Month: October 2024

Date: Thursday, 4^th October, 2024

Text: Matthew 7:1-5

Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan

Exhortation:

In today’s text the Lord Jesus Christ taught us to abstain from judging or condemning others. He gave reasons- the way you judge others, will you be judged; the rules you used to condemn others will also be used by God against you. Does this mean God condones sin or wrongdoing? Certainly, not!

What Christ is simply saying is that instead of condemning others give room for mercy. Allow the spirit of forgiveness instead of vengeance. A very good illustration of this is found in John 8:1-11 where a woman was caught in the act of adultery.

The religious leaders had picked stones and were eager to condemn her according to the Law of Moses; and they wanted Jesus to give his verdict. But mercy prevailed over judgement and the Lord told them that the only person qualified to stone the woman to death was the one who had never sinned. Nobody was qualified except Christ himself alone.

The word of God says, “If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you”. Psalm 130:3-4. Again the scriptures say, “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in mercy. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.” Psalm 103:8-10

Jesus told the adulterous woman to go and forsake her sinful lifestyle- John 8:11. Though she escaped the first time, she may not be lucky to keep escaping if she continue with her sinful lifestyle.

God expects us to show mercy in our dealings with others because, “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.” Matthew 5:7

Reflective Nugget: God will not show mercy when he judges the person who has not been merciful; but mercy triumphs over judgment- James 2:13.

Date: Thursday, 3^rd October, 2024

Text: Genesis 41:17-32

Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan

Exhortation:

Sometimes when God sends you a message in a dream, it comes to you again and again. At times you see exactly the same thing and at other times you get the same message in different forms. When you see these what is the significance?

In today’s text Pharaoh the Egyptian king dreamt that he was standing on the bank of the Nile River, when seven cows, fat and sleek, came up out of the river and began feeding on the grass. Then seven other cows came up which were thin and bony. They were the poorest cows he had ever seen anywhere in Egypt. He saw that the thin cows ate up the fat ones, ^but no one would have known it, because they looked just as bad as before. Then he woke up.

Again he also dreamed that he saw seven heads of grain which were full and ripe, growing on one stalk. Then he saw seven heads of grain sprouted, thin and scorched by the desert wind,and the thin heads of grain swallowed the full ones and he woke up the second time.

When he invited Joseph to assist him interpret his dreams, he made it clear to the king that the two dreams meant the same thing. God was only showing the king what he was about to do so that the king could prepare for the looming global event. There was going to be seven years of great plenty in all the land of Egypt to be immediately followed by seven years of famine, and all the good years would be forgotten, because the famine was going to ruin the country. The time of plenty was going to be entirely forgotten, because the famine which would follow was going to be so terrible.

Joseph the dream interpreter told him that the repetition of his dream meant that the matter was fixed by God and that he would make it happen in the near future. In other words the matter was certain to happen and was to happen soon. Genesis 41:17-32

Reflective Nugget: Whenever God sends you a message in a dream repeatedly, it’s urgent and sure to happen. Take serious steps to prepare.

Date: Wednesday, 2^nd October, 2024

Text: Job 33:14-18

Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan

Exhortation:

One of the ways God speaks to Men is through dreams. Many prophetically important dreams have come to Men in the times past.

The word of God says, “For God does speak—now one way, now another— though no one perceives it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they slumber in their beds, he may speak in their ears and terrify them with warnings, to turn them from wrongdoing and keep them from pride, to preserve them from the pit, their lives from perishing by the sword.” Job 33:14-18

We have several instances of such in the Holy Scripture. In order to save the life of Baby Jesus from the hand of Herod, the king God spoke to Joseph, Mary’s husband in a dream, saying “Get up, take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod (the king) is going to search for the child to kill him.” So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt,where he stayed until the death of Herod. Matthew 2:13-14

The three wise men would have gone back to Herod as demanded by him but having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. Matthew 2:12

About twenty four years ago, there was to be a change of leadership baton and we were expecting some leadership appointments in a national evangelistic Christian body to which I belonged. I was anxious to know which position was coming to me. So on one particular afternoon I had a nap and then it was revealed to me in a dream what position I was to be given. The following day when the new executives were to be unveiled, the position actually given to me was exactly what was revealed to me in the dream.

Some say when they dream it is the opposite that happens to them. God is not an author of confusion. So if the dream is from him, his word will surely come to pass.

Prayer Nugget: Holy Spirit, speak to me when I rise and when I lie down to sleep in Jesus name.