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.

Bible In One Year-Day 11 (January 11, 2014)

In chapter12 Abram moved from the place of revelation after his call, Gen12:7-8. As Abram increased, Lot also increased;

Genesis 13:2&5 “And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. … And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents.”

There are family problems that grow with us as we grow also. They gather strength and dominance if they aren’t dealt with decisively. Abram was seeking for a ground that would accommodate him and Lot as many a seeking for the ground that would accommodate them and their problems. He found none; rather, he started lying to be accommodated in Egypt. Christians who still engage in worldly tricks and pranks to gain status and positions are just definitely far from the point of salvation. Since Abram moved from the place of first revelation, all other altars he build did not bring revelation. But when he came back to that first altar and called on the name of the Lord, the God of that altar moved to separate him and his problem, Lot. Gen13:9 talks about his decisive confrontation with his problem, v11 talks about how they were separated;

Psalms 18:44-45 “As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me: the strangers shall submit themselves unto me. The strangers shall fade away, and be afraid out of their close places.”

Lot was a stranger in Abram’s dream (God’s vision). When you locate what the stranger is in your God’s given vision, separation is absolutely allowed; otherwise, the stranger will choke the vision and perhaps truncate it. The manner of separation is not a partial one but as Abram suggested and acted on; back to back and in opposite directions;

Genesis 13:9 Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.

Not until the separation was effected, Abram did not see the deeper and detailed revelation (compare Gen12:7 with Gen13:14-17)

Genesis 13:14 “And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him …”

Sodom offered Lot beauty and unholy splendor; he accepted and preferred it to Abram, the called. The Sodom offered Abram material splendor, but Abram rejected it;

KJV-R (Webster) Genesis 14:21-23 “And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself. And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, That I will not take from a thread even to a shoe latchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich:”

Lot contended with Abram and in separation, he faced Sodom because of the spirit in him; you will always head and take steps towards where you face. He first perched at the border of Sodom and ended up in the township of Sodom, Gen14:12. Abram loved Lot, but Lot was not in God’s agenda for him. Abram loved Lot as a person but rejected the spirit in him. Lot never heard God, though he walked after the manner of Abram. The scripture even called him the righteous (just) man, but the spirit of Sodom influenced him to miss the fruit of righteousness;

2 Peter 2:7 “And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:”

As time went by, Lot became a judge at the gate of the land of Sodom and of course, an in-law. His ruin is written in Gen19. Everything he gathered while with Abram was carted away in Sodom. Many grew up to be Christians just because their parents, brothers, uncles or aunts were Christians. They never had any encounter with the Spirit of God. Lot grew to see the life style of his uncle, Abram; he never had the spiritual experience of Abram. To follow the law as taught in the Bible School and life styles as seen in relatives is not the same as encountering the power of God by His Spirit. The first part of Saul of Tarsus’ life was full of the knowledge of the law. The second part as Paul was of experience of GRACE. His life was re-branded and story changed totally. When you encounter Jesus, your life cannot remain the same; there shall be the re-branding of your life by His Spirit;

1 Samuel 10:6 “And the Spirit of the LORD will come upon thee, …, and shalt be turned into another man.”

You cannot be the same person, a newness of life comes in. you can’t worship God pleasingly without the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will reveal more of Jesus to you;

John 15:26 “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:”

To receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit, you must give the totality of yours to Jesus, the giver of life and to the reading of His word.

Our reading for today is Genesis 19-21. Keep the fire burning and alive.

Bible In One Year- Day 10 (January 10, 2014)

The thinking of man is absolutely too shallow compared to that of our God, Isaiah 55:8-9. Men were thinking of building a tower that would reach heaven (not minding their state of spiritual death), while God was planning and working out life for mankind. It is so pathetic that the problem of man today is that he does not know where, what and who he is. This, consequently, has engaged a great deal of men in satanic assignments, profitless ventures. The building of the tower was a satanic assignment. The intention, motive, plan and purpose were all wrong; lack of knowledge. When a man starts acquiring wealth, power and position without thinking of his true condition before the most High God (spiritual status), it is satanic assignment. In searching for a lineage to lay the foundation of salvation, God found a man of unusual faith, Abram. Abram was a man that feared the Lord so much. His life and living was admirable. You know, young ones, in most cases have role models. Lot, being a young man, found Abram as a role model. He attached himself to Abram. He followed Abram anywhere because he loved Abram. He did what he saw Abram did. We could say that he patterned himself after the righteousness of Abram (no record of him hearing God at this time). Many are so deep in doctrinal teaching that they know very little about grace and the works of the Holy Spirit. Just because Lot was living in the pattern of the life of Abram, he became wealthy like Abram to the point that the land was too small for the two of them. Lot was enjoying the grace upon Abram. His wealth got into his head; he regarded Abram as his equal. Abram asked him to make the first choice, he did. That was an evidence of waywardness. He could have said “sir, I’m sorry for whatever my herdsmen might have done to yours, I can’t go from you …”; Lot lost respect for the uncle who brought him up. But he looked into the eyes of his mentor and insulted him. Mr. Lot separated himself from the contact of his wealth. Unfortunately, from that moment of taking the wrong step, decision and action, his life went down until it withered in the valley of destruction. What did Jesus say in John 15:4-11? You need to be reconnected to Jesus if you have deviated or backslided. Jesus is the reason for our living. There is no life outside of Him. We shall talk more about Lot tomorrow. Pray like this “I plug my life back into the socket of divine flow, in the name of Jesus” The scripture reading for today is Genesis 16-18. Keep the fire burning and alive.