LOOK UP

READ: 2 KINGS 13:20-21

After his sickness, the man who had the double portion anointing of Elijah died. Is it possible for such man to die? Hebrews 9:27 says everyone has an appointment with death. If you came into this world, one day you will have to leave. And that poses a challenge: Serve God now, while you are still full of life. Glorify him by accomplishing the perfect plan he has for you. Ask him for the resources to fulfil your vision.
Elisha died. General overseers and apostles will also die. Elisha died, but the God of Elisha will never die. He lives forever. Psalm 46:1 says he is ever present to help us whenever we are in need. That is why our focus should be on God, not on man. If you put your hope is a man, and he dies before he can help you, your expectation will probably die with him. That is why some wives would rather follow their husbands into death, if the husbands were the bread-winners, than try to sustain the children on her own.
The widow in the prophet’s tale faced a similar situation. Her husband had a lot of debt. After his death, the creditor moved in. His plan was to take the widow’s two sons to compensate for the debt. But thank God for his prophet. She met him and God not only paid the debt, he blessed her abundantly (2 Kings 4:1-7).
Hebrews 12:2 says you should focus on Jesus. He is the only one who can help you at any time, in any place. Don’t be afraid, you will make it. Look up to God. Take your gaze off the problem. God can use any man to help you, but let your trust not be in any of them, but in God.

MEMORIZE: PSALM 121:1 –I WILL lift up my eyes to the hills from where comes my help.

WHY IS GOD SILENT?

READ: 1 KINGS 19:11-12

It is good to hear God’s voice. Nothing compares to hearing directly from him. God’s voice can give you direction in different areas of your life. If you are at a crossroad, that is when you need to hear from God. “And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way, walk you in it, when you turn to the right hand, and you turn to the left.” (Isaiah 30:21).
Sometimes you do not hear God’s voice. God is simply silent. After his sin with Bathsheba, David stopped hearing God’s voice which he so cherished. So in Psalm 51:8, he asked to hear it again. David had a gift of prophecy. He received amazing revelations about Jesus Christ and wrote about him in Psalms 22, 23 and 24. But after committing adultery, which is one the gravest sins in a man can commit, he could not hear God’s voice.
Why is God silent? Why does he not speak at times when you want him to? Firstly, he may be quiet because there is nothing to say. God doesn’t waste his breath. Psalm 62:11 says, “God has spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belong to God.” If you are a child of God, your words should also be few. Isaiah 30:15 says there is strength in quietness. Controlling your tongue is one of the most important tests for your relationship with God. If you can avoid offending with your mouth, then you are perfect (James 3:2).
Secondly, God could have spoken, but you could have mistaken it for something else. In Matthew 3:17, some people mistakenly thought God’s voice was thunder. Sometimes we do not hear when God speaks, because we expect it to be in a dramatic way. In 1 Kings 19:11-12 Elijah expected to hear God in the mighty wind or in the earthquake, but in the end God spoke in a still, small voice. You may be too busy to hear him or just not listening. Sometimes he is not speaking, because he is preparing to laugh (Psalm 2:1-5). But God could also be silent because your obedience is incomplete. Sin alienates you from God and prevents you from hearing his voice.
Have you been missing God’s voice in your life? Ask to hear him clearly today, so that he does not reject you. Check your life right away and make amends. 

MEMORIZE: ISAIAH 30:21 –And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way, walk you in it, when you turn to the right hand, and you turn to the left.

THE BEST PAID JOB

READ: MARK 8:34-37

The challenge of sustaining oneself, one’s family and extended family has mounted pressure on many to seek for greener pastures. People change jobs. Some even change locations and move to other countries, all in search of better pay.
In many economies, oil, communications, computers, banking and insurance industries are being criss-crossed frequently. I mean professionals in one field are returning to school and retraining in other professions that they deem more financially rewarding.
But there is one job that can pay you what no other job can. You do not have to leave your country for another, to be employed. The pay is enormous. The fringe benefits and welfare package are huge. Do you presently earn a million naira, euro, dollar or pound per month? This job will pay you more than a hundred times that amount.
The owner of the business is extraordinarily rich. And he is very generous. The job is available for you irrespective of your sex, age, status, educational qualification, race, tribe or colour. If you are seeking power, this job comes with real power. Doing this job makes you outstanding anywhere you are. In fact if you enlist with the Employment Bureau today, and are really committed, you will become very great, making the richest man on earth look beggarly and impoverished.
Besides the several benefits here on earth, a good part of your income will be reserved for you to spend after your death. You will become a king and reign eternally with the Employer. The job is winning of sinners to Jesus Christ. Each soul is priceless – worth more than the whole world. One soul gives you an exceedingly great reward of eternal value. Be enlisted as a soul winner today!

MEMORIZE: DANIEL 12:3 –And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness.