SELF-CONTAINED
Judges 6:1-16

A man in the Bible identified himself as the least among his clan, and coming from the weakest clan. The man did not consider himself to be anybody. Above all, he dwelt among a group of people that had been suffering oppression from the enemy. His group of people was greatly impoverished because of continuous raids by the enemy. While the man continued to live in a self-contained box, “…The Angel of the LORD came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites.” (Judges 6:1) Gideon did  not know who he was, and he was in the process to continue hiding, just like his people. The Angel of the Lord that appeared to Gideon was on a mission that would allow Gideon to know who he was, and not what his environment called him to be. Often times, having dwelt too long in an environment, the environment will begin to define the dweller, instead of the dweller defining himself to the environment. Gideon had been where the people had been hiding in the caves and strongholds that were in the mountains. (Judges 15:2) The Angel of the Lord that appeared to Gideon, identified Gideon, “And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him, and said to him, “The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!” (Judges 16:12) Having dwelt for a long time among the oppressed, the mighty man of valor could not see himself as a mighty man of valor, because he became a part of them and began to think like them. Despite all the testimonies of God, despite all that have been revealed through the pages of scripture, there are believers of the Word of God that continue to live and suffer like the believers of the word of the world. In the process of getting a self realization, the Angel of the Lord eventually spoke power into the life of Gideon, “Then the LORD turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?” (Judges 16:14) The word that was released into Gideon’s life, could not sink into Gideon immediately because he had been in self-contained box for too long. Gideon wanted to questioned the validity of the word that came into his life, but the Lord assured him, “And the LORD said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.” (Judges 6:16) When He sends His own, He always backs His own up. With the current world order, victory is certain when there is boldness and character.
Prayer for today: My God and my Father, I ask for your deliverance that will bring me out of every self-contained box.

GOOD PART
Luke 10:38-42

“Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word.” (Luke 10:38-39) It is a great privilege to have Jesus welcomed into your house, while not making yourself present with Him in the house is nothing but a huge disaster. Many have given their lives and accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior, but they are constantly not available at His visitation. Martha was the one that welcomed Jesus, but she was busy serving unreasonably. Any service that takes a believer from receiving what it takes to know Him in truth and indeed, is not a reasonable service. While Martha was busy serving Jesus, Mary was busy getting fed at the feet of the Master. Mary was receiving all that matters, all which could help her in growing to become the kind of woman that the Lord wanted her to be. There is nothing wrong in serving the Lord, but so much is wrong when serving takes away the believer from receiving what it takes to grow in the word of God. Today many are busy serving in different areas but the Word of God is not touching different areas of their lives. “But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” (Luke 10:40) Martha knew what was going on in her life. She recognized that her service was nothing but a distraction that was taking her away from where she needed to be and what she needed to be getting from the Master. It is very possible that leaders can be impressed by service they observed in every server, but it is important that service counts before the Master of all. Martha realizing her deficit, decided to take her case to the Master, “And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.” (Luke 10:41) Worrying is not of the Lord; it is an evidence of anxiousness. Jesus made Martha realize her misplaced priority. In everything where preparation and planning has been adequately laid down, every activity should fall in the right order. Jesus mentioned to Martha, “But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:42) Know how to prepare for your service; if it is short of getting fed by the word of God, you are not getting from the good part.
Prayer for today: What ever is taking man away from getting the good part in You, O Lord let it not be my portion in Jesus name.  

REJECTED?
1 Samuel 15

King Saul, anointed by Samuel to be the king over the children of Israel, disobeyed the Word of God and that made God declare to him, through Samuel, “I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commandments.” And it grieved Samuel, and he cried out to the LORD all night. (1 Samuel 15:11) God’s regret over Saul resulted to Saul’s rejection as the king for the children of Israel. For a long time, Saul continued to be the king for the children of Israel, before every man and woman, while he was no longer a king, but a rejected vessel before God. Saul disobeyed God when he made a choice to walk in his own way outside of God’s way. God commanded Saul, “Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’” (1 Samuel 15:3) Saul did not dispute God’s command, but he went and disrupted God’s plan and purpose to punish the Amalek. God regretted setting up Saul as the king because of his disobedience. To disobey God’s command is turning your back on God. To stop following God’s command is the avenue to fall from grace. Whatever you have heard from Him needs to be carefully obeyed, before becoming rejected by God. Despite the fact that Saul had been rejected, he remained as king without God’s presence and while he was king, the Word says, “But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the LORD troubled him.” (1 Samuel 16:14) Saul, the anointed king by God, no longer carried the presence of God, yet he remained to be king for the people of God. God is not a rusher, and He will always go by His timing, not by the timing or the feeling of man. It is possible to make the work of God look good by investing time, energy, and money. It is also possible for the job to be attractive to the multitude, or good in numbers, the question is: Can God be found in the good work that you are doing? Anointing in place is not evidence to the presence of God. Disobedience is evil; it is a great sin, a demonstration of the lack of fear for the Lord. Ecclesiastes 8:11, “Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.”God does not overlook sin; He will act at His appointed time.
Prayer for Today: Father I ask in the name of Jesus for your deliverance and preservation of my life from every walk of sin and iniquities.

