PERFECTLY PROTECTED

READ: PSALM 125:1-5

The concept of bodyguards has become the latest fad. Celebrities, music starts, international footballers, government officials and even religious leaders have in their employ highly-paid bodyguards in order to keep intruders, miscreants and unwanted visitors away. However, the major purposes of hiring well-trained bodyguards are to ensure the security and protection of the life of the one who is guarded. Nevertheless, bodyguards try their best but only God actually protects. When we talk about a keeper, we are talking about a protector, like a bodyguard. There are many kinds of bodyguards but the only One who can keep and protect is the Almighty God. In Psalm 125:2-3, the bible says, “As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds His people from this time forth and forever. For the specter of wickedness shall not rest on the land allotted to the righteous, lest the righteous reach out their hands to iniquity.” The Almighty God surrounds us like a mountain. In Zechariah 2:5, we are told that if God is our bodyguard, He surrounds us with a wall of fire. There are keepers who can keep you from human beings and animals. When it comes to attacks from witches and wizards, you need a keeper that is not an ordinary human being because these are invisible enemies. With the wall of fire around you, if anybody wants to attack you, that fellow will have to pass through the fire first. The fire surrounding you is the consuming fire. In Isaiah 54:17, God says no weapon hat is formed against us shall prosper. It does not matter what the enemy wants to attack with. God will neutralise it. He will then hut the gates of your house so firmly that nobody can open it. Revelation 3:7 says, “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, These things says He who is holy, He who is true, He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens.” When God shuts your gate, no devil can open it. The Almighty God never grows old so He remains forever strong to be effective as your Bodyguard. Isaiah 26:4 says, “Trust in the LORD forever, for in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength.” God does not grow old, so He does not grow weak. Again in Psalm 102:25-27, the Bible has this to say: “Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You will endure; yes, all of them will grow old like a garment; like a cloak You will change them, an they will be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will have no end.” He does not change with years. This is confirmed in Hebrews 13:8: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Once God is your protector you have nothing to fear. No power can harm you as long as God is your refuge.

MEMORIZE: ISAIAH 26:3 –You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.

JESUS’ TEMPTATION

READ: MATTHEW 4:1-11

Satan is extremely subtle. He is not stupid. Do not expect him to tempt you with something completely out of your way. If the devil knows you are extremely religious, he would appeal to your religious sentiments. For example, when Satan tempted Jesus, according to our text, he quoted a distorted version of Psalm 91:11-12. Verses 5-6 of our text says, “Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: He shall give His angels charge concerning you and In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.” As stated earlier on, Satan got this Scripture from Psalm 91:11-12. Satan uses the Scripture to confuse people at times. If you are versed in the word of God, you will know how to answer Satan. Is it written that it is when you fall from the top of a hill that the angels of God will guard you? No. The Psalm says that the angels will guard us in all our ways, not when we deliberately take an unnecessary risk. Satan deliberately deleted this part. Why did Satan ask Jesus Christ to jump down? Why did Satan take Jesus Christ to the top of the temple? Let us read Malachi 3:1 “Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight. Behold, He is coming, Says the LORD of host.” Satan knew that it had been written that when the Messiah comes, He would come suddenly into the temple. Satan thus wanted Jesus Christ to throw Himself suddenly into the temple and appear to the people. He knew that if Jesus Christ jumped, He would die because it would mean that He was putting God to test. We must be careful not to put God to test. Jesus Christ answered Satan in Matthew 4:7: “Jesus said to him, It is written again, You shall not tempt the LORD your God.” The Bible says if those that believe touch any poisonous thing it will not harm them. This does not mean that we should take in poisonous things deliberately. If people try to poison your food, you have no fear once you pray over the food in the name of Jesus Christ. However it is wrong to put poison in your food and eat in order to show the world that you cannot be harmed.

MEMEORIZE: MATTHEW 4:7 –Jesus said to him, It is written again, You shall not tempt the LORD your God.

