GOD STILL VISITS DUNGHILLS

READ: 1 SAMUEL 2:7-8

Do you want to prosper? Some people stand in front of the door of prosperity but they remain poor for want of appropriate key with which to open the door. You require more than a key to unlock the door of prosperity. We shall examine 12 keys to prosperity. The first key is that God is sovereign. He does as He pleases (Psalm 115:3). Silver and gold are His (Haggai 2:8). This means the rich man is only holding the money until God decides what to do with it. According to 1 Samuel 2:7-8, God has the choice to decide on who to prosper. He will decide in your favour today in Jesus name. There are some people God decided to prosper but they decided otherwise. Today, such people are still residing in poverty. You are coming out of poverty today in Jesus name.
I had a friend in 1956. Both of us were poorer than church rats. Thank God the church is now a symbol of wealth and prosperity. In those days, our ears were ever alert to pick the drum beats of obituary parties anywhere so that we could attend and get some food there. Returning from school one day, I saw my friend almost mad with joy. He went as a labourer for a day’s job and as he was digging the ground, he suddenly heard a strange sound. He was curious so he dug a little further and struck a big pot filled with gold coins that somebody must have buried and forgotten there years ago.
He looked around and there was nobody so he carefully buried it again. He came home, got a sack and returned to his gold mine and loaded it before returning home. On visiting the goldsmith, each gold coin was highly priced. The boy was about 14 years old the. That was how poverty ended in his life. God still picks beggars from the dunghill to set them among princes because He still visits dunghills. Are you in a dung hill and wondering if God will ever pay you a visit there? He says, Yes. He will visit you in your dunghill and that at the end of that visit, you will be found among princes. Just realize that He is sovereign and can decide who next to visit. Whose turn is next?

MEMORIZE: HAGGAI 2:8 –The silver is mine, and the gold is mine says the LORD of hosts.

ARE YOU AFFLICTED?

READ: JAMES 5:13-15

There is an ongoing battle for your soul. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 says you are a spirit like God is a Spirit. The devil and fallen angels are also spirits. You have a soul and live in a body but the real you – the spirit man is inside. The devil wants you for breakfast (Peter 5:8) but God offers you rest (Matthew 11:28). So on a daily basis, there is a struggle between the kingdom of God and the powers of darkness. If a believer loses a battle, it is most likely the fellow has gone into sin. When you sin, it becomes difficult for a Holy God to defend a sinful child. In Joshua 7:1-12 when the children of God were defeated before their enemies, Joshua enquired for the cause and God revealed that He could not go with them like before because sin was in their midst. If you really want God to fight for you, sin must be discarded.
There are two major ways through which demons operate in a man’s life. They either attack from the outside or work from the inside. Most of their operations are from the outside than from within. We shall look at some of the ways they operate from the outside. The first one is affliction. Affliction means to trouble, disturb or cane someone. 1 Samuel 16:14 says, “But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.” The evil spirit did not completely take him over but only came to trouble him. And whenever this happened he began to behave abnormally.
1 Samuel 19:9-10 says while the demon was afflicting king Saul, David played the instrument to bring about a calm yet he threw a javelin at him. Those who are afflicted are undergoing a storm. They may not be able to describe what they are going through. When the demon comes on them, they will begin to feel hot on the head and the body, and whatever people do to them becomes unacceptable. Are you presently undergoing an affliction? James 5:13 says you should pray. Thank God there is someone called the Prince of Peace who can calm any storm. I command every storm in your life to be calm now in Jesus name. I command the demon behind your affliction to release you now in Jesus name. You are free in Jesus name.

MEMORIZE: JAMES 5:14 –Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

TESTIFYING AGAINST YOURSELF

READ: MATTHEW 12:36-37

“Therefore to him that knows to do good, and does it not, to him it is sin” (James 4:17).
After your works go through fire, whatever comes out is your credit. Then your bad works which are your debits will be deducted. There are other criteria for judging the bride of Christ: One is according to what you fail to do. This category includes all opportunities to serve the Lord, preach to someone, do something concerning God’s needy house, assist your needy brethren, etc. which you either ignored or neglected. God knows every opportunity given to you. If you fail to utilize them, they will add up to your debits.
We shall not only be assessed for what we achieved but also what we should have achieved. In addition, all the words you have spoken from when you were born again till the day Jesus returned, will be accounted for. There is a word register containing all the words you spoke for Jesus, words testifying about Him, words to glorify and worship Him. All will be taken into account on that day. Similarly, the word register will contain all words in gossip, backbiting, ordinary jokes, flatteries, exaggeration and anything deceptive.
“For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned” (Matthew 12:37). The bad words and the good words will be compared. Bad words will condemn the speaker while good words will justify the fellow. If all the words you have spoken since you became a believer in Christ –both good and bad were to be compared this moment, will your words justify or condemn you? When policemen make arrest, they will immediately inform the fellow, “Anything you say will be used in evidence against you.” In other words, he should be very careful with what he says from that moment. In the Christian faith, it is so. From the moment you become saved, your words are recorded in the word register. Whether you will be justified or condemned will be determined by your words. Be careful what you say especially when you are provoked. It will be used against you!

MEMORIZE: MATTHEW 12:37 –For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned.