2016 Manna

For Reading SATURDAY, 13TH FEBRUARY, 2016& Meditation:2 Peter 1:5-9 LOVE IS KIND “And to godliness, brotherly kindness and brotherly kindness, love” v7Love in action does not acts rashly or inconsistent in all it does. It is not puffed up or proud. Love is kind to all irrespective of status or disposition it is notselective or segregate. This is how the Lord Jesus treatedus and still doing so. As a follower of Jesus, would you sayhis love compels you to be kind to all men? The answer tothis question is clearly seen in what has become of thechurch of the 21st century. It is a fact that we havepatterned the church in our own way neglecting the NewTestament pattern. The church of today has different facesand when one of the faces emerges as a leader the restwould be at the mercy of the one that produced theleadership. Love being kind becomes selective thus yousee outright negligence in terms of welfare.Consequent upon this, human relation becomes poor thussome actions or inactions becomes rash and ourbehaviour is inconsistent with what we preach or teach.Sometimes when the whole world is given out, yet it lacksthe ethos of kindness. Kindness is a fruit of the spirit (Gal5:22). Kindness is a Christian virtue that will produce awell-rounded fruitful Christian life.If anyone is said to be loving kindness must be clearly beseen in his daily life and the activities involved.PRAYER:Lord Jesus, please keep our Christian life to be consistentas your kindness is seen us. 44

For Reading SUNDAY, 14TH FEBRUARY, 2016& Meditation:John 21:18-25 LOVE DOES NOT ENVY “… If l want him to remain alive until l return, what is that to you? You must follow me” v22Love does not envy. Envy could be positive or negative. When it is positive, it is an appreciation and expression of likeness for what is seen to be good. Such envydoes not seek to take over what is being appreciated. Whenenvy is negative, it seeks to destroy what is perceived to begood. It goes on to deny others what they are entitled to.Envy leads to character association, envy in its negativeform do not believe that others have right to what is good.The best it could do is to make sure others do not get it and ifthey do it should not worth anything in the hands of others.The Lord is asking us to examine our lives whether we areenvious. Leaders should ask themselves whether by theiractions and inaction they are envious of those they lead. Theled would also do well to ask themselves.Our Lord told Peter about the kind of death by which hewould glorify God. Peter quickly asked whether he is theonly one that would go through such pains. Therefore, hewanted to know whether John was going to have it smooth.Jesus' reply (v22) clearly showed that peter was alreadybecoming envious (negative) of John. This symptom isobvious among brethren, the Bible says, love is not envious.Beloved, check whether your altitude to things shows thatyou are envious.PRAYER:Love divine, love excelling, Lord let our heart be a lovingheart. 45

For Reading MONDAY, 15TH FEBRUARY, 2016& Meditation:Philippians 3:4-10 NOT BOOSTING, NOT PROUD “But whatever was to my profit l now consider loss for the sake of Christ” v7Love does not boast, and it is not proud. Achievements in life would always make one to boast and also be proud. It is a characteristic of our fallen nature. Evenwhen we are in Christ, if the tendency is not checked, it canrare its ugly head. When Christians begin to exhibit theholier than thou altitude, it is nothing short of boasting andbeing proud. This tendency can manifest itself in differentways. Besides talking, it could be seen in our taste, desire,status and some other ways.It is only the love of Jesus that is able to checkmate it. Thelove of Jesus would treat others better hence no room forboosting. Paul had enough reasons to boost and be proud.His qualifications were intimidating and a well respectedman among his own people. However, when the love ofGod was shed abroad in his heart, he said. “But whateverwas to my profit l now consider loss for the sake ofChrist” (Phil 3:7). The love of Christ helps us to discoverthat we are what we are because of Christ. Therighteousness we have is that of Christ. Whatever we haveachieved and the status we are, are simply because of hismercy. Not even the labour of our hands can take us towhere we desire. It is the love of Jesus that saturates theheart that will bring you to that conclusion; hence no roomfor boasting and always humbled.PRAYER:My dear Lord, thank you for all that you wrought in me. Helpme to be like you. 46

TUESDAY, 16TH FEBRUARY, 2016For Reading LOVE IS NOT RUDE& Meditation:II Samuel 16:5-14 “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins” II Peter 4:8Love is not rude. What is the meaning of the word rude? The Arcus dictionary defines it as, lacking civility or good manners, socially incorrect in behaviour. Thelove of Christ in our heart is able to kill the germs of rudenessin our inner being. We all have the tendency to be rude. It isnot limited to children alone. Adults can as well be rude toothers particularly to a group or in the family. Leaders can aswell be rude to their subjects. If this is correct, then we mustcheck our behaviour with a view to avoid being rude.Rudeness gives a false impression of oneself believing thatone’s able when one is not capable of. It breedsstubbornness, disobedience and disrespect to lawfulauthority irrespective of the circumstances. Rudeness robsits victims what is called 'common sense'. Its action ends upin regret. A clear example is seen in our passage for today.Shimei was suffering from bottled up anger against David.He was from the same tribe of Benjamin with King Saul. Hebehaved as if David was responsible for the death of Saul.According to him, David was paying for all the blood he shedin the household of Saul. Could this be true? Thus he cursedDavid and pelted him and his troupe. Here we see rudenesson the part of Shimei as a result of lack of manners. The rootof being rude is lack of good manners. The Love of Christ isable to uproot it today hence love is not rude.PRAYER:Lord Jesus Christ, in your mercy let your love uprootrudeness wherever it is in our lives. 47

For Reading WEDNESDAY, 17TH FEBRUARY, 2016& Meditation:Mark 10:35-45 LOVE NOT SELF-SEEKING “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better that yourself” Phil 2:3Love is not self seeking that is it does not demand its own way. It does not force itself on others and is not always “me first”. A quick summary of what love standsfor is that, love is the Christian virtue that consumes everyAdamic nature that is buried in our inner being. The more werespond to him who first loved us as we study the word, andwillingly accept it and internalized it, the more his loveconsumes us. This is the excellent life that is demanded ofevery Christian. What do we see of our generation?Children of the fallen Adam loaded in the church yet to havean encounter with Jesus Christ the epitome of love. Theyare there demanding their way all the time withoutconsideration for the interest of others. Their philosophy is“me first”, therefore they have succeeded in forcingthemselves on others as leaders who have turned theabomination that Daniel spoke of (Matthew 24:15).It was this “me first” syndrome that took hold of James andJohn. A kingdom actually lies ahead but different from theone they were anticipating. The “me first” in their agitation isthat they were most qualified, is it by request that one attainsthe position? Do they hope to rule over the rest apostles?Therefore they were trying to force themselves on others?Perhaps this is how you got your position and you seem tobe comfortable with the “me first” Good lord deliver us.PRAYER:Holy Spirit, our hearts needs your fire so that we can bepurged of this evil. 48

For Reading THURSDAY, 18TH FEBRUARY, 2016& Meditation:Number 20:1-13 LOVE IS NOT EASILY ANGERED “In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry” Eph 4:26Love is not easily angered, that is, it is not irritable. What is the implication of this? Does it mean that those who are easily angered or irritable do not love or have nolove? Well the answer lies with you. But, if the Bible says thatif we posses His love, we are not easily angered, it means it isattainable, therefore, we must strive to get to that level ofchristian life where we are not easily irritable.The Bible enjoins us to be angry-angry about what may bewrong but with a condition. Your anger should not lead to sinand the sun must not go down while you are still angry. Thegrace of being able to do this is the love we have been talkingabout. Hence what gets the unbeliever to fly off the handle,for the believer it is love that compels him. Paul would say,“For Christ's love compels us, because we are convincedthat one died for all, and therefore all died” (2 Corinth 5:14).The love of Christ helps us to play down the evil done againstus, even if the flesh tries to resist the spirit, by His grace, weare able to control our anger and resist every irritation.Moses and his brother Aaron lack this virtue at the time it wasmostly needed. As usual the lack of the virtue of love wouldalways make us to disobey divine instruction. It was thatsingular act that prevented Moses and Aaron from enteringCanaan. Love is not easily angered, strive towards it.PRAYER:In the face of anger, may your love compel us. 49

