Bible In One Year-Day 99 (Wednesday, April 9, 2014)

Commentary: Judges10-12. Jephthah was one of the Judges of Israel. He found himself in a condition or situation he had no control over, neither did he have any input in that situation. He was actually a product of the sin of his father; consequently, the sons of his father rejected him. They drove him away from their midst. Little did he knew that God had interest in him and for God to prepare him for the assignment, he allowed him to be sent on exile where he was trained to be a mighty man of valor. His brethren judged him to be unclean because of his mother and unworthy of his father’s inheritance. He joined rebels (which Abimelech used in Judges9:4) in exile going about threatening, harassing and raiding people. He became a terror in that area. The Israelites ran into trouble. They searched for Jephthah to lead them against their enemies. From the study of Jephthah’s life, we could see that he feared the Lord. He never went for the battle against the Ammonites without first talking to God even though there was a bargain with the Gileadites. Bargain with man is one thing and bargain with God is another thing entirely. Men may approve what God has not approved. Men ordain favorites but God ordains the ordinary and the rejected by His Spirit for extraordinary and divinely accepted work. God released His Spirit upon Jephthah. This broke every yoke of failure and barrier of rejection and empowered him for victory;

2 Corinthians 3:17 “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”

When God gives you His Spirit, your status changes, all things become completely new and the past is knocked out, whatever anybody might have in his or her record against you is irrelevant;

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.”

The people may have a bad record about you but God’s Spirit nullifies it and makes you irrevocably relevant; you can’t be rejected anymore because you have now become a solution to a threatening problem. Apostle Paul had a bad past, but when God commissioned him, his status changed;

Acts 13:2 “As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.”

He became a solution to a problem. I pray that you will become a solution to problems in the name of Jesus. Our next reading is Judges13-15. Keep the fire burning and alive.

Bible In One Year-Day 98 (Tuesday, April 8, 2014)

Commentary: Judges7-9. Gideon, born into an idol worshipping family, was named after Baal, Jerubbaal, meaning “let Baal plead”. The name the Angel of the Lord called him was in line with what his destiny was all about, “mighty man of valor”, a military hero. Suffice to know that what was written in the book before God about Gideon was “mighty man of valor” and that was what the angel called him. Unfortunately, he was answering the call of the idol of his father’s house. In chapter7, he strategized his first battle which was not pleasing to God. Peter was an expert in fishing, but when Jesus entered his boat, He taught him a better way of catching fish. When God enters your life, your expertise becomes irrelevant. All He wants is submission and obedience. His ways are absolutely not the way we think;

Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Gideon was to face a battle in a way he had never done before. Initially he analized at the strength of his battle to plan his strategies, but God said “no, that won’t work”;

Judges 7:12 “And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude.”

No wonder he doubted God’s plan with only three hundred people. But that was his first battle anyway. God thereafter taught him how to select for battle; it is not a matter of numbers but of vision. The first set of people sent back was the fearful and the timid. They only joined because they were interested or wanted to identify with Gideon. These ones will not go far if they ever got to the battle field. Going into any warfare in fear ends in automatic failure. Fear kills faster than death. The fearful accomplishes nothing because they don’t go far. Such will discourage with fearful words, counsels and suggestions. They are easily disgusted when the trying time becomes more unfavorable. They would complain about everything because they can’t see what you do well but bad. They count on errors rather than vision. Even if the best is coming out of you, such will regard it as rubbish. A times they make mockery of the good you are doing that is touching lives. The next set was those who will not endure hardship. Such could sell Gideon if hunger and thirst catch up with them on the battle field. As a matter of fact, they could be carried away with money, beautiful women and deny Gideon; they have weak knees. They could easily compromise in the battle thereby putting your life and ministry in danger. They are controlled by their bellies. But the 300 men were the ones with vision, they are quite watchful. When a dog laps water, his eyes are still over his surroundings. These are what we go through in life as human beings. As we grow in life, we have many friends, but when the predicaments of life roll in, only few, if any, remains with us. Pastors, just like any other Christian, experience this. Jesus at one time had a huge congregation of followers but at another time, they were reduced to 12 and He even asked those who remained if they were ready to leave also;

John 6:66-67 “From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.Then said Jesus to the twelve, Will ye also go away?”

Out of those 12, 11 of them turned the world upside down for Christ. It is not about numbers but about vision. We go through some difficulties at one point or the other in life and when people abandon us we feel rejected and depressed. The truth is that, God wants to take the glory which He does not want to share with anyone;

Judges 7:2 “And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.”

