Bible In One Year-Day 186 (Friday, July 5, 2013)

Commentary: Esther4-6. Haman got promoted above all the princes that were with King Ahasuerus. He was a symbol of destruction, pride, hatred, indignation, racism and retaliation.

Esther 3:5 “And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath.”

In his indignation against Mordecai, he persuaded the king to issue a decree to back up his intention to exterminate the Jews.

Esther 3:13 “And the letters were sent by posts into all the king’s provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to take the spoil of them for a prey.”

When Mordecai heard this, he was so embittered that he never minded violating the King’s law, Esther4:1-2. The Jews all around the provinces went into fasting and prayers.

Esther 4:3 “And in every province, whithersoever the king’s commandment and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.”

When Esther heard what Mordecai did, she tried to persuade Mordecai out of it but he wouldn’t. Mordecai made Esther to know that it was time for her to make her relevance known as her people were in trouble. And if Esther was not ready to do something, she was not safe either, and that the Jews would still get a redeemer but without the father’s house.

Esther 4:13 “Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king’s house, more than all the Jews”.

This hot conversation between Esther and Mordecai resulted in Esther taking the risk of entering where she shouldn’t but the Jews must support with prayer and fasting. This is one great attribute about a virtuous woman.

Proverbs 31:27 “She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.”

She went in the power of the Spirit of God and the king was arrested in her favor.

Esther 5:2 “And it was so, when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, that she obtained favour in his sight: and the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre that was in his hand. So Esther drew near, and touched the top of the sceptre.”

Though she found favor and grace before the king, yet, Esther still hung unto wisdom which was another virtue in a virtuous woman. There are some problems in our lives that would require prayer and fasting just as Jesus says;

Mark 9:29 “And he said to them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.”

Prayer and fasting worked beyond the imaginations of the Jews; it turned the table around in favor of the Jews. After Mordecai had finished his prayer and fasting, he resumed his work at the gate. There Haman saw him again and he sought for counsel from his wife and close friends on what to do to terminate Mordecai. They came out with a deadly means of bringing open shame unto Mordecai. This shows how deep the hatred he had for Mordecai. He went to meet the king to ask for permission to carry out his plan on Mordecai. Unfortunately for Haman and fortunately for the Jews, the good God Mordecai’s ancestors served and had covenant with did not disappoint him in the time of need; He had withdrawn sleep from the king over night and spoken to him concerning Mordecai through the Book of history; the Book of Remembrance. Haman walked in at the time the king was deliberating on what to do to Mordecai. Haman who loved to be recognized publicly and honored as a king was asked by the king to advise him. Haman thought the king wanted to give him another promotion because Esther had earlier invited him and king to the queen’s banquet. He gave a wonderful advice that befits a king. He was disappointed when he was told to do as he had said to his enemy, Mordecai. The king further instructed him not to leave anything undone of what he had suggested;

Esther 6:10 “Then the king said to Haman, Make haste, and take the apparel and the horse, as thou hast said, and do even so to Mordecai the Jew, that sitteth at the king’s gate: let nothing fail of all that thou hast spoken.”

For the first time, Haman’s advisers and his wife acknowledged the covenant of God in the Jews. It is quite unimaginable for Haman to decorate his own enemy as he (Haman) wanted himself decorated; the king did not say he should send somebody but for him to do it himself. There is power in prayer and fasting. Note that they go together. If you fast without prayer, you are only dieting.  They must go together; this is the Bible way of fasting and prayer. However, it is faith that releases the power in it. Mordecai and Esther left the rest to God after prayer and fasting and God showed His faithfulness.

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 Esther7-10. 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 185 (Thursday, July 04, 2013)

Commentary: Esther1-3. The book of Esther was of an era after the first return of the Jews to Jerusalem from Babylon under the leadership of Zerubbabel. The story in it was a demonstration of God’s faithfulness to His people. There is nowhere in the book where “GOD” is mentioned, but His acts was clearly seen. He defended His interest in the lives of His people.

King Ahasuerus was a powerful but cruel king that ruled over about 127 provinces from India to Ethiopia (Cush). He loved pleasures so much that he decided to make his wife a signboard of pride and arrogance. Truly, he had a beautiful woman as a wife, Queen Vashti.

Esther 1:11 “To bring Vashti the queen before the king with the crown royal, to shew the people and the princes her beauty: for she was fair to look on.”

Unfortunately, the beauty disappointed him the day he needed it most. Through the counsel of his wise men, he sought for a replacement of the beauty he used to boast of.

Esther 2:2 “Then said the king’s servants that ministered unto him, Let there be fair young virgins sought for the king:”

In his search, Esther was found. Though she tried to hide her identity, something could not hide her. That same thing arrested the palace workers and the king himself.

Esther 2:17 “And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti.”

The beauty of Esther was not on the outside, it was in her. The king was looking for beauty, but he found virtue in Esther. He had never seen that before. There are many women but few wives. There are many wives but much fewer women of virtue. Women of virtue don’t carry their beauty on the outside or the face; it rests inside and not until you draw closer you can’t see it. Beautiful women could become wives easily but not necessarily virtuous women. Virtuous woman carries something outside of the natural. You could differentiate between these things by giving correction; the one with virtue will appreciate and increase but for the person of beauty, correction will only reveal the vanity under the beauty;

Psalms 39:11 “When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity, thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth: surely every man is vanity. Selah.”

Beauty is quite deceptive while virtue is full of grace. Virtue is the beauty of the Lord within man. The scripture warns us about how we relate with beauty;

Proverbs 6:24-26 “To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman. Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids. For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life.”

When you put a crown (value) on the beauty, you might be decorating pride and future disappointment just as King Ahasuerus experienced. However, a crown on the head of a virtuous woman is praise to humanity and the husband cannot stop praising her, Proverbs31:10-31. Queen Vashti was beautiful but lacked royal manners and was ready to dishonor and disgrace the husband before his subjects. Beauty only feeds the physical eyes resulting into lust, but virtue meets needs and positively adds to life. Beauty fades away but virtue is a spiritual splendor that lasts a life time. You could find beauty only in the Old Testament, it has been replaced with VIRTUE in the New Testament. Virtue is the appealing power of the Holy Spirit; it heals, delivers and restores joy. Beauty goes with happiness which has expiry date and it’s on the outside, while virtue goes with joy and it is from the inside. The fullness of the Holy Spirit is the fullness of virtue, i.e. having divine nature in us, 2Pet1:4. Beauty stirs up enticement but joy stirs up real love. You can’t maintain a marriage or have a good home with beauty but virtue is the backbone of a joyous home because it is under the supervision of the Holy Spirit. Virtue is acquired through submission to teachings and trainings. So, you need a teachable spirit to acquire virtue. Natural food is what beauty needs to stay beautiful and it is for a while for it will age out, but spiritual food is what builds virtue and it grows into an outstanding grace; i.e. gets more adoring as it ages. The meaning of Esther is “Star”. By virtue, she acquired that name because she was loved by many.

Esther had that virtue and this made the king forget other beauties. She got it because she learnt from her senior cousin; she submitted to training. Even while she became the new queen, she still held unto home training;

Esther 2:20 “Now Esther had not revealed her family and her people, just as Mordecai had charged her, for Esther obeyed the command of Mordecai as when she was brought up by him.” (NKJV)

VIRTUE IS THE CROWN (VALUE) OF A VIRTUOUS WIFE, Proverbs31:10-31(please take time to read).

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 Esther4-6. Keep the fire burning and alive.

Proverbs 31:30 “Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.”

Matthew 23:27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.”

Pastor Supo Abayode

+1-302-230-6792

Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries

Delaware, USA

Bible In One Year-Day 184 (Wednesday, July 3, 2013)

Commentary: Nehemiah10-13. Nehemiah’s headache was that his people allied with the Jew’s arch enemies; Sanballat and Tobiah. After consecrating the walls and the gates, he went back to King Artaxerxes;

Nehemiah 13:6 “But in all this time was not I at Jerusalem: for in the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon came I unto the king, and after certain days obtained I leave of the king:”

Unfortunately, many things went wrong while he was away. Tobiah, who first confronted Nehemiah on the project, had found his way into the house of the Lord, Neh13:4-5.

Nehemiah 13:7 “And I came to Jerusalem, and understood of the evil that Eliashib did for Tobiah, in preparing him a chamber in the courts of the house of God.”

Sanballat, also had become an in-law to the high priest;

Nehemiah 13:28 “And one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was son in law to Sanballat the Horonite: therefore I chased him from me.”

The decay on ground really grieved Nehemiah’s heart. The priest was a major culprit in the atrocities committed by the people of Judah; unholy inter-marriages and they stopped bringing in tithes and firstfruit offerings into the house of the Lord. The Moabites and the Ammonites were allowed to bring anything into the house of the Lord. Nehemiah had to correct all the wrongs he met on ground.

When there is compromise in the house of the Lord, the enemy will eventually take over. The little time Eve gave to Satan made her household lose the glorious garden and total corruption came into their lives.

Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”

Satan is not seeking for a big space to sit in the first place; he only needs very small space and he will tell you he is contented with that. He is not working towards instant fall of any man but a gradual one.

Song of Solomon 2:15 “Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.”

Little indulgences are the problems of average Christians. We need to learn from Nehemiah. In his time, he made sure that the least gate was securely manned. He never took anything for granted. He was quick to repair misplaced things that has to do with God and correct any misappropriated things. He was swift to reformation and was a good breach repairer. Nehemiah was a leader to the core; a loyalist. He was very strict and thorough with the word of God. Once he identifies an enemy in the courtyard of God, he never gave a second thought before throwing the enemy out of the way;

Nehemiah 13:8 “And it grieved me sore: therefore I cast forth all the household stuff of Tobiah out of the chamber.”

Not a remnant of Tobiah’s property was left in the house of God. This is how we should treat the enemy of God in our lives and the lives of brethren. We should not fight the people but the evil spirit that has crawled into the house of God (or the Temple of the Holy Spirit). Nehemiah refused the sellers to hang around the walls. He gave them serious warning that any violation of his instructions would warrant serious justice;

Nehemiah 13:20-21 “So the merchants and sellers of all kind of ware lodged without Jerusalem once or twice. Then I testified against them, and said unto them, Why lodge ye about the wall? if ye do so again, I will lay hands on you. From that time forth came they no more on the sabbath.”

This is how to treat the enemies of our souls; the satanic traders. This was the action Jesus took against the traders at the Synagogue. Unfriendly friends should go, immorality should not be condoned around us, and any seductive spirit should be dealt with decisively. Jesus warned us concerning our ministries;

Matthew 10:16 “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.”

The situation Nehemiah met was so bad that the children were no more speaking Judean language, rather, they were communicating in the language of the strangers;

Nehemiah 13:23-24 “In those days also saw I Jews that had married wives of Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab: And their children spake half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak in the Jews’ language, but according to the language of each people.”

This is the vogue nowadays; the language of the world is the language in the household of God. A lot of behavioral decay is all over the places. Parents have lost control of children and teachers have become Facebook ridicule. Pastors’ children are calling the police on their parents and Bishops are being arrested most of the time. The horrible trend now is that parents are afraid of their children; the future is hunted by the spirit of self destruction.

The spirit of Nehemiah must be invoked to bring about reformation. We need to go back to our knees to pray, just as Nehemiah did.

Nehemiah 13:29-30 “Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood, and the covenant of the priesthood, and of the Levites. Thus cleansed I them from all strangers, and appointed the wards (duties to) of the priests and the Levites, every one in his business(services);”

Duties must be appropriately assigned without fear or favor.

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 Esther1-3. 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 183 (Tuesday, July 02, 2013)

Commentary: Nehemiah7-9. Nehemiah completed the building of the walls and the gates and appointed officials. He went further to hand over the completed work to faithful workers.

Nehemiah 7:2 “That I gave my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the ruler of the palace, charge over Jerusalem: for he was a faithful man, and feared God above many.”

Nehemiah did not choose his brother, Hanani, the charge because of blood relationship but because he possessed two leadership characteristics on his part and towards God. The fear of God in him was rated as “above many” and this is the most important as Jesus said in Luke16:10-12.

To chose leaders and workers in God’s project, we must consider the fear of God in such person and not closeness to us or otherwise. Godfather(ism) is taking over ministries nowadays. We scarcely seek God’s face before we chose priests and other leaders. We go by smiles on the faces and frequent appearances. Moses asked God whom He wanted to succeed him despite the fact that Joshua was very close and loyal to him.