For Reading FRIDAY, 19TH FEBRUARY, 2016& Meditation:Luke 15:21-24 NO RECORDS OF WRONGS “For l will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more” Heb 8:12Love keeps no record of wrongs. Imagine if God keeps the record of all our wrong doing, what would have become of you now? Well, the love of God will not allowhim to do that. We benefit from his unending love hence theforgiveness we receive from him on daily basis. Not only thathe forgives, indeed he remembers them no more. It is thisnature of God that we receive in Christ Jesus. Jesus Christdemonstrated this love on the cross of Calvary. On the crossCalvary, he declared, Father forgive them because they donot know what they are doing. This was prompted by love.Many Christians today still struggle to forgive theirneighbours. Many keep record of wrong doings. This is whywe hear something like “bad book”. Some Christians actuallyposses bad books where they have recorded the wrongsdone against them. They are working with it hence they cuttheir relationship from such persons. The unfortunate thingabout this is that such things are found in the church. If youare affected, God expect you to repent now because if hekeeps record against us who can withstand that.The father of the prodigal son is a perfect example of onewho is compelled by the love of Christ. Because he didn'tkeep the records of the wrong doings of the son, hewholeheartedly welcomes him back home. If you arekeeping record of wrongs, for the sake of love, destroy it now.PRAYER:Heavenly father, help us to be like you in this matter. 50

SATURDAY, 20TH FEBRUARY, 2016For Reading LOVE DOES NOT DELIGHT IN EVIL& Meditation:Psalm 1:1-6 “But his delight is in the law of the Lord”…. V1The love of Jesus Christ in the heart of a man does not delight in evil. It has no pleasure in what is evil, it does rejoice in it, the love of Jesus Christ disregard evil withpassion. For a proper understanding, we should see theabove assertion from two view points.Firstly, the love of Christ in the heart puts to death everypleasure or delight that promotes evil. His love would makeus to hate evil because to delight in evil is to wound the lovethat has been lavished on us. It is pretty difficult to express itin writing. The sight of evil makes the heart of a believer tobleed because it reminds us of the suffering of Jesus Christon the cross of Calvary. To delight in evil, is to turn enemies ofthe cross of Christ and crucifying the Son of God again. Such“Christians” are classified as dogs going back to their vomits.In order to overcome any pleasure for evil, we must delight inthe law of the lord, and meditate on it day and night (Psalm1:2).The second view point is that the love of Christ in man's heartprevents him from spreading anything evil. Often times wesee Christians broadcasting the mistake of fellow believerswhich may be detrimental to the body of Christ. We go on togossip, all these shows that the love of Christ is not in theheart. From today, be hesitant in talking about the evilcommitted by others.PRAYER POINT:Forgive us o Lord of how we slander and spread news thatdoes not promote the gospel. 51

For Reading SUNDAY, 21ST FEBRUARY, 2016& Meditation:Mark 6:17-29 LOVE AND TRUTH “For John had being saying to Herod, It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife” v 15Another characteristic of love is that, love rejoices with the truth. It means love thrives best where truth is spoken and upheld in all things. The scripturesays, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth willset you free” (John 8:32). Jesus Christ is the truth wecome to know and we shall be free. Writing to Gaius, Johnthe apostle said, “It gave me great Joy to have somebrothers come and tell about your faithfulness to thetruth and how you continue to walk in the truth” (IIIJohn 3)Truth is the nucleus of love. Love can be said to exist onlywhere truth exist and the community Hold on to it. Wheretruth is lacking, vices would never allow love to thrive. Suchvices would naturally elemates it. To know Jesus Christ isto know the truth as contained in the word of God?Herodias the enemy of truth would not allow John theBaptist to live, hence she demanded for the head of Johnthe Baptist. Her husband Herod who lacks clear sense ofreasoning and judgement foolishly took an oath andwithout any human feeling ordered the executioner to bringthe head of John the Baptist. Why? Because, John spokethe truth concerning Herod's immorality and if you too hatelistening to the truth, you lack genuine love.PRAYER:Lord Jesus Christ, you are the truth and love. Dwell in ourlives O Lord. 52

For Reading MONDAY, 22ND FEBRUARY, 2016& Meditation:Luke 10:25-37 LOVE ALWAYS PROTECTS “Jesus told him, go and do likewise” v 37bLove always protects. This is the privilege we all enjoy from the Lord and we are expected to do same to others. Our world is infected with evil suchthat it might be difficult to do what the Samaritan did.However, do we say the word of God is dispensational?Never, the word of God is true in every generation.Christians have not stopped doing what the Samaritandid because of the love of Christ that compels them. Wemust be weary of every satanic excuse capable ofpreventing us from loving like him who first loved us. TheSamaritan out of love, Choosed to do what others couldnot do in order to preserve the life of the victim of robbers.A priest who happened to be going down the road had areason not to attend to him so that he can save his life. Hedecided to pass by the other side of the road. Thissingular act clearly show how some Christians woulddecide not to show love. The Levite also came and did thesame thing. These two persons were religious leaderswho ought to be example of their faith, but unfortunatelythey turned away their faces. People may have reasonsnot to love but you as a Christian is under obligation to doso. Love indeed protects. Put aside every malice andforget the evil done against you and be like Jesus.PRAYER:Heavenly father, we need your grace to be able to love ina crooked world. 53

TUESDAY, 23RD FEBRUARY, 2016For Reading LOVE AND TRUST& Meditation:Job 1:6-12,20-22 “… Have you considered my servant Job? Therefore is no one on earth like him, he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil” v8Love always trusts. Unfortunately we have found ourselves in a world saturated with mistrust, the church not excluded. Old time religion havevanished to the thin air. We no longer trust one another, nothanks to some 'Christians' who have misrepresentedChrist. If not for the power of the Gospel, Christianity wouldhave being a failed religion. Many in church lack the spiritof Christ therefore they cannot receive from him. But theyneeded to receive hence the enemies of the church arebusy supplying them information on which they act upon.Today, rumors for some have turned to truth which theyhold unto tenaciously. Anything can be said about othersand people go on believing what may not be true and theyform an opinion. If the love of Christ is in our hearts, we areable to trust people until they prove otherwise. Somestrange terms that have crept into the church such as“everybody is a suspect” is clearly opposed to the letterand spirit of the community of faith. Such terms wouldnaturally make us to lose trust in other people. This is whywe suspect ourselves and we seemed to have lostconfidence in one another. Our Christianity is faced with alot of questions. Where do we go from here? Where thereis lack of trust, we can't speak well of ourselves.PRAYER:Almighty Father help us to develop the trust that is neededto sustain the Church. 54

WEDNESDAY, 24TH FEBRUARY, 2016For Reading LOVE AND HOPE& Meditation:John 6:1-12 “May the God of hope fill you with all Joy and peace as you trust in him…..” Rom 15:13Love is hopeful, never give up. Hope is the strength that sustains love. Hope says to love; your effort is not in vain. Anyone who has the love of Christ at heart issomeone with hope. Hope is the reason why we love. God soloved the world that He gave is begotten son… What was Hishope? It was the hope of many sons that would be producedthrough the only son. Why did he accept to die on the cross ofCalvary? Because many would become righteous throughhis once and for all sacrifice. Every act of love is predicatedon hope. No one loves without hope. The main reason whymany find it difficult to give is nothing short of hope. Hopebelieves that God will graciously bless them more than whatthey have done. The small boy who willingly surrenders hisfive small bread and two small fish is an example of a lovingheart in the hope that all will be well. According to the hymnwriter,Through the love of God our Savior,All will be well…..We expect a bright tomorrow All is wellBeloved if your love is rooted in hope, you have nothing tofear. Christ Jesus our perfect example has taught us to lovelike him. Let hope keep your love sparkling and glowing andall will be well.PRAYER:Thank you Lord because all will be well as our love is rootedin hope. 55

For Reading THURSDAY, 25TH FEBRUARY, 2016& Meditation:John 12:1-11 LOVE AND PERSEVERANCE “Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” James 1:4Love always perseveres. What is perseverance? It is a persistent determination, doggedness, tenacity. It is this characteristic that distinguishes the love of Christfrom any other. The love of Christ is sacrificial, it is neverexhausted always available hence it is able to cover amultitude of sins. “Above all, love each other deeply,because love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8)The Lord Jesus Christ demonstrated this in his relationshipwith Judas Iscariot throughout his earthly ministry. JesusChrist knew the person of Judas Iscariot even the apostleknew. John reported that he was a thief because he usedto help himself with what was in the purse. One begins towonder why Jesus Christ should allow such a characteramong the Apostles. It was love that was demonstratingperseverance. When love perseveres, it is God beingpatient with us to see whether we will repent. When welearn to persevere in loving, we are actually expecting apositive change on the part of others.Our love must always persevere. Many availedthemselves and they were saved. However for JudasIscariot, He wasted it. Are you enjoying such a privilegednow, you cannot afford to waste it. If you are the oneshowing love, pray and it will not be in vain.PRAYER:Lord help us to love like you and may the efforts not be invain. 56