You don’t need the huge number of friends you are relying on and which would break your heart, what you need around you are watchers and visioners; these are the ones that should carry the trumpet of the ministry. Though Gideon won this battle, which was the only recorded battle he fought, he lost the battle in his foundation which is idolatry. He used the spoil of the battle to make an idol which became a snare to him and the Israelites. Unfortunately, he was called Jerubaal on returning to his own house, Judges8:29. His son, Abimelech, was called by this idolatry name, Judg9:1. Abimelech was so wicked that the curse of Jotham came to pass on his head, Judges9:56-57. Only God’s way exalts us, Psalms 37:34 “Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.” Our next reading is Judges10-12. Keep the fire burning and alive

Bible In One Year-Day 97 (Monday, April 07, 2014)

Commentary: Judges4-6. So far, we have read about five Judges in Israel; howbeit, they operated under the leading of the Spirit of God;

1 Samuel 2:9 “He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.”

If we look at how each of them was nominated by God, we could see it was to meet a particular need or a purpose. There is a pattern observable in the life style of the Israelites; sin, oppression, repentance, prayer, God’s intervention, the chosen and victory. Sin is disobedience and rebellion against God which leads into oppression. Oppression humbles one to repentance. Repentance from the heart (not by mouth or make believe kind of repentance) is the greatest means of repairing the damaged communication or relationship between man and God;

2 Chronicles 7:14 “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

A repentant heart is never ashamed to expose and forsake the sinful act in confession. Hiding a committed sinful act without confession is not repentance, the devil still has a hold. One could break the hold of Satan by confession. Every prayer made under disguise, i.e. without genuine confession, is just a waste of time. This is the condition of those who pray in fear instead of faith. When your conscience is cleared of guilt after genuine repentance, faith comes in and then your prayer carries boldness and power. At this juncture, God intervenes. His intervention is not as we think for He could use the weakest thing just as He used Gideon;

Judges 6:15 “And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor (or weak, least) in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”

In several places in the bible, we notice that God’s choice is by His Spirit. No one can do God’s work pleasingly and successfully without His Spirit (the Spirit of divine assignment). Even Jesus Christ testified about God’s Spirit in Luke 4:18-19 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me …” Here is how God makes His choice for specific assignments. The choice of a leader by God is an answer to a cry and here lies humility. Many are CALLED but FEW are CHOSEN. If you are among the called and you decide to go for the duty or assignment of the chosen, you might be looking for trouble. If you are chosen, you will never forget the point of the agreement, a place where the covenant was struck. Gideon did not forget that place;

Judges 6:24 “Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovah shalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.”

That place is your reference point to which you could call God for intervention at every difficult time, confrontation or resistance while on the assignment. At that point or place, God is not angry at any question you ask Him, of course, He attends to your curiosities. However, at that place, you lay down your will for God’s will; the first thing to do away with is Mr. Flesh. God will always live a remarkable sign that you will never forget. The first sign is the leprosy hiding in your life just as He showed Moses on the mountain. This marks the beginning of victory. Where is your Shalom? Your Shalom is that place where you lay down your will for God’s will. It is a place where you receive INNER PEACE; it is not a feeling but an experience; a place of divine transaction; a contact point. It is a place of reinventing or re-branding. You can never remain the same after leaving that point because you would have been totally transformed and changed into purpose and meaning;

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

The Spirit of God is the only one that could give peace in the face of troubles. Every other person may oppose, resist, leave and abandon you, the Spirit of God must not leave you.

Zechariah 4:6 “Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.” Our next reading is Judges7-9. Keep the fire burning and alive.

Bible In One Year-Day 96 (Sunday, April 06, 2014)

