TOTAL VICTORY
Joshua 6

What is it that is battling you or what is it that you are battling? Have you turned your battle unto God to fight your battle for you? Any situation that will not allow you to rise when God says arise and shine is an enemy at your war front. God is a great warrior and He is mighty in battle, will you consider turning your battle over to Him? As a child of God, you should not underestimate any battle and neither should you overestimate any battle. The devil has been around over a long time and is cunningly divisive and could make you think that the battle is small. He could also make you think that the battle is too big to fight. All that he wants for you is you giving up instead of giving it up to God. The reason why we should not fight our battle is that, the battle we fight can rise again. However, the battle that God fights on our behalf becomes a total victory and the enemy never rises again from it. For example, when He fought the battle at the wall of Jericho it was a total victory. Before the battle of Jericho, the Bible described, “Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out and none came.” (Joshua 6:1) Despite the security at the gate, God gave Joshua detailed directions of how to bring the wall down because the wall was Jericho’s defense. With Joshua’s full obedience, the wall of Jericho fell down. It was in God’s war plan that after the carrying out of all instruction, “…The wall will fall down flat…” Falling down is different from falling down flat. Falling down flat was a damage which could not be fixed because God was the commander in that war. Joshua knew what had taken place after the war by stating in Joshua 6:26, “…Cursed be the man before the LORD who rises up and builds this city Jericho; he shall lay its foundation with his firstborn, and with his youngest he shall set up its gates.” Indeed and in truth, just as the curse was released by Joshua so it was when Hiel attempted and failed in his effort to rebuild the wall of Jericho. 1 Kings 16:34, “In his days Hiel of Bethel built Jericho. He laid its foundation with Abiram his firstborn, and with his youngest son Segub he set up its gates, according to the word of the LORD, which He had spoken through Joshua the son of Nun” How else can you be convinced that when God fights the battle, there is no devil under heaven that can bring it back to life? Let God arise for you so the enemy can be permanently shattered.
 
Prayer for today: Daddy, you are not a partial God and I ask that you bring down flat every wall of Jericho in my life, in Jesus name.

MIGHTY WORD
Isaiah 55

God spoke clearly and directly to Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in he womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”(Jeremiah 1:5) God was not a liar, He is not a liar and never will He be a liar. What He said to Jeremiah speaks to all. God that created Jeremiah is the same God that created you and He knows all. The same God that spoke to Jeremiah spoke in Isaiah 55:11, “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” His word is true and it will never fail to perform what He said it will perform. If God has spoken, who are we not to believe? All that the Lord said has come to be and His word is still coming to pass just as He said it. Despite the truthfulness of His word, we continue to demonstrate fear when we need to demonstrate faith. The same word of God encourages only those that will take courage in His word. It is written in Philippians 4:6, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” God has never lied and He will not lie; God is consistent in His word unlike men. Will you be willing to take all your challenges up to Him in prayer while letting anxiousness fail to prevail in your life? Just a reminder, the same word of God stated in Matthew 18:19-20, “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” God does not lie and He will never lie. If you will carefully identify yourself with the word of God His identity will reflect in your ways. His word says a gathering of two or three in His name will draw His presence. Why not faithfully allow His word to have its way? Do not allow yourself to be limited by your thoughts but let your thoughts in the word of God reign and rule over your entire situation. Isaiah 55:8-9, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts” Take to the word of God, His word is true to perform and to perfect; His word is mighty.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to enable you to take in His mighty word fully in every area of your life.

TASKMASTER
Exodus 3:1-10

Taskmaster was a representative of the horrible pit. The Horrible pit is not a pleasant place to be; it is a place of pain, oppression, sorrow and agony. At a point in time, the children of Israel spent time in the horrible pit while they were in bondage in Egypt. Exodus 3:7-9, “And the LORD said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. 8 So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites. 9 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.” At this point in your life are you experiencing a though time, a challenging time under any taskmaster? Inside of what represents taskmaster you can lift up your voice and cry to Him. While the children of Israel were spending time under their taskmasters in Egypt, they lifted up their voice and cried to the Lord. The cry of the children of Israel did not find a deaf ear because the Lord responded to their cry and extended His hand of deliverance through His servant Moses. Just as the children of Israel were in the horrible pit and were able to receive deliverance, so was King David was in the horrible pit. Like the children of Israel, King David also cried to the Lord God for his deliverance. King David testified, “I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. 2 He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps.” (Psalm 40:1-2) Crying is not a sign of weakness and tears running down are not always a demonstration of crying. God heard King David’s cry and he was brought out of the miry clay. Miry clay is an indication that the horrible pit could also be a place of stagnation or a place of set back from moving at a speed that is acceptable or appropriate for the journey of life. Is there any of the above mentioned representatives of taskmaster’s have its way in your life? It is time to get on your knees in waiting and God in His goodness and mercy will not deny your deliverance. He is a faithful God.
 
Prayer for today: Ask the Lord God for His hand that was the same yesterday today and tomorrow for deliverance from every taskmaster that you know and the ones you do not know in your life.  

RISE TO POSSESS
Luke 15:11-31

The ability to rise in response to God’s calling is the only way to possess an exceedingly great blessing from God. The key to shinning for the glory of God is rising and responding to His calling. Isaiah 60:1-2, “Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. 2 For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people; But the LORD will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you. ” The call to rise does not have a condition or any reason for compromise but to rise in response to God. The word does not ask if we will rise but asked us to rise. Indeed, deep darkness will show its face in attempt to discourage or deny us from rising but the Lord is always at work. He said that He will rise over us and His glory would not be denied. Rising in response to the word of God is all that made Abraham. Abraham could not possess all that was promised to him by God until he rose to God’s direction. Genesis 22:1-2, “Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham! “And he said, “Here I am.” 2 Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” Abraham did himself a great favor when he was right with God. In his response to God, the Bible stated, “So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.” (Genesis 22:3) Abraham rose up to God’s calling and that led him into possessing all of the promises of God. Rising up to God’s command is the only way to shinning for God’s glory. Can you think of what is keeping you grounded? In all of your walk and work on the face of the earth, is there any area you have remained grounded? The lost son (Prodigal son) was lost and down after he had moved to get his portion of goods from his father. Having received his portion he ended up falling. In his lack he came to himself and he made a decision by stating, “I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.” The prodigal son knew to rise and he was able to shine when the father delivered a hearty welcome and reception for him. It is all about rising before shinning can take place. The rising of Abraham continues to generate blessings of God’s promise from generation to generation.

Prayer for today: Ask God to intervene and terminate all the forces that are denying or delaying your rising in the journey of life.  

SEEKING GOD
Jeremiah 10

Jeremiah 10:21, “For the shepherds have become dull-hearted, And have not sought the LORD;
Therefore they shall not prosper, And all their flocks shall be scattered.” A heart that does not meditate on the word of God will become a dull heart. When meditation is in place the heart will seek after God and not become a dull heart. Prosperity is the evidence of a heart that mediates and it was clearly pointed out when the Lord was talking to Joshua. Joshua 1:7-8, “Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” It is a serious business to take constant meditation as a serious business. Evidently, meditation is what will make a heart not become dull and when dullness does not have a place in the heart of man; seeking God will take its place. The heart that is constantly active in meditation will become active in experiencing prosperity. The kind of prosperity that the Lord mentioned to Joshua was an all round prosperity. An all round prosperity is the one that gives good success. The ability to observe and to do according to the word of God comes only from constant and consistent meditation on the word of God. Doing and observing the word of God is being obedient to God. It is only in obeying the word of God that seeking God inhabits. As a believer, where do you stand in seeking God? Seeking God starts from the heart and when the heart is dull, nothing becomes bright in walking before God.  The Psalmist stated that, “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1). The secret place of God is no longer a secret to those that know to seek Him in the pages of His word that never fails. Spending time and holding on to the word of God in meditation brings about prosperity that leads to good success. This is a secret to those that are yet to discover it in the pages of the Bible. God cannot be mocked and neither can He be manipulated and whatever is sowed is what you will reap. Sow by investing time in meditation and your heart will be active and not dull.

Prayer for today: O Lord my God and my King I ask for the grace of enablement to be constant and consistent meditating on your word.