Bible In One Year-Day 181 (Monday, June 30, 2014)

Commentary: Nehemiah1-3. Nehemiah and Ezra existed at the same period in history. Zerubbabel led the first return to Jerusalem, Ezra led the second while Nehemiah led the third and the last return. Nehemiah was a worker in the palace of the king of Persia before he was granted the permission to return to Jerusalem. His return helped in rebuilding the walls and gates of Jerusalem against oppositions to their peace based on the report he heard from his brethren from Judah;

Nehemiah 1:3-4 “And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,”

This report moved Nehemiah to pray for favor before the king because he was the cup-bearer before the king. The duty of a cup-bearer was to taste whatever was brought to the king to eat or drink before giving it to the king; in essence, it was a position for the trusted.

The state of Jerusalem and her well-being affected Nehemiah’s job as reflected in his countenance. The king noticed this and asked what the problem was. After relaying his concerns to the king, he was granted permission to proceed to Jerusalem. However, he demanded for a letter of authority to do what he intended doing in Jerusalem.

Many lives’ walls are destroyed and gates broken down and the enemy invade at will.

Ecclesiastes 10:8 “He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him.”

Breaking a hedge is going into sin and the serpent signifies the consequential curses with their discomforts. We take many things for granted nowadays not knowing that there are curses attached to any violation of God’s commandment. The church is losing its relevance and power because immorality is more in the church than what we have outside of the church. Programs upon programs are coming without achieving the kingdom goal; more of entertainers on the podium than vessels of gold. Gold is rare, i.e. not found anywhere and anyhow. Motivational preachers hold the microphones now to stir the emotion of sinners to be hardened in sin rather than breaking the power of iniquity. People answer altar calls along with the demons within them rejoicing. The church used to be a place of refuge before now. Unfortunately, some churches are death now and people run from her. The hedge of the church is broken and serpents have freeway in and out. Bishops, Overseers, Pastors and other workers run down each other instead of praying for unity;

John 13:34-35 “A new commandment I give to you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”

Ezra and Nehemiah worked together through persecutions, oppositions and difficulties to make sure there was sanity and moral in the land. They demonstrated what they believed. The Apostles of yester-years worked in the power of the Holy Spirit and the gospel prevailingly exploded with signs and wonders.

Acts 19:20 “So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.”

Unfortunately, that grace is scarce now. What we have is recycling of Christians; souls are not being won. Bishops and other religious leaders have taken over the church from God and His Spirit. The spirit of Nehemiah is replaced with the spirit of Judas Iscariot. Money to build cathedral are sought from anybody and anyhow. Unlike the days of Zerubbabel; the foreigners went to meet him to form a consensus in building the Temple, he out rightly rejected their offer.

Ezra 4:2-3 “Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither.But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the LORD God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us.”

There is a truth we must know; the biggest cathedral in the world is nothing before God but just dusts. The most beautiful sanctuary is nothing but emptiness. The worship of sanctuaries and buildings are the vogue. Jesus gave a comment on such places;

Luke 21:5-6 “And as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said,As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”

God is not living in any building but in us; Jesus changed this course in His earthly ministry. Our body is now the Temple of God. The adornment of the Temple of the Holy Spirit, therefore, is the fruit of the Spirit, Gal5:22-26. Unfortunately, the un-crucified wear collars and carry microphones. The best 3-piece suit is for the most “anointed”. The walls and gates need be repaired, beloved.

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 Nehemiah4-6. Keep the fire burning and alive.

Bible In One Year-Day 180 (Sunday, June 29, 2014)

Commentary: Ezra7-10. The background of the author, Ezra, was given in chapter7 and we could see that his ancestry took root in Aaron. He was gifted in the teaching of the word of God with unimaginable wisdom to the point that he was referred to as an expert;

Ezra 7:11 “Now this is the copy of the letter that the king Artaxerxes gave unto Ezra the priest, the scribe, even a scribe of the words of the commandments of the LORD, and of his statutes to Israel.”

This was because the hand of the Lord was upon him. In the Old Testament, one of the ways of referring to the acts of the Holy Spirit was “the Hand of the Lord”. He gives the wisdom of God which is absolutely different from the wisdom of man.

