the believers of old showed us. Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:1 boldly said:

“Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.”

He saw himself as a worthy follower of Christ, and he was not ashamed to tell us to follow his footsteps.

As an ambassador of Christ, you have a mandate to fulfill for the Lord in this generation. You have been positioned at such a time as this to be relevant in the scheme of things. Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego stood out from the crowd. They did not allow the privileges of royalty to deny them of their place in God. They were role models for the world to see, and they did great exploits for God because they had an understanding of the times and season they lived in. Do not engage in any despicable act that will cause men to despise your God. Do not engage in folly and a questionable lifestyle that will destroy what God has planned for you. The world must know that you are a believer, not just in word but also in deeds. Let your life be an epistle for people to read. Do not do anything in secrecy that will tarnish your image, because the devil is going round looking for great soldiers in God’s battalion to discredit. The devil will never go after those who have nothing to offer. He is after the “Esthers” because he wants to stop them before they get to the king’s palace. He is after the “Daniels” because he wants to stop them from being relevant in life and in governance. He is after the “Nehemiahs” because he can’t stand them rebuilding the broken walls of godliness. To finish well, you must be resolute and determined. Irrespective of the odds against you, you must push through, break barriers and fulfill your destiny in grand style. Be a model of Christ to all men in word, in conversation, in love, in hospitality and in godliness.

Key Point:
If you steadfastly take a stand for God, you will not fall by the wayside of life.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
1 Corinthians 10-11
Daniel 4:28-37

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 9: ON THE HILL FAR AWAY

1. On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suff’ring and shame;
And I love that old cross where the Dearest and Best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.

Refrain:
So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it someday for a crown.

2. Oh, that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
Has a wondrous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above
To bear it to dark Calvary.

Refrain:

3. In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see,
For ’twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
To pardon and sanctify me.

Refrain:

4. To the old rugged cross I will ever be true;
Its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Then He’ll call me someday to my home far away,
Where His glory forever I’ll share.

Refrain: