Bible In One Year- Day 16 (January 16, 2014)

Jacob, in Gen28-30, built a family but without peace of mind, he built a career without satisfaction. We could recall that it was by his mother’s word that he left for the land of Padan Aram and not by God’s word; all because of the product of his evil handiwork against his brother, Esau. He ran with an unresolved sin. On the way, God spoke to him about blessing and the covenant with Abraham, which He wanted to fulfill in him (i.e. Jacob), but Jacob was praying about food and clothing. From his vow, we deduct that he was only interested in God’s gift and not God Himself. Let’s have a look into what God said briefly;

Genesis 28:15 “And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.”

At this point in time, Jacob was short of spiritual discipline; he was not fit for God’s planning or purpose. God was indirectly telling him that He would make him fit for it (i.e. purpose and the blessings attached). Jacob was still running with the garment of sin on his neck and God did not tell him not to run away or turn back from making the trip to his uncle’s place. Rather, He told him that He would be with him. The journey eventually became God’s training program for Jacob. The resume/CV of his sufferings is Gen31:38-41. Only a mathematician could deal with a mathematician very well. All those years, Jacob still remained in his fleshly attitude (scheming). He could not go back to his father’s house because of what he left behind, and Laban was not treating him well either. God, being faithful, still increased him. All through his stay in exile, he never prayed to God one day. God had to remind him of his vow, Gen28:20-22; now I have given you what you wanted, go back to your father’s place. This time around, God did not introduce Himself as the God of Abraham but “the God of Bethel”, Gen31:13, just to remind him of his vow. God will not suggest another thing to you if you have not obeyed what He has just said. You may run for 20 years, when you call Him again, He will still talk to you from the last discussion you had with Him. By now, God’s word is finding a place in him because his confidence in his strength is breaking off little by little. He obeyed God, though schemed again to do that; Jacob was still Jacob here. Gen32 is the turning point in Jacob’s life. Here is where Mr. Flesh was decisively dealt with by God, his strength was knocked out and he became weak before the Lord. Though he increased in exile, his problem (Esau) had increased also. When he cheated Esau, it was one to one, but now, Esau had multiplied, v6. Fear gripped him on hearing the size of Esau. Running from problems is never the solution. This was the most difficult moment for him. He prayed for the very 1st time, quoting God’s word. Material things never meant anything to him again because he knew that his brother had no pity in shedding blood, after all, Esau had killed many animals. He tried to bribe his own conscience by dishing out most of the things he had acquired, but it never worked. Many are still bribing their conscience now instead of dealing with the sin in their lives. Then God moved in to do His own part; to deal with Mr. Flesh (Jacob’s natural life). God touched his strength and the experience afterwards left him leaping (a humble life). If we look into our lives today, we could see traces of Jacob’s life. God, in working out His plan of eternal life for us, takes us through His school of discipline where we get an unusual experience; an experience that makes our stories to be sweeter and faith-lifting for those who hear it. An experience that makes us leap afterwards and takes our mind away from material thought. The leaping is a symbol of humility. It gives room for the word of God in us and we become useful for the vision and to mankind. It is an experience that makes us do away with bribing the conscience (i.e. defending error or sin) and do what is right. At that point, we appreciate grace and not our works, (Gen33:11) just like Jacob.

Genesis 33:11 “Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough. And he urged him, and he took it.”

It would be no more our way but God’s way. Again, grace is defined in another aspect; despite Jacob’s shortcoming, God still walked with him. However, he was gradually dealt with; God gave him time. Grace will not make us to continue in sin but to work us out of sin, i.e. to be dead to sin.

Romans 6:1-2 “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?”

Many think and argue it that we are no longer under the law but under grace and so we could continue in sin; that is not true. Grace, rather, works us out of sin. It helps us to overcome the sinful nature. Grace is the residence of the Holy Spirit (God’s righteousness) in us. The law was to restrict us from sinning but it could not. Grace has now replaced that weak law to empower us to overcome sin. Beloved, we need an unusual encounter with the Lord Jesus that will drastically transform our lives from ordinary persons to extra-ordinary persons. This encounter is God’s dealing that will humble us and make us useful for the Lord. Only an extra-ordinary person can do exploits in this present age. You need JESUS!!!

John 15:5 “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”

Prayer: Holy Spirit, work on me, in the name of Jesus. Our reading for today is Gen34-36. Keep the fire burning and alive. Tell somebody about JESUS today!!!

Bible In One Year-Day 15 (January 15, 2014)

In the previous chapters, we discussed about Abraham and Isaac. God introduced Himself to Abraham as God Almighty and to Isaac as the God of Abraham. Isaac never received any new thing from God but the same word He spoke with his father. The story of Jacob started from Gen25 and lingered till Gen49, i.e. 48% of Genesis was about Jacob. The experience of Abraham was that of plan and vision. The experience of Isaac was of a son totally obedient and dependent on the father. The life of Jacob was full of trials and troubles. The 1st aspect of his life was from Gen25-27. We saw the type of person he was; full of self, even though he had strength right from the womb, quite materialistic and covetous. Esau’s character was a mind of his own; absolutely walked in the flesh not knowing the relevance of spiritual endowment or grace (birthright). He grieved his parents through unholy marriage, Gen26:34-35. This was one of the things that made Rebekah to scheme against him by arranging with Jacob to receive the blessing that was due to Esau. The step Esau took with his birthright and in marriage shut him out of divine plan and enhances the prophecy which was given while he was in the womb to come to pass;

Genesis 26:34-35 “And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite: Which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah.”

Isaac’s pronouncement upon Jacob was as a result of the prophecy given to Rebekah whilst pregnant;

Genesis 25:23 “And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.”

Many at one time or the other argued that God hated Esau. It is not like that, the truth is that God is a God of purpose. PURPOSE chose Jacob. When God reveals purpose to you, He will breed you for that purpose through trials and troubles. His purpose was the salvation of man and He had chosen Abraham to be His person for the actualization. Abraham was submissive, also Isaac was reliable. But Jacob was another character entirely. His character was an issue, if the vision was to be realized. God, having His own way of doing things, raised a rage through Esau to drive Jacob out of his father’s house so that He (God) could deal with his character to the point of absolute usefulness. That journey of brokenness started in Gen28. His 1st sleep on this journey was an encounter with God’s plan which was not clear to him. The plan of God was clearly relayed to him but he did not understand it, Gen28:13-15; Jacob, rather, was talking about food and clothing in v20-22. God’s declaration to him was not conditional because God was already committed to a covenant with Abraham. That was why He introduced Himself to Jacob as the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and what God said to Abraham, was repeated to Isaac and now to Jacob. This simply means that God’s plan remains; instead of changing it, He will change persons. Jacob never understood the plan but was concerned about himself. He needed to be dealt with to fit PURPOSE and PLAN. This is the process a lot of us go through. It took 20 years under God’s discipline for Jacob to be reliable and fit for PURPOSE and PLAN; he came back to this same spot where he first received the revelation of purpose. He was a cheat, but he met a master cheat, Laban. Beloved, when it comes to God’s plan, He knows how to deal with us to pattern us to suit His plan. In the school of God Almighty, there is no automatic promotion; you will go through each experience and course necessary for you to be suitable for His use. God deals with our character when preparing us for greater assignment. Many believers are going through that training now. Without Abraham, there wouldn’t have been an Isaac, without Isaac there wouldn’t have been a Jacob and without Jacob there wouldn’t have been the 12 tribes of Israel, Gen17:4. Any believer who wants to move in the power of the Holy Spirit must be prepared to undergo spiritual panel beating, re-shaping and re-modeling; this is for the purpose of adding value to your life. In essence, the root of trials and troubles of life is in PURPOSE. Once you give your life to Jesus, the next stage is to enroll in the school of spiritual discipline. Prayer: O God, enroll me in Your school to shake off activities that will devalue me, in the name of Jesus. Let’s move forward today by reading Gen31-33. Keep the fire burning and alive. Tell somebody about Jesus today!!!

Bible In One Year-Day 14 (January 14, 2014)

Commenting on Genesis25-27, we read about two important issues; BATTLE IN THE WOMB and FOUNTAIN OF SHEBA. After the death of Abraham, Isaac started his life. The Lord introduced Himself to Isaac as the “GOD OF ABRAHAM”.

Genesis 26:24 “And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham’s sake.”

God, simply, made him to understand that what He agreed and purposed for Abraham was what He wanted to do through him. When God introduces Himself to you with a particular name, then, that is what He wants to do through you. And He always seal it up with “Fear not, I will be with you” The blessing of Abraham was transferred to Isaac;

Genesis 25:11 “And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac; and Isaac dwelt by the well Lahairoi.”

With all the blessings, he was not satisfied with his life taking the pattern of his parents; BARRENNESS. He decided to go for a retreat and the Lord approved his request;

Genesis 25:21 “And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.”

The yoke of barrenness was broken through prayers. Prayer is the key to all marital plights. When the enemy notices a trait of God’s purpose in a marriage, he will attack the marriage in a big way; but there is hope if the couples realize that it is the work of the enemy.

