Bible In One Year-Day 141 (Wednesday, May 21, 2014)

Commentary: Jer10-12. Chapter10 shows how God mocked the strange gods the Israelites adopted. There is a great difference between the true God and other strange gods. For the true God, Jeremiah 10:16 “The portion of Jacob is not like them: for he is the former of all things; and Israel is the rod of his inheritance: The LORD of hosts is his name.” (also Jer10:12-13). He does not need to be decorated, fastened to one spot with nails or be carried about. He does not need hammer or axe to be sharpened but His word is hammer that breaks the rocks. Unlike the strange gods which were carved from nature, the true God created nature but He is not part of nature. He is not bound by the rules guiding nature and the nature must listen to Him and violate any rule to glorify Him just as the axe head floated on the surface of the waters and the wooden stick that was supposed to float disobeyed nature and sank for God to be glorified. If the strange gods were thrown into the waters, they would sink to obey natural law. But Jesus Christ walked on the surface of the waters, made Peter to do same, stilled the waves and calmed the storm for God to be glorified. Jeremiah declares His majesty thus;

Jeremiah 10:6-7 “Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O LORD; thou art great, and thy name is great in might.Who would not fear thee, O King of nations? For to thee doth it appertain: forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee.”

This God has not changed but remained increasingly amazing and awesome, who can know the conclusion of His acts? NO ONE!!! This kind of God, you cannot sum Him up! The words that come out of His mouth are words of covenant and whoever ignores or disobeys this words automatically places him/herself under a curse;

Jeremiah 11:3 “And say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel; Cursed be the man that obeyeth not the words of this covenant,”

The Israelites rejected God’s words and it became a burden on Jeremiah. His life suffered many threats as He prophesied to the people. They eventually asked him not to prophecy in the name of the Lord. To Jeremiah, it was as if God had betrayed him. Even the entire of his hometown (Anathoth) was against him. He cried to God and the Lord answered him;

Jeremiah 11:21-22 “Therefore thus saith the LORD of the men of Anathoth, that seek thy life, saying, Prophesy not in the name of the LORD, that thou die not by our hand:Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, I will punish them: the young men shall die by the sword; their sons and their daughters shall die by famine:”

What Jeremiah went through made him to question God’s patience with the wicked, Jer12:1-4. Many are faced with unpleasant humiliations from their adversaries and despite much prayer, they think God was unfair to have made those wicked ones to be alive. God’s silence is not God’s forsaking. Jeremiah forgot God’s word in Jeremiah 1:19 “And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee.”

It was true he suffered physical attack and embarrassment, but at the same time Jeremiah enjoyed spiritual protection which is the most important. God’s protection will never leave His people for as long as they stay out of iniquity. Sin is absolutely a covenant breaker and an evil usher for problems. You need to desist from every known sin to enjoy God’s divine protection;

Psalms 125:3 “For the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous; lest the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquity.”

The cry of Jeremiah was a cry against abominations and sins. Let us ask 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. May His light shine in our darkness in the name of Jesus. Our reading for today is Jer13-15. Keep the fire burning and alive.

Bible In One Year-Day 140 (Tuesday, May 20, 2014)

Commentary: Jer7-9. The atrocities prevalent in Judah are summarized in Jer7:4-6, yet they go to the house of God to worship in the name of the Lord. God was not comfortable with that because there is no room for any unrighteousness in Him;

Jeremiah 7:8-11 “Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit.Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not;And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations?Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD.”

These abominations were what prompted Jeremiah to weep, cry and intercede for them. Judah did not change; rather, they persisted in idolatry. God told Jeremiah not to pray or weep for them any longer and if he insisted on praying for them, He would not listen to him;

Jeremiah 7:16 “Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee.”

Jeremiah’s intercession was because he did not know deeper than what he perceived. He only heard the word of God, and knowing the mightiness of God, he was not comfortable with what Judah was doing. He wept for the fear of God’s wrath. God revealed some of the annoying things done in the secret to Jeremiah;

Jeremiah 7:17-18 “Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.”

The Judeans were so involved in this pagan worship that all members of each family had one thing or the other they had to do; children carry wood, fathers set the fire and mothers knead dough (this is satanic assignment).

All over the eastern region, Queen of Heaven was being (and is still being) worshipped under different names. Queen of Heaven was an idol set up by King Manasseh inside the house of God under the name ‘Asherah’;

KJV-R (Webster) 2 Kings 21:6-7 “And he made his son pass through the fire, and observed times, and used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards: he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger. And he set a graven image of the grove that he had made in the house, of which the LORD said to David, and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever:”

In Babylon and Assyria, this idol was called ‘Ishtar’ from where ‘Easter’ was derived. The celebration of Easter had been even before the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. The thing is that His death and resurrection happened at that time of annual pagan celebration. The Canaanites called her ‘Astarte’.

These same atrocities are prevalent in the churches today. Recently, a president called some Pastors and preached about gay marriage and he had their support. What was really a concern to me was that in one of the commentaries, a man said “does it really matter what they (i.e. the pastors) have to say?” It is quite unfortunate that what pastors say now in public has no credit any longer just as God declared to the Judeans then; Jeremiah 7:28 But thou shalt say unto them, This is a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the LORD their God, nor receiveth correction: truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth.

Gay marriage victims have their right, no doubt about that; the ‘right to be right in their own eyes and the right to be WRONG before God’. They cannot be condemned or judged by any man. However, obviously, they need help; the need for DELIVERANCE as the spirit within them is what is behind that yoke in their lives. For as long as that spirit is there, they cannot see anything wrong with that in the light of God’s word. It’s like a dead rat in the ceiling of a house; the stink could only be subdued for a while using strong air-freshener. Not until the dead rat is removed, the smell will remain. It is an evil spirit that has intruded their lives at a point in time; at conception, birth or anytime in life. They are subject to that spirit because they are bound to it. the spirit is one of the elements of the world (i.e. evil spiritual principles of this world);

Galatians 4:3 “Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:”

Galatians 4:9 “But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?”

Not until they receive total deliverance from this dilemma that has overcome them, they remain servants to that ungodly spirit, trying to spray the stink with air-freshener (misinterpretation or misappropriation of the scripture).

2 Peter 2:19 “While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.”

This evil spirit is the “RAT IN THE FLESH” that must be cast out in the name of Jesus Christ. The man of Gadarenes had a group of rats in his flesh but his people never realized it until Jesus took over and dealt with them appropriately. To His glory, the man’s people found him “in his right mind” after the deliverance.

Luke 8:30 “And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many demons (rats) were entered into him.”

Mark 5:15 “And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the demon, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.”

Any spirit that rules contrary to God’s word is a rat in the flesh and deliverance is the solution. When the rats are cast out, then the victim will come into the full knowledge of God and thirst for righteousness.

The pulpit is carrying a bad stigma nowadays and the so called house of God is turned to a place of social gathering where religious Hollywood actors gather in the name of ‘looking good’ and bottles of different wines are being beheaded with loud applause from collared ministers and priests. Competing Cathedrals are being built for these celebrations instead of building God’s kingdom (soul winning). Satan has not changed his tricks; presenting sin in attractive colors and catchy patterns or designs. The Queen of Heaven is being celebrated by worshipers who do not even know her; Jeremiah 7:9 “… and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not;”

The church is the Lord’s and the government therein ‘should’ be on His shoulder as the scripture says (Isaiah9:6-7), but unfortunately, the government therein is the government of the Queen of Heaven. Let us ask 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. May His love redeem the church in the name of Jesus Christ. Reading for today is Jer10-12. Keep the fire burning and alive

To know more about the Queen of Heaven, I humbly recommend the book “SMITE THE ENEMY AND HE SHALL FLEE” by Dr. D. K. Olukoya

Bible In One Year-Day 139 (Monday, May 19, 2014)

Commentary: Jer4-6. Jeremiah was born in the time of Manasseh, the king who revived witchcraft in Jerusalem; he never received his calling until the time of Josiah, the son of Manasseh. In the initial moment of his calling, he faced some grievous opposition because he proclaimed God’s warnings to Judah for defecting to idolatry. The opposition was so bad that he withdrew for a while from answering God’s calling until God came to encourage him that He would put his words in his mouth and promised protection and guidance. The best way Jeremiah could describe the problem between God and His love was to liken it to a marriage that is breaking up into divorce (Jer2-3) and extra-marital affairs or harlotry; broken heart. Despite the breaking of God’s heart, He still made provisions and conditions for restoration; Jeremiah 4:1-2 “If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the LORD, return unto me: and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not remove.And thou shalt swear, The LORD liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.”

They rejected God’s offer and leaned on their own understanding and counsel. They trusted in their own ability and strength which eventually drove away God’s blessings; their land did not yield food and there was no rain to water their dryness. It is one thing for us to work hard, but it is another thing for God to bless it. The sins of these people drove away God’s blessings;

Jeremiah 5:23-25 “But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone.Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the LORD our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest.Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you.”