MERCY AND TRUTH
Genesis 32

“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.” (Hebrews 11:8) When Abraham obeyed the call to get out of his country, family, and the house of his father, there was nothing documented about Abraham doubting or questioning God. It is written in Genesis 12:4, “So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.” At the moment of his departure from his familiar ground, it is evident that there was grace that went with him, and for him. The only way that grace can be identified is through someone that was close to him in his journey of faith. As God will have it, Abraham designated the oldest servant of his house, who ruled over all that he had, to go and take a wife for Isaac in his country (Genesis 24:2). The servant went, and all went well as desired. As a result of the success, “Then the man bowed down his head and worshiped the LORD. 27 And he said, “Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His mercy and His truth toward my master. As for me, being on the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master’s brethren.” (Genesis 24:26-27) In this confession of the oldest servant of Abraham, the one that knew him in all of his walk of life the one that had witnessed how the Lord had dealt with Abraham, there was a testimony of what had been in place for Abraham through the journey of faith, and that was the mercy and truth of God. Without a doubt, the mercy and truth of God is all that made Abraham go as far as he could for the glory of God. Later, it was evident in the testimony of Jacob when he went away from home into his journey, he testified, “I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which You have shown Your servant; for I crossed over this Jordan with my staff, and now I have become two companies.” (Genesis 32:10) Evidently, the mercy and truth of God is what preserves His children, and makes His children prevail in the journey of life. The Psalmist recorded in Psalm 25:9-10, “The humble He guides in justice, and the humble He teaches His way.10 All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth, To such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.” Father Abraham was taught in the way of God, and that led him through the paths of mercy and truth.
Prayer for today: O Lord God, let your mercy and truth not be forsaken in my life. Lead me in your paths for your name to be glorified.

WHAT’S HAVING YOU?
2 Kings 4:8-38

When a man is having any situation such as sickness, or disease, there will be a difference from when a situation is “having” the believer. “Having a situation” should not be able to take control of one’s life, no matter how the situation is. However, if a situation is “having someone”, that situation will be in control of that person’s life. When sudden and untimely death had Lazarus, it took him away and he was terminated. Lazarus was tied up and rolled up in a tomb. Death had Lazarus and nothing could be done until Jesus showed up to release him from sudden and untimely death. As a believer or non-believer, what is it that is having you? “Then it happened, as He was coming near Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the road begging. 36 And hearing a multitude passing by, he asked what it meant. 37 So they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. 38 And he cried out, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Luke 18:35-38) Blindness was having the man by the roadside, and he could go nowhere as desired. Also, he could not see what was going on around him because the blindness had taken him over and he was under the control of blindness. Is there any condition that is dictating or directing the traffic of your life? A Shunammite woman whose husband was at old age, had no children encountered the Prophet Elisha who prayed for her to have a child. The child fell sick, and died a sudden and untimely death. The sudden death that took the child could not have the child because the mother refused to allow the death to take control of her demeanor. The mother did not grieve or sorrow, but she put herself together and set out to go and see Prophet Elisha. The Shunammite woman refused death over her son and did not let it have her by virtue of her positive confession. She refused to confess negatively by claiming it was well, when actuality it was not well in the physical. “…So it was, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to his servant Gehazi, “Look, the Shunammite woman! 26 Please run now to meet her, and say to her, ‘Is it well with you? Is it well with your husband? Is it well with the child?’” And she answered, “It is well.” (2 King 4: 26-27) The Shunammite woman disallowed death from taking her son. Whatever keeps a man from moving or from seeing where there is a need to see is evidently having the man’s life.
Prayer for today: O Lord have mercy and let me not be in any situation whereby I could no longer have control over the life that you have given me.