Ezra 7:25 “And thou, Ezra, after the wisdom of thy God, that is in thine hand, set magistrates and judges, which may judge all the people that are beyond the river, all such as know the laws of thy God; and teach ye them that know them not.”

Ezra was a captive in Babylon who led the second set of people who returned to Jerusalem. The first set was led by Zerubbabel; those ones rebuilt and repaired the house of God. But Ezra led to rebuild the spiritual lives of the people. The space between these two returns was not immediate but spanned over about 60 years within which Esther ruled as queen. King Artaxerxes reigned after the husband of Esther. This king, Artaxerxes, ordered the return of Ezra and his people and he backed it up with a letter which was a surprise and an encouragement to Ezra.

Ezra 7:27-28 “Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers, which hath put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to beautify the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem:And hath extended mercy unto me before the king, and his counselors, and before all the king’s mighty princes. And I was strengthened (encouraged) as the hand of the LORD my God was upon me, and I gathered together out of Israel chief men to go up with me.”

Ezra was a great prayer warrior and a compassionate intercessor. This marked the secret behind his success; prayer and fasting, Ezra8:21-23. From this account, we could see that he did things after he had sought the face of the Lord in prayer and fasting.

Along the line, Ezra was informed of the abominations of the leaders and the priest of his people which were tantamount to the law of God and which was what led his forefathers into captivity;

Ezra 9:2-3 “For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass.And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonied.”

Ezra displayed his skill in the use of God’s words in praying. His prayer was in the power of God’s word and not of deceitful emotional display. One could answer altar call without the heart answering it. He skillfully tabled his petition before the Lord starting from humility, then referred to ancestral iniquity up to the grace which he and his people enjoyed in his time. He talked about the righteousness of God and His kindness to them even while in captivity. He cleverly recalled the commandment of God concerning the abominations of the people. God’s righteousness was presented to God in his prayers, i.e. God justified;

Ezra 9:15 “O LORD God of Israel, thou art righteous: for we remain yet escaped, as it is this day: behold, we are before thee in our trespasses: for we cannot stand before thee because of this.”

Prayer is the most important aspect of Christian living. Unfortunately, this is the most ignored by a greater percentage of Christians. Prayer is only effectual if said based on God’s word. Ezra functioned in the manner we Christians should;

James 5:16 “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

When you make the word of God the basis of your prayer, heaven cannot remain blocked. Your faith must be based on the word of God. The measure of the word of God in your life is the measure of the testimony you receive because the Spirit only works with the word. This is the reason you cannot separate real and effectual prayer and the word of God. Saying prayers without the word of God amounts to chanting vain words, but having the word of God in your heart and you base your prayer on that truth, power flows with it and positive result is achieved to the glory of God. Ezra showed us how to pray, intercede and petition to the Lord with remarkable results. There is power in prayers that are said rightly.

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 Nehemiah1-3. Keep the fire burning and alive.

JOIN OUR FATHER IN THE LORD, DR. D. K. OLUKOYA, (LIVE) TONIGHT ON HIS PRAYER LINE: +1-530-881-1030 @11:00PM (EASTERN STANDARD TIME)

Pastor Supo Abayode

+1-302-230-6792

Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries

Delaware, USA

Bible In One Year-Day 179 (Saturday, June 28, 2014)

Commentary: Ezra4-6. Eventually, the adversaries (i.e. the foreigners who occupied Judah while they were in exile) heard about the rebuilding and repairing of the Temple. They decided to cajole Zerubbabel and the elders of Judah into accommodating them in building the Temple. The Judeans refused to compromise. Then the adversaries raised serial means of discouragement against the Judeans;

Ezra 4:4-5 “Then the people of the land weakened (discouraged) the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building, And hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.”

By extension, this opposition lingered into the reign of Esther’s husband, Ahasuerus, Ez4:6. Artaxerxes reigned after Esther’s husband and a letter was sent to him by the opposition to stop the Jews from building the Temple. He approved it;

Ezra 4:21 “Give ye now commandment to cause these men to cease, and that this city be not builded, until another commandment shall be given from me.”