Psalms 112:4 “Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.”

The Lord answered Isaac and the wife conceived. Unfortunately, two nations were at war in her, thereby giving her discomfort;

Genesis 25:23 “And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.”

The BATTLE IN THE WOMB was a battle between PURPOSE and BIRTHRIGHT. However, PURPOSE is always victorious, though, through trials and troubles. There is nothing wrong with purpose and birthright staying together, if only both realizes there calling. Jacob, in a tricky, manner collected a birthright which he never enjoyed himself; that was an error on his part which was corrected in Christ. Christians have purpose and birthright in Christ;

Romans 8:17 “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”

We don’t need to be crooked any longer to grab what is ours.

Isaac dwelt in Gerar by God’s instruction, Gen26:2-5. Isaac sowed in the word of God and his status changed to the point that the citizens of that country were afraid of him;

Genesis 26:12-13 “Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him. And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great:”

The word of God not only changed his status, it also opened various fountains for him; Esek, Sitnah, Rehoboth and Sheba. Isaac carried an inheritance in his life that was a key to opening of fountains. Out of all the fountains, the fountain of Shebah became a city;

Genesis 26:33 “And he called it Shebah: therefore the name of the city is Beersheba unto this day.”

This is the fountain that satisfies. It brings increase and settlement. When this fountain opens in your life, you shall become PRAISE to the glory of the Lord. it is a fountain that people will want to perch with. Other fountains brought about rivalry, envy and contentions, but that of Shebah was a resting place. You shall enter into God’s rest in the name of Jesus.

Hebrews 4:3 “For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.”

God’s rest is a place of no contention but admiration; a place of peace and solace; a place of increase and expansion. It is the CENTER OF YOUR ASSIGNMENT. God will lead you there, in the name of Jesus, this year. However, whoever wants to be at the center of God’s assignment or ministry must have a forgiving heart and a heart on fire of LOVE. It was after Isaac had forgiven his adversaries who came of apologize for past deeds that the news of the fountain of Shebah came.

Genesis 26:29-32 “That thou wilt do us no hurt, as we have not touched thee, and as we have done unto thee nothing but good, and have sent thee away in peace: thou art now the blessed of the LORD. And he made them a feast, and they did eat and drink. And they rose up betimes in the morning, and sware one to another: and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace. And it came to pass the same day, that Isaac’s servants came, and told him concerning the well which they had digged, and said unto him, We have found water.” I pray that you shall find water in your well this year in the name of Jesus Christ.

A loving heart and a contrite spirit are useful instrument in God’s hand and for His glory. May the Lord grant you this grace in the name of Jesus. Our reading for today is Genesis28-30. Keep the fire burning and alive on the altar of LOVE.

Bible In One Year-Day 13 (January 13, 2014)

Commentary Gen22-24.

1 Corinthians 10:13 “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

It is easier to talk and preach against temptation than to resist it. What comes out of you when you are squeezed is what is in you. For Jesus to be given to the world is an expression of what is in God, LOVE, 1John4:7-12. Abraham was in a situation of being squeezed, what came out of him were the fear and the love of God. Due to unfavorable situations, many have opted for a compromise and they lost the glory. To every remarkable testimony, an unusual experience precedes it. And whoever is working for God under a remarkable endowment must have undergone an unusual experience just as Abraham went through. Abraham gave all to God. Every gift from God should be used in love. I wonder why he didn’t tell his wife about the sacrifice. It was an experience that took food from his mouth, led him into a journey of 3 days with head bowed down. What could be going on in his mind for those three days? What were the disciples of Jesus thinking of in the 3 days Jesus was taken from them? Just as God squeezed Abraham through sacrificing his son and faith came out, so Satan also attacked God through men and agape love came out for the salvation of the world. We are to believe in His LOVE. Could you see a relationship between John3:16 and Gen22:2? ONLY SONs! Whatever is making you to laugh or joyous should be laid on the altar of fear of God, Gen 22:9&12.

Genesis 22:9 “And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.”

Luke 23:33 “And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.”

The covenant of multiplication works on what you have offered. Remember the widow’s mite. In every trying period, there is an escape, only if we could work with the vision. Gen22 is where God signed and sealed the Salvation of mankind, 22:16-18.

Genesis 22:16-18 “And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.”

God swore by Himself. Beloved, it is disaster for whoever falls out of, or not in Christ. God did not say “…in thy seeds..” but “..thy SEED..”. As soon as this happened, good news came to Abraham about his brother, Nahor, Gen22:20. Nahor was the grandfather of Rebekah. The way I look at that news is that, another provision, in the person of Rebekah, has been made for the future of Isaac by Jehovah Jireh. For Abraham’s trial, God provided Isaac (whatever you are going through, there is a package of laughter for you), and for the future comfort of Isaac, the news of Rebekah came. God is always with you in every trial. It would have been a disaster for Isaac to marry from where they were dwelling at that time due to reasons in these scriptures; Gen9:25-27, Deut7:1-5, Josh9:1-2. Canaan was a symbol of evil diversion from the things of God, defilers of the things of God (sacred things), the spirit of evil conspiracy against God and His people. Abraham did not even take any free gift from them knowing that it could become bait. In talking to his servant, he was so emphatic about where to get a wife for his son, Gen24:4/ 2Cor6:14. Many think they could win an unbeliever by marry him/her, but eventually, they lose the kingdom life and peace. Lot lived among them, gave his daughters to them and took position from, he lost all. Abraham remained steadfast. Though Isaac lost mother care and comfort through Sarah’s death, he gained it through marriage covenanted by vision, Gen24:67/ Prov29:18. Marriage is a spiritual thing because it was instituted before the fall of man; hence it is holy and should be regarded as holy and spiritual. When a marriage becomes hell, then it simply means a serpent had crawled in; that serpent (another evil spirit) should be decisively dealt with. May you find comfort in your marriage, in Jesus name. Prayer: Lord Jesus, give me the vision/dream that will change my history. Our reading 4-2day is Gen25-27. Keep the fire of prayer burning and alive on the altar of love. Tell somebody about JESUS today!!!

Bible In One Year – Day 12 (Sunday, January 12, 2014)

To understand the history of Abraham very well, it is good to read and understand Romans 4. And to understand grace as a Christian, we need to understand the life history of father Abraham. We just concluded chapters 15-18 of Genesis. Gen12-14 are full of promises to Abraham, but Gen15-18 are loaded with something greater than promises, COVENANT. There is a great difference between a promise and a covenant. Promise is telling of intention, or something to be done in the future other than the present, i.e. what to accomplish in the future. It is just a statement and not an achieved thing. Covenant, on the other hand, is a seal to a promise which states “there is no going back”; it is binding. It is a mark of a promise considered done (a certificate of accomplishment). Covenant is leaving your part and joining yourself with the other party to become one; each party playing his part faithfully.  Those who love Jesus and wants to have the knowledge of salvation should read and understand Gen15, 17 &18 very well. This is where the practical demonstration of God’s plan for the salvation of mankind started. The promises, as far as Abram was concerned, were easier for him to believe (Gen15:1-6). But when God talked of the land, verse7, a little bit of doubt took over Abraham.

Genesis 15:7-8 “And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it. And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?”

That land was occupied by powerful set of people and he couldn’t imagine his descendants occupying it. He asked God to show him a sign for the possibility. God entered a covenant with him;

Genesis 15:9-10 “And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon. And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not.”

Blood was shed to proof God’s faithfulness. Unfortunately, the pronouncement that followed was horrible; Abram slept over the sacrifice and his descendant would be enslaved for years. Those who are not serious with their Christian race are like this, sleeping over the vision/ mission, thereby allowing evil to prevail, allowing all forms of unrighteousness in their lives (Eph5:1-21, 1Jn5:17). God’s promise is as valid as His covenant because God never lies. He commits Himself to both and He desires the believers to just believe Him for His faithfulness. Grace is a package of God’s promises and covenant. That covenant of Gen15:9-10 was external to Abram’s flesh. In chapter17 (v13), God made another covenant that was in the flesh of Abraham, circumcision.

Genesis 17:13 “He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.”

As part of God’s favor towards Abram, the unfruitful covenant of barrenness that was attached to his name was broken and a new one put in place, Gen17:5 & 15. I will like you to note that the relationship between God and Abraham was still at the promise level and no covenant was made until the conditions of Gen12:1-3 were totally fulfilled (the departure of Brother Lot). The covenant we have in Jesus is the infilling of the Holy Spirit (the Seal) and not until we leave all for Christ, it remains at the promise level, Ezek36:24-28, Joel2:28-29. Seth, Enoch, Noah found grace with God but the grace had no capacity for extension; i.e. it could not reach us today, though in some instances we could see the sign. For instance, of what use is the rainbow? The grace upon Abraham had the ability to extend beyond him and bless nations and families. Therefore, we could call “THE GOD OF ABRAHAM” and He will answer us. Prayer: O God of Abraham, arise in your power and bombard my life with your blessings, in the name of Jesus. Our reading for today is Genesis 22-24. Keep the fire burning and alive on the altar of love.