YEAR BY YEAR
1 Samuel 1

Encouragement in the Word of God is the only vehicle that will carry you through in your journey when there is expectation for your miracle. It does not matter how long you have been waiting neither does it matter how much you have left to go in your journey. Elkanah had two wives; one was barren while the other one was fruitful. Hannah was barren and Peninnah was fruitful. Both had to go to Shiloh yearly with their husband (Elkanah) to worship and sacrifice to the Lord of hosts. Despite the barrenness of Hannah, there was no indication of complaint from Hannah not to go to Shiloh yearly with her husband and her provoker, Peninnah. What is it that is mocking your faith or ridiculing your faith? 1Samuel 1:6, “And her rival also provoked her severely, to make her miserable, because the LORD had closed her womb.” Have you been experiencing provocation as a result of lack, set backs, denial, road block and every other operation of the agents of enemy that have positioned itself in your life? It can be challenging for you to receive and accept or not accept any advice from brethren concerning your situation. If you will take some time out of all kinds of advice and seek counsel from how Hannah prevailed, you will learn more than expected. The root of Hannah’s breakthrough was perseverance. The Bible declared in 1Samuel 1:7, “So it was, year by year, when she went up to the house of the LORD, that she provoked her; therefore she wept and did not eat.” In the face of mockery and ridicule Hannah remained consistent in going year by year. It is not the right time for you to give up your faith. Seeking God should not only happen when everything is going good in your life. Also, to cease from seeking Him should not be determined by delay in breakthrough. Allow your faith to rise as you rise up on your feet and keep on going with your eyes fixed on Jesus; you will get through with your breakthrough. Hannah did not give up until her miracle located her. Do not be unwise, but be wise by not giving up seeing that your miracle is on its way. Hannah’s story through 1Samuel 1 tell it all how God is the unchanging changer. The Lord that closed her womb was the one that opened it at the process of time. Hannah’s persistence with expectation brought forth her manifestation. Look up and lock yourself unto the Word of God it will unlock all that is locking you down. He is a faithful God.

Prayer for today: I ask for Your deliverance from every spirit of distraction. O Lord, let failure  not be my portion in the name of Jesus.

OPPOSITE DIRECTION
JONAH 1

In every failure to move in His direction there will be a passage that leads to a self destruction. God given direction is not to be taken for granted. Also, God given direction should never be approached with carelessness. In His direction, there is no excuse of not following through to the end. When the Word of God came to Jonah, it was a direction for him to arise and go to Nineveh. Nineveh had turned onto great wickedness and God in His goodness and mercy, wanted to use Jonah in ministering salvation to Nineveh. Have you received any direction to your least expected area? God is not a careless God and neither is He a God that will overlook disobedience. The Bible recorded in Jonah 1:3, “But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.” Tarshish was in the opposite direction from Nineveh. Jonah’s move was in the opposite direction to God’s command. Jonah got the command from God and he decided to move outside of God’s command by responding to the dictates of his heart. The Word of God stated, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9) In his act of disobedience, he positioned himself for great disaster. Jonah’s decision was not only a threat to him, but it was dangerous to all the people around him. Jonah 1:4, “But the LORD sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up.” Jonah’s decision to go in the opposite direction brought a storm when there was no storm. Are you experiencing any form of sudden storm in your company or on your ground? Could it be that you have taken an opposite direction in your response to God’s calling? It could also be evidence that a Jonah has entered your ground. Taking the opposite direction away from the Word of God is not always the right way for a believer. It does not matter how long you have been getting away by taking the opposite direction, but it matters where it will take you to when a storm rages without a warning signal. Ask God for His mercy in all of your decisions today.

Prayer for today: O Lord my God and my Father, You are the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Help me O Lord with the grace that makes man to be constantly obedient to Your command.