The manner in which the rain falls in the physical is the same manner in which blessing falls in the spiritual (showers of blessings). Blessing does not fall on a life living in iniquity. The mere fact that you have something to take home now does not mean one is still right with God’s heart. A tree could be dead at the root and still have its leaves green for a while. Termites could have invaded a home but still have the paintings covering the wood on the outside. Judah and Israel were disconnected from God and there was internal decay without their knowing. God made this known to them through prophets but they never yielded to the words of God. This was what made Jeremiah to weep after seeing how horrible it would be for Jerusalem. Chapter6 was the last warning God gave to Jerusalem. He sent prophets and priests to them but they remained adamant; Jeremiah 6:16-17 “Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken.”

God is still warning somebody out there today who has gone out of His covenant and joined with another. Everything we do to sin breaks the heart of God. Many run away from reading Deut29-30 because it contains a lot of “curse are ye …” To run from reading them isn’t the protection from these curse but knowing what brings any of these curses to be is what matters. Taking one’s eyes away from looking towards a cemetery while passing by does not mean one will not die and be buried there one day. We need to flee every known sin. We should not compromise. When you compromise, you are agreeing to the terms binding the agreement which is contrary to God’s warning; Exodus 20:5 “Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;” Let us ask 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. May His grace be sufficient for us in the name of Jesus. Our next reading for today is Jer7-9. Keep the fire burning and alive.

Bible In One Year-Day 138 (Sunday, May 18, 2014)

Commentary: Jeremiah1-3. Prophet Jeremiah, a symbol of God’s purpose and intention, was born 70 years after Prophet Isaiah died.

Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.”

His life reveals to us that we cannot know who we are and what we are created for without the Spirit of the Creator. In the testimonies of the Bible, we could see that many did not know purpose and essence of their being until after they encountered the Divine, our Creator. Such people include Moses who never mentioned God before he came in contact with God on the mountain. He asked God to teach him how to introduce Him to the Hebrews. Gideon did not know who he was also. The Angel of the Lord called him “mighty man of valor” but he described himself as ordinary man and the least of his kindred. Jeremiah is not exempted in this wise also. In the following verse, he described himself the way he perceived himself;

Jeremiah 1:6 “Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.”

But God told him to stop regarding himself as irrelevant based on age or the way he viewed himself; with ordinary eyes. Immediately after this correction, he was transformed into another man when God’s Spirit entered him in form of His word.

Jeremiah 1:9 “Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.”

His life never remained the same again; he started seeing beyond the ordinary and fear disappeared from his heart; people that mattered did not like him for his rebuking messages. He had a positive ministry but full of powerful oppositions which landed him prisons, went through physical abuses and suffered great deal of rejection. The step to his empowerment started from his acknowledging his weaknesses and limitations; this is humility which God desires in His own. Jeremiah had his weaknesses which were evident in his emotional breakdown in delivering God’s messages. He delivered heartbreaking messages against the sinfulness of the people of Judah for forty years. He had his struggles, but God saw him through. His prophecies were not written in the order in which they were delivered.

There are two things to learn from this man’s life; ability to see well and correct interpretation of the divine assignment. Before the Spirit of God came into him, he could not see well and, as such, could not properly understand God’s presence, purpose and intention. But after his encounter, the story changed;

Jeremiah 1:11-12 “Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree.Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.”

In the womb, Jeremiah was prepared, made and ordained for a purpose which was hidden from him. This means there was a treasure in him which was hidden and it took the Spirit of the Person who put the treasure there to expose it. God had perfected His agenda in Jeremiah right from the womb but the authority to release this was not given to him until God officially authorized him to do so. The ability to release this purpose is POWER which lies only on God. God will only work on His word.

2 Corinthians 4:7 “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.”

The release of the preciousness of this treasure is ONLY of God and not of human being. This lies in the similar narration of Isaiah’s prophecy in Isa45:3;

Isaiah 45:3 “And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.”

His calling is based on what He has invested in you; the treasures of darkness, the hidden riches of secret places. These are not physical things but spiritual matter. God must be glorified in the release and the use of this power. When you see people boast of these, then such still has some problems to solve.

Isaiah 10:15 “Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? or shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? as if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself, as if it were no wood.”

Ephesians 2:9 “Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

The release of the power is in HIS own way and not ours. The manner in which He does it in the calling of Brother A is different from that of Brother B; they are also in diverse measures but for the same purpose.

Jeremiah 9:24 “But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.”

Jeremiah was called in the womb but was commissioned in Jeremiah 1:9-10. To be called is not to be commissioned or chosen. To be commissioned is to be chosen or appointed or specifically assign a task in a project, activity or operation.

Matthew 22:14 “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

When you are called, remain under instructions; don’t set out! If you are to set out, the owner of the work will give you the Spirit of the assignment. God will never send you out without giving you power and authority that will soar you over all oppositions (Matt20:1/ Mark6:7);

Luke 9:1 “Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases.”

No person in the scripture made it without the Spirit of the assignment. If you reject instructions under the supervision of another person God is using to prepare you, you cannot fully obey and be submissive to the Spirit of the assignment if He ever gives you; and God’s calling is all about OBEDIENCE; obedience to the WORD of God and not to emotional weakness. Apostle Paul was called but waited for his divine commissioning, appointment and separation;

Acts 13:2 “As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.”

Paul was called but had a different time for his separation. Since God is Spirit, His things are done by His Spirit and in the spirit; not in the soul of man (emotion, will and mind of man). Attempt to get things done outside of this truth is seeking for trouble from Satan and from God. Things of the spirit must be addressed spiritually. God will begin to perform His works when He has proved His word in you. Jesus testified to this;

John 14:10 “Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak to you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.”

You can only know who you are when the Spirit of truth rests on you and you could truly understand divine things only by the interpretation of the Spirit;

John 16:13 “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come.”

From Jeremiah’s appointment, we could see that God is omniscience, (knows individual in and out), can appoint anybody for any task without seeking permission from anywhere and He only gives His authority to whoever He appoints. These are what change a person’s status which makes demons and problems tremble. But if you allow offences and bitterness to separate you, the same will be the message on the pulpit and God is not where His word isn’t. You need to be commissioned by His Spirit for the right task; this is His WILL. Our reading for today is Jer4-6. Keep the fire burning and alive

1 Corinthians 12:3-7 “Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Spirit.Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.”

2 Corinthians 10:13 “But we will not boast of things without our measure, but according to the measure of the rule which God hath distributed to us, a measure to reach even to you. And you can truly”

Bible In One Year-Day 137 (Saturday, May 17, 2014)

Commentary: 2Kings24-25. There are things that shouldn’t take over a child of God if at all it ever happened to him or her. However, in all situations, we need to consider our ways. If a child of God is neglected and it seems no one is there for him or her, it is not a failure, neither is it a curse. The most reliable and trusted person could be a disappointment in time of dear need; it is not a curse or a failure. This is bound to happen a times in order to prepare us for another level. However, if the anger of the Lord is to the extreme as it was against Judah, one is therefore doomed;

2 Kings 24:3-4 “Surely at the commandment of the LORD came this upon Judah, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did;And also for the innocent blood that he shed: for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; which the LORD would not pardon.”

God Himself supervised the attack on Judah, the victor became the victim and the master became the servant. God could use anything to effect His judgment. Severally, He used the Assyrians to spank the Israelites in the chapters we had read so far; Isaiah 10:5 “O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation.” Nebuchadnezzar was an instrument here in chapters24 and 25. The kings and important people of Judah were ridiculed, molested and carried captive. The poor ones were left uncared for. All the works of the temple which Solomon took credit for were burnt down. When a man is rejected, the work of his hands will be rejected also. Witchcraft stole the heart of Solomon and he lost a prestigious place with the Lord. The beauty of the temple he spent years to build was razed down within 24 hours. The books of Samuel and Kings were political history of the kingdoms (within and without); quite messy tussle for power, independence and dominion. In this messy political confrontations and battles, Jehoiachim, King of Judah, was held captive for 37 years. All important people and his mother were carried with him. His uncle, Mattaniah, was installed in his stead. The king of Babylon even went ahead to give him a name which was easier for him to pronounce, Zedekiah. Unfortunately, along the line he was dealt with by the same king who installed him; 2 Kings 25:6-7 “So they took the king, and brought him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah; and they gave judgment upon him.And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon.”

Evidently, you can’t be stronger than the powers that installed you when it comes to spiritual matters; only in Jesus could you overcome. One of the ways to deal with rebellious leaders in those days was to pluck out their eyes. The last thing Zedekiah saw before his eyes were removed was the death of his children. Two prophets actually lived during all these political rubbish; Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Jeremiah was born in the time of Manasseh. He could not stand the idolatrous lives of the two kingdoms and this was why he was called the weeping prophet. He warned Zedekiah severally about the impending danger of idolatry, but Zedekiah listened to the counsels of his lieutenants rather than the voice of God. There is no protection for whoever rejects the word of God. The smell of God is in His words; you can’t find Him where His word is not. It was during his own time that Jerusalem fell. All along, Jehoiachim was in captivity. His restoration at the end of chapter25 was a sign of hope for a repentant nation, Jer29:10-14.

We need to read the book of Jeremiah next to have more in-depth knowledge of God’s dealing with His people. The reading for today is Jeremiah1-3. Keep the fire burning and alive.

Jeremiah 29:11-12 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.”

Matthew 5:18 For verily I say to you, Till heaven and earth shall pass away, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.