Deliverance< ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>

2 Timothy 4:9-18, 1 John 2:15-17

Our God is a God of mercy that delivers and preserves His own from the works of the evil one. In as much as Paul was a giant, he never underestimated the work of the enemy. His prayers were evident about how he constantly looks up to God for his life. 2Timothy4:18, ÒAnd the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen!Ó You are not that far from the Lord not to look up and constantly render PaulÕs prayer before God. It is a way of inviting God to take over in all areas of your life so you can be protected from all that is in the world. All that is in the world will take you down if you fail to take your ground in the Lord. It was all that is in the world that brought down Adam and Eve. It was also the same — all that is in the world — that showed up to Jesus after His forty-day fast. 1 John 2:16, ÒFor all that is in the world-the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life-is not of the father but is of the world.Ó Is there any one of the three operating in your life? This is the more reason why consistent prayer for deliverance and preservation is very important to you. All the three passed in the life of Adam and Eve, but it failed in Jesus and it did not sway Him. It is not how important you are, or how strong, or how long you have been in the Lord. Just like Paul, praying your way out of the devilÕs way is the way of deliverance and preservation. Pray without ceasing because the devil will come to advertise his program on you so you can eventually buy into it and fail. He will come at an opportune time. Stay on your guard by keeping focus in prayer.

Transformation< ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>

John 8:12-20, Acts 9:1-9

Darkness is not a place to be walking. It is a place of no direction, a place of eternal death, a place of failure, a place of no peace; it is also a place where fear and anxiety reign and rule. When a man takes the journey of life into the avenue of darkness, it is an assurance that he will fall as the darkness get darker. John 8:12, ÒThen Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ÔI am the light of the world. He who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.ÕÓ That is all the world needs. The light that will terminate all darkness is the real deal. Paul will testify what it means to be visited by the light of life. Paul was once a shareholder in the kingdom of darkness. He was a chief persecutor of Christians. As usual, Paul was minding his business — looking for Christian to persecute. He moved with permission to go do his business (persecuting Christians) at the synagogues of Damascus Acts 9:3, ÒAs he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heavenÓ With the light on Saul, his name was changed, identity was changed, darkness was terminated, and he never walked back to where he was. The light that shone on Paul brought transformation into his life. He was transformed from the shareholder of the kingdom of darkness to that of light. Do you know if you have been walking in the darkness or not? Be sincere to yourself. Ask God to locate you today with the same light that located Paul when he was Saul. Without light, there will be no transformation in your journey of faith.  

Limited Worship< ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>

Acts 21:1-6

God made man. As the distance of the times of the bible continue to grow far from today, man continues to grow far from the ground. The issue here is man has grown too tall compared to biblical times and it has made it difficult to bow down in worship before God (I am speaking figuratively, of course). Attempting to point out how men were worshiping God during the times of the bible will take a long time. Taking Paul the Apostle as an example is enough to present how to worship God in prayer. Acts 20:36, ÒAnd when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all.Ó Kneeling down before God is bowing before Him; and that is worshiping God. The ground was not too far for Paul. He knows the Christ in person, spirit, truth and in deed. Acts 21:5, ÒWhen we had come to the end of those days, we departed and went on our away; and they all accompanied us, with wives and children, till we were out of the city. And we knelt down on the shore and prayed.Ó Read this verse again and meditate on it. Adults, young children, wives, including Paul — all of them went down to the shore to worship in prayer. Today, that will be called religious fanaticism. Are you one of them? Ask God to break all that is causing limitation in your worship before Him. Ignore your height or your distance from the ground (your environment or the protection of your wealthy garment) and begin to bow in worship before God in the spirit and in the physical — in or outside the shore. God will have mercy, in Jesus name. The word of God is written for our learning.

Praise< ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>

Psalm 47, 100

Praise is not an entertainment; it is an entrance into the presence of the Almighty God. In most gatherings, emotion has taken over fellowshipping, and praise is not what it was during the days of the bible. What about in your gathering before Him? Do you understand what you are doing whenever you claim to be praising Him? Psalm 47:7, ÒFor God is the King of all the earth; Sing praises with understanding.Ó Can you see what praise is about? It is not about jumping and shouting because you are among crowd of worshipers. When was the last time you set yourself apart just to praise Him? Your praise should not be only good seasons; it should be all the time because the Lord is good all the time. Praise is also a vehicle that gets you into His courts. Psalm 100:4 ÒEnter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.Ó Is there any other place that is better than being in the courts of God? However, there is no direct route into His courts. You will have to pass through the gates. Evidently, the word of God points out that thanksgiving is the vehicle that will convey you into His gate. You have been demonstrating lack of understanding by just getting to the gate and turning back. Today let your understanding give you a knowing-edge that will get you into His courts. Stop turning at His gates, go farther and get into His courts. Give God a heart-full thanksgiving, not a mouth-full thanksgiving. Praise Him with understanding, not with emotion and you will end up in His courts.

Disallow Gap< ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>

Isaiah 7:1-7

As a believer who is traveling 100 miles an hour in the journey of faith, slowing down to 80 miles an hour is a great risk. The time and season of this world is not the time for slowing down. Slowing down is an invitation to the enemy, and it will cause a gap in a believerÕs wall, and protection will slack. It is always a small gap that leads to a bigger gap. The more a believer continues to slow down, the more the gap gets bigger. It does not matter the size of the gap you have noticed in your life, waiting too long before having the gap sealed up will be like laying in wait to waste. All that your enemy is looking for is to convert your small gap to a bigger gap that can allow him passage into you. Isaiah 7:6, ÒLet us go up against < ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>Judah and trouble it, and let us make a gap in its wall for ourselves, and set a king over them, the son of Tabel.Ó The plan of the enemy for your life is to come in and reign in your life. All you have to do to make this happen is to help the enemy make a gap. You have to disallow the gap from happening. Allowing trouble to reign is allowing a gap to have its way in your life. Jesus is the only one that can deliver you from trouble when it knocks on your door. Disallow the enemy from putting a gap in your wall; move closer to God and let God continue to be the king of your life. Every evil that has been plotted against you will turn against the plotters.