For Reading FRIDAY, 26TH FEBRUARY, 2016& Meditation:I Corinth 13:8-13 LOVE THE GREATEST “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love” v13The Corinthian churches excelled in so many ways to the glory of God. But the adversary of men would not leave them alone, hence some ugly developmentaimed at tarnishing their image. They love to serve God andthe apostle wrote to them how Christian worship should be.Christians were called upon to make themselves livingsacrifices fit to participate in taking the body and blood ofJesus Christ.Having addressed issues concerning worship, heproceeded to issues concerning spiritual gifts. At the end ofthe chapter on spiritual gifts, he said, “And now l will showyou the most excellent way” (12:30c). The more excellentway is LOVE. This is the issue that has occupied us for somedays now based on the thirteenth chapter of the first book ofthe Corinthians. We do sincerely hope that God has refinedyour love to be that of Christ and you have decided to lovelike the one who first love you. If your testimony is otherwise,God forbid, we may have wasted the effort.Beloved, the excellent way is love because every othercharisma as good as they are, the Bible says, “They willcease”. Many Christians are holding tenaciously to all thosegifts that will cease, neglecting the more excellent way. Weneed to examine ourselves whether the love of Christ is in usand if we genuinely express it to others.PRAYER:Thank you Lord for the most excellent way, may we hold-onto it 57

For Reading SATURDAY, 27TH FEBRUARY, 2016& Meditation:2 Samuel 11: 1-5 DEVIL'S ADVERT “…From the roof he saw a woman bathing. She was very beautiful” v2bWe continue our daily meditation as we examine one omission committed by king David and the far-reaching consequences that followed. Wetrust that some vital lessons that would be drawn wouldhelp us not only to avoid such errors but will deepen ourChristian walk with the Lord. From the temptation of Jesus,we discover that the devil always look for an opportunedtime to tempt children of God (Luke 4:13). The challengebefore us is how to manage every given opportunity to theglory of God. The opportunity that devil saw in David wasthe excuse he gave from going to war when Kings weremeant to go to war.As Christians if we are where we ought to be certainly wewill do what pleases the Lord. We do not know why Davidexcused himself but obviously he was in the wrong place.David in the wrong place became an opportunity for Satanto strike. What time did the devil struck? It was a time ofleisure, an unguarded hour. Whenever the devil is after aman, the agenda begins with what looks insignificant butpregnant with disaster. A man with the spirit is able tounderstand the tricks of Satan, hence from unset; he isable to cut Satan and his scheme to size. Watch out for thatlittle temptation that is pestering you now and call it a quitbefore it is too late.PRAYER:My dear Holy spirit, please give me the understanding ofSatan's scheme 58

SUNDAY, 28TH FEBRUARY, 2016For Reading CHECK THAT OPPORTUNED TIME& Meditation:2 Samuel 11:6-13 “ The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents….. How could l go to my house... V11Opportuned time is always there and the enemies of our soul spares no time in ceasing it for his dubious agenda. From the roof top David sawthe satanic advert of a woman bathing without adequatecoverage. It was the Devil's work so that his agendawould be achieved. I am very sure that the bathroom hadbeing functional and it was not the first time David wastaking a walk at the roof top.The permutation worked, David could not disregardwhat he saw even when he was told that the woman wasthe wife of one of his soldiers at the war front. Davidthrew caution to the wind and went after her as a hunterwould go after his target. If only David gave a secondthought, may be he would have been delivered of theimpending doom targeted at his family and the kingdom.David ended up pregnated the woman. Through thisaction David eventually became guilty of breaking thesixth, seventh, ninth and tenth commandments. All effortto get Uriah committed failed woefully. As Christians weneed more prayers to overcome satanic devicestargeted at us in this end time. As we embark on anyassignment, watch out for any opportuned time that yourenemies may want to cease for their evil intention.PRAYER:Let us pray both for ourselves and our loved ones to befree from the assault of the Devil 59

For Reading MONDAY, 29TH FEBRUARY, 2016& Meditation:2 Samuel 11:14-27 WRONG STEPS “….But the thing David had done displeased the Lord” v27cUriah was offered the opportunity to go to his house to eat and drink and lie with his wife, but he rebuffed it. He saw it as an Opportuned time from the Devilfor him to disregard God and his people who were in thewar front. David did all he could to get Uriah involved in thedeal but failed. What David failed to do was what Uriah did;he weighed the opportuned time and decided that Godmust take the glory. Every opportunity that comes your waymake sure you examine it properly and determine that Godmust be glorified in it.David had the chance of confessing his sins throughrepentance but he decided to write a letter to Joabinstructing him to put Uriah where he can be killed thus headded murder to the number of crimes he had committed.When the Devil strikes and you fail to cut his wings, he willdouble his strength for more exploits. Today many whowere giants in the Lord are lying prostrate with no recoveryin sight. Let us beware in this matter.Eventually, Uriah was killed. When David was told, theopportunity of taking Bathsheba as a wife becameindisputable. It was the beginning of more trouble ahead ofthe king for which innocent souls will perish. All as a resultof an Opportuned time that the Devil looks out for.PRAYER:Lord Jesus every opportunity that will spell doom for yourpeople, deliver us good Lord. 60

For Reading TUESDAY, 1ST MARCH, 2016& Meditation:2 Samuel 12:1-10 GENERATIONAL BURDEN “Now therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah….” V10The challenges you are facing now may not be your own handy work, it may be a generational burden that you are carrying. Thanks be to God for the gift of our LordJesus Christ through whom we can break loose from everygenerational burden. Imaging the sentence handed down onDavid and his house. As long as the house of David exists,sword will never depart from it. The implication of this, is thatinnocent souls yet unborn would become a victim of whatthey knew nothing about.We may not forget in a hurry how David got himself involvedin this mess. It was an opportuned time left for the devil tomanipulate and things went from bad to worse. The devil sawthe opportuned time and he made David to believe as if Godis dead, therefore he can trample on the less privileged,threw caution to the wind, ignore the shame, played down onhis own integrity and office and caved into adultery, by thetime the story ended, multiple sins have been committed.David was a good and humble person a man after God's ownheart but was not spared because he despised God. Withouthesitation, judgement came, though he will secureforgiveness but the word had gone waiting for futuregeneration. This is the burden many are suffering from. If thisis your story, Jesus is Lord; he is able to deliver you as youturn to him today.PRAYER:Lord Jesus Christ thank you for the freedom you offer,deliver your people today 61

For Reading WEDNESDAY 2ND MARCH, 2016& Meditation:2 Samuel 12:11-20 AVOID SIN “But because by doing this you have made the enemies of the Lord show utter contempt …”v14David's sins were in multiples so were the judgement that came upon him. What has happened to those before us are for our examples and to learn fromthem. Satan is aware that you as a child of God, you aredear to the heart of God. If you commit the same sin with anunbeliever, your judgement will be more. When a believersins, it is regarded as an utter contempt against the Lordwhich gives room to the enemies of the Lord to showcontempt.David as a man after God's heart is well known to the deviland this knowledge was sufficient enough for David to call itquit when he knew that the woman was a married woman.The next judgement that was pronounced was thatcalamity will be upon him, his wives will be messed up inbroad day light, what was done in the secret shall be thetalk of the town. O God of Bethel deliver your people, for wehave no power of our own, we too are vulnerable to whathappened to David, good Lord deliver us.David became remorse and Nathan assured him, “TheLord has taken away your sin, you are not going to die”. Butwhat about the consequences of his actions? There lies theproblem. We must run away from sin, never habour it for awhile, keep a distance once you see any sign pointing to it.PRAYER:Dear Father, I plead for mercy if in anyway l have showncontempt of you 62

For Reading THURSDAY 3RD MARCH, 2016& Meditation:2 Samuel 13:1-22 HIS WORD NEVER DIES “ … Such a thing should not be done in Israel”. V12bDavid's acts of immorality pave the way for his household to come under attack by the devil. As we have noted, David had been forgiven but theconsequences of his actions are surely to come. David's actof indiscretion is a lesson to us all especially the parents.Whatever we do has effect on our posterity. The sexualimmorality that David was unable to control took a newdimension in the life of his son called Amnon. Amnon waspossessed with the spirit of incest, sensual desire aimed atdesecrating the family.Until David's unwholesome relationship with Bathsheba,nothing evil was reported about his household. His secret sinopened the door to Satan to begin his nefarious activities. Asfathers and mothers, we must be careful lest we sell ourhousehold to the devil.Amnon inspite of his privileged position as the crown princewas ready to trade it away at the altar of sexual immorality. Itwas the same problem the father caved into. He perfectedhis design to take his sister to bed which he succeeded with.What a tragedy. What troubled my father will not trouble me.His father's case was forgiven by God, but in his own case hemust die because the prophet had already declared, “Swordwill not depart from your house” Beloved; we need to ask forgrace to overcome.PRAYER:Lord Jesus Christ, I plead your blood to correct every wordthat is against my life. 63

For Reading FRIDAY 4TH MARCH, 2016& Meditation:2 Samuel 13:23-39 WHO SWORD BITES …. The sword devours one as well as another…… II Samuel 11:25Despite the plea and the resistance mounted against the evil passion of Amnon, he went on to rape Tamar his half sister. The scripture says, “Then Amnon hated herwith intense hatred. In fact he hated her more than he hadloved her”. Amnon was under the influence of a spirit and whenhe had committed the act, his eyes were opened. Our Lordsays, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy….(John 10:10). That devil came to destroy him and Amnonwillingly co-operated with the enemy of his soul and destiny.The result was that his days are numbered when sword will notshow him mercy.Tamar after the disgraceful act went home weeping with asheson her head and her ornamented robe was torn apart. She toldAbsalom what had happened. After consoling her, he kept thematter without saying anything good or bad but hated Amnonbecause he had disgraced his sister Tamar.Two years had gone when perhaps Amnon thought it was aforgotten issue; he went to honour Absalom's invitation. It wasat that party that the word of the prophet, “Sword will not departfrom your house” came to pass on the instruction of Absalom,his servants killed Amnon. The consequence of sin is farreaching and sometimes the victims are innocent. If you knowof anything in your past life that can lead to disaster, this is thetime to confess. When Uriah died, it was good for sword todevour one, but when Amnon died, David sat on the ground.PRAYER:Lord Jesus help us to overcome the tricks of Satan in this end-time. 64

For Reading SATURDAY 5TH MARCH, 2016& Meditation:2 Samuel 15:1-12 CONSPIRACY IN THE HOUSEHOLD “….. And so he stole the hearts of the men of Israel” v.bAccording to Nathan the prophets, the Lord said, “Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity upon you”. O lord deliver me from anything l will dothat will bring calamity to my household. The consequencesof sin is unimaginable, therefore, the best we can do forourselves is to avoid it.David's affair with Uriah's wife culminating to death of Uriahbrought several tragedies to David's household. Amnoncommitted incest and he died by the sword, Tamar wasraped by Amnon and she lived in her brother's house as adesolate woman. Absalom did not stop at the killing ofAmnon, he became possessed of another spirit.What is the state of our household or whatever we have theresponsibility to manage? The consequences of theopportuned time that David allowed Satan to make use ofwas gradually eating up the fabrics of his household and alsodestroying it. Absalom decided to appear before his time littledid he know that his departure is imminent because he willnot live to realize his dream in such a dubious manner.The bible described his activities as stealing the hearts of thepeople. How can he succeed in such a treachery manner?However, it was the consequence of what the father did thatwas at work hence innocent persons would die before theirtime. If there is any voice speaking against you, be sure youare innocent.PRAYER:Heavenly Father, conspiracy abounds deliver us goodLord. 65

For Reading SUNDAY 6TH MARCH, 2016& Meditation:2 Samuel 15:13-22 THE RISING OF THE SWORD “…. Come we must flee or none of us will escape from Absalom…. V14bOur Lord Jesus Christ says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away' (Matt 24:35). The word came from Nathan the prophet that “Swordwill not depart from your house”. Since then, David'shousehold got enmeshed in trouble. Absalom for three yearsplotted how to unseat his father as the king. He knew that, itwas not the right way to ascend the throne, but Satan took overhis heart hence he went on to steal the hearts of the people.In a moment, if you are a father or mother check whether thebehaviour of your child is traceable to what you did in the past?Remember, whatever a man sow he will also reap. If what ishappening around you is as a result of your past, you need tomeet a man of God and confess your sins from a repentantheart. His mercies will speak for you. Perhaps you are a leaderand some had risen against you without any fault of your own.You need to withdraw now to the place of prayer for God to leadyou. David knew the best to do is to withdraw may be becausehe knew the reasons why the son conspired against him.The scripture says, “Discretion will protect you, andunderstanding will guide you. Wisdom will save you from theways of the wicked men…” (Prov. 2:11-12). He who fight andruns live to fight tomorrow. David realized his predicament; heneeded not to pretend about it. This strategy had saved many,do not pretend.PRAYER:Almighty Father deliver us from any battle declared against us. 66

For Reading MONDAY 7TH MARCH, 2016& Meditation:2 Samuel 15:23-26 ARK IN THE RIGHT PLACE “Take the ark of God back into the city. If l find favor in the Lord's eyes, he will bring me back and let me see it and his dwelling place again” v25Reading through the story of David, you discover that David was an upright man who was tempted but yielded to the temptation, hence the calamitythat fell on his household. Nathan according to the Lordsaid, “I am going to bring calamity upon you” The Bibleenjoins us to resist the devil and he will flee from us.Make every effort to resist the enemies of your soul andyou will be glad you did. Imagine a king who had to runfor his dear life. Thank God for the humble heart thatDavid possessed. He realized that the ark of God can notbe in the wilderness. Thus after offering sacrifices toGod, he commanded Zadok, “Take the ark of God backinto the city”. This is rooted in his reverence for God. Inour moments of tribulation or trials, where do we placeGod? Often times we accused God for not actingpromptly. David in his moment of trial never forgets thehelp that comes from God. He was still looking forward tohis favor, trusting that the Lord would bring him back tohis dwelling place again.This attitude of David is an encouragement to all whomay be going through some difficult times. Just as Davidthrew himself to the will of God come what may, so weshould completely surrender to him.PRAYER:O Lord our God, temptation abounds, we have no powerof our own, help us o Lord. 67

For Reading TUESDAY, 8TH MARCH, 2016& Meditation:Daniel 1:1-8 GOD AT WORK IN US “But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself that way.” V.8Daniel one of the exiles in Babylon is an example of one who understood his purpose in life as he was worshipping the God of Israel. He never lost hissense of a peculiar life that he was called to live. ApostlePeter described those living the Christian Life thus; “Butyou are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holynation, a people belonging to God, that you may declarethe praises of him who called you out of darkness intohis wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9). If Daniel in the OldTestament understood the purpose as declared by Petereven in a foreign land, what about us who says we have theHoly Spirit? Daniel realized that his life has a purpose tofulfill and he became jealous of that purpose. He was notready for any compromise no matter who is involved. Whenlives are transformed in Christ Jesus, people wouldnaturally be attracted to such life. The Almighty God wasbusy transforming Daniel, hence the man that was asked toshortlist them became interested in Daniel.Daniel on his part knew that what God is doing with him is fora purpose. We must understand the maturity of Daniel inthis matter. The ultimate aim of the king is for them to servein the same capacity. Daniel realized that God is the onepreparing him for a purpose that would outlive him. This isthe plan of God for our lives, let us cooperate with him.PRAYERHeavenly Father, help us to be conscious of all that you aredoing in our lives. 68

For Reading WEDNESDAY, 9TH MARCH, 2016& Meditation:Mark 8:22-26 A SECOND TOUCH “Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored and he saw everything clearly.” V.25bAt Bethsaida, some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to show compassion by touching him. Hallelujah! The people believed his miracleworking power. As a result of their faith, Jesus took theblind man and led him outside the village. One may askwhy did Jesus went outside the village, so many reasonsmay be adduced but suffice it to say that it is not everyplace that is conducive for a miracle. There is the need for achange of direction and possibly for some miracles to takeplace. This is a message to those who needed to take astep of faith and leave their house to the fellowship groundfor the miracle to manifest. Some can keep appointmentwith the doctor but they hardly go to the Church whereGod's mighty hand of healing can touch them.Our Lord spat on the man's eyes and when he had touchedhim, he began to see. According to the man, “I seepeople; they look like trees walking around.” ThankGod for the sincerity of the man, if not he would have beencutting human beings like trees. We treat our fellowhuman beings, the way we see them. The challengebefore us now is the way we treat people. If we actuallysee them as humans like us, we may be more careful.Perhaps we need a second touch like the blind man whoseeye sight was fully restored and he saw everything clearly.PRAYERLord Jesus, we plead for more of your touch upon yourpeople today. 69

