Author: oracle4christ

Date: Monday, 15^th July, 2024

Text:  Proverbs 6:6-11

Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan

Exhortation:

God has created nature in such a way that both the living and non-living components complement each other; and when you observe its elements carefully you can learn wisdom; because since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that no man can give excuse. Romans 1:20.

The word of God says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.” Psalm 19:1-4

We can actually gain wisdom and conquer indolence by observing an animal as small as an ant. The word of God says, “Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, which, having no captain, Overseer or ruler, provides her supplies in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest.

“How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep- So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler, and your need like an armed man.” Proverbs 6:6-11

Sleep is very good because we rest and get refreshed through it; however, anyone given to it will lose much productive time.  If you sleep for 8 hours every day, by the time you clock 70 years, you must have slept for more than 23 years of your life! If you must conquer indolence, reduce your sleep; convert and invest those hours to achieving meaningful and productive work.

The word of God says, “Do not love sleep, lest you come to poverty; Open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with bread.” Proverbs 20:13.

Prayer Nugget: Father, grant me wisdom and strength to conquer indolence in Jesus name.

Date: Saturday, 13^th July, 2024

Text: Joshua 1:1-9

Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan

Exhortation:

In several corners of major cities like Lagos, Nigeria, you will see many betting shops. On TV you would often view several commercials promoting betting. It has really become a huge business thriving in the country despite the hardship ravaging many lives. Why is this so? This is because so many have left their lives to chance. They wishfully think and fantasize that they would one day wake up and suddenly stumble on riches and wealth. There is a Scottish proverb that says, “If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.”

Even if you make riches by luck you cannot sustain it by luck. Riches in the hands of an indolent person would soon grow wings and fly away to those who can sustain them.

If you ask those who are genuinely and sustainably financially successful they would tell you that they made it through God’s favour, strategic thinking, hard and smart work; relentless investments, financial prudence, patience and endurance.

One of the virtues lacking in the lives of the indolent is self-motivation. Self-motivation comes from the will power to pursue your God-given dreams and aspirations. The indolent lacks the ability to push themselves out of their comfort zones.

When Joshua became the new leader of Israel, three times God told him to be strong and courageous. The third time, the Lord said, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

Strength and courage are needed if you must conquer the spirit of indolence.

Prayer Nugget: I rebuke and cast out the spirit of discouragement, lack of self motivation and weakness in Jesus name.

Date: Friday, 12^th July, 2024

Text: John 5:1-17

Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan

Exhortation:

Another word for indolence is idleness, laziness or slothfulness. It is a word that describes someone who avoids work and loves inactivity or ease. An indolent person is also described as a slacker or a sluggard.

 We are wired to be active. You will notice that any part of the body that is often put to use looks bigger and stronger while the less active parts looks smaller and weaker. Simply put, indolence reduces and weakens a man.

In today’s text Jesus was criticized for working on a day declared for rest- a Sabbath day. He was accused of violating the law by healing a man that had been sick and bedridden for 38 years, on a Sabbath. The religious leaders began to persecute him for this reason. In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” John 5:17 (NIV)

The agenda of God for mankind and for individuals cannot be carried out when the spirit of indolence is at work. One common thing about indolent persons is that they complain a lot and look for every excuse to avoid work. They always procrastinate, saying, “I will do it later, I will do it later.”Their tables are always filled with backlogs of files they have refused to attend to.

An indolent person would refuse to go to work and when you ask him, he could complain that “There’s danger out there, I could be kidnapped on my way to work!” Proverbs 22:13 says, “The sluggard says, “There’s a lion outside! I’ll be killed in the public square!”However, he has bills to pay.

The spirit of indolence makes a man unproductive, robs him of fulfilling his potentials and reduces him to a beggar who always depends on those who are productive. An indolent person will not always be able to meet up with his responsibilities and becomes a burden and disappointment to himself, his family, employer, business associates and so on.

Make up your mind to be a hard and smart worker.

Action Nugget: Break yourself free from the spirit of indolence today!

Date: Thursday, 11^th July, 2024

Text: Daniel 1:17-20

Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan

Exhortation:

A very classic example of a man with an excellent spirit is Daniel. Right from his youth God gave him and his three friends an unusual aptitude for understanding every aspect of literature and wisdom. And even out of the four, God gave Daniel the special ability to interpret the meanings of visions and dreams.

Whenever the king consulted them in any matter requiring wisdom and balanced judgment, he found them ten times more capable than any of the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom. Daniel 1:17; 20 NLT

In other words, the magician students of the king only knew one-tenth of what Daniel and his friends knew. When they scored 10 out of 100; Daniel and his colleagues scored 100 percent. This implies they were nowhere near the special abilities and talents of Daniel, Meshach, Shedrach and Abednego.

A queen mother described Daniel as a man with an excellent (extraordinary) spirit, knowledge and insight, the ability to interpret dreams, clarify riddles, and solve complex problems- Daniel 5:12.

Because of the extraordinary spirit within him, he so distinguished himself among the commissioners and fellow government leaders, that the king planned to appoint him over the entire realm.

Daniel’s excellent spirit was given to him by the Most High due to his close relationship with Him. He was a lover of God and he believed in holiness. He never arrogated any of God’s glory to himself and he was not a materialistic person.

He had a special prayer altar which he serviced three times a day (even at the threat of death). Daniel was so devoted to his God that he preferred to go the lion’s den than miss his prayer schedule- Daniel 6:10.

Prayer Nugget: Father, please, fill me with your excellent spirit in Jesus name.

Date: Wednesday, 10^th July, 2024

Text: Hebrews 1:9

Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan

Exhortation:

When Jacob (Israel) was about to die, he gathered all his sons together and told them what was going to happen to them in the future. Concerning Rueben he said, “Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity and the excellency of power. Unstable as water, you shall not excel, because you went up to your father’s bed; then you defiled it— He went up to my couch” Genesis 49:3-4

Thus, Rueben was cursed by his dad because many years before then he slept with his father’s concubine, Bilhah (the maid of Rachel, Jacob’s first wife who became the mother of Dan and Naphthali) and dishonored his father’s bed (Genesis 35:22-25). He did it secretly thinking his father did not know. Unknown to him, his dad knew about it but never mentioned it to him until the day of his death.

His reckless and uncontrolled lifestyle brought an evil pronouncement upon his head and demoted him from his glorious position of excellence down to becoming an average person. Joseph, his little brother, who was equally tempted by the sin of immorality in the household of Potiphar (Genesis 39:6-12) but refused to bow to sexual sin, took his place.

Rueben lost his excellency of dignity and the excellency of power on the platform of sexual immorality and his life became unstable like the wild waves of the sea.

1^st Chronicles 5:1 says, “Though he was the firstborn, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph son of Israel, because Reuben defiled his father’s bed. So he is not reckoned according to birthright.”

Righteousness indeed exalts a nation but sin is a reproach to a people- Proverbs 14:34.

If you desire to break free from the spirit of average, you must love righteousness and hate iniquity; then you will watch God as he pours his oil of gladness on you that will lift you far above all your contemporaries- Hebrews 1:9.

Prayer Nugget: Father, please, help me to climb higher in life; by your grace and mercy I will not engage in any activity that will bring me down.

Date: Tuesday, 9^th July, 2024

Text: Proverbs 13:20

Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan

Exhortation:

At a point the Jewish rulers arrested Peter and John and questioned them requesting to know by which power they were able to perform the spectacular miracle of healing a man born lame. The courage and boldness the two apostles displayed marvelled the panel of interrogators. Acts 4:13 says, “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.”

They realized that some virtues from the Lord Jesus Christ had been transferred to the unschooled former fishermen.

If you are currently below average or average and you desire to ascend the ladder of excellence, simply look for role models who have already achieved excellence and begin to walk with them. Follow their godly sterling principles and work ethics. Before you know it, you too will begin to exhibit excellence.

Joshua was Moses’ errand boy- Exodus 24:13-18. While Moses’ carried out his excellent spiritual leadership role, Joshua closely observed and after 40 years when God sought for a replacement for Moses, Joshua was fully ripe and ready for excellent leadership.

Do you desire excellence? You have to be intentional. Watch the company of the people you keep. Deliberately choose the company of excellent individuals; very soon you will see yourself dropping your mediocre ways and adopting their excellent lifestyles.

Proverbs 13:20 says, “He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will be destroyed.”

Reflective Nugget: Excellence can be infectious; allow yourself to be infected by godly excellent men.

Date: Monday, 8^th July, 2024

Text: Colossians 3:23

Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan

Exhortation:

There is a price to pay in order to achieve excellence. Many things call for your attention but your ability to shun these distractions and concentrate your attention on a given task demonstrates your focus. You need to channel your energy on a given task per time to achieve excellence.

Hard work is another requirement of excellence. To be hard working is to put in a lot of effort in achieving a given task. There is an element of endurance in handwork. The Holy Scripture says, “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.” Colossians 3:23^.

It takes more than hardwork to achieve excellence. Diligence is consistent hard work. The missing link between a hardworking person and a diligent one is self- discipline. This is the ability to delay gratification in order to reach your goal.

Consistency is needed in order to attain diligence. Don’t work hard only when you feel like working. Do so, come rain, come shine- in all weather. Sacrifice your sleep and burn the midnight oil. The word of God says, “The hand of the diligent will rule, but the lazy man will be put to forced labor.” Proverbs 12:24.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once said, “The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night.”

It is only a matter of time and the difference between the average and excellent will be glaring for all to see. It takes diligence to achieve excellence and maintain it.

Prophetic Nugget: Receive grace to be focused and diligent in Jesus name.

Date: Sunday, 7^th July, 2024

Text: 1 John 1:4-5

Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan

Exhortation:

When you want to get rid of darkness in a room you don’t need to struggle, just switch on the light and darkness will flee. The word of God says, “In Him (Christ, the Word) was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” 1 John 1:4-5

In order to defeat or override the spirit of average, simply activate an excellent spirit. Excellence is God’s attribute. The Psalmist says, “O Lord, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth, Who have set Your glory above the heavens!” Psalm 8:1

Some of the components of excellence is self-efficacy, determination, resilience, focus and diligence. To be determined is to have firmness of purpose; it is to have a strong self will to achieve a desired goal.

Self efficacy is the ability to set goals and accomplish them based on confidence in your abilities (in God’s ability) and your determination.

Resilience is your ability to turn your setbacks to a set up for a comeback. Excellence can be a tough feat for someone who gets discouraged easily. On the paths to excellence you will meet with challenges and sometimes failures.

You are not a failure because you fell; the person who falls and refuses to get back up is the failure. You will not be a failure in Jesus name.

When you fall get up, dust yourself up and forge ahead. The word of God says, “For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again”- Proverbs 24:16a. A sinner may fall and never rise again because he lacks the backing of the Holy Spirit. So you need to surrender to the lordship of Christ and live a holy life. You will excel in Jesus name.

Prayer Nugget: Ask God for the grace to be resilient in the face of the challenges on the path to excellence.

Date: Saturday, 6^th July, 2024

Text: Proverbs 22:29

Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan

Exhortation:

The spirit of average limits a man from reaching his full potential. To be average is to be neither here nor there. It makes one to settle for less when you can actually achieve more. Why should you be satisfied with the good or the better when you can actually be the best?

How would you feel if you are involved in a competition and someone else, a co-competitor is being celebrated and rewarded for excellence instead of you for something you know, inside you that you could have achieved if you had pushed yourself harder? Of course it could lead to emotional pains and regrets.

When a typical average person is given a task to do, he does only what is enough and stops at that. But someone with an excellent spirit will do far, far more than enough. Nobody will celebrate and specially recognize you when you do the ordinary things required of you; but when you step out of the ordinary and put an “extra” effort, you become extraordinary, distinguished and you stand out from the crowd of average people.

Ecclesiastes 9:10 says, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.”

The word of God also says, “Seest thou a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean (average, obscure, less important, people of low rank, unknown) men.” Proverbs 22:29

Action Nugget: Refuse to be average.

Date: Thursday, 4^th July, 2024

Text: Genesis 26:1-14

Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan

Exhortation:

When you get stuck to a particular spot, it could be discouraging and frustrating. At a point in their wilderness wanderings, the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, “Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward.” Deuteronomy 2:2-3. Are you facing such a situation in your life journey? I pray that from now on you will move forward in Jesus name.

It is not a bad thing to start small. Job 8:7 says, “Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.” Start small and grow fast. It is not the will of God that you remain stagnant. Stagnant water will stink; it is only a matter of time. You have to keep going and growing.

We serve a God who is particularly interested in growth and progress. One of the ways to know a man who is blessed is in the progress he makes. Blessing brings multiplication and a forward movement. In Genesis 1:28, God blessed Adam and his wife and God said unto them, “Be fruitful, and multiply …”

Isaac obeyed divine instructions during a famine period and he miraculously progressed. His progress during an economic downtime was exponential. The word of God puts it this way, “Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the Lord blessed him. And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great:For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him- Genesis 26:12-14

Many folks make so much movements dancing around in circles with little or no significant progress. Sin and disobedience to God’s Word causes stagnancy.

As you intentionally obey the word of the Lord, your victory over stagnancy is sure in Jesus name.

Prayer Nugget: Father, I will obey your word always, please, cause me to always move forward and wax great in Jesus name.