He responded based on the content of the letter he received and he thought the Jews might revolt if the Temple was completed which might have great effect on the king’s treasury. When the opposition got the letter from Artaxerxes, they confronted the Judeans forcefully;

Ezra 4:23-24 “Now when the copy of king Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went up in haste to Jerusalem unto the Jews, and made them to cease by force and power.Then ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem. So it ceased unto the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.”

Surprisingly, he was still the one who sent Nehemiah to Jerusalem.

The building only started at the instructions of God by the mouths of Prophets Haggai and Zechariah who also joined in building with them. A report was made to King Darius about this in a letter. In the letter, the king was asked to search if it was true that King Cyrus commanded the project. The truth was found, Ezra6:3. The king then sent a reply to Tattenai the governor who wrote the letter to him;

Ezra 6:7 “Let the work of this house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this house of God in his place.”

Not only did he take decision based on what was discovered from the archives, the king placed a curse as a decree on any opposition to the project;

Ezra 6:11-12 “Also I have made a decree, that whosoever shall alter this word, let timber be pulled down from his house, and being set up, let him be hanged thereon; and let his house be made a dunghill for this.And the God that hath caused his name to dwell there destroy all kings and people, that shall put to their hand to alter and to destroy this house of God which is at Jerusalem. I Darius have made a decree; let it be done with speed.”

It was the greatest mistake for the governor to refer the king to the archives. But since the rebuilding was by prophetic instructions, every creation must work along with it;

Proverbs 21:1 “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.”

The lesson we ought to learn from this is that faithfulness to God’s course would stir up serious opposition which could take any course. However, in the face of oppositions, hold your peace and wait for God to speak;

Isaiah 30:15 “For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.”

There is great profit in waiting on the Lord; it is part of the old path for us to tread in order to overcome;

Isaiah 40:31 “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

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 Ezra7-10. Keep the fire burning and alive.

Exodus 14:14 “The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.”

JOIN OUR FATHER IN THE LORD, DR. D. K. OLUKOYA, (LIVE) TONIGHT ON HIS PRAYER LINE: +1-530-881-1030 @11:00PM (EASTERN STANDARD TIME)

Pastor Supo Abayode

+1-302-230-6792

Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries

Delaware, USA

Bible In One Year-Day 178 (Friday, June 27, 2014)

Commentary: Ezra1-3. Ezra gave account of the return of Judah after 70 years of captivity as prophesied by Jeremiah. Babylon carried Judah captive. While in exile, Judah built houses and had fairly good living, even with freedom of religion. At the end of the 70 years, God empowered Prince Cyrus II of Persia to overcome Babylon and set the Jews free. The same Cyrus was named in Isaiah 45. God raised him up for the freedom of His people;

Isaiah 45:13 “I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways: he shall build my city, and he shall let go my captives, not for price nor reward, saith the LORD of hosts.”

After taking over, he gave the Jews the grace, by the issuance of a decree, to return to their land, Ezra1:2-4. The Exodus was led by Zerubbabel who was appointed by the Persian king as Governor. However, while on exile, some foreigners from Assyria and suburbs had occupied some of the land. The Jews faced some opposition for about seven months in trying to settle down and repair the altar of the Lord as ordered by Cyrus. The first attempt they made to build the altar was in fear. They, however, continued other religious activities as commanded by Moses. They were able to lay the foundation of the Temple in the second year.

The return of the Judeans was a testimony to God’s faithfulness. Whatever vision we receive from God, we can only honor Him by believing, trusting and waiting on Him. The vision is to give us strength when going weary and to build our faith. God is never late. In His plan, no one could hasten Him. His promises are as good as His covenant to him that is in Christ;

2 Corinthians 1:20 “For all the promises of God in him are yes, and in him Amen, to the glory of God by us.”

To enjoy God fully, do not depart from the old land mark. Abraham won God’s heart by believing in what He told him; honoring God by His word, i.e. not regarding Him as a liar or an unfaithful God. In the same way, we can honor God by believing in the vision he has shown you knowing that He is not a liar, but a faithful Father worthy of trust. Man can fail his promises, kings can change their mind, friends can disappoint you, but God is faithful to His word given to you either in visions or dreams. Those who had testimonies in the scriptures are those who took God at His word. Believing His Word is believing in Jesus Christ.

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 Ezra4-6. Keep the fire burning and alive.

