Bible In One Year-Day 189 (Tuesday, July 08, 2014)

Commentary: Zech1-4. Prophets Zechariah and Haggai were contemporaries in the first return of the Jews. Zechariah’s message from that Lord to the Jews was full of God’s promises to restore them after the rebuilding of the walls and the gates. The Lord’s restoration centered on spiritual and agricultural abundance; they were going to have a renewed experience of God’s presence. This was necessary because they lived a filthy life while in exile. But their liberty was a form of deliverance, mercy and cleansing. Satan came to accuse Joshua the high priest of his past but God stood as an Attorney to defend him, Zech3:1-5.

Salvation came through Jesus.

Acts 4:12 “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

Jesus came to redeem us from the curse of the law and by His blood we are cleansed.

Zechariah was wearing a filthy garment without knowing. There are two types of spiritual garments; that of salvation and that of righteousness.

Isaiah 61:10 “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.”

Your conversion earns you salvation, but you need to grow in grace by the Spirit of Christ to be clothed in His righteousness. The Ten virgins were Christians who experienced salvation together, i.e. they had the garments of salvation. But those with oil (a symbol of the Holy Spirit) were recognized as having the garment of righteousness because they paid some price to store up treasure for sustaining the light which they received at the time of their salvation and therefore qualified to enter the kingdom. At the time of giving your life to Christ, your spirit, which is the candle of man (Prov20:27) receives light from the Spirit of God.

Psalms 18:28 “For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.”

However, there is a price you must pay to sustain the glowing of the light otherwise the lamp will gradually be going out, just as it was in the time of Eli and Samuel (1Sam3:1-4). Eli did not know because his eyes were going so dim. If you pay more attention to the intensity of the light in you, you will know that the lamp needs refilling. The careless person will not pay attention to that, not to talk of having any reserve. To store up oil, you need to pay for it. To sustain the light you receive at salvation you need some spiritual sacrifices to make which are the prices you pay; praying, fasting, studying the word of God and walking in the spirit. These are what the Holy Spirit use to grow you into Christ likeness which qualifies you for the robe of righteousness. Garment of Salvation is a gift but you will have to work for that of righteousness as a reward; gift is different from reward. According to Matthew6:33, you must seek for ‘righteousness’

The presence of the Holy Spirit is the presence of heavenly nature, i.e. the righteousness of God. You need to maintain the relationship with Him, but to do that, there is a price to pay. To have Him, let your heart be opened to Him and the word of God to continually illuminate it. That is the only way to enjoy the fullness of Christ’s salvation.

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 Zechariah5-8. 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 188 (Monday, July 07, 2014)

Commentary: Haggai1-2. Haggai was a prophet amongst the first set of the Jews that returned from exile under the leadership of Zerubbabel;

Ezra 5:1 “Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, even unto them.”

He was a motivator and an encourager in God. When the Jews faced serious oppositions in building the walls and the gates, they were frustrated and they gave up building the project. They faced their personal affairs and abandoned the Lord’s temple. They were living in nice buildings while the temple was in ruins;

Haggai 1:4-5 “Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste?Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.”

God further made them realize that the measure of their works was higher than the measure of their gain just because they neglected the most important thing. This neglect resulted into closed heaven and unyielding land;

Haggai 1:9-10 “Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the LORD of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house.Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit.”

Haggai was raised by God to preach wake-up sermons in four stages; renewed vision, holiness of life, courage and faith in God. He rounded up with the Lord’s mind to endorse Zerubbabel as a symbol of authority to the people;

Haggai 2:23 “In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the LORD, and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee, saith the LORD of hosts.”

God’s project in our dispensation is care for the needy and the poor, Matt25:31-46; this is Jesus’ standard. Amassing wealth without taking care of the needy is not Jesus’ standard. Your substance is to be used to honor Him by giving out. The ruler thought that he measured up to standard by obeying the law, but when Jesus told him the pre-requisite for perfection before God, he was sorrowful.

Mark 10:21 “Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said to him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.”

Jesus loved him and because of the love for him, Jesus had to correct him so that he wouldn’t have followed the law in vain. The man’s wealth had taking over his soul and if he had to follow Jesus, the wealth must be disposed first. No one follows Jesus with material things as the major thing in the heart. Making money to lay treasure for the future is a pitiful phenomenon. Christians should not do that. Christians should be generous in their giving and sharing to the glory of God. It is scriptural to honor God with our substance;

Proverbs 3:9-10 “Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.”

Those who don’t give their tithes, offerings and firstfruits are only dishonoring God and, of course, reducing themselves. The scripture says by doing this, i.e. giving, your barns shall be filled with plenty beyond your bargain. If you desire the treasure in heaven, your heart will not be stuck to the treasure on earth which cannot stand the test of time. Be a giver! The Jews had beautiful houses to live in but there was not peace or satisfaction in them just because they abandoned God’s project for their personal business. Consider God first, beloved, and He will consider you first; though His love is unfailing.

Ephesians 5:1-2 “Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.”

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 Zechariah1-4. 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 187 (Sunday, July 6, 2014)

Commentary: Esther7-10. The defeat of Haman started in chapter6 as we discussed in the last commentary. But to properly understand and enjoy this battle between Haman and the Jews, we need to dig a little bit into history. We need to check their various ancestries.

When Balaam was hired by Balak to curse Israel, after much efforts, he realized that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not go as he used to go about it to curse, rather he approached God in another form and the Spirit of God rested on him and a prophecy came out of his mouth;

Numbers 24:5-7 “How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel!As the valleys are they spread forth, as gardens by the river’s side, as the trees of lign aloes which the LORD hath planted, and as cedar trees beside the waters.He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted.”

This prophecy was of the battle that was to be between Jacob and Agag in the future. One of the descendants of Jacob was Benjamin.

Kish was also a descendant of Benjamin. Here is also what we have to know about Saul;

1 Samuel 9:1 “Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power.And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice young man, and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people.”

But King Saul went into war with the Amalekites and captured King Agag alive, 1Sam15. The battle was instigated by the Lord as Samuel told Saul earlier that God wanted him to do it to punish the Amalekites. Unfortunately, Saul spared King Agag even after killing other Amalekites. Agag was actually the strong man of the Amalekites that was supposed to be destroyed first. He spared the good things also and this angered that Lord to the point that He told Samuel that He regretted ever choosing Saul as king over Israel. That which Saul spared grew and multiplied to become the problem of Mordecai, Esther and the Jews.

Mordecai and Esther were Benjamites;

Esther 2:5 Now in Shushan the palace there was a certain Jew, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite;

The father of Kish was a descendant of King Jehoiachin who was exiled in Babylon, 2Kings24:6-16. Kish could probably be the ancestor of both Saul and Mordecai. Nonetheless, most importantly, all of them were Benjamites.

Haman was an Agagite;

Esther 3:1 “After these things did king Ahasuerus promote Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him.”

Haman became a seed of revenge against the Jews due to the battle between their ancestors. This is what we call generational battle.

In essence, there was a prophecy in Jacob, fulfilled by Saul, a Benjamite and the revenge invoked in Mordecai. But then, God being a faithful God, His word still prevailed. He said in Num24:7 “… and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted.” The word of God shall always prevail. Ancestral battle is real and to overcome it, you need go into spiritual warfare against the strong man behind it. If Saul had totally carried out what God committed into his hand, Mordecai and the Jews wouldn’t have had such problems. Esther was not a manipulator but a prayer warrior who believed in spiritual warfare. Haman fell and his advisers said Esther 6:13 “… Then said his wise men and Zeresh his wife unto him, If Mordecai be of the seed of the Jews, before whom thou hast begun to fall, thou shalt not prevail against him, but shalt surely fall before him.”

The fall of Haman was because a law was established in prophecy that the lineage of Agag would never prevail over the lineage of Israel. However, it does not leave prayer and fasting out of the way. God gives prophecies but prayer and fasting makes it real, i.e. makes it come to be fulfilled. Mordecai, Esther and the other Jews faced what is known as Ancient Battle. Jesus is our deliverer and has given the prophecy that need to be enforced through prayer and fasting with a pure heart;

John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

If the prophecy of Balaam came to pass then we shouldn’t doubt Jesus’ word; He gave the word to Balaam by His Spirit. He is faithful. If you have the faith in Jesus, let it be the foundation of your prayer and fasting. This is what makes our prayers to be effectual and fervent, i.e. faith in His words. Resting and trusting in the word of God will strengthen you against every ancient spiritual Agag troubling your life. Psalm119 is an awesome chapter to read to understand the power in the word of God.

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 Haggai1-2. 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 186 (Saturday, July 5, 2014)

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 (Friday, July 04, 2014)

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