THEME: FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS.
MEMORISE:
“If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:”
Isaiah 1:19
READ: Deuteronomy 28:1-13 (KJV)
1. And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth;
2. And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.
3. Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.
4. Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.
5. Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.
6. Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.
7. The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face; they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.
8. The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
9. The LORD shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways.
10. And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee.
11. And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee.
12. The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand; and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.
13. And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them;
MESSAGE:
Many people do not get the benefits God has promised in His word simply because they do not follow the instructions attached to those benefits.
My mathematics background has made it easy for me to understand this scriptural principle. In mathematics, there are always conditions to be fulfilled to solve certain problems. It is the same in the kingdom of God; if you want the blessings, you must first fulfil the conditions.
Today’s memory verse did not just say “if you are willing”, it says you must also be obedient to eat the good of the land. I have been invited to Ministries where the Holy Communion is served in the morning or afternoon and I always politely decline from partaking.
The Bible says it is the Lord’s Supper, not the Lord’s Breakfast or Lunch. It is very clear; the Communion is to be taken in the evening if you would get the benefits attached.
Some other people also say they have not been getting the benefits of paying tithes as promised in the Bible.
Malachi 3:10 says: “Bring ye ALL the tithes into the storehouse…”
The Scripture says ALL, not some; it also says you are to bring the tithes to His storehouse. If you take it anywhere else or do not bring ALL, you should not expect the benefits meant for faithful tithers.
My Father-in-the Lord once gave this analogy back in the day when the National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) was in charge of electricity distribution in Nigeria. He asked “If you find a NEPA pole fallen by the road as you are going to pay your electricity bill, and you decide to use the money meant to settle the bill to fund the repair, would you get a bill waiver at the NEPA office simply because you have used your money to erect their pole?”
No, you would still be billed because the instruction is clear: you are to pay your bills into a designated account!
Beloved, when you see a blessing in the Bible that you want to claim, check thoroughly for all the conditions attached to it. Fulfil the conditions and then you can enjoy the blessing.
ACTION POINT:
Make up your mind to always obey God’s commands, if you want His blessings.
AUTHOR: PASTOR E.A ADEBOYE.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Leviticus 11-13
HYMN 8: HO! MY COMRADES, SEE THE SIGNAL.
1. Ho! my comrades! see the signal,
Waving in the sky!
Reinforcements now appearing,
Victory in nigh!
REFRAIN:
“Hold the fort, for I am coming,”
Jesus signals still,
Wave the answer back to heaven,
“By Thy grace we will.”
2. See the mighty host advancing,
Satan leading on;
Mighty men around us falling,
Courage almost gone.
3. See the glorious banner waving,
Hear the trumpet blow;
In our Leader’s Name we triumph
Over every foe.
4. Fierce and long the battle rages,
But our help is near;
Onward comes our great commander,
Cheer, my comrades, cheer!