Pastor Supo Abayode

+1-302-230-6792

Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries

Delaware, USA

Bible In One Year-Day 177 (Thursday, June 26, 2014)

Commentary: Lamentation4-5. Judah, who used to be admired and respected among nations found herself in an unfortunate condition just like a queen becoming a slave. Imagine the pre-state of Judah according to the questions in the this verse;

Lamentations 2:15 “All that pass by clap their hands at thee; they hiss and wag their head at the daughter of Jerusalem, saying, Is this the city that men call The perfection of beauty, The joy of the whole earth?”

The spirit and the valor the Israelites had while entering the Promised Land was so admirable and full of glory. But she got herself involved in another thing that changed her state to the point that she became a ridicule to the enemy and a shame to God; a queen became a slave with hard work.

Lamentations 1:3 “Judah is gone into captivity because of affliction, and because of great servitude(under affliction and hard servitude, NKJV): she dwelleth among the heathen, she findeth no rest: all her persecutors overtook her between the straits.”

Her sin and neglect of God led her into unfortunate captivity. The Bible made a statement against her which is worth considering;

Lamentations 1:9 “… she remembereth not her last end; therefore she came down wonderfully: she had no comforter. O LORD, behold my affliction: for the enemy hath magnified himself.”

Here is the NKJV interpretation of the above;

“… she did not consider her destiny; Therefore, her collapse was awesome; she had no comforter. “O Lord, behold my affliction, For the enemy is exalted””

When a man neglects or refuses to consider destiny, the first thing that happens is a broken relationship with God. The consequence of such is that the enemy is exalted because the enemy’s mission is to kill and destroy destinies.

There are two remarkably beautiful physical places in the Bible; the Garden of Eden and the nation of Judah. These two places were prepared for and occupied by the people of God. Unfortunately, sin drove these occupants out of the places and the beauties of the places faded away. A man’s life could only be beautified by the glory of God. But if the same God is neglected and ignored, His glory leaves with Him. When one forgets God the soul of such is removed far from peace and real prosperity is out rightly forgotten.

Isaiah 48:18 “O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea:”

Unfortunately, the spiritual leaders were attributed as major part of the problems of the Judeans because they prophesied lies and saw false visions;

Lamentations 2:14 “Thy prophets have seen vain and foolish things for thee: and they have not discovered thine iniquity, to turn away thy captivity; but have seen for thee false burdens and causes of banishment.”

Lamentations 4:13 “For the sins of her prophets, and the iniquities of her priests, that have shed the blood of the just in the midst of her,”

When those who are supposed to correct and/or make things right are in the acts of sins and iniquities, sanity will be lost, respect for them will not be there again and many things will go wrong.

Lamentations 4:16 “The anger of the LORD hath divided them; he will no more regard them: they respected not the persons of the priests, they favoured not the elders.”

Sugar-coated messages are now prevalent and the society is becoming decadent at an uncontrollable rate. Things and issues that seem shameful and due for rebukes are the garments of honor while the perpetrators are heroes or role models. More laws are being promulgated to give right to wrong doings. The pulpit has become the platform lead people to sin contrary to God’s law; same-sex marriage is preached on God’s pulpit in a convincing manner, satanic wisdom. Many consider their ways and not their destinies. The Lord warned the Judeans by the mouth of Jeremiah before their woes and Jeremiah remarked it in his lamentation;

Lamentations 3:40 “Let us search and try (examine) our ways, and turn again to the LORD.”

Sin rips off ones glory and removes one from the place of peace. The signboard of sin leads into captivity. Know this about our God;

Lamentations 3:33 “For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.”

This is very true. It is the work of our hand that determines the next level or state. No matter how glorious a destiny, ministry, calling or whatever you could think about is, once compromise is made to sin, the beauty is affected. The Judeans were in serious unpleasant state that they desired the old ways;

Lamentations 5:19-21 “Thou, O LORD, remainest for ever; thy throne from generation to generation.Wherefore dost thou forget us for ever, and forsake us so long time?Turn thou us unto thee, O LORD, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old.”

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 Ezra1-3. Keep the fire burning and alive.

Pastor Supo Abayode

+1-302-230-6792

Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries

Delaware, USA