Bible In One Year-Day 184 (Thursday, July 3, 2014)

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.

Bible In One Year-Day 183 (Wednesday, July 02, 2014)

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 biblically “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.

Bible In One Year-Day 182 (Tuesday, July 01, 2014)

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 in 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. Nehemiah was an anointed leader because he moved according to God’s instructions.

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

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