2 Timothy 2:2 “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.”

Jesus prayed before choosing His disciples even Judas Iscariot. I used to think that Jesus made a mistake for choosing Judas until I came across this verses;

John 6:64 “But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.”

John 13:18 “I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me.”

The choice of Judas Iscariot was to fulfill the scripture. Therefore, it was in order.

When we commit the work of God into the hand of biblical “faithful men” the pulpit cannot be void of fire and mushroom pulpits would be wiped off. One of the first pulpits was Ezra’s (Neh8:4) and the fire that came out of it pierced the hearts of men and they began to weep;

Nehemiah 8:8-9 “So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading. And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the LORD your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law.”

The word read was not to please men or make them comfortable but to transform and reform them which were evident in their countenance;

Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

The pulpit is about two things; the Priest and the Spirit (John6:63). If the priest is right, the message will carry the transforming messages because he wouldn’t speak of himself but what the Spirit says. Neh9:30 talks about God’s Spirit in His prophets; this is what speaks through their mouth. The Spirit makes the priest right and qualified to speak His word. God’s word is more central in the life of God’s people and the paramount demand is obedience. Unfortunately, people are encouraged to sacrifice more to obeying the word of God. Anyone who wants to succeed must take God’s word more important than any other thing. Through God’s word, you could quickly realize if you are going astray; this is the essence of edifying one another. There is wisdom, joy, perfection and light in it.

Psalms 119:9 BETH. “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.”

Psalms 119:11 “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” 

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 Nehemiah10-13. 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 182 (Monday, July 01, 2013)

Commentary: Nehemiah4-6. Nehemiah faced two difficulties whilst rebuilding the walls and the gates of Jerusalem; oppositions from outside of the camp and that within the camp. With these difficulties, Nehemiah never lost focus. He recognized detractors and identified problems. He handled each difficulty tactically and prayerfully.

His adversaries became more aggressive towards the end of completing the work;

Nehemiah 4:7 “But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth,”

We need to know that the ears of the enemies are always on ground wanting to hear everything about you. They carry negative insinuations about you and your work; they are just distracters. Your failure is their wine of joy, but your success is their sorrow. This should be our understanding of spiritual warfare;

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;”

The internal problem was making the heart of the laborers to fail gradually with a lot of confusion on ground;

Nehemiah 4:10 “And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall.”

The enemies always look for ways of starting internal confusion to pave way for external invasion;

Nehemiah 4:11 “And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come in the midst among them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease.”

For the external adversaries of Nehemiah to have their way, they hired Shemaiah the son of Delaiah as a secret informant. This informant tried to deceive Nehemiah into the hand of the enemy through false prophecy (Neh6:10-13);

Nehemiah 6:13 “Therefore was he hired, that I should be afraid, and do so, and sin, and that they might have matter for an evil report, that they might reproach me.”

Nehemiah displayed the attribute of a great leader; he refused to run from danger. Another great attribute was that Nehemiah was able to encourage his subjects and they built with great determination, Neh4:6. This is the power of leadership.

Both difficulties which Nehemiah faced were tackled spiritually before taking actions physically. Without any contradiction, prayer works. However, we should not limit everything to prayer, we need the spirit and skill of leadership to run God’s project. That Spirit was in Joseph as remarked by Pharaoh. It was in Moses, Joshua, Jehoshaphat and other great leaders in the Bible. Nehemiah was a good example of a great leader who successfully managed the people, conflicts, financial crisis, and problems with spiritual warfare. He would have been led into life regret and reproach but he refused to, because he remained focused;

Nehemiah 4:16-18 “And it came to pass from that time forth, that the half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the habergeons; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah. They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon. For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me.”

DON’T FORGET THE TRUMPET. Nehemiah’s military and civil administration was superb. It is good for us to be focused when running God’s project. For 12 years he took his eyes away from self satisfaction but faced what he was doing. He got no allowance for those years, Neh5:14. By this, he had the integrity to solve the internal problems.

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 Nehemiah7-9. Keep the fire burning and alive.

Pastor Supo Abayode

+1-302-230-6792

Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries

Delaware, USA