THE ARMOUR

READ: EPHESIANS 6:13-17

Today, we shall examine the spiritual armour. When you go to battle, you want to be sure that you are well protected and defended. The Lord becomes your armour, as it were. Isaiah 54:16-17 says: “Behold, I have created the blacksmith who blows the coals in the fire, who brings forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the spoiler to destroy. No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue with rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is from Me, says the LORD.” The devil’s weapons will not prosper because you have an invisible defence, which is Jesus Christ. Ephesians 6:13-17 tells us that the amour of a child of God is just one Name, Jesus: “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded you waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” The whole amour of God is discussed here. A girdle is like a soldier’s belt. What is the girdle of truth? John 14:6 tells us that Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life. The girdle truth, therefore, is Jesus Christ. What is the breastplate of righteousness? Malachi 4:2 says: “But to you who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings; and you shall go out and grow fat like stall-fed calves.” Jesus Christ is the Sun of righteousness. The breastplate is the breastplate of Jesus Christ. You are to take the shield of faith. Jesus Christ is the Author and Finisher of our faith. Your only means of survival resides in the armour. Put on the whole amour of God today.

MEMORIZE: JOHN 14:16 –And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever.

SATAN’S STOCK-IN-TRADE

READ: PSALM 91:1-7

Today, we shall examine the weapon of prayer. I am sure you know that life is a battle. We are in constant warfare with an enemy who hates to see us succeed physically and spiritually. God wants us to pray without ceasing because prayer is our weapon of warfare. This is why we call those who pray all the time, “prayer warriors”. We war with prayers. We do warfare with prayers. 1 Peter 5:8 say, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” Here, the devil is called our adversary. What is the difference between an adversary and an enemy? An adversary is a militant enemy. An adversary is on the war path. Whether we believe it or not, there is someone who wants destroy us. This person is not your mother-in-law, father-in-law or your boss in the office. It is the devil. He is an active enemy. (Unfortunately, he is active all the time). Because he was made an angel, he does not need to sleep. He is a fallen angel. He is ready to fight you any moment of the day. God says you should pray without ceasing because what prayer does is to invite the Almighty God to become your rally. When you are praying, you are calling on God to help you deal with an enemy you cannot face on your own. If you have an enemy who would not sleep day and night, you need an ally who would neither sleep nor slumber. The devil has an assignment and is very efficient at this assignment, according to John 10:10. When the devil is trying to steal from you, to kill you or destroy what belongs to you, he is merely doing his duty. He does not know any better. The devil does evil, naturally. Any Christian wishing to survive or be victorious cannot play with the weapon of prayer.

MEMORIZE: 1 PETER 5:8 –Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

FRIENDSHIP TRAPS

READ: MATTHEW 16:15-23

Satan uses lots of methods to distract the children of God. He is very wise. He knows that he cannot use your enemy because you are not likely to listen to the enemy. He prefers to use your closest friend. We have an example in Matthew 16:15-17: “He said to them, But who do you say that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus answered and said to him, Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. ” Satan here sensed that he had found someone close to Jesus Christ; someone he could rely on. In Matthew 16:21-23, something then happened: “From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, Far be it from you, lord; this shall not happen to You! But He turned and said to Peter, Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” Satan, knowing that Peter was close to Jesus Christ, entered him and used him. Satan thought that it would be easy to get Jesus Christ through Peter. Thank God, the devil failed. Jesus overcame the devil because He was very watchful. The devil is still using the same methods today. He has continued to lay booby traps for the ignorant by using those who appear friendly. Watch it; your closest friend may turn round to draw you into the by-ways of sin. He that has ears let him hear.

MEMORIZE: MATTHEW 12:35 –A good ma out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.

A LIVING SACRIFICE

READ: 1 CORINTHIANS 6:15-20

The object of Christian holiness is so important that we cannot afford to handle it with levity. God has made enough provision for your holiness or sanctification. You must hanker after the experience until you have attained it. To be sanctified is good but it takes serious efforts to keep the blessing. How do we remain sanctified? We are to do two simple things. The first thing to do is to love your Husband as much as He loves you. Of course, your Husband is Jesus Christ. He loves you with all His heart, all His soul, strength and mind. All that He is asking from you is that you should return the love. Jesus Christ said in John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friend.” We must love Jesus so much that we should be ready to die for Him. Like the Christian lady who was ready to die for Christ instead of denying  Him so as to get married, or those who were ready to call the name of Jesus Christ even at the face of the gun of the enemies. Another way that you can show Jesus that you are ready to die for Him and live according to His will is recorded in 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.” Present your body as a living sacrifice. What is a living sacrifice? Let us give an illustration. A living sacrifice is like the goat we used to give the witch doctors in those days when we used to visit them, in order to appease the gods for us. The goat is kept in the witch doctor’s yard. You do not have a right to ask for your goat back. He can do whatever he likes with the goat. He can decide to rear it, sell it or kill it. The goat is what is called a living sacrifice. The goat is alive but it can be dealt with in anyway the witch doctor considers. In the same manner, when you become a living sacrifice to your Husband, your are telling the Lord that He can do whatever He likes with you. This is another way of saying that you are ready to lay down your life for Him. The second thing you are to do to remain sanctified is to love yourself, not because of yourself, but because you belong to your Husband, because you are His favourite and you are set apart for Him. You belong to Him.

MEMORIZE: 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.

THE SIEGE

READ: ACTS 12:1-9

There are moments in life when everything seems to nose-dive to the lowest condition. At such times, the victim is hemmed in by every kind of problem which has never plagued mankind. Whenever there is a siege there appears to be no respite in any angle. But, no matter how tough a siege is, Jesus can handle it. Do not try to handle it on your own, turn it over to the One who can handle all circumstances. If you are under a siege you need divine intervention. If your business is under siege, there will be no new contracts, no matter how hard you try. You would begin to spend your savings. Since new contracts are no longer coming, you will begin to lose customers when nobody patronises you again. When your savings begin to dwindle, you would begin to lose workers because of idleness. You might even go ahead to sell off your equipment. As soon as a bank is classified as distressed, depositors would begin to withdraw their savings. Nobody lodges new deposits. Soon, the workers begin to leave. If you are a child of God and your business is under siege, the One who can take care of any siege will intervene. How do we know a family that is under siege? If they are careful, they would discover that no new babies are being born. Wives suddenly become barren, maybe after having a child or two. They would also notice that young people in the family are dying regularly. They would also notice that sickness and disease are common among almost all members of the family. This would be accompanied by occurrences of money-consuming events. These can come in the form of hospital bills, accidents, mysterious liabilities; one funeral after the other, etc. in the family, there will be insecurity and tension. This could lead to regular quarrels, over nothing. If this describes your family, and you are a child of God, things will change. What about an individual who is under siege? You would know that you are under siege if, suddenly, you discover that nobody is helping you. Instead, people are demanding from you. You will also notice that your income remains fixed but your expenses keep on increasing. For example, you may find yourself spending too much money on your car due to regular breakdown. Your equipment or appliances may break down at the same time. The situation is worse when you are under spiritual siege.

MEMORIZE: MATTHEW 11:28 –Come to Me, all you labor and are heavy laden, and I will give rest.

ATTITUDE TOWARDS WEALTH

READ: ECCLESIASTES 2:24-26

Money is a good servant but a bad master. Although wealth can transform your life, it also has the potential for destroying it. God expects you to manifest proper attitude towards money. He wants you to master how you can control wealth before it comes. God does not want you to worship money. “For riches are not forever, nor does a crown endure to all generations.” (Proverbs 27:24). Do not build your castle in this world. Make sure you put your mind on eternal things. Why do you want to be rich? Is it to show off? Is it so to tell people that you have arrived? If your hope is based on this world, then you must be a miserable fellow, indeed. This world will soon pass away. The Bible says: “Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away like an eagle toward heaven.” (Proverbs 23:5). Money has a way of disappearing. Why should you put your trust in something that can fly away tomorrow? Money can fail you at the time you need the most. Proverbs 11:28: “He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteousness will flourish like foliage.” If you trust in riches, one day, you will fall. Proverbs 11:4: “Riches do not profit in the day of the wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.” If God is angry with you, all the money in the world cannot appease Him. God would not take any bribe. It is the blood of Jesus that cleanses from all sins. If you are poor, God will surprise you. You are not going to die as a poor man. Ecclesiastes 2:26 says: “For God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to a man who is good in His sight; but to the sinner He gives the work of gathering and collecting, that he may give to him who is good before God. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind. ” All sinners working very hard and gathering money are doing so for you. If only you will please the Almighty, your wealth is on the way. However, you have to know in advance that money can be dangerous. If you are not fully prepared, wealth can easily take you to hell. If you have Christ before your wealth comes, there will be no problem. The Lord will grant you the grace to handle it positively.

