The Tongue Route To Perfection (2)

Date: Monday, 16th October, 2023

Text: Matthew 12:22-37

Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan

Exhortation:

The words we speak reflect who we are and the nature of our hearts. For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks- Matthew 12:34b.

Words have power to justify and condemn depending on how we use the tongue- Matthew 12:37.

The will of the Father is that no unwholesome talk should come out of our mouths, but only what is helpful and beneficial for building others up according to their needs. Ephesians 4:29.

According to today’s text, a man who was possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb was brought to Jesus and he healed him, so that the blind and dumb both spoke and saw. Instead of the religious Pharisees to rejoice and praise God who made the miracle possible, they began to find fault in the Healer and falsely claimed he did the miracle by an evil power called Beelzebub.

Jesus described their words as idle or empty words for which they must give account on the Judgement Day. Unknowing to them, they blasphemed by speaking against the Holy Spirit, who was the power behind the miracles Jesus performed. By so doing they earned eternal condemnation for themselves.

Sometimes we speak on things we have little or no knowledge about. Exaggeration comes in, lying follows. When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is prudent. Proverbs 10:19.

 The Psalmist’s words should be our daily prayer “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.” Psalm 19:14

Prayer Nugget: In Jesus name, let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer

The Tongue Route to Perfection

Date: Sunday, 15th October, 2023

Text: James 3:1-12

Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan

Exhortation:

It is the will of the Father that every of His children be free from blame. To be perfect is to be blameless before God. Be ye therefore, perfect as your heavenly father is perfect. Matthew 5:48. However, many are of the opinion that perfection is impossible; but that is not God’s opinion. His own counsel is that blamelessness or perfection is a possibility.

Perfection is achievable through Christ whose blood makes us perfect. A major door to perfection is the control of the tongue.

According to today’s text, the tongue is described as a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. The Bible says, also that all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue (by his own power). It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. Apostle James says this should not be.  

Though we all stumble in many ways; anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.

Ask the Lord to make you perfect through the supernatural control of your tongue in Jesus name.

Prayer Nugget: Father, I desire to be perfect; please, help me control my tongue by your Holy Spirit in Jesus name.

Victory Over the Clogs

Date: Saturday, 14th October, 2023

Text: Exodus 14: 23-25

Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan

Exhortation:

A clog is an impediment or an encumbrance; something that blocks movement or makes progress difficult.

In today’s text we see the Egyptians pursuing the Israelites even into the midst of the Red Sea. All Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea. But the Game Changer came to the Israelites’ rescue once again.

During the last watch of the night the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion.He jammed the wheels of their chariots so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, “Let’s get away from the Israelites! The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.” But it was too late. Exodus 14: 23-25

Many times, the devil uses this same strategy against God’s people to get them stuck and move in circles. The devil’s devices instruments to keep you down; but the Bible says, “God gives power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:  But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Isaiah 40:29-31

Every clog in the wheels of your progress shall be removed today in Jesus name.

PRAYER NUGGETS

1. Father, thank you for being my Defender in Jesus name.

2. Father, please, throw all my enemies into confusion in Jesus name.

3. In Jesus name, I remove every clog in the wheels of my progress in Jesus name.

4. Father, according to your word in Exodus 14:14, please, fight my battles for me while I hold my peace in Jesus name.

5. Father, let your fire consume every gate of brass and bar of iron hindering my forward movement in Jesus name.

6. I reverse every spiritual paralysis and from now on I will rise and shine in Jesus name.

7. Father, please lay your right hand upon me and cause me to mount up with wings like an eagle in Jesus name.

Let Him In!

Date: Friday, 13th October, 2023

Text: John 5:1-9

Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan

Exhortation:

While the Lord walked the Earth physically, He went about doing good and healing all those who were oppressed because of the anointing of the Holy Ghost from the Father. He went about preaching. If you remove the first letter, ‘p’ from the word preach, you have, ‘reach’. His mission was to reach the unreached. In Mark 1:38, “And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth.”  No matter the corner you are, God has taken note of you. He is interested in your welfare.

Furthermore, if you remove the ‘r’ in the word, “reach”, you have “each”. The word of Christ goes to each individual. It is a personal thing. No wonder Jesus went to the pool of Bethsaida just because of one man who had been sick for 38 years-John 5:1-9.

In Mark 5:1-15, Jesus crossed to the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes just because of only one mad man whose case appeared hopeless. At the end of the day, the man was completely healed.

He knows you as a person and wants to relate with you as such if you will open your heart, repent, forsake all acts of disobedience.

The Spirit of Christ is still moving around today binding up the broken-hearted, proclaiming liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound. Let him in!

Prayer Nugget: I open the door of my heart to you Lord Jesus, come right in.

Rejoice and Be Glad

Date: Thursday, 12th October, 2023

Text: Psalm 118:24

Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan

Exhortation:

The Sweet Psalmist of Israel wrote, “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24.

Why should we rejoice in the day the Lord has made? Firstly, it is the commandment of the Lord that we rejoice evermore 1 Thessalonians 5:16. Sorrow is not a fruit of the Spirit, but the perfect will of the Father is for us to rejoice evermore.

Another reason why we should rejoice in each day is that God daily bears our burdens and loads us with benefits- Psalm 68:19. It is our duty to unlock and activate those benefits in the place of heartfelt worship and prayers.

Thirdly, the plans of God for you each day is for good and not for evil, to bring you to an expected end; to give you hope and a future- Jeremiah 29:11. Each day has its own challenges but Jesus has overcome them in advance for you even before you were born.

Are you on the Lord’s side? Are you a Lover of Him? If yes, then you are more than a conqueror. Approach the throne of grace humbly but boldly to access daily mercies and grace to cater for your daily needs. If no, His loving arms are still wide open waiting for you. Seek Him while He may be found. Tomorrow may be too late.

Prayer Nugget: Father, thank you for this day which You have made, I rejoice and I am glad in it.

Eyes That See (2)

Date: Wednesday, 11th October, 2023

Text: 2 Kings 6:8-17

Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan

Exhortation:

It is a wonderful thing to be able to see beyond the physical. The reason is because the spiritual controls the physical and is even more real than it.  A lot goes on in the spirit realm and it is great to be able to perceive as occasion demands.

When the enemy army surrounded the prophet Elisha with the aim of capturing him, his servant, Gehazi, was afraid but Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. He realized that the invisible army of the Lord protecting them were more than the physical army of the enemy. Fear automatically disappeared.

Some years ago when my wife was pregnant, one morning around 4am, I saw a baby monkey playing around her tummy. I woke up and narrated the revelation to her and she confirmed that she saw exactly the same thing at the very same time. We got up, prayed together and cast out the demonic spirit.

What would have happened if God did not open our eyes to see the demon? The demonic spirit would have possessed the baby in her womb and who knows the havoc it could have wrecked?

May be the baby could have arrived dead at birth, deformed in the womb or born with very serious medical conditions. There are so many cases of such in our world today. The Bible says, the thief (the devil) has no other mission than to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10).

If you are yet to surrender your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ, please do so today and ask Him to fill you with His Holy Spirit who will open your spiritual eyes, enhance your spiritual sensitivity and guide you into all truth from time to time as occasion demands.

Prayer Nugget: Holy Spirit, please, open my eyes and guide me into all truth daily in Jesus name.

Eyes That See

Date: Tuesday, 10th October, 2023

Text: Psalm 119 vs 18

Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan

Exhortation:

Seeing and looking are not the same. Looking involves turning your face to a particular direction while seeing means to pay attention, notice or become aware of (someone or something) by using your eyes.

Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the gospel (good news) of Jesus Christ. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. 2 Corinthians 4:4. This is why the word of God does not make sense to sinners when they read it. The more they look, the less they see. It takes the power of the Holy Spirit to remove the veil or covering that makes seeing impossible.

“Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law,” was the prayer of the Psalmist in today’s text- Psalm 119:18. The word of God contains deep treasures that usually not found on the surface but by the revelation of the Holy Spirit.

Read and meditate on the word of God with an open heart and ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate your heart and give you your own personal revelation of His wondrous word.

Prayer Nugget: Holy Spirit of the Living God, please, open my eyes to behold wondrous things in your Word in Jesus name.

Ears That Hear

Date: Monday, 9th October, 2023

Text: Matthew 13:2-23

Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan

Exhortation:

When the Lord Jesus passes a major message across to His people, He would often say, “Let Him that has an ear, hear what the Spirit is saying.” What exactly does He mean?

It is one thing to have ears, it is another thing to have ears that hear. The ‘hearing’ Christ referred to was a deeper form of it called ‘listening’. Hearing is simply the act of perceiving sounds by the ear. If you are not hearing-impaired, hearing automatically happens. Listening, however, means to take notice of and act on what someone says; respond to advice or a request.  It is something you consciously choose to do. Listening requires concentration and action.

It is possible to hear but not listen.  Listening is linked with understanding. Jesus said, many have the power of hearing but do not hear, neither do they understand and grasp spiritual things. Matthew 13:13b.

In the Parable of the Sower, those that heard the word but did not understand lost it because the devil stole the word away from their hearts. The message ended making no impact in their lives.

But those with listening ears opened up their hearts to receive the word, they were intentional in ensuring the word took root in them and they persevered when the attendant challenges came; they were focused and did not give room for worldly distractions. They patiently endured the growth process and therefore, the word bore fruit in their hearts, some hundred, some sixty and some thirty times what was sown.

Prophetic Nugget: May the Lord grant you ears that hear in Jesus name.

The Sympathizing Jesus

Date: Sunday, 8th October, 2023

Text: Luke 7:11-17

Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan

Exhortation:

Our God can be emotional. He laughs (Psalm 2:4); He gets angry (Deuteronomy 9:8); he weeps (John 11:35; Luke 19:41); He can be joyful (Luke 10:21); He can be sorrowful (Matthew 26:38); He can be jealous (Exodus 20:5-6); He can sympathize (Matthew 8:1-3; Luke 7:11-17) etc. Sympathy can be defined as feelings of pity and sorrow for the misfortune of someone else

William Hunter once sang:

The Great Physician now is near,

The sympathizing Jesus;

He speaks the drooping heart to cheer,

Oh, hear the voice of Jesus!

God does not ignore the cry of the afflicted (Psalm 9:12b). The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever. He has not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pities his children, so the Lord pities them that fear him. Psalm 103:8-13

Are you in trouble? Does your situation seem hopeless? Do you feel sick, lonely or abandoned? You have a friend in Jesus. Cry to Him today! He is near you; and interested in your welfare. He will save your soul if you are not yet saved and comfort you on every side.

Prayer Nugget: Sympathizing Jesus, please, have mercy on me and comfort me on every side in Jesus name.

What Are Your Credentials?

Date: Saturday, 7th October, 2023

Text: Acts 19:11-16

Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan

Exhortation:

According to today’s text, seven brothers, who were the sons of a Jewish High Priest named Sceva tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus to cast out demons. They said to the evil spirits, “I command you in the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches.” But the evil spirit said to them, “I know Jesus, and I know about Paul; but you—who are you?” The man who had the evil spirit in him attacked them with such violence that he overpowered them all. They ran away from his house, wounded and with their clothes torn off.

Who are you? Your character is who you are in secret; while your reputation is the person the public thinks you are. But there are three people you cannot deceive, namely, God, Satan and yourself. Everything done in secret is open to these three individuals mentioned.

In today’s text, the sons of Sceva were willing to chase demons away but they lacked the spiritual credentials to dislodge them because of who they were. First they lacked the faith credential because the Bible says, “And these signs shall follow them that believe; in my name shall they cast out devils.” Mark 16:17a.

The devil is not afraid of your religious titles but he is afraid of the fire you carry. Hebrews 1:7a says, “He makes his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.”

The second credential the Sons of Sceva lacked was the light of God. Darkness cannot cast out darkness. The light of Christ must shine for darkness to be dispelled in your life. John 1:5

Thirdly, they lacked the credential of the Holy Spirit. In Matthew 12:28, Christ said, “But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.”

Who are you? What are your spiritual credentials?

Prayer Nugget: Father, thank you for your word. Please, perfect all that concerns my spiritual credentials in Jesus name.