COMMIT TO NO MAN
2 Chronicles 14-16

“But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.” (John 2: 24-25) Commit yourself unto no man; but only unto God. Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, could not commit Himself unto any man. If Jesus, our Lord and savior could not commit Himself to any man, you should never commit yourself unto any man. Deception is rooted in the heart of man. A deceptive heart is a wicked heart and it is also an evil heart. God testified against the heart of man in Genesis 6:5, “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Commitment unto man is the cheapest way unto self destruction. In the journey of life, you have been an over-comer in all areas of challenges because you have constantly committed all unto God. Why are you now seeking man’s commitment concerning new challenges? Switching from God to man will undoubtedly bring destruction. Asa, king of Judah, was a good example. Having fought wars of conquest against stronger and mightier Ethiopians and the Lubim army solely by the hand of God, he failed to maintain a continuous victory when he committed his reliance to the king of Syria. 2 Chronicles 16:7-8, “And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said to him: “Because you have relied on the king of Syria, and have not relied on the LORD your God, therefore the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand. Were the Ethiopians and the Lubim not a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet, because you relied on the LORD, He delivered them into your hand.”Are you encountering a challenge and it seems there is no way out? Today, remember the miracles of God and all He has done for you when you were in a challenging situation. Are you looking for a quick answer to the confronting situation? It will not be resolved if you take it to a man for support. Take it to the Lord because that is the true solution to your situation. The grace to wait and to give it up to God is a demonstration of trust and loyalty to the One who is in charge. It is written in 2 Chronicles 16:9, the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars.”Let Him alone fight your battle.

Prayer for today: Endue me O Lord with the grace not to commit myself onto any man.

EXPECTATION
Luke 9:12-17

Do you lay claim on what you are expecting? Lay a claim for your blessings because God is a merciful God who cares for His children. In your expectation eliminate contamination. As you begin to expect from the hand that has been keeping you by grace and not by works, do not allow your location or situation to become an agent of contamination to your expectation. Jesus is the One who can convert our expectation into manifestation. Jesus has never been limited or delayed by any location or situation when it is time for Him to convert our expectation to manifestation. Once in a desert, despite the late hour where there was no food to feed a stranded multitude, Jesus extended His hand of provision. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He will extend His hand in any location and situation that you have found yourself in. Jesus multiplied five loaves and two fish to feed a multitude that was no less than five thousand. Before the miracle, there was a command in place that was to be activated before manifestation. Have you been following His commands? Before the miracle of the loaves and fish, Jesus gave a command in Luke 9:14-15, “For there were about five thousand men. Then He said to His disciples, “Make them sit down in groups of fifty.” And they did so, and made them all sit down.”As a believer how have you positioned yourself in your expectation for the visitation of His miracle? Jesus did not do anything to the loaves and fish, until after His command to the disciples was carefully delivered and responded to by the multitude. After He observed their obedience, “Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude. So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them.” (Luke 9:16-17) In obedience to His command, miracles followed in every area of their needs. The miracles became a manifestation where there was no hope for provision. There was no documentation of any struggle by the crowd, neither was there any documentation of rowdiness because they followed His command. It became a simple direction. Are you having problems following His commands? If you will obey His commands the direction of getting your expectation will become a simple one. Jesus who is the same yesterday, today and forever can perform the same miracle for you today. Taking a seat of obedience will bring forth your abundance. Claim your blessings because He has come that we might have life, and that we might have it more abundantly (John 10:10).

Prayer for today: Ask God to direct your heart to trust on His name in every area of need in your life.

COMPLAINING IS COMPLICATING
Numbers 14

A journey that was supposed to last eleven days, turned out to last for forty years. Not forty hours or forty days, not forty weeks or forty months, but forty years. The children of Israel were to travel through the wilderness to their Promised Land for eleven days, but the journey lasted for forty years. Are you experiencing a wilderness or an in the valley situation? At times it is good to experience a wilderness journey, but not to stay in the wilderness for a prolonged period of time. The generation that came out of Egypt did not only live in the wilderness, they roamed and wandered about in the wilderness. Also, they did not get to see or enter into the Promised Land. It was because of their complaining against God that kept them in the wilderness. Acts of complaining are acts of self-destruction. Are you complaining about your situation? As a result of the children of Israel’s constant complaining against God, the Lord punished them for complaining against Him. God responded in Numbers 14:22-23, “Because all these men who have seen My glory and the signs which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have put Me to the test now these ten times, and have not heeded My voice, they certainly shall not see the land of which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who rejected Me see it.” God promised to take them to the Promised Land. He showed them great and mighty signs in Egypt, and on their way out of Egypt. The signs and wonders of God are His testimonies. His testimonies are more than enough to transport believers to the Promised Land. Are you constantly meditating on His testimonies? The Psalmist knew what he was saying by virtue of his confessions in Psalm 119:2, “Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, Psalm 119:14, I have rejoiced in the way of your testimonies, as much as in all riches, Psalm119: 24, “Your testimonies also are my delight and my counselors, Psalm 119:46, I will speak of Your testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed. The testimonies of God are worthy of meditation. What are the testimonies that you are carrying? What are the testimonies of your heart? The testimonies of God provoke faith. Hebrew 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Let today be your day of meditating on the testimonies of God and complaining will take no place in your situation.
 
Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace that will cause you not to complain in times of challenging situations. 

BECOME HIS SHOWCASE
Luke 17:11-19

While Jesus was on earth, every journey He took had a specific purpose and assignment. Not one of his journeys was considered as a mistake or as an unintentional route. Jesus always knew what to do, and what would take place before it happened. “Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.” (Luke 17:11). Going through Samaria was not an ideal route for a Jew. The Samaritans were a despised people. They were descendants of the Jews who were married to the Gentiles and that caused deep hostility between the Jews and Samaritans. For hundreds of years, Jews had been enemies of the Samaritans. It was this same Samaria that Jesus chose to pass through. Jesus knew why He chose to go through Samaria and what would happen when he passed through before He encountered the ten lepers. The lepers who were a despised and outcast group heard that Jesus was passing by. When they saw Jesus “they lifted up their voices and said, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!’ ” (Luke 17:13) Are you a believer in the name of Jesus? What is preventing you from lifting up your voice and calling on the name of Jesus just like the lepers did? Jesus wanted to teach us that He came to earth for all of us regardless of the nature of our sin. To Jesus, our race, gender, class was not an issue. He came to reach us despite our shortcomings. He also wanted us to know that He came to set the captives free and that His mercy endureth forever. When He saw them after they were healed, Jesus instructed the ten lepers to “…Go, show yourselves to the priests…” (Luke 17:14) Without any hesitation or doubt, the ten lepers hurried off in amazement and showed themselves to the priests. . They became Jesus’ showcase. Mockery ceased and miracle took is reign. Their leprosy was healed. They went from being an outcast group to being accepted back into their society. What is preventing you from lifting your voice and calling on the name of Jesus for His mercy today? Do you see yourself from a distance? There is no distance for the Spirit of God. Give your condition over to Him, lift up your voice and cry out to Him and He will command you to be His showcase for the glory of God.     

Prayer for today: Ask God to deliver you from all that represents mockery in your life. Ask Him to fulfill that need as He passes by you today and He will grant your request and cause you to be His showcase for the glory of God.

JUDGE NOT
2 King 5

“Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the hearts.” (Proverbs 21:2)Since man can only see the outside appearance and not the heart, it is often easier for man to judge each other. Every time we consider man as right or wrong in our own eyes we take a position of passing judgment. “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” (Matthew 7:1-2) Jesus commanded against judging others when we do not know their heart. God alone sees and knows our hearts and He alone is the righteous judge forever. The story of Naaman stated, “Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master, because by him the LORD had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper.”(2 Kings 5:1) The leper, Naaman was a commander of the army and was considered a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master. How was he considered in the eyes of God his maker? Man can be considered as great and humble in the eyes of the ones that are around him. However, what matters most is how he stands in the eyes of God; and not in the eyes of his pastor or bishop. Naaman who was considered great and honorable in the eyes of his master was actually dying of leprosy on the outside and leprosy of the inside which is pride. Proverbs 16:18, “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.” The pride in Naaman was exposed when he showed his anger against the prophet Elisha. Elisha sent him to wash in the Jordan river, “But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, “Indeed, I said to myself, ‘He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.’ Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage.”” Rage and anger are evidence of pride (leprosy on the inside). Naaman’s pride could have caused him to die as a leper. He was judged and considered as a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master but in the end, it’s how we are measured or judged in the eyes of God that counts., 

Prayer for today: I ask O Lord that you deliver me from every representative of leprosy and let pride not have a place in my life.