Commentary: Judges1-3. Genesis through Joshua, we could see obedient leadership to God and followership, especially in the time of Joshua. They were able to conquer and possess the Promised Land based on this testimony and their absolute reliance on God. Unfortunately, the contrast is the case in the book of Judges; Judges 2:2-3 “And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this?Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you.” Since the contrary was the case, they reaped the opposite of God’s promise; they could no longer stand before their enemies. Disobedience and rebellion weaken our knees before the enemies; they open us up for the spoilers and the plunderers. The lives of the Israelites suffered great defeat because they forsook the Lord for another god; Judges 2:13-14 “And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies.” Spiritual harlotry became the order of the day. There is no way you could overthrow satanic influence over your life if you have entered into covenant with sin, the covenant must be broken first. Here we see a strong nation become a weak nation just because they have violated an agreement with their God. They were warned by Moses and Joshua against these acts, but they wouldn’t listen. When you see the devil having an upper edge, you need to quickly check for what changed in your lifestyle. What are the things you were not doing before but now doing? Prayerfully seek God’s face to reveal secrets to you and ask for the grace to overcome them. God loves us and His wish and will for us is good; 3 John 1:2 “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” If God takes us through difficult times, it is not to kill us but to prepare us for the next level, Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” It is sad to know that the Israelites opted for their own doing and stubborn ways, Josh2:19. Through their doings (i.e. what is right in their own eyes) they corrupted themselves and the result was oppression. The promises of God fail in the life of those who ply these ways, i.e. disobedience and stubbornness. Our doings please the flesh and ways are crooked and perverted. God in His faithfulness did restore the Israelites each time they cried out to Him and He gave them rest. When we come back to God He is faithful and just to forgive our trespasses. The price we pay for disobedience is far greater and higher than what we expend in obeying God. Those two evil ways, disobedience and stubbornness, are horrible before the Lord and it always return us to square one; 1 Samuel 15:23 “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.”

When we abandon God’s instruction, no matter the number of years, we will come back to pick it up at that point of abandonment on repentance. But if we had obeyed in the first place, we would have gone far in achievement in life. An obedient child of God makes progress in the face of difficult and hard times. May the hand of God melt your heart to total submission, in the name of Jesus. We are reading next Judges4-6. Keep the fire burning and alive.

Bible In One Year-Day 95 (Saturday, April 5, 2014)

Commentary: Joshua22-24. Matthew 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

Joshua’s life and leadership was a demonstration of this verse of the scripture. To seek the kingdom of God is to seek for the will of God, the mind of God and the position of God concerning all situations and conditions. Joshua made the first mistake when he went to fight with Ai without seeking the position of God and he failed. In the spirit of education, that was the last of it; he never repeated that same mistake again. This means he had a teachable spirit, the spirit that learns from mistakes and does not defend mistakes or errors. He recognized what the problem was and he dealt with his weakness. When you know how to deal with weaknesses, you will eventually become a champion, a star and a leader worthy of emulation; making less and less mistakes. You will have many children who want to be like you. The seeking for the righteousness of the kingdom is to live the kingdom life. Joshua lived by the book, i.e. by what is written; no shifting or compromise. He sought the Lord with all his heart. He was not a leader that instructs while engaging himself in a thing contrary, he lived by example. That was why he could boldly tell the Israelites to follow suit. The results of Joshua’s leadership are that God gave them rest from all their enemies and not a thing failed of God’s promises to them, Josh23:1&14. An effective and efficient deliverance ministry takes after Joshua’s teaching in chapter 23:

1. Boldness, steadfastness and obedience to the word of God, Josh23:6
2. Do not adopt their deity or adapt to their way of life, Josh23:7. Your life style should follow the Kingdom life.
3. No marriage, i.e. no covenant in any form. This breaks spiritual immunity and defense, Josh23:12&13. This is talking about the world in the church and the church in the world. Worldliness has taken over the churches now and the power of God is not felt anymore. You could not differentiate between the world and the church in terms of dressing any longer. Ahab is the pastor and Jezebel now the prophetess, seeing visions and dreaming dreams.

Inability to obtain quality deliverance is due to the violation of one or all of these.

Joshua, being used to using natural things in warfare, took a stone and set it in place as witness to the Israelites’ affirmation of serving the only true God;

Joshua 24:27 “And Joshua said unto all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness unto us; for it hath heard all the words of the LORD which he spake unto us: it shall be therefore a witness unto you, lest ye deny your God.”

In Joshua’s days, the Israelites served the Lord, obeyed Him and worshiped Him, the consequence was that the people conquered the land through trust in the power of God. When we live in obedience, the power of God will work for us. Though Joshua died in a very good age, there were still lots to be done. The lesson we could learn is that you should live a life that will not make you regret old age; Ecclesiastes 1:2-11 “Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity……”

In a soccer game, the players go through tough moment trying to advance through oppositions, but those watching are going through exciting moment. Both of them will end their experience at the blow of the final whistle, and then commentary starts from different quarters. You are a major player of your life and people are watching, they can’t get into the field with you. The final whistle will be blown one day. The commentary by the grave side cannot bring the life back for replay. It is better to play right and play well to win the trophy;

Hebrews 12:1 “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,”

Moses gave account of his role in God’s agenda, Joshua gave his, what will yours be? Here we conclude the book of Joshua. The next book is Judges and our reading for today is Judges1-3. Keep the fire burning and alive.