DECEPTION AND WRONG INFLUENCES
Genesis 3:1-7

Deception and wrong influences are relative to each other; both are agents of the devil and not of God. The purpose of deception or wrong influences are to cause man to act in disobedience against the confirmed Word of God that has been deposited or released into a believer’s life. After God had put Adam in the garden of Eden, “…The commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 “but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”” (Genesis 2:16-17) God gave His Word of command to Adam, and to Adam alone, because at the time God was giving His word of command, Eve was yet to be created. After the word of command, “And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” (Genesis 2:18) When the word of God was being deposited into the life of Adam, Eve was not there yet, and she had no idea that God had spoken to Adam. When the enemy of man discharged his agent of deception, it was Eve that came up with a wrong influence in the life of Adam. Falling for a wrong influence frequently comes from the closest one, and that is not to say it does not come from distant ones. As a believer, you know exactly what the Word is requiring from you. You alone were there when the word of direction or command located you by God. As a result, there is a great need to stand still, and not be moved by whatever comes from the closest of the farthest ones. “Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:4-5) Eve, having fallen for the master of deception, now influenced her husband. Genesis 3:6, “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.” Eve fell for the deceiver, and Adam fell for the influencer that was in his life. It should not have been so for Adam, because Eve was not around when Adam received his word of command. Who is influencing you? Think before you take an influenced jump. Adam’s sin does not seem to be serious, but it turned out to be the worst sin ever committed.
Prayer for today: Father deliver me from every agent of deception and all that represents wrong influences in my life, in the name of Jesus.

LIVING WATER
July 08-08

It is recorded of Jesus in John 4:4, “But He needed to go through Samaria.” Samaria, then, was not a place that any Jew would want to go to, just as Jesus did. Knowing Jesus, who came for everyone, and most especially the rejected and the sinners, he decided there was a need for Him to go through Samaria. Does He have a need to go through you today? His going through you will leave a mark of deliverance, and reservation, for all that will allow Him to go through them. In His going through Samaria, He met a woman who had come to draw water from a well where Jesus was waiting for His disciples, who had gone to buy food. Jesus asked for water from the woman and the woman responded, “…”How is it that You being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.””(John 4:9) Obviously, the woman had no prior idea of whom she was talking to, but Jesus did point out to her reluctance in giving water, by Him offering the woman the living water. Jesus went even further and said to the woman, “…Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”(John 4:13-14) When the woman heard Jesus, she asked for Jesus to give her the water that will not make her thirsty any more. From the moment of her asking, Jesus was able to reveal all, her life history that could be likened to the living water running through her life, flushing out all the “flushables” and wetting all of her dryness. The woman that was initially asking for what to use in drawing water, began to carry the living water around without a water pot. “The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, 29 “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” 30 Then they went out of the city and came to Him.” (John 4:28-30) Going out, witnessing, and bringing sinners to the Lord is the greatest way of scoring for the Kingdom of God. Jesus also revealed in John 7:37-38, “…“If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” The Samaritan woman believed and she flowed, as living water, to many in her city. It was a demonstration of soul winning dryness, not to be witnessing and winning souls for the glory of God. Can you account for the number of souls that have come to the Lord through you in the past one to twelve months? The living water is a life giver, restorer, and repairer. Above all it revives life. 
Prayer for today: Ask God to fill you with the living water that will terminate every representative of dryness in areas that the Lord has called you.

GRACE TO GRASS
Exodus 2

Moses was born in due season for God’s divine purpose. At the time of his birth, grace was in place for him to be delivered from the commands of Pharaoh. At his birth, Pharaoh had given the command, “…When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.” (Exodus 1:16) Grace kept him and delivered him to be raised in the palace when the daughter of the Pharaoh picked him up in the river as an abandoned child. Moses had as much as a prince could have had while in the palace. Moses became an Israelite-Egyptian. Moses lived in the palace for forty years, and did not lose his statues as prince, until he ran away for the murder he committed. In his attempt to defend an Israelite being beaten by an Egyptian, he killed the Egyptian with the hope that no one saw him. In another of intervention between two Hebrew men, a reference was made to the murder he had committed. Exodus 2:15, “When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of Midian; and he sat down by a well.” After forty years of living in the palace, Moses fled for salvation to the land of Midian. While in Midian, he became a shepherd. Moses moved from grace to grass, as he became a shepherd in the land of Midian. God is a God of purpose, whatever situation or condition you have found yourself in, there is nothing to do, but to continue to thank God. Ephesians 5:20, “Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” What giving thanks to God will always do is that it will make, “… all things work together for good…” (Romans 8:28) There was no record of regret or lamentation as regard to how Moses caused himself to slide from grass to grace because of his concern for his Hebrew brethren, rather it was recorded in Exodus 2:21, “Then Moses was content to live with the man, and he gave Zipporah, his daughter to Moses.” If you did not like your situation or where you are now, know that God is in control and it might be that He is leading you to a great assignment that will elevate you for the Kingdom’s glory. Above all, Moses’ contentment was evidence that he was in a training to learn to be abound and abase. 1 Timothy 6:6, “Now godliness with contentment is great gain” Indeed and in truth, Moses in all his life did not experience God’s visitation, neither was he visited by God until after it was recorded of him that he was content to live in Midian. God was preparing Moses for a position as a great leader and Moses eventually became one of the greatest leaders in the history of mankind. Moses went from grace to grass, and from grass to greatness in the hand of God. Believe it, that you are under God’s construction for His kingdom glory.
Prayer for today: Lord, help me not to loose focus in every situation or condition that I go into, or in the ones ahead of me.

UNDERSTANDING IN PLACE
John 2:1-12

In the life of a believer, when there is an understanding in place, there will be a knowledge that will enable an expectation from where a breakthrough is coming from. At the wedding, in Cana of Galilee, where Mary, the mother of Jesus, Jesus, and the disciples were present, the wedding ceremony ran out of wine. A wedding without wine was set to face all kinds of embarrassment. Mary, having reported the wine situation to Jesus, went a step further and told the servants at the wedding, “…Whatever He says to you, do it.” (John 2:5) Jesus having become involved through Mary, responded with a command in John 2:7, “…Fill the water pots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim.” Without the word of Mary, there probably would have been no response from the servants that had never known Jesus before. Jesus’ command could have fallen on deaf ears. To have the knowledge of expectation is like positioning oneself for a miracle. When Jesus gave His command to fill the water pot, the absence of delay, or doubt, in the response of the servants was a demonstration of what it means to take a stand on the ground of miracles. The servants did not just fill the water pots, but they filled it to the brim. The servants were standing still knowing that the word they had received was going to attend to their needs. Having filled the water pots, Jesus then gave another command, “And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.” (John 1:8) And they took it. There was no documentation of the water being tested by the servants before taking it to the master, but it was evident that they were acting on the understanding that came to place, and gave them a knowing edge, when Mary told them, “…Whatever He says to you, do it.” The servants’ understanding made them able to see the wine as being there as a result; it was easy for them to have no struggles or doubt in responding to the commands of Jesus. Moses told the children of Israel in the face of defeat and failure, “…Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever.” (Exodus 14:13) The pattern of breakthrough and victory is clearly seen in the miracle of the Cana of Galilee wedding, just as it happened for the children of Israel at the Red Sea. Can you summon your faith today, stand still, and begin to see your victory and breakthrough when it is yet to be there?
Prayer for today: Father I ask in Jesus name, let there be an understanding in place for me to know where to expect my breakthrough, victory and salvation to come from.  

HE IS WORTHY
2 Samuel 22

Praise is the cheapest way to be raised before our God that declared in one of His Ten Commandments, “…For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God…”(Exodus 20:5) Praise is giving attention, and the antidote for jealousy is attention. Praise can only be effective if it is with all your strength, from a sincere heart, and backed with consistency. The Psalmist was not suggesting or advising when he testified, “Seven times a day I praise You, because of Your righteous judgments.” (Psalm 119:164) Praising God with an understanding (Psalm 47:7) is a proven way of getting into His court, where He sits and reigns as King forever. David testified to it in Psalm 22:3, “But you are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel.” Praising God should not be limited to only when you get what you want from God, but it should also be when you don’t get what you want. Are you waiting to get what you want before rendering unto Him, His due praise? Praising God while waiting for Him to move on your behalf is also a way of letting Him know that He is undoubtedly the only source, and the lifter of your head. Calling Him the names that no other God can answer will make heaven answer on your behalf. In David’s Psalms of thanksgiving, as documented in 2Samuel 22, a revelation of what calling Him by His names can do is evident in David’s life’s testimonies. God is worthy to be praised so shall salvation can come forth. God is our strength; He is to be trusted; He is our shield; He is our horn of salvation; He alone is our stronghold; He is our refuge. God is to be called unto, or cried unto, to because He is The God that have ears to hear. Once He introduced Himself to Abram, “…I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” Why not tap into all the names that He identifies with, and find out what the result will be? David did, and his testimonies are constantly undeniable. Why not call Him the entire great name to praise Him? He is a jealous God. Do you know how to praise Him enough? Remind Him to let Him know that you know, “From the brightness before Him coals of fire were kindled.”(2 Samuel 22:13) Also “…He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. (1 Timothy 6:14-16) He alone is worthy of our praise and He is to be glorified, “Whoever offers praise glorifies Me…” (Psalm 50:23)Praise the Lord for He alone is worthy of our praises.
Prayer for today: Whatever it is O Lord, that makes man to depart from praising you continually, with understanding, let it not be my portion in Jesus’ name.