Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in. - Joshua 6:1 REFERENCE Joshua 6:1-5 When God brought out the Israelites from Egypt, He gave them the Promise Land which included Jericho and told them to go and possess the land flowing with milk and honey. Although God granted them access to take the land, yet, they had to contend with the enemy – the ‘stubborn gatekeepers’ who wouldn’t let them in. These gatekeepers securely shut up Jericho so that it was made safe from any form of...
Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. ~ James 5:11 REFERENCE James 5:7-11 To persevere simply means your ability to stay and finish the course in whatever you are doing, despite difficulties. Sometimes, things don’t happen at the time you anticipate they will and you can’t control the time when they will finally happen, so, you must learn to endure and not give up or give in to pressures. A lot can happen between the...
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ~ Ephesians 6:17 REFERENCE Ephesians 6:14-17 Bible knowledge in your head is not a sword against the devil. It must be a word that is alive within you. So how does the Word on the pages of scripture become a spiritual sword in your hands? When you do with it what Jesus did with it, when He looked at the devil and said, “It is written.” When you speak out the scripture in faith, believing and knowing that it is...
Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. ~ II Corinthians 5:20 REFERENCE II Corinthians 5:17-20 An ambassador is the highest-ranking official of a diplomatic service with authority to serve as the “official representative” of his/her country in a foreign land. As a Christian, God has called you to serve on this earth as His ambassador from heaven. Your function as God’s ambassador, is to further His policies here on earth, i.e. ensure that His will is done on earth as it...
Once upon a time, we thought divorce was foreign. Not so long ago, divorce cases were very uncommon in Nigeria. It was mostly something that happened in western countries, something that we read about in novels and newspapers or observed in television dramas. Not anymore. Divorce is in our backyard. Today, divorce cases constitute a large percentage of cases before Nigerian courts. Recently, in a certain court on a certain day somewhere in Nigeria, all five cases that were brought before the Judge were all divorce cases! The saddest part is that many, if not most of these divorce...
Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits. – Psalm 103:2 REFERENCE Psalm 103:1-5 When you take a look at your life sometimes, you see someone who is committed to serving God but who doesn’t have the ‘commensurate results’ to show for it. Things have not worked out the way you planned; you’ve had setbacks and delays, and it seems like things are spiraling down. In this state, the devil tries to toy with your mind to think ‘nothing is happening in your life and ‘nothing good can happen for you. It is a...
The sick man answered Him, 'Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.' ~ John 5:7 REFERENCE John 5:1-9 Truth be told, a lot of us, like the sick man in this passage, have had to mutter these same words under our breath or even out loud. We all get to that point when we wish somebody was there for us to pull the next strings for us, to cover for us or to help us out. For some...
And they rose at twilight to go to the camp of the Syrians; and when they had come to the outskirts of the Syrian camp, to their surprise no one was there. – II Kings 7:5 REFERENCE II Kings 7:3-8 The Israelites were experiencing a severe famine because their enemy besieged their land until it became empty. As a result, there was hunger, death, frustration and hopelessness all over the city. However, these four lepers did the unimaginable by rising up and going to the camp of the enemy. Little did they know that God will magnify...
He also brought them out with silver and gold, And there was none feeble among His tribes. ~ Psalm 105:37 REFERENCE Psalm 105:37-45 Much more than what God gave to the children of Israel when He brought them out of captivity in Egypt is what He wants you to have as a believer. His will is for you to come out from the land of not enough. The land of begging and borrowing. The land of squatting in people’s houses. The land of looking to others to meet your needs. The land of working but gathering little. The...
Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 'Jeremiah, what do you see?' And I said, 'I see a branch of an almond tree.' ~ Jeremiah 1:11 REFERENCE Jeremiah 1:4-12 Seeing is everything – the only time Jesus ministered to someone twice was a case where He wanted the person to receive his sight (ability to see). When your sight is dim, you make wrong choices, your progress is impeded, and you become fearful and uncertain of the future. Sure enough, the devil will like you to grope about blindly, unable to make a headway in...