Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” Luke 6v38 There is a universal law of divine reciprocity (the practice of exchanging things). You give and God gives in return. When you plant a seed, the ground yields a harvest. Even in your relationships. The ground can only give to you, what you give to the ground. When you put money in the bank, the bank gives you interest. That is reciprocity. However, many people want something for nothing when it comes to the things of God, even though they know that is not how it works in the world system. Yet we are always expecting God to send us something when we have not invested anything into the kingdom of God. If you are not investing your time, talent, commitment and your money, why do you want something in return? How can you expect God to honour your desire when you have not honoured him in obeying his command. Abundance begins with investment. God expects you to receive a harvest from your giving. Our giving is no longer a debt we owe, but a seed that we sow. The life and power source is from our heavenly Father. Ours is simply an act on the power potential in the seed life that we sow. Giving and receiving belong together. Only when we give are we in a position to expect to reach out and receive a harvest. CONFESSION/PRAYER I am a cheerful, bonafide giver. I give and I know that my Father will give back to me, pressed down, shaken together and running over. I invest my time, talent and commitment into the house of God and I know God will reward me with sufficient time and resources to fulfill all of my requests and desires. My seed has power to yield an abundant harvest. As much as I am a giver, I am a receiver too.
Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” Luke 6v38 Jesus calls us to give and it will be given back to us. Financial obstacles tempt us to give up, but instead God’s word calls for us to give away. True ministry always involves us coming to terms with our human tendency to clutch things to ourselves, especially material belongings. When you give of your money, you are really giving of yourself, as the scripture says, where your heart is, there your treasure will be also. So, we are called to give, not because God does not have, but to test our hearts and where our treasure really lies. When we give, we allow God to open the heavenly realm to sow into the earthly realm through us. Give of your abundance and also give in your time of need. Giving is really seed planting, a seed is only one, however when I plant a seed it yields a harvest which is much more than my one seed. So, choose to sow today. Its only money, you have power over money. CONFESSION/PRAYER I have all power and authority given to me by Jesus to overcome lack and insufficiency. I have the victory over insufficiency and lack, I have victory over lack. My seed is anointed to destroy yokes and lift burdens. I speak to the mountain of lack and it comes down now. Even if I fail or fall, I come back stronger in the name of Jesus.
As the Aramean army advanced toward him, Elisha prayed, “O LORD, please make them blind.” So the LORD struck them with blindness as Elisha had asked. Then Elisha went out and told them, “You have come the wrong way! This isn’t the right city! Follow me, and I will take you to the man you are looking for.” And he led them to the city of Samaria. As soon as they had entered Samaria, Elisha prayed, “O LORD, now open their eyes and let them see.” So the LORD opened their eyes, and they discovered that they were in the middle of Samaria. 2 kings 6v18 What an honour and a privilege to have the Father on your side. What an honour to be given the gift of faith like Elisha. He asked God to blind the eyes of the enemy and then he goes further and gives them directions in the opposite way. Not only that, after they were lost, he then asks God to open up their eyes to see that they were completely lost. Elisha was a prophet in the Old Testament who did not have the Holy Spirit living on the inside of him. You and I have the Holy Spirit living on the inside of us and we have power in our tongue to speak a thing and it will be established. If we ask God to close the eyes of our enemy, will he not do so as he did for Elisha. I have done this many times and have experienced victory after victory. Especially if you apply for a job or a loan or whatever, you need to ask the Lord to blind their eyes to what they should not see and open their eyes to what they should see. Send the angels to take the right information to them so you enjoy the favour of God. You have the right and the privilege to ask, go ahead and ask, why should you be anxious and afraid of the devil. CONFESSION/PRAYER Lord, open up my eyes that I may see. Blind the eyes of my enemy so he has no opportunity to devour me or overcome me in any way. There is power in my tongue and I speak life over every circumstance in my life. I have eyes to see and ears to hear. My enemy is blinded from attacking me in Jesus name.
