CLOSEST EVIL
Genesis 37:18-36

“Now when they saw him afar off, even before he came near them, they conspired against him to kill him. 19 Then they said to one another, ‘Look, this dreamer is coming! 20 Come therefore, let us now kill him and cast him into some pit; and we shall say, ‘Some wild beast has devoured him.’ We shall see what will become of his dreams!’
21 But Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands, and said, ‘Let us not kill him.’ (Genesis 37:18-21) The brothers of Joseph were born-breed, raised under the same roof and received training from the same father. They played, ate and drank together but yet worked together to conspire against their younger brother because of his dreams. In their wicked and evil plan, they forget that God was not sleep. He is God who never sleeps neither does He slumber. Just as it happened to Joseph, the one who want to bring you down the most is the one you consider as the closest one. Also, the one who is set to terminate or derail your dream is not the one who is far from you but rather the closest one. Most times, when you are operating with a true and clear mind, the enemy’s attempt in getting you down will be the avenue for getting you up. Joseph came to his brother with a clear mind that harbored no evil. “…When Joseph had come to his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the tunic of many colors that was on him. 24 Then they took him and cast him into a pit. And the pit was empty; there was no water in it” (Genesis 37: 23-24) Joseph story presents itself as if God was not watching over Joseph but God was actually guiding Joseph’s step because he had no evil agenda. As a claimed believer, if doing evil is your set agenda, God does have His way to offset your evil agenda. Are you in Joseph’s shoes? Are you on a ground where the closest to you is having a set agenda to set you back in every area of life? God is not a failure. Rest assured that your dream will come to be and the wicked ones will live and bow to see you shine for the glory of God. Joseph could not be terminated by the dry pit in which he was condemned to by his brother. Just as Joseph’s dream could not be terminated by an evil agenda of his closest ones, so yours will not be terminated. You will laugh last and the enemy will not last. Keep in mind: the enemy cannot be more powerful than God.

Prayer for the day: My Daddy and my God, just as you delivered Joseph from the wickedness of his brother I ask that you deliver me this day for Your kingdom’s glory.

BE WARNED
Job 2, Luke 7:37-42

Job was a man of great integrity and richly blessed with wealth. The Word of God describes him as, “…Blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil.” (Job 1:1) Gaining understanding of the character of Job at the beginning of his story makes it easier to read through the story of Job without taking a position of judging him to be a sinner. In this life, it is easier to take a position of a judge when tragedies like that of Job manifests in life. The beginning of Job’s story took away what could have granted us the sentencing of Job’s adversity to be the result of sin and iniquity that he must have committed. Job was a man testified of by the Creator Himself as a man of great integrity,  but the adversity presented a picture of someone who must have sinned somewhere unto God. If not for the description of Job’s integrity at the beginning there would have been all kinds of judgments passed on him. The Word of God strictly warns us to stay away from making judgment regardless of how bad the picture looks bad. Judgment is not ours. “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:1-3) Concluding or assuming on others’ situation could be an indirect way of making a judgment on others’ in our heart. It is only God that knows the reason for every occurrence that is not clear in the physical and not for us to find out or take a position of a judge. Job’s situation was not clear to Job what was going on in the spiritual realm. All he knew about was his empire, wealth and all the blessings of God were collapsing. It was a difficult situation to pass through but an interesting one for a believer to read through. However, it is not a situation that any acclaimed believer wants to live or experience. The bottom line of this for every believer is to learn and know that in the midst of painful and agonizing challenges, it could be very wrong for anyone to conclude that the result of sin is being unfolded. Are you facing an unexplainable, disruptive challenge? It is not for you to judge yourself but to reflect on the goodness and mercy of God. Search in your heart if you have missed it somewhere or the other and let men make their judgment and be wrong. God is the only judge. Above all, remember that, “…Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.” (Job 2:10)
Prayer for today: In this challenging time of mine, help me to be focus and obedient to your Word my Father and my God.

HEAR AND LEARN        

1Thessalonians 4

Without any compromise, the will of God for man is to fear God. Clearly it is stated in both the Old Testament and New Testament of the Bible for anyone that chooses to hear and learn to fear Him. Deuteronomy 31:12, 13 “Gather the people together, men and women and little ones, and stranger who is within your gates, that they may hear and that they may learn to fear the LORD your God and carefully observe all the words of this law, “and that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God as long as you live in the land which you cross the Jordan to possess.” The same God yesterday, is the same God today and forever. He has not changed, and He will not change. The word of God remains forever the same. Also, what He has spoken to them He has also spoken to us. The will of God is for man to fear Him. They could not fear Him then and now because they have been lost from the Book of the Law that supposes to have been teaching them to learn to fear Him. Joshua 24:14, “Now therefore, fear the LORD, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD!” When you fail to hear  and learn, you cannot fear Him and you will miss Him in your service. The Old Testament stressed the will of God enough for the New testament to elaborate further in the book of 1Thessalonians 4:3-8, “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. 7 For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. 8 Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit.” What the Old Testament is saying about the fear of God is nothing different from what the New Testament is saying. However, it is important for every believer to understand and know that constant and consistent hearing of the word is all that will continue to build up the fear of God. With hearing in place, learning to fear Him from all of His word and work cannot be displaced in the life of a believer. Hearing and learning to do His word is all that will build up the fear of God.