For Reading THURSDAY 10TH MARCH, 2016& Meditation:John 13:1-5 LIFE IN THE KINGDOM “Then he began to wash the disciples' feet, drying it with the towel.” V.5Our Lord Jesus came into the world to inaugurate the kingdom which was lost in the Garden of Eden. Before the inauguration, there was the need todemonstrate it through his ministry by teaching and healingthe people of all manner of sicknesses and diseases.Having done that, he needed to also demonstrate thecharacter of the kingdom.We are told that our Lord knew that his hour had come, buthe could not leave until he demonstrates the humility of thekingdom. This kingdom that shall be procured with hisblood, has no regard for hierarchy, everyone enlisted in thekingdom are to serve one another. Everyone is to stoop lowto serve the other, thus the Lord emptied himself before menin order to serve, he began to wash the disciples' feet. Peterknew the implication hence he would not allow him becausein the world, leaders lord over their subjects. But life in thekingdom is a demonstration of service-serving one another.Hierarchy, status, position etc have fractionalized thechurch, but kingdom bound citizens would not allow thisugly trend to rob them of their salvation in Christ Jesus.What is your attitude to these issues that are tearing thechurch apart? If you are one of those in sympathy with thistrend, your kingdom citizenship is in doubt.PRAYERLord Jesus help me to bury my ego as I live to serve others.Amen. 70

FRIDAY, 11TH MARCH, 2016For Reading DELIVER US FROM IGNORANCE& Meditation: “Not all of you are clean.” V.11John 13:6-11As Jesus began to demonstrate the kingdom lifestyle, Peter could not cope but reacted on the negative. It was like Peter saying to the master, “listen we arenot used to this, it is the servant that should wash thefeet of their masters and not the master doing so”. Hemade frantic efforts to stop the master until he heard theplain truth; unless I wash you, you won't belong to me. Thisis the mystery, until we allow Jesus to wash us in his ownpull; we would never see the need to serve others.But how can we truly wash one another's feet when the truefellowship that binds us together had been undermined.We pretend to drink from the same cup of salvation whenour hearts are far away from each other. Party spiritdominates the church. When we hear about thingshappening in the church, we wonder whether this gatheringis truly the redeemed of the Lord.Peter in his ignorance continued to argue with the Lord.Ignorance is a factor that is keeping many from the realitiesof the kingdom. Many have lost interest in the things ofGod. These are the satanic tricks in this end-time todeceive people. May I encourage you to ask the Holy Spiritfor discernment in order to escape Satan's manipulation inthis end-time.PRAYERDear Holy Spirit deliver us from every act thatdemonstrates ignorance in these last days. 71

For Reading SATURDAY 12TH MARCH, 2016& Meditation:John 13:12-17 WHAT EXAMPLE PLEASE? “Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.” V.17If Christians would live the Christian life, the world would enjoy peace beginning from our homes. Can you just imagine if leaders especially in the church would behavelike Jesus and the members would follow, I doubt whether weneeded to preach to unbelievers before they would run to thechurch. I am convinced that the apostles put this teaching topractice hence, it was reported that, “And each day theLord added to their fellowship those who were beingsaved” (Acts 2:47). If we return to the New TestamentChurch, the hand of the Lord shall be powerful on us again.After washing their feet, our Lord asked; “Do youunderstand what I was doing?” Of course not. They wereused to the kingdoms of the world where slaves are nevergreater than their masters. The slaves are meant to serve.But in the kingdom everyone is a servant. The leaders are theChief Servants not in words but in deeds.The Lord said; “And since I, your Lord and Teacher, havewashed your feet, you ought to wash each other's feet.”'I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have doneto you” (v.15). Our Lord gave example of kingdom life,beloved, what example are you following? Remember, Petergave an example but his example was almost going toinsulate him from the kingdom. What example, what patternare you following?PRAYERDear Holy Spirit, please help me to denounce every exampleand pattern that is not yours. 72

For Reading SUNDAY 13TH MARCH, 2016& Meditation:John 13:18-20 CHOSEN ONE “I am not saying these things to all of you, I know the ones I have chosen….” V.18Teachings about the kingdom are always a difficult pill to swallow because it always oppose the existing one. Too many Christians are trying to adopt the two, it isimpossible. They end up with what they are used to. Jesussaid; If you love me, obey my commandments.” Certainlyfor those who love him, the command to serve one another isnever a difficult thing.Because of the difficulty that the carnal man faces, the Lordsaid; “I am not saying these things to all of you, I knowthe ones I have chosen…” What an encouraging word to allof us especially those who are uncomfortable with what theysee and experience in Church. For those who have acceptedHim as Lord and Saviour, we need not be discouraged but beencouraged by what he said.It is true that many are lording it over others in Church.Leaders who are supposed to take care of the sheep haveturned devourers whose interest is all about what they canmake from the church. These are the likes of Judas whoseinterest is money. While Jesus was busy demonstrating thelife-style of the kingdom by washing the feet of the disciples,Judas was holding the meeting that would spell doom for hislife as a result of his love for money. The closing remark isthat you must be sure that you are one of the chosen one whois willing to follow the example of the Lord.PRAYERMy dear Lord, I have no doubt that I am chosen by you; may Inever lose my place. 73

For Reading MONDAY, 14TH MARCH, 2016& Meditation:Judges 2:1-10 WASTED GENERATION “After that generation died, another generation grew up who did not acknowledge the Lord or remember the mighty things he had done for Israel” v10Hearts could not but bleed if one considers what people do to get money nowadays. One cannot but say the god of this world is at work. The search for greener pastures is claiminglives as young and vibrant youths full of life make frantic efforts tocross the Mediterranean. National dailies are awash of what ishappening in different night clubs. Different reports shows that thenight clubs always send text messages to customers who would goand watch nude dancers. These customers, according to the accountwere allowed to touch the bodies of the dancer and spray them withmoney. It was also reported that the shows were also recorded andput on compact discs for sale.The question is, are these crop of human-beings not from a particularhome? Parents must watch their wards closely lest they be enticed orinitiated into these cults. Imagine what our heavenly Father seeseveryday. These are the evidences of foundations that are beingdestroyed. What kind of life would these children live thereafter.Unfortunately, what these children have turned into took sometime.Were the parents not aware while these children were perfectingtheir evil ways? In some homes parents have lost control over theirchildren. The children have become the boss in the house. Some ofthe parents are feeding from the evils of their children yet some are inthe church. The various television channels have become hometutors incubating these children for the use of the devil.Such situation is a disgrace to anyone who says he is a Christian andhe is feeding fat from the ungodly lives of children or watching themdeteriorating by the day. Parents must rise up to condemn evil in itsentirety and lay a good foundation for the future of their children.PRAYER:Heavenly father, grant your people grace to correct and rebuke wherenecessary in Jesus name. 74

For Reading TUESDAY, 15TH MARCH, 2016& Meditation:1 Sam. 2:27-36 DO NOT FORFEIT YOURS “...You are now old, and your sons are not like you. Give us a king to judge us like all the other nations have” I Sam. 8:5The rate at which children are being recruited by evil communications is appalling. Cultism has spread to Primary School, bewitchment is also going on. The devil is going onundisturbed because parents are spiritually lethargic; they arespiritually blind to these evils. Even when some get to know theytend to explain it away. How many parents today take time to lookat their wards and examine them of any negative influences? Aswe have noted the television has become a place to justifywhatever they see their children doing. Our children spend moreof their time watching programmes that do not give them goodfoundation in life. When anybody cares to draw our attention to thenudity going on we quickly say it is their time, we should live themalone.Eli the high priest failed to correct his children in their ungodlybehaviors, God denounced him and his family. Take time tomeditate on the passage and see how weighty those statementsby the prophet were. God did not stop there, he spoke throughyoung Samuel, all Eli could do was to say, let him do what he thinksbest. I hope your case has not reached that of Eli and his children.One would have expected Samuel to learn from Eli, but it was thesame story. The elders told him, “Your sons are not like you”. Thatgreat man could not raise godly seed, thus God's agenda shiftedfrom his family to someone else. To Eli, God said; “I promised thatyour branch of the tribe of Levi would always be my priests. But Iwill honor those who honor me, and I will despise those who thinklightly of me”. When the foundation are being destroyed what willthe righteous do? If you allow the foundation to destroy, you mayforfeit yours in God's arrangements.PRAYER:Lord Jesus, I do not want to forfeit mine, by your grace and mercykeep me and my family faithful to you. 75

