TURNING ASIDE
1 Samuel 15:1-23

Turning aside from the Lord is an evidence of covenant laziness; it is convenience and lack of commitment. Turning aside is an indicator of not serving Him with all the heart, with all the strength, and with all the soul. It is not possible to serve God reasonably when you turn aside from Him. Serving God demands a reasonable service. Turning aside is also a lack of responsibilities toward God. Romans 12:1, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” When a man is conformed to this world, it is not possible to be in good or right form with the Word of God. The love of the world has quietly sneaked in, taking over the place of the Word of God. Can you actually tell if you love the world or the things of the world? The word of God warned against loving the world or the things of this world.1 John 2:15, “Do not love the world or the things in the world, If anyone loves the world, the love of the father is not in him.” Indeed and in truth, if the love of the Father is in every acclaimed believer, loving Him with all heart, all strength and all soul should be in place. When you love Him so much, no sacrifice will be too difficult for you to give unto God. Talking about sacrifice now is talking about obedience. As a believer, are you obedient to the Word of the Lord? Are you the same when you are inside or outside a group of believers? Man can be deceived, but God cannot be deceived. Have you turned aside or are you in the process or turning aside? Obedience to the word of God is what makes one to be qualified as giving reasonable service or sacrifice. Saul’s incomplete obedience was a turning aside from God. God directed him to one side; he went to the other side from God’s direction. God directed Saul to go and attack the Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they had. Saul went as God directed and he made selection of what to spare (when God told him not to spare) in the name of sacrificing unto God. Saul played God. Whenever God calls for a stop, and disobedience takes the place of stop, it is right to call it playing God. Have you been playing God in any area of your life? Playing God is turning aside from Him. Turning aside from Him will is returning to the way that seems right to a man. Remember, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” (Proverbs 14:12)
Prayer for today: O Lord my God, have mercy Lord and direct my heart to the true love of your holy name.

HEALING WORD
Acts 14:1-10
 
There are number of powerful ways that the living Word of God is described through the scripture. In every way that the Word is described, the Word has been consistent in answering the description. Psalm 119:32, “The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.” Many in darkness have been exposed to light, so many are still being exposed to light, and have had there darkness terminated. The Word of God is true to giving light just as mentioned. Acts 20:32, ““So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” There is absolutely nothing that builds up man, or can build up man in the things of God, like the Word of God will do. To whom the Word of God builds up there is no end to the blessing of God in life. The Word of God is power to deliver its promise. Psalm 107:20, “He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions.” Whenever the Word sent is able to fill any vacuum in the life of a needy person, it will bring out, or deliver, all that represents need. A certain lame man encountered the preaching of the Gospel, the Word of God while Paul and Silas were going about preaching the Gospel. Acts 14:7-8, “And they were preaching the gospel there. 8 And in Lystra a certain man without strength in his feet was sitting, a cripple from his mother’s womb, who had never walked.” Preaching the Gospel is power because it is the Word inhabited, and it has no limitation, or barrier, under heaven, that can deny its move. The certain lame man had been lame from his mother’s womb, and nothing could move him until he encountered the Word. The Bible testified that the lame man, “…Heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed, 10 said with a loud voice, “Stand up straight on your feet!” And he leaped and walked.” (Acts 14:9-10) All that transpired in the life of the lame man was that while listening to the Word being preached, he gave his attention. In his attention, Paul realized that the Word that was going into him was [and is] powerful enough to get him out of the darkness of stagnation. The miracle of deliverance, and healing, starts when the healing power of God is able to contact every stagnation and limitation that reduces anyone. The lame man was opened to the Word while Paul connected him to his healing by, taking authority over his lameness. Paul, having connected with him, sounded the Word in his direction by saying, “…With a loud voice, “Stand up straight on your feet!” And he leaped and walked.” The Word of God is power.
Prayer for today: Father, I ask in Jesus’ name, let the healing and delivering power of your Word sound in my direction.

SEEING JESUS
Luke 19:1-10
 
Expectation is a choice. Man can choose to expect great things, or expect less. However, the choice of great expectations over any limitation that denies you, demands coming out of a self-made, or any man made box. Zacchaeus wanted to see who Jesus was, but had limitations that were binding him from seeing Jesus. Luke 19:3, “And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature.” Zacchaeus’ stature, and the crowd, were the binding factors for him not to be able to see who Jesus was. Seeing Jesus is getting to know Jesus for who He is, and what He can do. Knowing about Jesus is not enough to bring Him into the house. What is limiting you from getting to see who Jesus is? Zacchaeus ignored all limitations that were binding him from seeing Jesus, and went with all the expectations that enabled Him to see who Jesus was. Luke 19: 4, “So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way.” A short man running is an effort to get ahead, while a short man climbing is a great effort to stand tall. Zacchaeus ran, and climbed the tree, in the name of seeing who Jesus was. What are you doing to see who Jesus is? Seeing who Jesus is will not happen just because of Sunday service. Seeing who Jesus is seeking Him with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. Seeking Him is by the grace of God, and it will add much more to the one that seeks Him. Matthew 6:12, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Zacchaeus did not relent, neither was he discouraged by his limitations. He sought out Jesus with all that he had, “And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” (Luke 19:5) What could it be like having a visitation from Jesus? Zacchaeus, in his effort to deny his limitations, in order to see Jesus, ended up receiving Jesus into his house. That day that Zacchaeus made up his mind to see who Jesus was, “…Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham.”” (Luke 19:9) Do you desire to have Jesus come into your house? The same God that visited Zacchaeus will not deny your expectation, but deposit it in your life.

Prayer for today: Father, I ask for the grace of enablement to seek you with all that You have given me. 

HAND OF THE WICKED
Acts 12:1-19
 
It is worthy to rise early in the day and pray: Father, deliver me from every hand of the wicked that has been stretched in my direction, to harass me. The Bible recorded in Acts 12:1-2, “Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church. 2 Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword.” The hand of Herod that went out against James, took the life of James. It was the same hand that was released in direction of Peter attempting to kill Peter, “So when he had arrested him, he put him in a prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover.” (Acts 12:4) Herod had bad intentions for Peter. What is it that has bad intentions for your life? Are there any bad intentions against in your life? Ask God that every bad intention that is being set against you, in all areas of your life, God will put it into a permanent termination. Without doubt Peter was set for the same occurrence that took away James’ life. Unlike when Paul and Silas were kept in the prison, praying and praising God, Peter was busy sleeping. There was no way of escape for Peter, but God responded at the eleventh hour. Peter was about to be brought to Herod, when God sent for His delivering angel for Peter’s escape. While Peter was being taken through the escape route by the hand of God’s angel, Peter, “…Did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.” (Acts 12:9) When it is your time of deliverance from the hand of the wicked one, your story of escape will be sweeter than that of Peter’s. Peter thought he was having a vision, his story was like that of the children of Israel coming out of captivity. Psalm 126, “When the LORD brought back the captivity of Zion, We were like those who dream. 2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing. Then they said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.”” If you desire your escape, it will be deposited to you just like He did for Peter and the children of Israel. Peter could not have escaped through sleeping, but thank God that while he was in prison, “…Constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.” (Acts 12:5) Do you belong to any prayer group? Prayer is the way of communicating with God, and it is what will bring the hand of God against the hand of the wicked, like that of king Herod. 

Prayer for today: My Lord, and my God, I ask this day for Your great delivering hand against every representation of Herod’s intentions for my life, let them be terminated O Lord, my God.

SON OF DAVID

Luke 18:35-43

Calling on Him like no one has ever done will get Him to attend to you like He has never done for anyone before. Is there any situation that requires a special attention from the Lord? Calling on Him by the right name, at the right time, and in the right place will no doubt get His attention, that no force can deny. Luke 18:35, “Then it happened, as He was coming near Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the road begging.” The blind man Bartimaeus was in the right place, at the right time because Jesus was passing by where he was begging. Evidently, being in the right place and at the right time was not enough for the blind man, but the ability to be sensitive to what was going around him. As a believer that possesses all the understanding that it takes to call on Him, there will always be a need to be spiritually sensitive. The blind man Bartimaeus could not see, and was not sleeping in his condition. Bartimaeus was actively alive when he heard a sound of deliverance in his direction. Luke 18:36-37, “And hearing a multitude passing by, he asked what it meant. 37 So they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by.” When Bartimaeus found out that Jesus was passing by, there was no force that could deny Him from what he had known, as he began to cry out by calling on Jesus for help. In his crying out, he was not making noise, but he was calling for Jesus’ attention like no one had ever done before. He cried out to Jesus like he knew Jesus, and He answered to him like He had never answered anyone before. Luke 18:38, “And he cried out, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Hardly there was that many in the Bible that called or cry on Him in desperate situation like Bartimaeus did when he cried out “Jesus, Son of David”. Despite the attempt of the multitude to stop him for crying out, when Jesus heard His name being called with all familiarity, “…Jesus stood still and commanded him to be brought to Him…” (Luke 18:40) Interestingly, the multitude that attempted to keep Bartimaeus’ mouth shut, were command by Jesus to bring Bartimaeus near to Jesus. Knowing Him by His name, and being at a right place, at the right time, with the right mindset can be identified as sensitivity to the move of the Spirit of God. Psalm 92:14, “…I will set him high, because he has known my name. 15 He shall call on Me and I will answer him.” Indeed and in truth, Bartimaeus knew what had to be done when he called on the name that he knew, and he got an answer that set him high above his affliction.

Prayer for today: Jesus, Son of David, Have mercy on me.