Archive | July 2013

THE NEED TO GET UNDERSTANDING

Bible In One Year-Day 192 (Thursday, July 11, 2013)

Commentary: Zechariah12-14. There are four messages of Zechariah in these chapters and they centered on the judgment, blessing, cleansing of the people and the future day of the Lord. In the messages, we read about what was to befall the nations that would fight Jerusalem because Jerusalem has been chosen as spiritual nerve center of worship.

The message partially prophesied the death of the Lord Jesus.

Zechariah 12:10 “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.

Zechariah 13:7 “Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.

Sin and Jesus Christ are the subjects of the Bible. If sin is removed, there will be no more Bible. Jesus came because sin entered the world;

1 John 3:8 “He that committeth sin is of the demon; for the demon sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the demon.

To see Jesus in the scriptures, He needs to unlock our understanding. Through understanding, we could do His will and obey His commandments. Understanding helps us to meditate the word integrally.

Luke 24:44-45 “And he said to them, These are the words which I spoke to you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,

Without the understanding of the scriptures, we go into error;

Matthew 22:29 “Jesus answered and said to them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.

Believers who function in great faith and the power of God are those whose understandings have been opened by the Holy Spirit. The scripture tells us to get wisdom but in all our getting, we should get understanding. Understanding is absolutely important if we want to get deeper revelation of God. Jesus accused Nicodemus of his knowledge without understanding. Having the whole Bible in the head without understanding does not make you wise, but still blind. Knowing the history of the Bible does not make you know the truth without the understanding of it. You could be boastful of reading the Bible in one year, the question is “Do you have the understanding of what you have read?” To know the TRUTH is to have understanding of the knowledge you have and this is the beginning of deliverance.

John 8:32 “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

May the Lord open our understanding, in the name of Jesus.

Let us seek for the old path where we could find rest. Let us listen to the trumpet’s sound, wherewith we could escape the calamity to come. Our reading for today is Malachi1-4. Keep the fire burning and alive.

Pastor Supo Abayode

+1-302-230-6792

Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries

Delaware, USA

GOD’S CHASTISEMENT IS PART OF HIS FAITHFULNESS

Bible In One Year-Day 191 (Wednesday, July 10, 2013)

Commentary: Zechariah9-11. These chapters actually contain the message of Zechariah to the people. In the message, God’s intention for their future was revealed and those who were still in Babylon were advised to come back to Jerusalem.

Zechariah 9:12 “Turn you (i.e. return or come back) to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even today do I declare that I will render double unto thee;

Though some past experiences were referenced in his message, but clearly they were to remind the people of God’s faithfulness. Some threats of judgment were in it but promises were not left out. God’s chastisement is to show His love for us; even in that chastisement, He is still faithful. He chastised the Judeans to restore them in a better form; God’s chastisement is to bring you back to the right path. He does not chastise to destroy or kill but to reform and transform.

Lam3:22-23The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (ESV)

God showed His loving kindness to His people and protected them in their chastisement.

Psalms 78:38 “But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath.

God is Love and all about Him is the expression of His love, even, the troubles we go through in which it seems He is silent or unable to deliver. May His grace be sufficient for us in the name of Jesus.

Psalms 27:10 “When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.

When you sin against the Lord, do not run away from Him but run to Him; this was what made the difference between David and Saul. David knew the heart of God (love) but Saul was short of this because the light of God’s love could not reach his heart. Beloved, even in our difficult times, let us realize God’s faithfulness is unfailing; He cares for you.

Let us seek for the old path where we could find rest. Let us listen to the trumpet’s sound, wherewith we could escape the calamity to come. Our reading for today is Zechariah12-14. Keep the fire burning and alive.

Pastor Supo Abayode

+1-302-230-6792

Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries

Delaware, USA

MAINTAIN A GODLY RELATIONSHIP

Bible In One Year-Day 190 (Tuesday, July 09, 2013)

Commentary: Zech5-8. Zechariah saw three visions which were in parables, Zech5&6. In the first place, he did not understand either of them until the Angel of the Lord explained them to him. Dreams come in this manner. Lack of understanding of our dreams made a lot to lose the best of their lives and the knowledge of the will of God for their lives. In understanding our dreams we need the Holy Spirit for the interpretation. The first vision of Zechariah was about the flying scroll which contains two curses; one against the thief (Ex20:15) and the other against false swearing and using the name of God in vain (Ex20:7). These are terrible sins before the Lord. Stealing what belongs to others is like killing them, while using the name of God in vain is identifying God with Satan. The house where such violators live is not safe to live in, because the stones and the wood used in constructing it is cursed also. This could pose a problem to any tenant that eventually live in such a house.

Zechariah 5:4 “I will bring it forth, saith the LORD of hosts, and it shall enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of him that sweareth falsely by my name: and it shall remain in the midst of his house, and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof.

The actions under these curses were violations of the Ten Commandments. Sin is an act of wickedness against the Lord.

The second vision has to do with the basket of sin in which wickedness is covered up and is personated as a woman sitting in the basket. The basket was carried back to Shinar (Babylonia), where it came from. When you become born again, the first evidence of it is that sin becomes alien in your land. The people thought they could fast and mourn to cover up their sinful acts, but God corrected them.

Zechariah 7:5 “Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even to me?

God’s preference is obedience to His word. Fasting does not change Him, but should break the bands of wickedness and the power of sin.

Zechariah 7:7 “Should ye not hear the words which the LORD hath cried by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and the cities thereof round about her, when men inhabited the south and the plain?

Obedience to the word of God brings Him into our words. Demons mock the disobedient Christians who pray in the name of Jesus. The delight of God is for us to have a wonderful relationship with human beings.

Zechariah 7:8-10 “And the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother: And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.

God’s rules concerning the relationship between one another have not changed. He gave us His Holy Spirit to accomplish all that was difficult for man to achieve through the flesh. All you need to do is to be submissive to His leading and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

Let us seek for the old path where we could find rest. Let us listen to the trumpet’s sound, wherewith we could escape the calamity to come. Our reading for today is Zechariah9-11. Keep the fire burning and alive.

Pastor Supo Abayode

+1-302-230-6792

Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries

Delaware, USA

GARMENT OF SALVATION AND ROBE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

Bible In One Year-Day 189 (Monday, July 08, 2013)

Commentary: Zech1-4. Prophets Zechariah and Haggai were contemporaries in the first return of the Jews. Zechariah’s message from that Lord to the Jews was full of God’s promises to restore them after the rebuilding of the walls and the gates. The Lord’s restoration centered on spiritual and agricultural abundance; they were going to have a renewed experience of God’s presence. This was necessary because they lived a filthy life while in exile. But their liberty was a form of deliverance, mercy and cleansing. Satan came to accuse Joshua the high priest of his past but God stood as an Attorney to defend him, Zech3:1-5.

Salvation came through Jesus.

Acts 4:12 “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Jesus came to redeem us from the curse of the law and by His blood we are cleansed.

Zechariah was wearing a filthy garment without knowing. There are two types of spiritual garments; that of salvation and that of righteousness.

Isaiah 61:10 “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

Your conversion earns you salvation, but you need to grow in grace by the Spirit of Christ to be clothed in His righteousness. The Ten virgins were Christians who experienced salvation together, i.e. they had the garments of salvation. But those with oil (a symbol of the Holy Spirit) were recognized as having the garment of righteousness because they paid some price to store up treasure for sustaining the light which they received at the time of their salvation and therefore qualified to enter the kingdom. At the time of giving your life to Christ, your spirit, which is the candle of man (Prov20:27) receives light from the Spirit of God.

Psalms 18:28 For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.”

