Break the chains oh Lord

Acts 12:5 Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.

A song writer said it best in these words “there is power in the name of Jesus to break every chain.” Many persons today are locked away in one prison or another; debt prison, mental prison, spiritual prison etc. but there is power in the name of Jesus to break every chain.

Peter was locked away in prison but prayer was made without ceasing for him. Who do you know that is imprisoned by the past, the troubles of today or the fears of tomorrow? Are you or someone you know locked away by situations beyond your control? Fear not, only commit yourself unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think (Ephesian 3:20 )

What prison do you want release from today?

Answer me oh Lord

Genesis 25:22 And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the LORD.

 The Lord is all knowing and Rebekah knew that well. Therefore, when she was unsure of what was taking place in her body, she sought the Lord for an answer.

James 1:5 says If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. No doubt there might be unanswered questions in your life, unexplained situations and confusing answers to queries. Not to worry, God is ready and waiting to answer all your questioning.

 What is it you need answers for today? 

Call on Him

Judges 16:28 And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.

Maybe you have made some terrible mistakes in the past and as a result you have been beaten, mocked and abused. Maybe the strength to fight back has left you and you feel like all hope is gone. The story of Samson is here to remind you that grace is much greater than all your sins. Jeremiah 29:12 says “Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.” Samson called on the Lord from the depths of despair and the Lord heard and answered and He will do the same for you too.

What is your hopeless situation today?   

Guide me Great Jehovah

Genesis 24:12 And he said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham.

Many times persons are led to believe that God is only concern with some aspect of their lives. They may pray for food, shelter and protection but try to solve everything else on their own. This notion is wrong. God is concern about every aspect of your life; from where you live to who you live with. From where you do your job to how you do your job. Like Abraham’s servant you are encouraged to seek God’s intervention in making the right choices as you carry out your day to day duty.

The scripture says in Proverbs 3:5 -6 “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

What is it you need guidance in today?

Cry out!

1Samuel 1:10-11 £And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore. And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child…

One of the greatest prophet ever lived was born out of the bitterness of the soul of a woman who wanted nothing more than a son, a woman who have tried everything humanly possible to bring forth and failed, a woman who faced constant torture from her adversary. Yes, Samuel was born because Hannah prayed and believed.
Which dream or desire have you been wishing would come to life? Like Hannah you need to look pass the obstacles, pass your adversaries and cry out in faith to the One who said in Mark 10:27 “… With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.”

What is your greatest desire today?

Order my steps O Lord

Judges 6:36-38 And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said, Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said.

 And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water. You like Gideon may be uncertain about you purpose in life. You may be wondering which direction to go. Well, don’t wonder about it, why not pray about it instead? Don’t be afraid to ask for direction, Psalms 32:8 says “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.”

What is it that you needs direction in today?

My eyes are upon you o Lord

Share 2 Chronicles 20:12 O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.

It is quite natural to feel helpless in certain situation you are face with. In fact, the human thing to do when faced with troubles and trials on every hand is to find an escape route as quickly as possible or try fighting on your own. But here is an example given by King Jehoshaphat, he cried out to God because he knew that he had not the might needed to fight this battle. Have you been fighting a losing battle? Well, now is the best time to acknowledge your helplessness and turn it over to the Lord, Zechariah 4:6 says “… Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.”

Which battle do you want to hand over today?

Depths of despair

Psalms 51:10: Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
David had committed the ultimate sin when he deliberately transgressed the law of God by committing adultery with Bathsheba and then murdering her husband. And as a result he felt stained and defiled by sin. He knew no atonement could be made for such a presumptuous sin so his only hope was in appealing to God’s grace and mercy. David prayed these words as his soul cried out in anguish and pain and you know what? The Lord heard and forgave him! The same can be done for you. Isaiah 1:18 says “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”

 What are you praying about?

The Two Sides of Life

The Two Sides of Life (Part 1)

There are two sides to everything in life and as a result we are blessed with the privilege of choice. We can choose to dwell on the negative side of life or we can choose to dwell on the positive side.

The negatives in today’s world is at times so overwhelming that it is so easy to give in to our natural intuition, which is to fear, cry, run and hide or to become stressed out and depressed. But Philippians 4:13 reminds us that we can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth us and 2 Corinthians 12:9 reminds us that God’s grace is sufficient for us: for His strength is made perfect in our weakness.

Bearing in mind these two texts, how then should we face life with its two sides?

Walk with me down to the valley of Elah, here you will see the Philistine’s army camped against Israel and in the midst of their camp you will see Goliath, the champion of their army. Goliath is no ordinary man; he is a giant, full of big speech and his only agenda is to destroy the Israelites. If you look closely you will also see the Israelites trembling in fear as Goliath thunders his treats and demand a man of the Israelite’s army to fight him. But look even a little closer, yes right there in the Israelites camp, a youth who is ruddy and of a fair countenance.  

What is he doing? Why is there no fear showing on his face like everyone else and where is he going? Oh my word! Is he heading towards the giant! Let us draw a little closer and see if we can hear what the giant is saying to him.

Living an Abnormal Life

In a world where evil seems to be in control and where rendering evil for evil is the norm, how should we as Christians live? Well Matthew 5:38-47 tells us that we ought to live an abnormal life. In living an abnormal life we are expected to suffer any injury that can be borne for the sake of peace. Though not easy, as Christians we should turn the other cheek, love our enemies, bless them that curse us, do good to them that hate us and pray for them which despitefully use and persecute us. Is this normal? No it isn’t and that’s why the life we live is abnormal.