MEMORIZE: PROVERBS 23:5 –Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away like an eagle toward heaven.

THE CHAMPION

READ:  PSALM 27:1-3

When you come to grips with the authority and the power which reside in the name of Jesus, you will discover what it means to become a divine champion. Jesus Christ is the Lord of hosts. A Divine champion knows the value of the Name of Jesus Christ. When a Divine champion goes to battle, he goes in the name of Jesus Christ. When David told Goliath that he had come to him in the Name of Jesus Christ, several things were implied. The first implication is that he was telling Goliath that Jesus Christ was his strength. You need strength to fight. David drew his strength from God. Every Divine champion acknowledges Jesus Christ as his strength. In Philippians 4:13, the Bible says: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Ephesians 6:10 says: “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” John 15:5 says: “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” In case you do not know that it is in Christ alone that your strength lies, all you need to do is to ask Samson. Judges 16:18-20 informs us that after the link between Samson and the Lord was cut off, he rose up, to go out as before. He, however, suddenly discovered that he had become an ordinary man. What makes a Divine champion is the strength given by the Lord. The Lord will be strength. David, the Psalmist, stated that the Lord was his confidence. David wrote in Psalm 27:1, “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? “ A Divine champion has confidence in the Lord. He knows that when he sleeps there is Someone, who neither sleeps nor slumbers, who would swing into action. If you have not been sleeping well, it means you are not yet a Divine champion. You will become one in Jesus Name.

MEMORIZE: PHILIPPIANS 4:13 –I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

A BLANK CHEQUE

READ: JAMES 5:17-18

Today, we shall take an incisive look at the subject of prayer. There are lots of reasons why we must pray. I wonder why some people run short of words whenever they get to the prayer closet. God has enabled me to cultivate such a deep relationship with him that if I have twenty four hours to commune with my Daddy, I will never run short of words, even for one minute. Let me show you why you must spend ample time in prayer. In Job 1:1-2, the Bible talks about a great and successful man called Job. He loved the Lord. When Satan appeared to God one day, God went on to give a testimony about Job. You would think that a person with that kind of testimonial would never have problems. Satan asked for an opportunity to try Job, to see whether he would stand. We have another lesson to learn in 1 Chronicles 21:1-14. When all was well with David, the devil withstood Israel and decided to move David to do what was contrary to the will of God. This is why we should always pray for our leaders. When God decided to punish David fro numbering Israel, seventy thousand people died. Not one person died in the house of David. Secondly, according to the word of God, you need to keep running, for you to remain where you are. Jesus said in Mark 10:31: “But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” If you are first and you are careless, before you know it, the last fellow will take over. Another point that should challenge you to pray is this: promise must be prayed into the realm of reality. Anytime God gives you a promise, all He has done is like giving you a cheque that cannot turn into money until you present it at a bank. After God has given you a promise, the rest of the action belongs to you. In 1 Kings 18:41, Elijah told Ahab to eat and drink because he heard the sound of abundance of rain. Elijah announced what God had told him; yet, it fell on his face to pray seven times before the rain fell. Remind the Almighty God of the promise He had made and ask Him to make them happen speedily. If you are not yet born again, His promise to you is that if you call on the Lord, you shall be saved.  Call on the Lord to save your soul. Present your blank cheque at the bank of heaven today and the blessings of God will overtake you.

MEMORIZE: MATTHEW 26:41 –Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit, indeed is willing, but the flesh in weak.