Bible In One Year-Day 174 (Monday, June 23, 2014)

Commentary: 2Chronicles31-33. Hezekiah was a man who had the zeal of the Lord just like his ancestor, David. He loved the Lord and the things of God. Hezekiah, as we read, was the first king who delighted in taking care of the priests and the Levites because he wanted them to do the work of God with the totality of the heart. He campaigned for their support;

2 Chronicles 31:4 “Moreover he commanded the people that dwelt in Jerusalem to give the portion of the priests and the Levites, that they might be encouraged in the law of the LORD.And as soon as the commandment came abroad, the children of Israel brought in abundance the firstfruits of corn, wine, and oil, and honey, and of all the increase of the field; and the tithe of all things brought they in abundantly.”

Hezekiah made his people to be engaged in what is called deeds of faithfulness. Since God gave it as a commandment to bring their firstfruits, Hezekiah was the first king that enforced it on God’s people and the result was wonderful;

2 Chronicles 31:10 “And Azariah the chief priest of the house of Zadok answered him, and said, Since the people began to bring the offerings into the house of the LORD, we have had enough to eat, and have left plenty: for the LORD hath blessed his people; and that which is left is this great store.”

God’s overflowing blessing is the first thing to point at in faithful tithing and firstfruits offerings. A firstfruits has been a controversial theme in Christendom. In clarifying this aspect, we need to first know that it was a commandment by God to the Israelites before they ever entered the Promised Land.

Exodus 23:16 “And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.”

Secondly, it is a faithful deed or a deed of faith. It shows how faithful you are to God, i.e. you are reliable, and God can trust you with His blessing. Whatever He gives you, you can easily do away with it to bless others. It is a sign of your giving attitude or involvement in charity, i.e. nothing can come between you and God. As a matter of fact, faith is the only thing you could use to honor God and faith is the only thing God honors in you;

Proverbs 3:9 “Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:”

Therefore, thirdly, it is an act of honoring God through faith. When you don’t give it, it means you are walking by sight, in the flesh and not by faith; you have idolized you money or produce. Also, it shows the position of God in your heart.

The forth thing about first-fruit is that it has no measure attached to it, i.e. it is invaluable. Rather, it is something you cherish most, the first harvest which you would have eaten or love to taste. For instance, if you have 10acres of farm, your first-fruit is not an acre; rather, it is what you would have taken as your first taste at a sitting. I searched the scripture and found nowhere “a tenth” is attached to first-fruit or the totality of your harvest in terms of first-fruits. Only the tithe did the scripture indirectly attach a measure of a tenth. First-fruit, in essence, is to tell God that you gave Him the honor to have the first taste of your harvest, i.e. God first. It is the honor attached to it that matters. Therefore, in the beginning of every year, you need to give, qualitatively, to God without considering whatever the need on ground; this honors God as the first partaker of what you harvested. When you give the first fruit, the fullness of God’s blessing will be released upon the rest. Which means one could have a full harvest without God’s blessing on it; such harvest carries sorrow. But when God’s blessing is added, it will remove sorrow from it. And a little harvest with God’s blessing cannot be rivaled by a great harvest without God’s blessing.

Proverbs 10:22 “The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.”

Not until Hannah returned Samuel to God, God’s purpose was not released on him. This is the mystery of giving. As for tithe, it is the tenth of what you worked for after tax and not after settling the debts you owe. These two deeds of faith should be done with all the heart just as Hezekiah did;

2 Chronicles 31:21 “And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered.”

The first-fruit, fifthly, makes the whole harvest holy, i.e. it sanctifies every other harvest afterwards.

Romans 11:16 “For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.”

The writing on the theme “Tithes and First-fruits” is beyond the scope of this medium. However, I need to let you know that this is based on what is seen in the light of the scripture. Your Pastor might have his or her own interpretation about it. In whichever way, make sure it is done in the faithfulness and integrity of the heart.

Through Adam, law of sin and death took mankind captive, but through Christ there is deliverance and resurrection into life. Christ is the first-fruit in resurrection, but at His coming those who are His will be harvested. Christ being the first-fruit, made us to be holy as a lump unto the Lord. Therefore, our holiness and righteousness are not our doing but what Christ did for us; a perfected work.

1 Corinthians 15:23 “But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.”

This is why holiness is absolutely important in a Christian’s life.

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 2Chronicles34-36. Keep the fire burning and alive.

Leviticus 23:10 “Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest:”

James 1:18 “Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.”

Pastor Supo Abayode

+1-302-230-6792

Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries

Delaware, USA

Bible In One Year-Day 173 (Sunday, June 22, 2014)

Commentary: 2Chronicles28-30. Hezekiah became king after His father, Ahaz, died. He did what was right in the sight of the Lord. He repaired the abandoned altar and temple of the Lord and evangelized all cities for repentance and returning to the Lord. It seemed Hezekiah knew how to use letters to reach out. He loved the Lord with the whole of his heart and supervised sanctification of the priests and Levites before carrying out their duty as commanded by God through Moses. This is because he knew God is Holy and must be approached in holiness of heart and appearance. The closeness of Hezekiah to God made him not to tarry too long before the Lord in receiving answers to his requests;

2 Chronicles 30:20 And the LORD hearkened to Hezekiah, and healed the people.

He was a good intercessor who carried other peoples’ burdens to the Lord. In his reign and due to the work he did, the joy that was never experienced since the reign of Solomon, was experienced;

2 Chronicles 30:26-27 “So there was great joy in Jerusalem: for since the time of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there was not the like in Jerusalem.Then the priests the Levites arose and blessed the people: and their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to his holy dwelling place, even unto heaven.”

When we return to the Lord with a repentant heart, His love changes us and we are able to appreciate Him better. His love makes all things new and old things becomes testimonies. There is always this unusual joy and peace within that cannot be explained.

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

Perhaps you have been told or taught about what it looks like to experience God’s love, this is not enough as for you to really experience Him. To experience Him, we need to repair the damage temple and altar just as Hezekiah did.

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 2Chronicles31-33. Keep the fire burning and alive.

Bible In One Year-Day 172 (Saturday, June 21, 2014)

Commentary: 2Chronicles25-27. Amaziah became king after his father, Joash, was assassinated. The first job he did on resuming duty was to take revenge on those who killed his father. His life followed the trend of his ancestors; started well with the Lord but ended without Him. He went to war and brought the gods of his enemies that couldn’t rescue the enemy and he was worshipping it. I couldn’t imagine such bewitchment. But the truth is that there was an evil power in his father’s house that caused him to do that. God, in his infinite mercy still sent a prophet to warn him, but he scolded the prophet.;

2 Chronicles 25:14-15 “Now it came to pass, after that Amaziah was come from the slaughter of the Edomites, that he brought the gods of the children of Seir, and set them up to be his gods, and bowed down himself before them, and burned incense unto them. Wherefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against Amaziah, and he sent unto him a prophet, which said unto him, Why hast thou sought after the gods of the people, which could not deliver their own people out of thine hand?”

Amaziah forsook the Lord that helped him in the first part of his reign and he lost his fame, the loyalty and confidence of his subjects and, of course, life;

2 Chronicles 25:27 “Now after the time that Amaziah did turn away from following the LORD they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem; and he fled to Lachish: but they sent to Lachish after him, and slew him there.”

This was the trend in the life of his son, Uzziah, who died of leprosy because his heart was lifted against the Lord after God exalted him.

Many follow this manner of behavior; their hearts become lifted up after elevation. Such was the heart of Lucifer. Many lose focus on God after promotion. Uzziah prospered exceedingly in the Lord to the point that people brought tributes to him;

2 Chronicles 26:8 “And the Ammonites gave gifts to Uzziah: and his name spread abroad even to the entering in of Egypt; for he strengthened himself exceedingly.”

Unfortunately, his end was not a testimony but a shame and ridicule.

Beloved, we need to learn from these kings and humble ourselves the higher we go. The devil is also a patient foe; he holds back for some times and watch for our hearts. We could realize that these kings overcame the devil in the first parts of their reign because they loved God and held unto His instructions. But on attaining the height of divine elevation, their hearts were harvested by the devil. One of the greatest weapons in the hand of Satan is promotion. If he sees that you pray hard and couldn’t stop you, he could be very patient with you to attain that exalted seat before striking. He played the prank on Jesus but he failed;

Matthew 4:8-11 “Again, the demon taketh him up upon an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them,And saith to him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.Then saith Jesus to him, Be gone, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.Then the demon leaveth him, and behold, angels came and ministered to him.”