However, there is a price you must pay to sustain the glowing of the light otherwise the lamp will gradually be going out, just as it was in the time of Eli and Samuel (1Sam3:1-4). Eli did not know because his eyes were going so dim. If you pay more attention to the intensity of the light in you, you will know that the lamp needs refilling. The careless person will not pay attention to that, not to talk of having any reserve. To store up oil, you need to pay for it. To sustain the light you receive at salvation you need some spiritual sacrifices to make which are the prices you pay; praying, fasting, studying the word of God and walking in the spirit. These are what the Holy Spirit use to grow you into Christ likeness which qualifies you for the robe of righteousness. Garment of Salvation is a gift but you will have to work for that of righteousness as a reward; gift is different from reward. According to Matthew6:33, you must seek for ‘righteousness’

The presence of the Holy Spirit is the presence of heavenly nature, i.e. the righteousness of God. You need to maintain the relationship with Him, but to do that, there is a price to pay. To have Him, let your heart be opened to Him and the word of God to continually illuminate it. That is the only way to enjoy the fullness of Christ’s salvation.

Let us seek for the old path where we could find rest. Let us listen to the trumpet’s sound, wherewith we could escape the calamity to come. Our reading for today is Zechariah5-8. Keep the fire burning and alive.

Pastor Supo Abayode

+1-302-230-6792

Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries

Delaware, USA

BE A GIVER

Bible In One Year-Day 188 (Sunday, July 07, 2013)

Commentary: Haggai1-2. Haggai was a prophet amongst the first set of the Jews that returned from exile under the leadership of Zerubbabel;

Ezra 5:1 “Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, even unto them.

He was a motivator and an encourager in God. When the Jews faced serious oppositions in building the walls and the gates, they were frustrated and they gave up building the project. They faced their personal affairs and abandoned the Lord’s temple. They were living in nice buildings while the temple was in ruins;

Haggai 1:4-5 “Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste? Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.

God further made them realize that the measure of their works was higher than the measure of their gain just because they neglected the most important thing. This neglect resulted into closed heaven and unyielding land;

Haggai 1:9-10 “Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the LORD of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house. Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit.

Haggai was raised by God to preach wake-up sermons in four stages; renewed vision, holiness of life, courage and faith in God. He rounded up with the Lord’s mind to endorse Zerubbabel as a symbol of authority to the people;

Haggai 2:23 “In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the LORD, and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee, saith the LORD of hosts.

God’s project in our dispensation is care for the needy and the poor, Matt25:31-46; this is Jesus’ standard. Amassing wealth without taking care of the needy is not Jesus’ standard. Your substance is to be used to honor Him by giving out. The ruler thought that he measured up to standard by obeying the law, but when Jesus told him the pre-requisite for perfection before God, he was sorrowful.

Mark 10:21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said to him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.”

Jesus loved him and because of the love for him, Jesus had to correct him so that he wouldn’t have followed the law in vain. The man’s wealth had taking over his soul and if he had to follow Jesus, the wealth must be disposed first. No one follows Jesus with material things as the major thing in the heart. Making money to lay treasure for the future is a pitiful phenomenon. Christians should not do that. Christians should be generous in their giving and sharing to the glory of God. It is scriptural to honor God with our substance;

Proverbs 3:9-10 “Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.”

Those who don’t give their tithes, offerings and firstfruits are only dishonoring God and, of course, reducing themselves. The scripture says by doing this, i.e. giving, your barns shall be filled with plenty beyond your bargain. If you desire the treasure in heaven, your heart will not be stuck to the treasure on earth which cannot stand the test of time. Be a giver! The Jews had beautiful houses to live in but there was not peace or satisfaction in them just because they abandoned God’s project for their personal business. Consider God first, beloved, and He will consider you first; though His love is unfailing.

Ephesians 5:1-2 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.”

Let us seek for the old path where we could find rest. Let us listen to the trumpet’s sound, wherewith we could escape the calamity to come. Our reading for today is Zechariah1-4. Keep the fire burning and alive.

Pastor Supo Abayode

+1-302-230-6792

Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries

Delaware, USA