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WISDOM: GODLY COMPANIONS

He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed. Proverbs 13:20

The people you surround yourself with can either help you rise high in life or cause your downfall. Proverbs 27:17 says, ‘Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.’ If you stay around positive-minded people, your life will be carved around the cliché, ‘Nothing is impossible with me.’ If you settle around negative thinkers, you will always live in the fear of the unknown.

Bible says in Psalms 1:1, ‘Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers.’ This scripture clearly underscores the kind of company every child of God must keep. The company of the wicked, sinners and scoffers (mockers) is one that you must avoid. The memory verse says he who walks with wise men will be wise, but he who walks with fools shall be destroyed. In 2 Corinthians 5:16, the Bible says that ‘wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh…’ This means that we must not, as believers, relate with others not according to the standards of the flesh but after the Spirit.

Beloved, today’s study does not mean don’t speak at all with unbelievers because God has sent you to win them over to Christ. But you are admonished not to stay in the company of people who will corrupt your spirit. The people who speak vainly, profanely, negatively and discouragingly are people you must avoid. Let your friends be people who will encourage in the Lord and in spiritual matters. Saturate your life with people who speak the mind of God concerning situations.

Prayer

I thank You Lord for today. I make a choice to surround myself with people who speak Your mind concerning issues and not negative thinking people. May my life influence the friends I move with so they will walk to please You. Be glorified in my life today in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Reference: Psalms 1:1; Proverbs 27:17; 2 Corinthians 5:16

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WISDOM: KEEP YOUR WAY FROM SIN AND ITS APPEARANCES

Remove your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house, [9] lest you give your honor to others, and your years to the cruel one; [10] lest aliens be filled with your wealth, and your labors go to the house of a foreigner Proverbs 5:8-9

We live in a generation when sin and its appearances are on the ascendancy. Deuteronomy 32:5 says the people of this age ‘have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of his children: they are a perverse and crooked generation.’ It is time for the children of light to stand out and be counted in a world of darkness. Remember that we are the light of the world.

The memory verse teaches us to stay so far away from sin because they have consequences. Bible says if you allow sin to reign over you, you risk giving your honor to others, your years to the devil, your wealth to aliens and the fruit of your labor to foreigners. This contradicts the promise of God for His children in Isaiah 61:5, ‘And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers’ and it satisfies the plans of the devil. Bible says he came to steal, kill and destroy. Hence, he tempts you daily with sin and its appearances. But you have the Holy Spirit to prompt you to stay away from sin and its appearances.

Romans 6:12-13 says, ‘Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.’ Beloved, learn to rededicate your life unto God daily, listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit and stay in the word. Jesus has given you victory and power over sin!

Prayer

I thank You dear Lord for today’s word. I know now that sin and its appearances can deny me of Your immense promises for my life. I refuse to bow to the pressures of sin because I know I have victory in Christ Jesus. I choose to live to please only You. Thank you in Jesus’ name. Amen

Reference: Deuteronomy 32:5; Isaiah 61:5; Romans 6:12-13

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WISDOM: KEEP YOUR HEART WITH ALL DILIGENCE

Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. Proverbs 4:23

One of the most important human body parts is the heart. The Bible says that it is out of the heart that all the issues of life emanate from. Jeremiah understood this and hence he said, in Jeremiah 17:9, that ‘the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?’ This prophet was probably overwhelmed by the matters of the heart.

You may not know the function of the heart, but the memory verse provides us with immense wisdom. Bible says that because the issues of life proceed from the heart, it is needful that you keep your heart with all carefulness. Why is this necessary? So that no root of bitterness grows in your heart and thereby prevent you from having a perfect relationship with God. Proverbs 14:13 says, ‘even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and the end of that mirth is heaviness.’ This scripture is a reason why you need to keep your heart with diligence. How do you keep your heart with diligence? By keeping the word in your heart and applying your heart to divine counsel. Psalms 119:11 says, ‘Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.’

The more you study the word and meditate on it, the more you receive divine counsel and instruction from God. This certainly enables you to keep your heart and not allow bitterness to gain grounds in your heart. Remember that a pure heart and a prepared spirit are all the grounds the Holy Spirit needs in your life to work out the plans and purposes of God for your life.

Prayer

I thank You dear Lord for today’s wisdom key which admonishes me to keep my heart with all diligence. I thank You that my heart is a prepared home for the Holy Spirit to dwell and make manifest the power of God in me. Have Your way in me today. Thank You in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Reference: Psalms 119:11; Matthew 12:34; Mark 7:21

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WISDOM: GIVE ATTENTION TO THE SCRIPTURES

My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. [21] Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart; [22] for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh. Proverbs 4:20-22

The things that seek our attention today are so enormous that often people get frustrated. In a particular day, your family, your work, your friends and your church could all be in high demand of your attention. The newspapers will draw your attention in the course of the day and so will the advertising world. There is always something new to attract your curiosity.

In the midst of this chaos, learn to give your attention to the scriptures. The opening scriptures teach us how to give our full attention to the unadulterated word of God. It mentions the ear, the eyes and the heart – the same three body parts that the best advertisers employ to get our attention to their products. In order to give your attention to the scriptures, first learn to incline your ear to the word because ‘faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.’ Secondly, let not the scriptures depart from your eyes because your eye is the entry point into your soul. Finally, keep the word in your heart because out of it flow the issues of life.