Prayer for the day: Father make your fear to begin to reign and rule my life in Jesus name.

TRUST HIM?

Psalm 3

As a believer, where have you been putting your trust? The question is not who you trust. It is one thing to say, “I trust God”, but it is another thing to actually put your trust in Him. Could it be that you “think you trust Him”? Trust is not a thought and it should not be about thought; it should be a knowing that comes from an understanding that God’s name is a strong tower. Proverb 18:10, “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” The problem behind your situation is, you are rusting from your situation with no solution because you have not trusted Him. As a believer, it is worth to trust in Him and rest from rust. The source of your trust is in knowing the name of God. How many of His name do you know or how often do you call on different names of God. Where all the road is blocked, where there is nothing in place to show forth, remember to acknowledge His holy name. Abraham responded to his son Isaac in Genesis 22:8, “And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering…” What Abraham was saying is that God is the God of provision, and this was demonstrated when God actually provided for Himself a ram instead of using Isaac. “The Psalmist stated clearly, those who know the name of God would put their trust in Him. (Psalm 9:10) By virtue of the psalmist statement, it is clear that the source of trust is in knowing the name of God. In life, until you understand and know the source of information that comes your way, your transformation is in total and complete delay. Consider this as a serious detriment to your break through in life. Information from God is the transformation unto God’s side. Whenever there is a transformation unto His side nothing formed against you will prosper. You will rest and put all your trust in His awesome power of deliverance. David was chased from mountain to mountain, wilderness to wilderness by Saul and all the resources in the power of Saul, to kill and stop Young David from getting to his divine destination. In every step that David took, it is written that he constantly asked from God when, where and how to move. That was a demonstration of putting trust in the name of God. In 1Samuel 23:14, Saul sought him (David) every day, but God did not deliver him into his hand. David put his entire move in the trust of God. Do you consider the issue of trust elementary? Examined your conscience and determine within yourself if you have actually been consciously and consistently putting your trust in Him during stormy season. His name is Mighty God; the all sufficient, and that settles it.

Prayer for today: Whatever it is that make men not to put trust on, father let it go and nmot be part of my life in Jesus name.

FINISH THE RACE

Mathew 25:1-13

God is a God of times and seasons. When it was time for Joseph to be promoted from Prime Slave to Prime Minister, no devil under heaven could stop him. The brothers that sold him to slavery in an attempt to deny him his divine schedule on earth were no where to be found. Moses attempted to change the hand of the clock of deliverance for God’s people in Egypt but the time of God could not be affected. The difference in Moses’ time and God’s divine time was forty years. Are you afraid or concerned about the way things are going in your life? As a child of God, fear is not what you need but prayer. Exodus 14:14, “The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” That is clear enough for your understanding. Let God fight your battle, and the enemy that you have been seeing will not rise again. Hold on to God’s timing, it is the best. Ecclesiastes 3:11, “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” When His timing for you is around, the whole world will celebrate with you. Do you know the time and the season you are living? Pharisees and Sadducees, in their debate with Jesus, were asking for a sign from heaven. Matthew 16:2-3, “He answered and said to them, ‘When it is evening you say, “It will be fair weather, for the sky is red”; and in the morning, “It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.” Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.’” All you have to do is open your ears, eyes, and heart to the word of God. Look around the whole world and see, or get informed with all that is taking place. With understanding, you will identify that the race is not only about you or what you want, but most importantly about where you are going to end up. Are you awake and alive enough to finish the race you have started? If you have started the race, keep your sight on the finish line; that is where the price for the race is waiting–for the finisher, not the beginners. Do you remember the parable of the ten virgins? The ten virgins started out in attempt to meet the bride groom, but not all eventually met the bridegroom. Five slept and missed their purpose in time. Matthew 25:1, “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bride-groom.” All the ten virgins went with right intention, but lacked the attention it took to meet the bridegroom. Yes, you have the intention to run and finish the race, but to lack attention will deny you in getting to the expected end.

Prayer for today: Father, the grace that it takes not to loose focus in the journey of life, let it become my garment in Jesus name.