THE TEN VIRGINS

READ: MATTHEW 25:1-13

Our study today centres on the story of the ten virgin. This is a story that we all know very well. We have always heard people tell us that the reason the foolish virgin lost out was because they had no oil. That is, they had no Holy Spirit. However, the Lord revealed to me a different perspective entirely. Looking at these ten virgins, we will discover that all of them had certain things in common. First, they all had their lamps and when they were leaving their homes; their lamps were burning so they all had light. If they had light, this is another way of saying they had salvation. When you are saved, you say you have brought into the light. Second, they were virgins. This means they were pure and sanctified. They were not useless people. They were neither fornicators nor adulterers. This implies that not only were they born-again, they were also sanctified. The fact that they were virgins meant that they came from good homes where their parents taught them to keep themselves pure until the day of marriage. In other words, you can say they came from a good church where they taught all the doctrines of the Bible. They practiced all that they heard. Third, there was oil in all their lamps. In addition to the oil in their lamps; otherwise, the lamps would not be burning. This implies that they were all baptized in the Holy Spirit because the oil stands for the Holy Spirit. Moreover, these ten virgins were chosen because, definitely, there were more than ten virgins in the nation. The Bible tells us in Matthew 20:16 that many are called but few are chosen. Also, they were all watching for the coming of the bridegroom just as we are watching for the second coming of Jesus Christ. Furthermore, the Bible says because the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. Both the wise as well as the foolish slumbered and slept. What lesson can we learn from the foregoing? Some good church folks may miss the rapture not because of lack of preparation but for failure to be ready when, suddenly, the Son of Man shall come.

MEMORIZE: MATTHEW 20:16 –So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen.

SPIRITUAL DIAGNOSIS

READ: REVELATION 2:1-17

It is the practice of the well to do to undergo medical check-up periodically. They do not wait for symptoms of ill-health before they visit their doctor. Such medical check-up has saved many people from serious health problems as they are able to nip such problems n the bud. Diagnosis is not only necessary in the physical, it is also important in the spiritual realm. Whenever you receive early signals concerning the onset of a problem you must run yourself through spiritual diagnosis. You must diagnosis the cause of your problem. Trace your problem to its root. Find out when, where and how it started, and possibly why, too. An ailment that is diagnosed is half cured. In Joshua 7:1-12, Joshua traced the problem that caused the defeat of the children of Israel. God told him that someone in the camp had disobeyed Him. There may be somebody in your team or in your employ, or in your home that is the cause of your problem. In Genesis 13:5-7, the problem of Abraham started from the day Lot began to go with him. If you have discovered that there is any Achan in your camp, the Achan must go. If you discover that it is a Lot that is worrying you, that Lot must go. You cannot afford to be sentimental. Was it the time that you employed a new clerk in your office that you had the last contract? The Achan in your life must go. The relative causing problem has to go. As a businessman or an employer of labour, I advise you not to hire your relatives. You can arrange for your friends to hire them. Do not hire someone you cannot fire. The source of your problem may also be your name. 1 Chronicles 4:9 tells us of a boy born when his mother was very sad and he was named Jabez, which means, ‘son of sorrow’. He moved from one sorrow to another, according to his name. If you name is the problem, change it. You cannot be wiser than God who changed Abram to Abraham and Sarai to Sarah. You may be the cause of your problem. If you are the cause, face the issue squarely. Decide to get rid of the problem. Do not push your problem to another person. Be honest with yourself. Diagnose, discover and deal with the causes of your problems, today.

MEMORIZE: PROVERBS 26:3 –A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and the rod for the fool’s back.

BECAUSE HE LIVES

READ: MATTHEW 6:28-32

There is only one person who can handle tomorrow and His name is Jesus Christ. You do not have to worry about tomorrow, because Jesus is in charge. If Jesus Christ is the One controlling your life, you do not have to worry about tomorrow. You do not even have to worry about anything. It is only sinners who are supposed to be worrying. Honestly, sinners have a lot to worry a bout. Ecclesiastes 2:26: “For God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to a man who is good I His sight; but to 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. ” What has God given to those who are His children? Wisdom, knowledge and joy; worry is not included. For sinners, He has given travail. You will never grow if you worry all the time. A Christian grows as his or her faith grows. Your faith grows through the word of God. If you know the word of God but still worry, this will choke the word of God in you. Matthew 13:7 and 22: “And some fell among thorns, and thorns sprang up and choked them.” “Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.” Even non-Christian know that anxiety is dangerous. Worrying is sin. It is a sin because it means that you do not trust God (Matthew 6:31-32). “Therefore do not worry, saying, What shall we eat? or What shall we drink? or What shall we wear? For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.” God says He knows how to take care of His children. When you worry, you imply you do not trust Him. There cannot be a bigger insult to God than lack of trust I Him. It is so easy to fall into the habit of worrying. We have to guard against it very seriously because it can produce a lot of counter results. It can brig the opposite of what you want. When you worry, not only d you fold the hands of God against you, He will not even be willing to help. Throw your worry to the winds and trust in the Lord.

MEMORIZE: Ecclesiastes 2:26 –For God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to a man who is good I His sight; but to sinner He gives the work of gathering and collecting, that He may give to him who is good before God.