So one night the king of Aram sent a great army with many chariots and horses to surround the city. When the servant of the man of God got up early the next morning and went outside, there were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere. “Oh, sir, what will we do now?” the young man cried to Elisha. “Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!” Then Elisha prayed, “O LORD, open his eyes and let him see!” The LORD opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire. 2kings 6v14 Elisha was surrounded by the king of Aram, there were horses and chariots. The servant of Elisha was terrified when he woke up and saw this. He called out to Elisha. Elisha was not afraid or terrified, all he did was say “do not be afraid, there are more on our side than on theirs”. Wow, what a declaration. Surrounded by horses and chariots and an army and he only had two people on his side, but his confidence in God was far greater as he knew what his God could do. Immediately he prayed for God to open up the eyes of his servant, and guess what, when the servant looked again, he saw what Elisha meant, there were more on their side than on the side of the army. Just two men and a great God. If God could do it for Elisha, what is stopping him from doing it for you. What your eyes can see is only temporary. It will not last nor will it ever be able to overtake you. What you call forth in the supernatural realm is what matters and what will overcome the enemy. Stop looking at what you have in your wallet and getting nervous when you compare it to your bills. Ask God to let you see the wealth of his kingdom, he owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He will give you victory over the enemy of lack and insufficiency. Father, open up our eyes that we may see the salvation of the Lord. CONFESSION/PRAYER Lord, I dedicate my eyes to you so that you can open them to see the wonders of your grace. Help me to see that more are they with us, than they that are against us. In the midst of lack, show me the abundance and overflow. My eyes are open to see your provision and I call those things that be not as though they already exist in Jesus name.
Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. When Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? Matthew14v27 Peter was the only disciple who dared ask Jesus to call him to walk on water with him. You may judge Peter and say, well it did not last very long. Yes, Jesus rebuked him and said, oh you of little faith. Peter threw caution to the wind “pun on the word wind, because it was very boisterous at the time” but nevertheless he was willing. What Peter failed to do was keep his eyes on Jesus. The sound and sight of the storm was what his natural mind could comprehend, at this point his faith was not strong enough to sustain the request he had made. I still say, he must have got at least 5 to 10 minutes of standing on the storm that was tormenting them at the time. Three cheers to Peter. He tried. We give up even before we try. Our minds are so conditioned to the things of the world and our brain is so used to reasoning things out, that we rule out the possibilities of faith. Yes, with man this is impossible but with God, all things are possible. We must at least try, even if we fail, we get up again and try again. All we have to do, is keep our eyes on Jesus and the word in the spirit of our mind. We will surely succeed. God is with us strong. CONFESSION/PRAYER The sound of the wind and the storm seems very loud, but the promise of God is even louder. My eyes may see the storm, but when I lift my eyes, I see the creator of all things and he is able to still the storm for me. Jesus, you are the author and the finisher of my faith so I look to you and like Peter I choose to ask you to help me walk on water.
Peter’s Miraculous Escape from Prison The night before Peter was to be placed on trial, he was asleep, fastened with two chains between two soldiers. Others stood guard at the prison gate. Suddenly, there was a bright light in the cell, and an angel of the Lord stood before Peter. The angel struck him on the side to awaken him and said, “Quick! Get up!” And the chains fell off his wrists. Then the angel told him, “Get dressed and put on your sandals.” And he did. “Now put on your coat and follow me,” the angel ordered. Acts 12v6 What bliss it must have been for Peter. Instead of being overwhelmed at being in Jail and chained between two soldiers, Peter fell fast asleep. He was so confident that God would deliver him from the hands of the enemy. He had learned to rest in God. After walking with Jesus for three years and observing his lifestyle, Peter realized there was no need to worry when challenges faced him, God had promised him a rest, so here, Peter entered into that rest. He was so sound asleep that the angels had to strike him to get him up and even tell him to hurry up. This was very different to Peter who was so impulsive. Remember he cut off the ear of the guard who arrested Jesus and Jesus had to heal the ear. So, understand how much Peter had grown since then. It is the same in our lives, we need to fellowship with the Lord and his word. Let the Holy Spirit build your faith and confidence in God so that you too can enter into the rest of God. When life sends you a curve ball, learn how to catch, rest in the fact that God is well able to deliver you. When anxious thoughts want to come in, put on the mind of Christ and think on those things which are pure, which are lovely and of a good report. You will have sound sleep despite the trouble. Your confidence and rest will be in God. I see you at rest no matter what you are facing. CONFESSION/PRAYER I am at complete rest in the confidence of my God, He is well able to deliver me. He will never give me more than I can endure. In everything he will give me the victory again and again. I am blessed because God has my life in his hands.
“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it! John 14v12 Jesus has been given a name above every other name, at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. So, when we pray we have the right to use the name of Jesus. Jesus said, if you ask anything in my name, I will do it for you. What a promise. When we come to the father we can come in boldness and confidence as we know that whatever we ask for in the name of Jesus he will do it for us. The name of Jesus is like having a blank cheque, we come to the father and put our requests before him and ask him to fulfil the request in the name of Jesus. The father will fulfil the request as we are putting him in remembrance of his word and he is indeed a promise keeper. He says heaven and earth will pass away but his word will remain the same. That sure is a great promise, we must pray in the name of Jesus, there is power in the name of Jesus. Devils flee in the name of Jesus. CONFESSION/PRAYER I come to you Father in the name of Jesus and just want to thank you for blessing me with salvation. Thank you for the name of Jesus that you have given to me to know and receive. I am not left abandoned I have the name of Jesus. When the enemy comes in to try and attack, I forge forward and give him chase in the name of Jesus. The name of Jesus has tremendous power and all this power is available to me.
I called on the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and he saved me from my enemies. 2 Samuel 22v4 When the enemy comes in like a flood, the spirit of the Lord will raise up a standard against him. What is the standard for my life in the midst of being tormented by the enemies of lack, insufficiency, sickness etc. my standard is the weapon of praise. Sing and dance before the Lord with great joy, raise your voice and give a shout. Infuse your spirit man with the praise of the greatness of our God. Praise is a form of lubricant in our joints that causes us to jump up and shout out even though the pain of being tormented by the devil seems very strong. Praise, like prayer, is a weapon provided in the arsenal God has given us. When the children of Israel sang and shouted before the Lord around the walls of Jericho, the walls came down. King David could only dance in abandonment (tehillah) before the Lord as the ark of the covenant was brought into the city of Jerusalem. What a sight that must have been. Take some time out for you to shout and praise the Lord and do not worry about your neighbour or family as this kind of praise chases away the devil and his cohorts. He cannot tolerate the praise as this deafens his attack on you. The attack he uses is words, you use your words of praise to silence him. Go for it. Put your praise on, give a shout of praise. CONFESSION/PRAYER I will dance and sing and praise my God with thanksgiving. I will lift up your name in the sanctuary. I will give thanks at the mention of your name. I will not hold back in fear, Praise is my defence against the wiles of the devil. I am a worshiper of my God.
But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love. Jude 1v20-21 Prayer is not only an option given to us to communicate with God, but we are even given a language to speak when we are praying. On the day we got born again, we were filled with the Holy Spirit. I know some may say, I do not pray in tongues. Open your mouth and ask the holy spirit to fill you. It may start out with a few words and you may feel a little uncomfortable because you do not understand. You were not meant to understand this heavenly language, but know this, when you pray in tongues, you pray according to the will of God and you know that if you pray in accordance with the will of God ,he hears you and when he hears you, you will receive what you have prayed for. So, just get started on praying in tongues. Your mind may not understand but God does. Not only will your prayer be answered but you get to build up your spirit and live a life of peace and joy. Get started today. Pray in the holy spirit, the heavenly language. CONFESSION/PRAYER I pray in the holy Ghost. I have the language of heaven. Praise God the devil does not understand it so he cannot stop my connection with God. Praying in the holy spirit has the frequency of heaven so I am connected daily no matter where I am or what I am doing. Teach me daily holy spirit how to practice my heavenly language. I am living in the overflow!