Your achievement in life should not be your focus; your focus, rather, should be God’s final marking. The best way to know if Satan is already working is when pride takes over. Without any contradiction, pride is the fire that lights the candle of anger; too big to be insulted, disregarded, called names or to talk about. In most cases, you see people who love to introduce themselves; this is pride. When you feel too big to be offended then pride has taken over. Pride is self-decoration and it so does it that it looks very beautiful to the carrier; he or she is always right and always on the defensive side. Such corrects others but never wanted to be corrected; this is pride. The devil’s mission is for people to rise so high that the fall would be so resounding. Dear readers of the scripture, the more you realize God’s grace in your life the more you have to pray for humbleness of heart. You need to cry to God to renew your corrupted soul. This was David’s cry.

Psalms 51:10 “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” He wanted God’s help because he knew he had a corrupted soul. The Psalmist further declared to the Lord;

Psalms 139:23-24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

Let us learn to guide our hearts more when we start receiving the result of our hearts desires.

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 2Chronicles28-30. 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 171 (Friday, June 20, 2014)

Commentary: 2Chronicles22-24. Jehoshaphat was a good king. He made another blunder towards the end of his reign; he allied with the king of Israel because he was his in law. God destroyed the ally but spared his life, 2Chron20:35-37. His son, Jehoram (who died of intestinal cancer) and grandson, Ahaziah, were kings after him but lived horrible lives because of the influence of their in-law’s house;

2 Chronicles 22:3-4 “He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab: for his mother was his counselor to do wickedly. Wherefore he did evil in the sight of the LORD like the house of Ahab: for they were his counselors after the death of his father to his destruction.”

Jehu was anointed to wipe off the house of Ahab for his atrocities. The time Jehu was supposed to carry out the assignment was when Ahaziah, Jehoshaphat’s grandson, travelled to Joram. Little did he know that death was prepared for him there in Joram. Ahaziah had no body to succeed him because after he was killed, the mother, Athaliah, killed all other royal heirs of the house of Judah except Joash who was stolen away by Jehoshabeath. Athaliah was Jezebel’s daughter; exercising evil influence on men in power was something she inherited from her mother. Athaliah reigned in Judah for six years even though she was not eligible to do that but had her way because of the spirit of Jezebel, her mother, which was in her. Such spirit forcefully acquired what belongs to another.

Jehoiada the priest and the husband of the woman who hid Joash in the house of the Lord, raised a priestly coup against Athaliah and entered into political agreement with the elders and military generals of Judah that the king’s son must be the one to reign. This was to overturn Athaliah’s reign. Joahs was hidden in the house of the Lord and military men were made to run shift protecting him;

2 Chronicles 23:8 “So the Levites and all Judah did according to all things that Jehoiada the priest had commanded, and took every man his men that were to come in on the sabbath, with them that were to go out on the sabbath: for Jehoiada the priest dismissed not the courses.”

Joash was made king under heavenly security;

2 Chronicles 23:11 “Then they brought out the king’s son, and put upon him the crown, and gave him the testimony, and made him king. And Jehoiada and his sons anointed him, and said, God save the king.”

Jehoiada and his wife, Jehoshabeath, were very kind to Joash. He grew up to regard them as his parents and that is why the Bible recorded that he did what was right in the sight of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada (2Chron24:2); this means that they gave him good training in the way of the Lord. Jehoiada used the grace God had given him to make Israel enjoy God;

2 Chronicles 24:15-16 “But Jehoiada waxed old, and was full of days when he died; an hundred and thirty years old was he when he died.And they buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, both toward God, and toward his house.”

What he did made Israel to bury him among the kings, even though he was not one. Unfortunately, Joash and his grandfather Jehoram never enjoyed this grace. Joashed died the death of vengeance because he killed the son of the man who brought him up;

2 Chronicles 24:22 “Thus Joash the king remembered not the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but slew his son. And when he died, he said, The LORD look upon it, and require it.”

The curse of this dying man came to pass;

2 Chronicles 24:25 “And when they were departed from him, (for they left him in great diseases,) his own servants conspired against him for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and slew him on his bed, and he died: and they buried him in the city of David, but they buried him not in the sepulchres of the kings.”