For Reading WEDNESDAY, 16TH MARCH, 2016.& Meditation:2 Timothy 1:3-11 KEEP THE FAMILY'S ALTAR ALIVE “I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you. “V5Beloved, how does your family altar look like? Surely there exists an altar both in you and in your family. It is a matter of whose altar it is? Is it God, through our LordJesus Christ that is raising godly seeds through your ministryor it is Satan that has taken over and he too is raising ungodlyseed whose foundation is detrimental to the wellbeing of thesociety? It is a serious matter that must be taken withseriousness. A woman ran to a pastor complaining of herthirteen years old daughter that no longer stays at home andshe is already contemplating on traveling to Lagos to perfecther immoral life. This is an example of a failed altar that oughtto have given her a good foundation in life. From that tenderage, the foundation of her life is already destroyed and thesociety is at the receiving end. This is the problem of thesociety and the Church.When parents have failed to discharge their parental duties,the society and the Church suffer the pains. Thegrandmother of Timothy, Lois and his mother Eunice aregood examples of parents whose family altar was alive andby that they shaped the life of their son. Timothy's faith wastypical of the grandmother's faith and that of his mother. Theynever allowed the door of salvation to close in theirgeneration; they made it available to their posterity. What arewe doing with the faith we claim to have? Remember, whenthe foundations are being destroy, what will the righteous do?PRAYER:Almighty Father, by your spirit, revive your altar in everyfamily today? 76

THURSDAY, 17TH MARCH, 2016For Reading ITCHING EARS?& Meditation:Psalm 119:89-96 “They will follow their own desire and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear” 2Tim.4:3bWe are already in the era of people migrating from one denomination to another in the body of Christ. After all when we became members of aparticular church, we did not enter any agreement orcovenant, it is like what is known as garbage in garbageout. We have the right to determine our membership, thusyou see people moving from one denomination to another.On the receiving end, no one is asking where the 'newmember' is coming from. Where is the anointing as of thedays of Peter to detect it? But if the anointing is not there,the minister should be able to know when the new memberis doing better than those who have been there. Theminister should find out where the person is coming frominstead of giving him recognition and a position.This is a common sight in the new generation churches'.Some of those new members were either suspended intheir former churches or they had misunderstanding there.If this is true, how can you call that arrangement the brideof Christ? It is a mixed multitude. God will never allow thatto repeat itself as it were when the Israelites were leavingEgypt. People are flocking churches today because whattheir itching ears want to hear is there. Could that be thereason why you are there? These are the examples offoundations that have been destroyed.PRAYERS:Heavenly Father, have mercy on this generation. May webe ready for your word. 77

For Reading FRIDAY, 18TH MARCH, 2016& Meditation:Psalm 119:97-112 SWEETER.. .YET “How sweet your words taste to me, they are sweeter than honey” v103.A lady once visited a pastor and his wife. Though the visitor was known to the pastor's wife, the pastor could not remember ever meeting the woman before. Whileintroducing herself the visitor informed the pastor that she oncebelonged to one of the branches of his denomination, but shehad migrated to another church where she claimed that shehad started studying the Bible. When the pastor asked whetherBible was not studied in her former church she failed to answer.She left her former church not because the Bible was notstudied there, but she went to where the teaching wascompatible with her own ideas. This is an example of peoplewith itching ears moving from one place to another. Thefoundations of Bible study had been tampered with.In those days, Christians were thirsty and longing for the word.Some of the respected men of God today were the products ofBible study classes. In those days, believers would naturallyattend Bible study classes but today, it is no longer so in manyof the denominations. If believers must attend, it has to betagged in a special way whereby believers are sure of miracles.Attendance at the Bible study that takes place before Sundayservice proper is a betrayal of what the psalmist said in our text.If it is true that the word of God is sweet and sweeter thanhoney, why is the believer absent in a Bible study class? Whyare we so lazy when it comes to reading the Bible? What a bigquestion hanging on believers.PRAYERS:O Lord, our poor attitude to your word betrays' our faith. GoodLord, deliver us. 78

For Reading SATURDAY, 19TH MARCH, 2016.& Meditation:2 Tim. 4:4-end CHASING AFTER WHAT? “They will reject the truth and chase after myths”v4When the foundations are being destroyed, what will the righteous do? Denominations are increasing by the day. Every vacant house, store, hall, landetc within the city is playing host to one new church that hasbroken relationship with another. Big loud speakers aremounted for only few persons that hardly fill two thirds of thespace of the hall. One of the things that bothers the mind isthe competence of these new generation pastors who are'General Overseers' and quickly turn 'bishop'. One begins towonder the message they pass unto their members sincethey lack adequate knowledge of the faith in Christ Jesus.If you watch closely, you would discover that pure businessprinciples are being brought into Christianity. Christian termsare now being clothed in modern thoughts whereas theChristian faith ought to be clothed in modern terms. Theseare mere human wisdom that have either failed somewhereor -succeeded elsewhere. The question is what crop ofChristians are we producing for tomorrow? What ishappening to the faith of our fathers? The foundation of truthhas been tampered with; therefore not too many people arewilling to accept the truth because it will contradict theirdesires and aspirations. Hence they will opt for myths storiesin response to what they desire to hear. Beloved are you oneof those chasing after myths? This is an evidence of brokenfoundations that the church is battling with.PRAYER:Dear Lord, inspire your people by your truth as againstmyths in Jesus name. 79

For Reading SUNDAY 20TH MARCH, 201.& Meditation:Luke 2:41-52 DOMESTIC CULTURE “Then he returned to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them.” V51Charity, they say, begins at home. This piece is meant to address some of the lapses that are building up at home front in respect of our children. Remember your childrenare meant to be godly seeds. If they are, then the future isguaranteed. The society is plagued by robbery, kidnappinghooliganism, sexual immorality, drinking, smoking etc as aresult of the ungodly seeds that many have reared. Yourscannot be part of this ugly story. What efforts are we putting up tomake sure our children have a proper upbringing with a sounddomestic culture?It is disturbing when we cherish some foreign cultures over andabove our African culture. Whereas some of these borrowedcultures gave birth to the so many vices we are contending with.These are foreign vices destroying the godly foundations thatwould have enhanced our identity. Today many of our childrenare very poor in terms of domestic responsibilities some whohave the money go on to hire house help, their children arenever involved in any domestic work. The coming of fast foodout lets seem to have worsened the matter. It is a double tragedyif any parent consciously or unconsciously is destroying thefoundations of domestic culture in the life of his/her children.We are told in our passage that Jesus Christ was obedient to hisparents both at home and outside. He was never too big as toshy away from domestic responsibilities. Children reading thispiece should learn from Jesus Christ.PRAYER:Lord Jesus Christ thank you for your exemplary life. As parentsand children may we never disappoint you. 80

For Reading MONDAY 21ST MARCH, 2016.& Meditation:Proverbs 9:1-12 AN ENDURING FOUNDATION “Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the holy one results in good judgment.” V10.An enduring foundation is the one laid on the fear of the Lord saturated with the knowledge of the Holy One. It always result in good judgment from whateverperspective it may be viewed. While some families enjoypeace, a good number are caught up in the ocean of confusion,quarrelling, enmity and total separation. Here we are referringto the nuclear family which consist parents and children.What is the relationship between you and your siblings? Is itcordial? If you have got children, are you aware that yourchildren are in the know? If you have a good relationship withyour siblings then you are laying a good foundation for yourchildren. Much as we do not know the relationship that exist, ifyou have a strain relationship, whatever it is, can you defendthat relationship Biblically before your children? No matter howyou try to justify it, remember they will grow to understand andbe able to have a good judgment.If we drive the fear of the Lord into our Children and members ofthe family, we shall bring forth godly seeds that will sustain anenduring foundation. It is only proper now to check thefoundation we are putting up whether it has the ingredients ofthe fear of the Lord. Beloved, it is not an easy task but we mustbe determined prayerfully to do it because we shall have theprivilege of tasting of whatever the foundation brings forth.PRAYER:Lord Jesus let my home be filled with the fear of the Lord thatyour knowledge will increase in us. Let my siblings enjoycordial relationship in Jesus name. 81

For Reading TUESDAY 22ND MARCH, 2016& Meditation:Genesis 27:1-30 CONSEQUENCES OF DECEIT “But are you really my son Esau?” he asked. “Yes, lam, Jacob replied”. V24Although Jacob got the blessing he wanted, deceiving his father cost him dearly. These are some of the consequences of that deceit. (1) He never saw hismother again; (2) his brother wanted to kill him (3) he wasdeceived by his uncle, Laban ; (4) his family became torn bystrife ; (5) Esau became the founder of an enemy nation (evento this very day) ; (6) he was exiled from his family for years.Ironically, Jacob would have received the birthright andblessing anyway. “The Sons of your womb will becometwo nations. From the very beginning, the two nationswill be rivals. One nation will be stronger than the other;and your older son will serve your younger son”(Gen.23:25). Imagine how different his life would have beenhad he and his mother waited for God to work out His way inHis time. We must always keep in mind that deception--nomatter how small we think it is leads to consequences, notonly for us but for those around us.Beloved, how are you executing your ideas? Are you one ofthose that feel 'all roads is road' and it doesn't matter how youget to the top? Do you deceive people to get a reward, or anadded favour? Some even lie when making pledges for God'swork. Please check what you do with your opportunity so asnot to use deception to raise your success foundation.PRAYER:May we be a people of honesty and integrity? Waiting andtrusting you for our provision and the grace to be useful inyour service in Jesus name. Amen. 82

For Reading WEDNESDAY, 23RD MARCH, 2016& Meditation:Colossians 1:9-12 CHANGING PEOPLE THROUGH PRAYER “And we pray this in order that you may live a worthy life.”Look around, and you'll see people who need to make changes in their lives. May be you have a sister who does not know Christ or a believing neighbor who struggles to tame agossiping tongue. The most powerful way to effect changes inanother person's life or your own is by praying. God, through theapostle Paul, has given us a prayer pattern that is Christ-centeredand specific.Too often, believers are lazy in prayer. We say, “Lord blesses so-and-so” without giving a single thought to what form the blessingshould take. God is specific in doing His things; He makesdeliberate movements in every person's life. And He is pleasedwhen we use His Word in communicating with Him. The prayerfrom Colossians 1 includes God's greatest desires for His children.When we go before the Lord and continuously read our own nameor the name of a friend or family member into this passage, we arepraying His specific will for that person.God answers the Colossians prayer with a transformation of theone whose name is being called. He delights in respondingpositively to requests that someone be filled with knowledge of Hiswill and a desire to please Him!Results may not be instantaneous. But behind the scenes, theLord is working to build that person's spiritual understanding andimpress on him or her desire to choose a faithful lifestyle. Ourresponsibility is to keep praying in a Christ-centered and specificmanner.PRAYER:Dear Father give us the burden to pray according to your will forpeople. Through our intercession let burdens be lifted away fromthe lives of people. 83

For Reading THURSDAY, 24TH MARCH, 2016& Meditation:Jude 1-7 FIND OUT NOW “For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. “V4bJude was the brother of James and he was among the early disciples who had the opportunity of sharing the gospel in writing. He was a man who was deeply in touch with theHoly Spirit; therefore he was kept abreast of the latestdevelopment in the Church.The Holy Spirit made him to know of certain men who had beencondemned and they are aware of it. These men have nowsecretly slipped into the Church in order to deceive morepeople to join them in hell fire. These men were in Churchperforming miracles with power other than that of Jesus Christ.Because of the 'miracles' they are performing, a lot of peopleare trouping after them. The servant of the Lord had to write, sothat children of God can beware and not be misled with thesefalse men of God.The observation of Jude to the church is most appropriate inthis our generation. So many people have risen both in theestablished Churches and in the new generation Churches.They are performing miracles. They say they are prophets,servants of the most-high God; today they are pastors, bishopsand apostles. These people are without any root or testimonyof their conversion. Some were real herbalists, wizards orcultists. At no time did they confess the Lord Jesus and theywere delivered, nowhere to find these records. Suddenly theyhave become men of God. Child of God find out.PRAYER:Heavenly Father, give us grace to know these people so thatwe can avoid them in Jesus name. Amen 84

FRIDAY, 25TH MARCH, 2016For Reading WHO IS THAT COMMANDO& Meditation:Jude 8-16 “These men are grumblers and faultfinders: they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.” V16These crops of men that Jude is talking about are not limited to miracle workers alone some of them have become leaders in the Church through the differentministries they belong in the local parish. The work of theministry took us to a particular village where we met a man onhis sick bed. When we saw the man, the spirit spokeimmediately about some havoc that the man had done to thebody of Christ and that he needed to confess and possibly findmercy. We told the man to confess everything that he haddone. The man admitted that he was a wizard and that he haddone a lot of havoc to their Church. Two days later the man diedand he is gone to hell.When this man was alive and in the Church, he was a leader.Whatever he says, others will do. They thought he was a childof God. How can a blind man lead his fellow blind people? Theothers who were following him were not born again; thereforethey lacked the spirit of discernment.In the Church today, you have commandos, who are ready tooppose the authorities of the Church. The pastor is an antwhere they are. But if the pastor is a child of God, what is in himis greater than what is in those people. When the commandosspeak in Church, majority will troupe after them. I want to askyou, are you sure of that your commando? Do you think it is thespirit of God that is at work? Perhaps, you are destined forheaven, how can you manage this camp with that of Christ?PRAYER:Almighty Father, never allow me to join the multitude to commitsin. 85

For Reading SATURDAY, 26TH MARCH, 2016& Meditation:Jude 17-25 AN ASSIGNMENT “Snatch others from the fire and save them.”V23We cannot allow this people to continue to carry out their havoc in the Church, hence the epistle of Jude to the saints. The lake of fire is a place prepared for the deviland his cohorts - the fallen angels. It is not meant for the childrenof men except the children of disobedience. Too many peopleare on the way to hell, we cannot fold our hands watching themgoing. Every hand must be on deck, every available meansmust be explored to rescue these souls from eternal damnation.Jude used the word snatch. We must indeed snatch them fromthe fire where they are being led to. Heaven is waiting to rejoiceover a single soul that is snatched from going to the fire. You canimagine the great joy that will be in heaven when more aresnatched away from fire.This is the assignment we must take seriously; everybodyshould be involved. The Church as it is now cannot bepresented 'as a bride to the groom - Jesus Christ. What are wegoing to tell the master who suffered, paid the supreme sacrificein order to possess his Church? He did this by shedding hisblood. The Church is too holy an entity to be defiled or scattered.For every soul you bring back to the master, there is an endlessreward. Look around you and begin to pray, something positivewill happen to the church. Before you finish this edition ofManna, try and snatch somebody from fire of condemnation.PRAYER:Grant me the unction O Lord, to be able to snatch your peopleback to you the author of their salvation. 86

SUNDAY, 27TH MARCH, 2016For Reading THE WAY OF CAIN& Meditation:Genesis 4:1-16 “Then-the Lord said to Cain, where is your brother Abel? I don't know... Am I my brother's keeper”. V9According to Jude some of this people that are meant to be snatched from fire have taken to different ways. It is good for us to identify these ways so as to ease thesnatching of these souls from fire. Some of them have taken tothe way of Cain. The story before us is a clear indication toshow that the way of Cain leads to destruction. Cain was theelder brother of Abel. Cain was a farmer working the soil. Abelwas a keeper of flock. When it was time to give thanks to God,Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to theLord. But Abel brought fat portions of his flock to the Lord. Abelgave some thought to his offering, he realized that whatever hehad is from the Lord, it is wise for him to give the best part. Caindid not care about his gift, anything can go, and does God reallyneed them?God looked with favour on Abel's offering while that of Cain wasrejected. Cain was angry and he felt Abel was a stumblingblock; he was going to expose him. His anger led him to murderhis own brother; thus he became a murderer. He becamehaughty in spirit without any qualms. The posture of Cain iswhat this people have assumed in the Church. They havebecome ferocious animals and they are ready to kill. They haveno respect for God, they are abusive. Ask them whether whatthey are doing is of God, their response will convince you. Whatthey do in Church, they can't do it where they are working ortrading.PRAYER:Lord Jesus Christ, please help us to snatch out of fire thosewho are following the way of Cain through repentance andforgiveness. 87

For Reading MONDAY, 28TH MARCH, 2016& Meditation:Numbers 22:21-34 BALLAAM'S WAY “...I have come to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me...” V32bJude went further to say that these crops of people have assumed the way of Balaam. Balaam was a man who was more interested in the profit he was going to make than to beobedient to the Lord.The Israelites on their way to Canaan had come near Moab. Theking of Moab and the Moabites were already afraid of them becausethey had been told of what happened to great nations like Egypt andsome other surrounding nations that Israel had crushed. They knewthat it would be difficult to conquer them except they were under aCurse.To be able to do this, Balak the king of Moab sent for Balaam adiviner to come and place a curse on God's people. When thepeople came to him, God spoke to him about the Israelites. Herefused to accompany the people back to Balak. After the peoplehad tried to convince him and the gain that was waiting for him, hedisregarded the Almighty God and he was into error as heaccompanied the people back to Balak. Because of his desire formoney, he reduced himself to the level of animal. Throughout theBiblical narrative, it was only Balaam who communicated with ananimal. At that level he was nothing short of an animal. He wouldhave even lost his life, but for providence and those who must learnfrom him, he didn't die.The people that Jude is talking about are in the Church ready to feedfrom the Church without putting into it. They are very good atinflating the cost of whatever the Church ask them to do. Anyonewho is going to question them is assumed to be an enemy likeBalaam's donkey. Whenever they have opportunity of working forpay in the church, their charges are never different from what theycharge outside.PRAYER POINT:We pray O God for those following the way of Balaam in the Church.Touch their hearts to turn their back, to the path of recklessness. 88