OBEY FIRST
Joshua 6

God established breakthrough often starts when you begin to see where there is nothing to see in the physical. Responding to God’s command that calls for looking and seeing where there is nothing in place, is a demonstration to the fact that faith is being activated. God commanded Abraham, “For all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever. And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered.” (Genesis 13:15-16) A man that has passed the age of child bearing was commanded to see where he never stepped on. Not just to see but to also imagine descendants that could not be numbered. When God says it is done, it becomes a done deal. The children of Israel, after years and years of journey to their promised land, the King of Jericho was not enough to deny or upset God’s plan. They were set to enter, but the King of Jericho was determined to deny them. Here is the plan of the king of Jericho in Joshua 6:1, “Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in.” Man can shut you out from where God is taking you, but the key to every door is in the hand of God. They have put up schemes to eliminate you from where God is taking you by shutting all doors on you. Also, they have opened you up for failure so there will be reason for you not to gain your position. All you need to do is to hear from God as you read through your Bible daily. You will hear it that God is in absolute control. Do you believe that God can see you through? If you believe, what are you hearing in the Word of God? Whatever you are hearing or whatever you have heard in His Word is what you need to begin to see. What you hear determines what you receive and whatever you receive will determine what you become. God intervened in Jericho’s bold attempt to deny the children of Israel. God spoke His word to Joshua the leader of the children of Israel in Joshua 6:2, “And the LORD said to Joshua: “See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor.” God commanded Joshua to see the victory in place before it was there in the physical. Knowing the promises of God that says, He will never leave nor forsake His people, begin to see your victory from today and it will be in place for you in Jesus Name. Joshua saw and it became a done deal.

Prayer for today: The grace to be consistent in responding to your command is what I ask for this day O Lord my God.

MIRY CLAY
Psalm 40

“I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps.” (Psalm 40:1-2)To be in miry clay is to be in a disadvantage or to be on a difficult ground. It can also be a slippery ground or a ground of stagnation where motion can be hindered. The Psalmist called this kind of ground a horrible pit because he had been on such ground before. On a ground where there is none to hold onto is a ground to look up to the hand of the Lord God Almighty. On a ground where it is wet and slippery is a ground to wait on God and be awake in watching. On a ground where there is no turning from right to left or left to right, is a ground to be right with God. David was on a horrible pit, miry clay. There was no help coming forth for deliverance but to wait patiently on God. David waited and the Lord inclined His ear to David and He heard David’s cry. The Lord brought David out and He will bring you out of your horrible pit. In waiting on God patiently there should no back up plans. God alone is absolutely and abundantly able to deliver. When a believer waits on God by being awake, it will be a gain from being slipped. There is nothing new under heaven. As believers in the early days faced challenges, believers in these days are not immune to challenges. Challenges are not necessarily an indication of absence from God; it can be a test for promotion in the calling of God for God’s assignment. As a believer that is dragging in motion or that is experiencing stagnation because of the miry clay you can always turn to the word of God. Is there any disadvantage or difficult challenges in any area of life? David waited on God patiently and he ended with singing a new song. By virtue of David’s testimony, many witnessed God’s hand in his life and they were overwhelmed with fear. Wait patiently on God just like David and you will soon start singing a new song that people around you will see it and they will fear and trust God.

Prayer for today: O Lord my God and my Father, You are the same yesterday today and tomorrow. Help me O Lord with the kind of grace that made David to wait patiently for his deliverance. Father let me begin to wait on you and not waste on my own. Thank you O Lord for you alone are God and my only God. In Jesus name I pray.

CORRUPTION IS DESTRUCTION
Genesis 6

Another name for corruption is dissolution or immorality. Corruption is also a perversion of integrity. Dishonesty and all kinds of wrongdoing are the relatives of corruption. Any believer that claims to Know God and is constantly caught up with any act of corruption is an evidence of not knowing God. It is written and confirmed in the scripture that corruption is an evidence of not knowing God. Corruption is also wickedness and God is a God that does not overlook wickedness. Eli sons were referred to in 1Samuel 2:12, “Now the sons of Eli were corrupt; they did not know the LORD.” Corruption was the sin of Hophni and Phinehas the two sons of Eli. Eli became part of the sin because he lost control of his two sons to corruption. The sin of corruption lead to the generational curse on Eli and it also lead to the death of Eli and his two sons the same day. God is a good God and He will never do wicked except man chose to enter into wickedness and wickedness have its reward. The reward of wickedness is destruction. Can you search and see if there is any identity of corruption in your life? Corruption becomes an eternal terminator when man decides to live a life of corruption. Through the pages of scripture, there is no one testimony that is favorable to corruption. In the Bible days it was not favorable and today it cannot be favorable for corruption because the same God that was is the same God that is. The earlier to step out of corruption and ask God for forgiveness the better it is. The fact that you are still getting away with corruption in your name or in the name of the Lord is not an evidence of escape, success or prosperity. You can believe that judgment will come. In the days of Noah corruption is what brought the whole population down into eternal termination through flood. Genesis 6:11-12 testifies to the effect of corruption, “The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.” The same God that looked upon the earth then is still looking upon the earth. He will not be longsuffering forever as regard to what His creation are doing that does not glorify His name. It is wise for every man including self claimed believers to have a clear understanding that the work of their hands will not be hidden forever.

Prayer for today: Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Let me not give up to any kind of corruption.