Many are under the curse of one dying man or the order. The “dying” might be termed as laboring under undeserved oppression. Ancestors might be guilty of this, only Jesus can safe and deliver one from this curse. The blood of Abel cried and so many bloods are still crying today. The cry of innocent blood in the hand of David, as we discussed earlier, could not make him to build a house for God. Until the voice of the blood of a dying man is silenced by the Blood of Jesus, breakthrough might be difficult. When you deny a poor man of his right, his curse could be regarded as the curse of the dying man. Lying against innocent person, cheating or malicious and evil conspiracy could amount to this type of curse. This curse makes the ground to be barren and the heaven become brass. The curse could be as old as 100 years. But thank God for Jesus Christ, who shed His blood on the cross of Calvary to blot out the stains of such curses;

Colossians 2:14 “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;”

You don’t have to suffer for nothing, since the prevailing Blood of Jesus is available for your deliverance. For that Blood to work for you, you must change your ways and embrace the way of the cross of Jesus;

Romans 6:6 “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.”

Matthew 10:38 “And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth me, is not worthy of me.”

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 2Chronicles25-27. Keep the fire burning and alive.

Galatians 2:20 “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

Galatians 5:24 “And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.”

Bible In One Year-Day 170 (Thursday, June 19, 2014)

Commentary: 2Chronicles19-21. It is quite unfortunate the manner King Asa ended his life. This was somebody who sacked his own grandmother from being the king’s mother just because she worshipped idols, 2Chron15:16.

2 Chronicles 15:16 “And also concerning Maachah the mother of Asa the king, he removed her from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove: and Asa cut down her idol, and stamped it, and burnt it at the brook Kidron.”

All his zeal and efforts in the path of righteousness went down the drain in the last five years of his life. After him came Jehoshaphat, his son. Jehoshaphat was an evangelical King whose reign won souls for the Lord, 2Chron17: 16/ 19:4. He restored teaching priests to teach the people in the way of the Lord. This was not so before him;

2 Chronicles 15:3 “Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law.”

Jehoshaphat made the difference.

2 Chronicles 17:8-10 “And with them he sent Levites, even Shemaiah, and Nethaniah, and Zebadiah, and Asahel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehonathan, and Adonijah, and Tobijah, and Tobadonijah, Levites; and with them Elishama and Jehoram, priests.And they taught in Judah, and had the book of the law of the LORD with them, and went about throughout all the cities of Judah, and taught the people.And the fear of the LORD fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were round about Judah, so that they made no war against Jehoshaphat.”

Jehoshaphat picked good attributes of King David and it was remarked of him according to 2 Chronicles17:3.

2 Chronicles 17:3 “And the LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not unto Baalim;”

He had a repentant heart, fear of the Lord and knew the power of praise.

The difference between David and the Kings after him was always back to God after realizing his shortcomings while others did not. If anyone wants to enjoy God, then let such be like David. Enjoying God is in repenting from all our sinful ways and running back to Him for restoration; this is how we appreciate His grace. Jesus came to reconcile us fully to God;

2 Corinthians 5:18 “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses to them; and hath committed to us the word of reconciliation.”

Going to hell will not be because of our sin but because we have rejected Jesus, the panacea of our condemnation;

Mark 16:16 “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

This is true in that we have all sinned and come short of His glory and if God should mark iniquity, no one can stand. Salvation is only in Christ Jesus. Have you sinned, DON’T run away from Him but run to Him. He can repair your corrupted nature, wash away your sins and restore and reconcile you to God;

Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”

Anger, pride, promiscuity, adultery, fornication, lying, worldliness etc should not be found with you as a child of God.

Jehoshaphat once sinned against the Lord but was re-considered for the good work he did in the past which he continued after he heard the word of God from the prophet (2Chron19:1-4). The reward was that he increased greatly in the land;

2 Chronicles 17:12 “And Jehoshaphat waxed great exceedingly; and he built in Judah castles, and cities of store.”

When God sends any man of God to you concerning an issue that could lead into problems with eternity, He did that because He loves you. Embracing that word with humility of the heart is embracing the love of God. Jesus is the love of God sent to us;

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Hell and heaven are respective rewards of your choice of rejecting or accepting Jesus Christ with the righteousness attached to Him.

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 2Chronicles22-24. Keep the fire burning and alive.

Hebrews 2:17 “Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like to his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.”