The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops. JAMES 5v17 Prayer is a weapon of warfare against the devil, given to us by God. The curtain of the temple that kept us out of the presence of God has been torn so we have access to the holy of holies, which is the presence of God, we can talk to God face to face. We can have a great conversation with him and know that he will never tell on us, nor judge us and he will surely give us wisdom and a good outcome. You want to try this heritage given to you? Believe me, it works. Hand over your problems and issues to God. He does not need you to make an appointment with him, you can come anytime, anywhere. He does not need an office or a temple or any specific place. Your heart is connected to him and your voice communicating with him is all he needs. He loves you and he has your best interest at heart. Pick up the weapon of prayer and fight the good fight of faith. God is waiting on you. In the above scripture, it actually says, your prayer has great power and produces wonderful results. Wow! CONFESSION/PRAYER I choose my weapon of prayer from the arsenal given to me by God to win in this life. God hears my prayer and he always answers. I am not afraid of challenges or issues, I just hand them over to the master. He sets the answer in motion, to bring me good success and victory. Thank you Jesus for the privilege of prayer.
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry. During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4v1-3 In the above scripture, we notice that Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness. Why? So, he could be tempted of the Devil so he could be an example to us. He even gives us the solution as to how to overcome temptation and the devil. How? Respond with the word of God. So, in essence, we have to give our attention to the word of God, we need the word in our hearts and we need to have revelation of the word, so in the time of testing and trial, it is the word that comes out of our mouth so we can overcome the devil. I urge you, by the mercy of God, please give attention to the word of God, it is life to those who find them and health & healing to your bones. The word gets into your bones and marrow and very intent of your heart. Meditate on the word of God. You are not wrestling against flesh and blood so you can fight with fleshly weapons. The word is your weapon to overcome the Devil. Jesus did it and he overcame. We too can do the same as he was our first example. CONFESSION/PRAYER The word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. The word is life to me as I find truth in it. Jesus is the word and he lives in my heart so the word lives in my heart. Holy Spirit, help me daily to feed on the word, it is the only diet that adds no calories to me but makes me spiritually strong. I am an overcomer in this life.
We also know that the Son did not come to help angels; he came to help the descendants of Abraham. Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested. Jesus is our faithful high priest. He is a Saviour, a Redeemer and a friend that sticks closer than a brother. He died so that we might live. The most important part of his role as high priest is, he was made just like us when he left heaven to come to live on Earth with us. He is faithful and merciful. He makes intercession on our behalf. He stands in our stead before God, because he too suffered temptation and trials and he overcame them. His victory has become our victory. I am not sure what troubles, sins or challenges you may be facing, but know this, Jesus knows all about them, he has experience in the challenges we face. Like the saying the world has, “done that, got the t-shirt” well, this is what he is saying. Do not let troubles or challenges or failures trouble you. I got this, follow me and forget what you have done. So, you are free to live this good life, you have a faithful and merciful high priest. CONFESSION/PRAYER I am a son/daughter of God. Jesus is my high priest and he is ever faithful and ever present in my life. He was tempted in every way I am, yet he did not sin. He is seated at the right hand of the father, making intercession for me. I am covered. He has my back. I am looking to him, the author and finisher of my faith.
I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. Growth and development is an essential in our growing in the knowledge of God. God never leaves us where he first found us. So, the Holy Spirit, the spirit of truth constantly works in each believer, opening up the eyes of their understanding so they can live with wisdom and knowledge and then grow in understanding. Understanding makes you take your eyes off yourself and begin to stand in the shoes of others. In the above scripture Paul is saying, I am praying for you that you would understand and be confident in your hope towards God and the incredible greatness of his power. Understanding is a skill that helps you in your everyday life. Wisdom comes before understanding, knowledge comes before understanding. Once understanding comes, you have arrived at a higher plain than you have ever lived, because you now have the eyes to see and hear what it is God is speaking and wanting you to do. Once you understand what Jesus has done for us, you will never turn back, or even feel ungrateful. You will be in awe of this great and mighty God and what he has done for you. Actually, you will begin to anticipate every day with a new fervour, because you are expecting God to do great and mighty things in your life. Why? Because you understand his nature and how he really is, so you expect good things to happen to you. Fear is driven out by understanding the love of God. CONFESSION/SEPTEMBER The eyes of my understanding is now opened. I have a skill to understand and this is a God-given gift that opens doors and windows to my opportunities. Fear and failure do not exist in my heart once my understanding grows. I grow in confidence and my faith soars as I know what my God can do. All is well!
Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true wisdom. All who obey his commandments will grow in wisdom. PSALM 111 V 10 Growth is an essential part of our Christian walk. When we receive the Lord Jesus as our personal saviour, it is only the beginning of our journey in this Christian life. As we get to know him, we begin to grow. As we allow the word entrance into our hearts and minds, growth cannot be helped, we just continue to grow and grow. Wisdom is a vital part of this growth. We just cannot stay the same. The decisions we make may have been very immature in the past, however, as we embrace the word and the truth of God’s word, our understanding and application of knowledge begin to improve our lives. We find we can engage in conversations at a higher level. We become an integral part of discussions as we now contribute invaluable information of any subject that is discussed. In the past we were never taken seriously as we could not hold a decent conversation, however, as we have embraced the spirit of wisdom, our value and worth in our environment begins to change. So, I say to you today, grow in wisdom, embrace the spirit of wisdom and you will be a great asset to your environment and the people around you. It is not just wisdom, but the spirit of wisdom that is imparted to you through your fellowship with the spirit of God and his word. CONFESSION/PRAYER The spirit of wisdom rests on me. I am empowered to operate in the wisdom of God that is greater than the wisdom of Solomon. As a born-again child of God, my mind is renewed with the wisdom of God. I am invaluable to my world as I contribute to my environment, in every area. The gift of wisdom is mine.
There was a believer in Joppa named Tabitha (which in Greek is Dorcas). She was always doing kind things for others and helping the poor. About this time she became ill and died. Her body was washed for burial and laid in an upstairs room. But the believers had heard that Peter was nearby at Lydda, so they sent two men to beg him, “Please come as soon as possible!” So, Peter returned with them; and as soon as he arrived, they took him to the upstairs room. The room was filled with widows who were weeping and showing him the coats and other clothes Dorcas had made for them. But Peter asked them all to leave the room; then he knelt and prayed. Turning to the body he said, “Get up, Tabitha.” And she opened her eyes! When she saw Peter, she sat up! He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then he called in the widows and all the believers, and he presented her to them alive. ACTS 9V36-41 Peter came to the house where Dorcas was lying dead, the room was filled with widows who were weeping at the loss of Dorcas. He knew he could raise her from the dead, but before he did, he asked them all to leave the room. Once they left, he raised her from the dead. I find this inclusive and exclusive behaviour very interesting. I noticed that not everyone can witness the special things we have to do in our lives. The miracle of life particularly only need a few people, even at the birth of Jesus, only Mary and Joseph were present, yet the King of glory was born. To raise Jiarus’s daughter Jesus only need the three disciples and the parents. In the case of Peter, he did not need the crowd either. Why is it that we love people to witness all the events in our lives. There seems to be a constant need to have people around, it’s as if we need to feel wanted to feel loved? When God opens a door for us, why is it that we want to let others in when he did not tell us to let others in. I know many people who have been promoted and given great opportunities even in their work environment or business, so they invite their friends or family in to come and enjoy the benefit of their blessing. Soon these very people become a snare to them. They begin a gossip group against the very person who invited them in. They cause you to go through so much trauma and all you wanted was to be kind. Ask some married couples who are now divorced, they let a friend in and soon the friend went off with the husband or wife. The moral of this story in the last three parts is this, the door God opened for you, was for you to enjoy his blessing. You have to know who to include and who to exclude. Your miracle is waiting on you, be discerning in your selection of friends and know that the blessing was intended for you to enjoy. CONFESSION/PRAYER Help me Holy Spirit to discern the map of miracles God has in store for me. Show me the pitfalls of my unwise choices. Give me a spirit of discernment so I make the right choices. I am the sheep of your pasture and you said your sheep hear your voice, help me hear your voice so I am not foolish in my dealings in this life.
