THE HOOK AND THE BAIT

READ: NUMBERS25:1-9

Satan uses lots of weapons. The hook and the bait is one of such instruments. However, the hook is always concealed; only the bait is visible. Satan often uses women to get men. The human eye is the gate through which the devil gains entry. A man can hardly take his eyes off a beautiful woman and, the more he looks at her, the more immoral thoughts creep into his heart. As soon as these thoughts are allowed in, a lot of problems may follow. As it is with men so it is with women. Many women start having immoral thoughts when they see handsome men. Many people who would have lived a glorious life have lost the opportunity because of the lust of the eye. We have many examples in the Bible. We shall look at a few of them. Let us start with the children of Israel. As they were on their journey in the wilderness, they got to the land of Moab. Here, King Balak sent to Balaam, the soothsayer, to curse the Israelites since he could not attack them. Balaam could not curse them. Instead, he blessed them. When you are on the side of the Lord, curses become blessings. When Balaam did not succeed, Balak got angry. Balaam then suggested another way of getting the Israelites. He told the king to organise a party and invite the Israelites. As the party was going on, Balaam told Balak to let some beautiful and almost nude girls come in to entice the invitees. The strategy worked. When the Israelites saw the girls, they started behaving immorally. The whole story is told in today’s text. Let us see verse 9: “And those who died in the plague were twenty-four thousand.” God was angry with the children of Israel. 24,000 died in one day! Satan set a snare for them using beautiful women and food as baits and they fell into the trap. Satan is still using women and men as baits today. Unfortunately, many have already fallen flat on their faces. The question I have for you today is this: Will you allow Satan to trap you through the opposite sex?

MEMORIZE: ROMANS14:16 –Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil.

A CLOSED FILE

READ: ACTS1:13-20

There is nothing as bad as getting to a destination from where a return journey is impossible. You will have no one to blame but yourself for reaching a destination where you regret eternally. Therefore, you must look before you leap. Anyone who starts a journey must know his destination. By the time Paul was writing his second letter to Timothy in, 2 Timothy 4:7, he said clearly that he had arrived at the right destination.“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” On the other hand, Judas, according to our text, arrived at a wrong destination. The passage says he had gone to his own place. He was down and out. His case was a settled matter. His file was closed. In Judges 16:20-22, you will read about Samson. Samson had a great fall. His eyes were plucked out. He was bound with fetters of iron. However, the hair on his head started to grow again. This means that he was down but was not out. In other words, his fate was not sealed yet. No matter what state you find yourself in, never get to a point where your file will be closed. Today, you still have an opportunity. You can make amends before it is too late. God’s grace is available to you. Even you.

MEMORIZE: NUMBERS25:9 –And those who died in the plague were twenty-four thousand.

FAITH TESTIMONY

READ: LUKE10:17-22

You can choose either to reject or accept what the devil tries to do in your life. There are certain things you must not accept, however. There is no need for every true follower of Jesus Christ to die through sickness because, according to 1 Peter 2:24, “By whose stripes you were healed.” He has already paid for our healing. There is absolutely no reason for you to die through sickness, unless you choose to do so. Some people have asked that if one does not die in sickness, how else one woulddie.You do not have to be sick to die. When a child of God is ready for heaven he or she should just walk there. Again, there is no reason for any true believer to die in poverty. The Bible says, in 2 Corinthians 8:9, that Jesus Christ became poor that we might become rich. He had no house so that you could build a house and not die a tenant. He did not have a horse so that you might have a big car. Refuse to die in poverty. Appropriate what Christ has paid for through Calvary. There is no reason for a true child of God to die in sorrow. In John 16:24, Jesus Christ says we should ask till our joy is full. He does not say we should ask till our sorrow is full. There is no reason for any child of God to die under demonic oppression. John 8:32 and 36 say we shall know the truth and the truth shall make us free, and that whoever the Son shall set free, shall be free indeed. You also have no reason to remain in bondage. You have no reason to remain in sin. 1 John 1:7 says that the blood of Jesus Christ will cleanse us from all sins. No true child of God has any reason to die in sinful habits. Romans 6:14 says sin shall have no dominion over you. Any child of God who sins should know that the spirit of sin has dominion over him or her. Even if you are a backslider, you do not have to die in your backslidden state. If you call on God that you want to come back to Him, He will answer you. You should not accept any condition that runs contrary to the divine provision for your life.

MEMORIZE: 2TIMOTHY4:7 –I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

GOD’S METHODS

READ: 2KINGS6:1-7

God can use anything to solve human problems. According to our text, God used a stick to bring an axe-head out from the bottom of a river to the surface. In the case of Samson, God used the jawbone of an ass to wipe out his enemies. In the case of David, He used a pebble to destroy Goliath. What with Joshua, the successor of Moses? He used a shout of victory to pull down the wall of Jericho. In the case of the Centurion, in Matthew 8, He spoke one word. In the case of Paul, in Acts 19:11-12, God decided to use an anointed handkerchief. The stick referred to in our text was effective only because it was in the hand of Elisha. If it had been in the hands of one of the prophets, or Gehazi, the miracle would not have happened. In other words, it was not the stick that was important but the hand that held it. It was from the hand that anointing flowed into the stick. Elisha was the holy carrier at that time; so, when he handled the stick, the power of God went from him into the stick and the stick became a carrier of God’s anointing. The same thing goes for the word. For instance, the same word said by a high court judge and a policeman in a court of law has different effects: the judge gives the judgment and the policeman carries out the judgment of the judge, not the way the policeman wants it, but the way the judge has decreed it. He who utters the word determines the power or effect of the word. What we need today are anointed vessels. God can use anything as an instrument of bringing the miraculous into existence. When the anointing of God comes into contact with ordinary things they become extra-ordinary things and situations around will change. Once you secure God’s anointing, God can use any method to give you a miracle.

MEMORIZE: HEBREWS11:1 –Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

THE OLD PATH

READ: JEREMIAH7:1-12

In the original of “Stand  In The Way”, the title is written as “Stand  In The Crossroads”. A crossroads is where several roads meet. When you get to a crossroad, you might get confused and wonder which way to turn to, that is if you are not familiar with the area. Everyday, we get to crossroads in our journey through life and need to ask God which way is right. This is to forestall any problem that might arise in case of a wrong turn. About some years ago, I went fishing with my sons. Someone, a man who claimed familiarity with the area, led us on but he wasn’t saying the truth, as we discovered out later to our dismay. At the time when we should have reached our destination, we were still very far away from it. We were lost until we met someone else who showed us the way. If you follow a wrong path, you will arrive at a wrong destination. But if you follow the right way, it will be victory all the way. Our text says we should ask for the old paths when we get to the crossroads. It is wisdom to look back and forth and check whether things have ever been better in Christendom. Was there a time in the life of Christians when things were better than now? Was there a time when people were closer to God than we are now? Thank God, there are things in our lives today that are far better than before. We have teachings today that we did not have when I got born again. At that time, we believed that the only people who can get to heaven are the extremely poor who never laugh but look morose every time. We thought that this was what would get anyone to heaven. Thank God we can laugh, shout and praise His Holy name. we know now that you can be the richest man in the whole world, provided you live holy, and still make heaven.

MEMORIZE: MARK16:17 –And these signs will follow those who believe: in My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues.