LISTEN TO GOD
Isaiah 57

Jesus was giving instruction about humility when He said in Matthew 18:3, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus meant what He said and what He said is not meaningful until it is constantly being maintained in the life of every man or woman who wants to enter into the Kingdom of heaven. The Word of God testifies that there is a place for the humble ones and that place is in living Heaven on earth. When a garment of humility is evident in the life of a man, it becomes impossible to fall for the forces of the wicked. With humility, it is possible to enter and dwell on a ground where seeing every move of the wicked is activated before it takes effect against the humble. The word of God cannot lie and when God says it, He means it. This is what you should hear in what God said concerning the humble: Isaiah 57:15, “For thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” Did you hear it from God in the word of His mouth as recorded in the book Isaiah? His word is to be taken seriously for it to work effectively in the life of the ones who hear and do His word. God‘s Word is true and it will never fail. Furthermore, it is what you hear that will be come of you. God said, “He dwells in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit.” A contrite heart and humble spirit goes together and it is impossible to have a contrite heart and not be humble. Likewise, you cannot have a humble spirit and not have a contrite heart. God said with a humble spirit and contrite heart, you will dwell in His place either on earth or in Heaven. Determination will not help; it will fail. Is pride reigning in any area of your life? It is worthy to get a cross check of yourself and know that every position is within and not above God. Always remember, pride is empty of God’s presence but humility is full of God’s presence. Pride is empty and noisy. Do not entertain pride; allow God to elevate you so you will not be a victim of self-termination.

Prayer for today: Today, ask Him to place upon you a garment of humility and humble spirit. Ask God to cause you to be able to enter and dwell in His presence.

GATE OF PROMOTION
Esther 5, 6

Promotion gained should never be a termination in the making. When pride sets into play, however, promotion becomes a preparation to a permanent destruction. This was the case of Haman after being promoted by King Ahasuerus in the book of Esther. It is recorded that after Haman gained promotion, the entire king’s servant within the king’s gate were to pay homage to him. While he was passing through the gate, “…Mordecai would not bow or pay homage.”(Esther 3:2) Mordecai’s action was enough for Haman to be filled with wrath. By this virtue, Haman sought to terminate not just Mordecai but all the people of Mordecai. Haman’s plot grew wider and more relentless against Mordecai’s people. Just as Haman continued to ride on his favorable position with King Ahasuerus; so his shoulder continued to rise above his head. Once he was coming out of the king’s palace, through the same gate, “…When Haman saw Mordecai in the king’s gate, and that he did not stand or tremble before him, he was filled with indignation against Mordecai.”(Esther 5:9) This time around, Haman sought the counsel of his wife and friends on what to do to Mordecai. “Then his wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Let a gallows be made, fifty cubits high, and in the morning suggest to the king that Mordecai be hanged on it; then go merrily with the king to the banquet.” And the thing pleased Haman; so he had the gallows made.”(Esther 5:14)Is your favorable promotion setting you up in a pride that could lead to a permanent destruction? A night before Haman’s plan gets to the king for execution, God moved on behalf of Mordecai. “That night the king could not sleep. So one was commanded to bring the book of the records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king. 2 And it was found written that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs, the doorkeepers who had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. 3 Then the king said, “What honor or dignity has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?” And the king’s servants who attended him said, “Nothing has been done for him.””(Esther 6:1-3) Haman was in the process of coming to present the king his plan of humiliation and destruction for Mordecai. God, however, in His highness, turned around Haman’s plan and Mordecai could not be the victim but rather the victorious. The Bible says, “Afterward Mordecai went back to the king’s gate. But Haman hurried to his house, mourning and with his head covered.” (Esther 6:12-13) The same gate where Haman had been passing through with pride now turned to be a gate of shame for Haman to pass through. God is not asleep; do not allow your gate of promotion to become a gate of termination.

Prayer for today: Father, pride is a killer. I ask let me not be a victim of pride but rather cause me to live life in humility. 

LIFT MY HEAD
Jeremiah 52:31-34

God alone is the lifter of our heads. It does not matter how long the head has been down in captivity because God in His goodness and mercy will remember and not forget to lift the head that He has purposed to lift. God can and will use anyone or anything to move in lifting up the head that is down. Jehoiachin had been in captivity for thirty-seven years when God raised and brought to place the one who would lift up his head. Jeremiah 52:31, “Now it came to pass in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth day of the month, that Evil-Merodachking of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison.”Of all the men and women on the face of the earth, God used Evil-Merodach, the king of Babylon and son of Nebuchadnezzar, to lift up the head of Jehoiachin, king of Judah, from captivity. Never lose hope or take your eyes away from God because He will remember you. God will use anyone, including your persecutors, to lift your head up from whatever has been keeping your head down. “Lifting up of head” is a Hebrew phrase expressing the kindness and goodwill that Evil-Merodach showed toward Jehoiachin. When God remembers, He also rescues. Having used Evil-Merodach to rescue Jehoiachin, God also made him to change the garment of Jehoiachin from that of a prisoner to that of one who eats regularly before the king all the days of his life. God does not operate halfway nor does He engage Himself in a half job of deliverance. If what you are experiencing in your situation is not full and complete deliverance yet, He might still be working on your situation in His own time. Do not stop; do not give up in your prayer. God is a prayer-answering God. Know this, note it and stay in the fact and understanding that He will do it for you just like it was done in the life of so many who did not quit in looking up unto Him. King David wrote in Psalm 3:1-3, “Lord, how they have increased who troubled me! Many are they who rise up against me. Many are they who say of me, ’There is no help for him in God.’ But you O Lord, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head.” God alone is Jehovah Sharma and He will live to answer His Name. Ask Him, pray it, meditate it and He will remember, rescue and redeem you in Jesus name.

Prayer for today: Ask God to send forth His agent that will come and lift up your head from everywhere you have been grounded.

DO NOT LOVE MONEY
1Timothy 6:3-16

When you look not into what God has not given you, God Himself will give to you what is good for you. Hebrews 13:5 – “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’” What are you looking for outside of the will of God? How are you conducting yourself in the areas of your wants? There is a difference from what you want and what you need. Most time in our life, list of wants can be done away with without it affecting our life. Wants are not and will never be as important as needs. Often what is needed can be pressing and it can become unavoidable. When desire for wants grow based upon seeing what others have, walking in the avenue of sin becomes inevitable. Covetousness is a sin. In the Ten Commandments it is clearly stated that, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.” (Exodus 20:17) The Word of God that states “He will never leave you nor forsake you” is true only to those whose conduct is without covetousness and to those who conduct themselves with contentment. It is a blessing to have God be for us, but His entire blessing comes with conditions. His love, however, is unconditional. God wants us to be content with what we have. It is recorded in 1 Timothy 6:6-7, “Now Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world and it is certain we can carry nothing out.” When everything that is seen becomes a desire, contentment will loose its place in our life and the power of God ceases to flow. The love of money often has a place where lack of contentment abides. Have you thought about your relationship with money? When set your love with money, you are bound in the wrong direction. The Word of God warns in 1 Timothy 6:10, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil; not just one kind but all kinds of evil. Be very careful in your pursuit for wants or else the devil will recruit you as part of those who will be spending eternity with him.

Prayer for today: Ask God to have mercy that you should seek Him indeed and truth by living in contentment all the days of your life.

AGREEMENT IS POWER
Acts 3

In the gathering of two or more, there is the power of agreement. The power of agreement is a power of coming together and agreeing as one. Whenever such power is in place, doing good or doing damage can be inevitable. When men attempted to build the tower of Babel to reach heaven, it was with the power of agreement. God knew the power that is inhabited in coming together and operating as one so He intervened and stated, “’…Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. 7 Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.’ 8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city.”(Genesis 11:6-8) The power of agreement in their possessions was meant to build against God and God disallowed them. Are you in position for any power of agreement? Just as it can be used to provoke self-destruction, it can also be used to provoke self-development. Jesus knew the power in agreement when He sent out His disciples two by two. Jesus pointed out, “…If two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.” (Matthew 18:19) Agreeing together and not just coming together is the driving force that will always provoke the move of God in bringing forth result. Jesus constantly sent out disciples two by two. At every report of there being sent out two by two, testimonies were always reported. After the resurrection of Jesus, Peter and John maintained the power that is in agreement. Once, they were able to heal a man lame of forty years. The Bible records, “Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. 2 And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple; 3 who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms.” (Acts 3:1-3) The point here is that Peter and John went together and it is true that two can not walk together unless they agree. The power of agreement is real and true only if there is togetherness in agreement and not in relating with each other silently in competition. So many battles would become easy to fight just by having a true and sincere partner with you in agreement.

Prayer for today: My God, I ask for Heaven’s direction that will lead me to a sincere partner that can always operate with me in the spirit of agreement.