When you give undivided attention to the scriptures, your life begins to shine and you are changed from glory to glory. The Lord begins to take preeminence in your affairs and your steps are perfected. Sin, sickness, fear and anxiety are not able to come into your domain again because your world is governed by the word of God. Acquire this wisdom key: if there is anything that should get your attention, let it be the scriptures.

Prayer

I thank You Lord that it is in Your plan that anytime I give my attention to the word, I will receive life in abundance. I make a choice today to give my attention to the power in the word, knowing that it able to transform me into Your glory. Be glorified in me in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Reference: Proverbs 3:8; Proverbs 4:23; Proverbs 12:18; Romans 10:17

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Get Your Joy Back!

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18(NIV)

God’s will for you is to see you joyful always, no matter the things going on around you. God wants you to be happy and not stay so uptight and anxious of the future. He wants you to enjoy your life no matter what your circumstances may look like. In fact, when you have joy in the midst of difficult circumstances, it is the evidence of your faith and trust in God that He will bring you through.

Bible says that the supernatural joy of God in the believer is his strength. When you have His joy, you can stand strong no matter what is going on around you. I have realized that God made us all different emotionally, but you can train yourself to laugh more. Research has shown that the average child laughs over 200 times a day, but the average adult only laughs 4 times a day. What happened? Most adults have allowed the pressures of this life, stress and more responsibilities to steal their joy little by little. But understand that no adversity or negative situation can be greater than your God!

Today, make a decision to get your joy back. Decide that you are going to look beyond your problems and focus solely on God to see you through. Even if you lose your money, your job or your material possessions, don’t lose your joy! For the joy of the Lord is your strength!  Today, pray that God will fill you with His supernatural peace and joy so that you can live in His strength and victory!

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I humbly receive Your Word today. I choose to open my heart to You and invite You to fill me with Your joy and strength. Thank You for showing me Your goodness and empowering me with Your grace. I bless You today and always in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Reference: 2Corinthians 6:10; Ephesians 5:20; Philippians 4:4

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ALL ABOUT THE WAY YOU FINISH

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 2 Timothy 4:7(NIV)

So often when people make mistakes, they get down on themselves and think, “If only...” or “I should have...” or “What if...?” Yes, it is easy to feel you have missed the best plan for your life in such situations. And often this happens when people get discouraged and stop pursuing their God-given dreams; when they take their eyes off the Author and Finisher of our faith – Jesus Christ!

But understand today that just because you made a mistake or failed in a certain way, that doesn’t cancel God’s plan for you. God has never disqualified you. He never says, “Go and sit on the sidelines. You have blown your opportunities too many times. You have got too many weaknesses.” No, God always gives you another chance to advance in His plan for you! Some of the great people in the Bible, and even in history, made very poor choices. The apostle Paul started off as a murderer, yet his destiny was bigger than his mistakes. He ended up becoming a great leader and wrote over half of the New Testament. Peter denied Jesus Christ three times and yet He became the leader of the Apostles who shook the world with the message of Christ.

What am I saying? Your mistakes, your failures, your poor choices don’t have to keep you from your God-given destiny. With God, it is not about the way you start in life, it is about the way you finish. Today, receive His grace to finish and embrace the bright future your Father has prepared for you!

Prayer

Father God, I thank You for Your grace and mercy to me. I trust that my days are ordered of You. I ask that You strengthen and empower me to fulfill Your call on my life. I receive the strength to finish the race that is set for me. I love You and I bless You in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Reference: 1 Corinthians 9:24-25; 1 Timothy 6:12; Hebrews 12:1

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BRIGHTER AND BRIGHTER

The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day. Proverbs 4:18 (NLT)

The life of every child of God is supposed to be a progressive one – from glory to glory. But beloved, that does not mean you may not face an adversity. Rather, it means that even in the midst of adversity, you are more than a conqueror. Child of God, the Father’s promises for you is that your path will shine brighter and brighter as you choose to walk in His truth and righteousness.

What is righteousness? Righteousness is being in right standing with God. It is a gift we receive from God. We are made righteous by the blood of Jesus, but then we are supposed to also out of faith choose to walk in righteousness by choosing to follow God’s commands. God is holy and He only draws near to those who walk in His precepts. John 8 tells us that Jesus is the light of the world. The closer you are to Him, the closer you are to the light source, and the brighter your path will be. With every step you take, your path will begin to shine brighter and brighter. And it is going to keep shining brighter until the day you see Him face to face.

No matter what you may be facing today, be encouraged because Bible says that your path is shining brighter. All you need to do is to keep moving forward in faith; keep praying, keep believing, keep walking in righteousness, knowing that God has a good plan for you. Beloved, with every step you take and every decision you make in Him, He brings you a step closer to greatness!

Prayer

Father God, I thank You for the wonderful plan and purpose that You have for me. I desire to be in right standing with You. Show me Your ways and teach me to walk righteously before You. Shine Your light in my heart as I walk in your path of life. Thank You Lord in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Reference: 2 Samuel 23:4; Matthew 5:14, 45; Philippians 2:15