TUESDAY 29TH MARCH, 2016For Reading THE MAN DANIEL PRAYED& Meditation: “And I prayed to the Lord my God, and madeDaniel 9:1-21 Confession “ v4It is not enough to talk about the corruption that is going on in Nigeria. While we genuinely repent in our individual places we must support this with prayer. This is the only weapon that can actually change theminds of Nigerians who are neck deep in corruption. Take note,corruption is not only in terms of stealing money, when we fail to useourselves and time for what we are paid to do then we are corrupt. Manydo use their official time to do personal business and spend less timedoing what they are paid for. No Christian should be involved in such athing.Daniel was a young man who grew up while his nation was in exile.Through his persistence in the study of the word of God he came todiscover what God spoke through prophet Jeremiah concerning hispeople in exile. Daniel came to realize that the nation was meant tospend seventy years and then return to their land. Daniel was not asoldier but a prophet and he began to pray for the restoration of thebroken foundation. It was a prayer of confession, supplication withfasting beseeching the mercies of God to restore His people. We werenot told whether Daniel benefited from the restoration but his prayer laidthe foundation of restoration that his nation was in dire need of.As at the time of writing, the federal government led by Buhari wasdetermined to fight corruption. Our support and prayer is needed in thisregard both in the church and outside the church. The Nigeria LabourCongress came out and demanded that corrupt officials should besentenced to death, others have equality proffer their own solution tothis endemic problem. While this is going on the prophets and Pastorsof our time should be on their knees talking to God on our behalf. It isonly prayer supported with repentance that will restore our nation. Donot hesitate to take up prayer today, especially at a time thegovernment is determined to fight corruption. We need to continue inprayers for Nigeria to experience a divine touch and turn around.PRAYER:Dear Lord grant us the burden to pray for our nation and let your glorycome down upon us. May we be restored to our rightful place amongthe comity of nations. 89

For Reading WEDNESDAY, 30TH MARCH, 2016& Meditation:Nehemiah 2:1-18 RISE UP TOO “Let us rise up and build” v18Nehemiah was another great man that the Lord used in the rebuilding of the broken foundation of his country. It is interesting to note that in this project of rebuilding thebroken foundation, we all have our different roles to play. Daniel isknown for his prayer of intercession that set the platform for thefoundation to be rebuilt. Perhaps after Daniel it appeared nothingwas going to happen. When prayers have been said they are therein heaven waiting for the appointed time and also preparing thevessels that are fit for the job.God may be preparing you for the coming revival. Therefore,willingly offer yourself now. Nehemiah might have been carryingthe burden of rebuilding the broken wall, but was waiting for theright time, which came through the report he got from Hanani. Thuswhen he came with his report Nehemiah caught the fire of revivaland swung into action immediately. He set the ball rolling on thealtar of prayer and fasting, confessing the sins of his forbears. Bythe time he finished, the stage was set for the rebuilding of thebroken foundation. Nehemiah went a step further by asking theKing to permit him to go for the divine assignment.In the midst of poverty-ridden society of ours some are gainfullyemployed earning good salaries doing good business. They canafford whatever they need at any given time. They can travel towherever they want .These are the likes of Nehemiah who hadeverything at their disposal yet he had the burden for the poormasses and he left his comfort zone to make life easy for themasses. There are many Nehemiahs in this country who havechosen to remain in their comfort zone. God is speaking to you-riseup for the sake of your fellow countrymen. If you have one close toyou please extend this meditation to him.PRAYER:Heavenly Father we pray you to raise the Nehemiahs of our nationthat our broken foundations can be rebuilt in Jesus name. 90

For Reading THURSDAY, 31ST MARCH, 2016& Meditation: OFFER HIM PRAISEII Chron. 29:10-13 “Now our God, we give you thanks and praise your glorious name” v13At the twilight of David's life and reign, it became necessary for him to prepare the ground for his son Solomon who will succeed him. This is one privilege thatwe need to ask God to grant us. God forbid that we will diebefore our time and in our prime. As the month ends today sogradually we too are getting nearer our destination in life. BeforeDavid closed his eyes in death, it was his desire to build a templefor God but God did not allow him to embark on the project.Though God did not allow David, he never saw that as anexcuse to exclude himself from making his own humblecontributions. His age never prevented him. He mobilized theentire Israel and they gave generously towards the building ofthe temple. David's donation was outstanding. It appears as ifthe people were shocked at such a giving that it appears Davidwas both stupid and foolish. In his prayers he acknowledged thefact that everything in Heaven and on earth belong to God.Therefore, we must willingly surrender them to Him wheneverthe need arises. It is this consciousness that we need to havewhenever we are opportuned to give so that we canbreakthrough into prosperity, the prosperity that our children willenjoy and pass it on to posterity.David offered God praise for all that He had done in his life andwhat his son Solomon will live to enjoy. David ended his life withthanksgiving thereby preparing the future for his children. As themonth ends, pray that we shall end well in all our endeavours.PRAYER POINTMany thanks to you our dear and loving Father. May we love youmore dearly and follow you more nearly in Jesus name. 91

FRIDAY, 1ST APRIL, 2016For Reading UNFOLDING HIS AGENDA FOR OUR LIVES& Meditation:Genesis 28:10-15 “When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep” Gen.Welcome to another exciting month called April. This month promises glorious things for all who will earnestly and passionately seek the God of Bethel. One thing thatmust be noted at this onset is that the God of Bethel can alwaysreveal Himself where we least expected. This has being His naturefrom creation. For out of nothing came all that we see today.Apostle Paul alluded to this is 1 Corinth. 1:27 that, “But God chosethe foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose theweak things of the world to shame the strong”.Jacob never knew that where he would have regarded as anordinary place was the very place where the God of Bethel dwells.While David was pursuing with a view to overtake and recover, itwas an abandoned slave that showed him the way (1 Sam. 30:11-14). The stone that Jacob put under his head depicts Jesus Christwho is the solid rock with whom you have an encounter there willalways be a change. It was that same right that Jacob had awonderful dream where the God of Bethel unfolded His agenda forhis life.It is a season of divine encounter where like Jacob; God will unfoldHis agenda for all who dare trust Him. All who will turn to the rock ofages, they too will have their own dream that will give them aguaranteed future. The God of Bethel says; I know the plans I havefor you ... of prosperity not to harm you, to give you hope and future(Jer. 29:11). Is your dream suffering delay? This is the season offulfillment.PRAYER POINTS* O Lord my God, whatever represents a certain place in this month, may I not be in a hurry as to miss my place in your divine agenda.* Lord Jesus, it is my turn to have a dream that would turn to reality for a greater change in my life. 92

For Reading SATURDAY, 2ND APRIL, 2016& Meditation:Gen. 28:16-19 AWESOME GOD “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, this is the gate of heaven” Gen. 28:16.Before we begin to examine the divine agenda handed down to Jacob for his life and how it is applicable to us, it is important we take a look at Jacob's response to his dream.Dreams are one of the channels through which our God speaks toHis children. If we may ask, what is the state of your dreams? Doyou dream while you sleep? We have encountered several peoplewho complained that they do not dream. Others would complain ofhorrible dreams they are suffering from.To some other people, their dreams are always the opposite. Ourdreams are suppose to be positive and a medium through whichGod speaks to His children. Anything short of this would requiredeliverance. It means the devil had already high jacked yourdream. It should be your desire that your dream should be amedium through which God speaks to you. One of the reasons whysome may not realize their destiny fulfillment is because they haveno idea of their dream.God never hide His purpose for our lives from us, hence Hedisclosed His plan to Jacob. In this new month God is ready tounfold your dream to you so that you can live a life with purpose.Jacob declared, this place is awesome, so to us this month can beawesome and a life changing arena that would open the gate of agreater life to you. The God of Bethel is ready to do it in spite of yourshortcomings, only one encounter would do it in your life.Therefore, I implore you to put yourself together for a divineencounter with the God of Bethel.PRAYER POINTS* Raise a battle cry if this aspect of your life is docile as you begin to pray that the good Lord will heal your dream.* Jacob's dream unfolded the divine agenda for his life. Let us call upon God to grant us this same privilege.* Jacob's dream gave him a direction and a focus in his life's journey. O Lord give me direction in my life. 93