THEME: RENEWING THE MIND. MEMORISE: “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:2) READ: Romans 12:1-2 (KJV) 1. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2. And be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.  MESSAGE: One striking thing about holiness is that it is what makes God who He is. As human beings, if we were to be asked the question “Who is God?” we might say “God is love, God is powerful, God is merciful, God is faithful…”  However, if any member of the hosts of heavens were to be asked the same question they would chorus “God is Holy!” (Isaiah 6:1-4, Revelation 4:6-8). To know God more intimatel...

YOUR LIFE ON LEASE TEXT: Mark 12:1-12 KEY VERSE: “And he began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country.” - (Mark 12:1) A lease is a contractual arrangement between the owner of a property and the user of the property. The contract gives the provision for the user to pay the owner for the use of such asset. There are however instances where the users have attempted to manipulate the owner in order to breach the terms of the agreement or take over the ownership of such asset. This is often the cause of most prolonged property legal tussles that often have bitter ends. This is the kind of scenario that Jesus paints in the parable of today’s passage. The parable is an illustration of Israel’s rebellion against the ownership of God over their lives. God had in a way planted and built the nation and had richly endowed her. He ex...

TOPIC: PAINS OF PRIDE TEXT: PROVERBS 16:16-20 MEMORY VERSE: "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall" (PROVERBS 16:18).      A revered preacher, Charles H. Spurgeon, has soundly reasoned that, "The gate of heaven, though it is so wide that the greatest of sinners may enter, is nevertheless so low that pride can never pass through it."      Pride can be deceptive. One who is proud is selfish and thinks about things that will give him personal pleasure, but fails to consider things from God's point of view. The Holy Book, the Bible, encourages us to be humble and meek; and not to feel that we are better than others.      Pride involves self-centredness, conceit, arrogance, or haughtiness. Pride manifests in so many ways: such as faultfinding, gossiping, backbiting, murmuring, living beyond our means, envying, and undermining the right of others. The proud does not accept counsel or correction willingly.    ...

TOPIC: TITHER? MEMORISE: Leviticus 27:30 [30]And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s. It is holy to the Lord. READ: Malachi 3:7-12 7.  Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return? 8.  Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. 9.  Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. 10.  Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. 11.  And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither ...

TOPIC: A Compelling Desire for Change …The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working] (James 5:16 AMPC). Message Any kind of positive change you might desire is possible in the Name of Jesus, through the power of the Holy Spirit. Looking through the Scriptures, you’d find examples of people who were desperate for a change and what they did. You too can learn what they learnt, act as they did and get what they got. Take Hannah for an example. For many years, she remained childless until she decided she must have a miracle. She went into the house of the Lord, fell on her face before God and prayed, made a vow and prevailed. How compelled are you to change your financial status? How compelled are you to change your health situation? How compelling is your desire to move to the next level and experience the supernatural in your daily walk, in your ministry, academics, business or career? Success and progress in any ar...

TOPIC: God’s Word Never Fails FIRE SCRIPTURE Joshua 21:42-45 MEMORY VERSE Isaiah 40:8 – The grass withereth, the flower fadeth but the word of our God stands forever.  OUTLINE God does not fail and the world is a testimony to the perfection of the will of God. Whatever He promised will surely come to pass. He promised salvation when men failed and He kept His word. Everything good and perfect comes from God. He has made everything beautiful in His own time. He never changes. God’s word is a seed, once planted, it germinates and bears fruits. God and His word are the same (John 1:1) Whenever you think failure, know that God is not in the calculation. He swore to Abraham to assure him of His integrity. He did not fail in the life of the patriarch; definitely He will not fail in your life. His word is Yes and Amen (2 Cor. 1:20) The text above shows clearly the character of God. He called Abraham out of his father’s house just like He took you and me from the kingdom of darkness to the ...

  TOPIC: Bearer of a Horn of Salvation TEXT: Luke 1:67-79(NKJV) 67. Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying: 68. “Blessed [is] the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited and redeemed His people, 69. And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of His servant David, 70. As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, Who [have been] since the world began, That we should be saved from our enemies And from the hand of all who hate us, To perform the mercy [promised] to our fathers And to remember His holy covenant, The oath which He swore to our father Abraham: To grant us that we, Being delivered from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life. “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, To give knowledge of salvation to His people By the remission of their sins, Through the ...

TOPIC: THE FATHER'S BUSINESS BIBLE READING: Luke 2:39-52 MEDITATION: A twelve years old Jesus told his parents “… I must be about my Father's business.” Shouldn't this really be a food for thought for us all as Christians? Are we doing the things our Father wants us to do? Are we following the principles of living that God has laid out for us? Our spiritual connection with the Lord determines who we are, the enlightenment we will receive, and the quality of life we live. This connection is directly affected by how actively we seek to be about our father's business. “The Child grew and became strong in spirit, and he advanced in wisdom, age and grace with God and with humankind” – vs. 52. Jesus continually received the benefits of being about His Father's Business – increasing in wisdom and grace with God. He was twelve years old when He sat and taught in the Temple in the midst of the scholars, and all who heard Him were astonished at His insightful answers – vs. 46...

Bible in a Year: Psalms 43–45 Acts 27:27–44 A cheerful heart is good medicine :  Proverbs 17:22 Today’s Scripture :  Proverbs 15:13–15 , 30 Insight Scholars believe the man who compiled most of the proverbs, Solomon, is the same man who wrote the next book in the Bible, Ecclesiastes. Yet the two books seem to contain contradictory messages. Proverbs says, “A happy heart makes the face cheerful” (15:13). Ecclesiastes says, “Laughter . . . is madness” (2:2), and “Frustration is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart” (7:3). Which is correct? Ecclesiastes is written from the perspective of living for this life only; therefore, it has dark undertones. But Proverbs doesn’t ignore life’s complexities, for it also says, “Even in laughter the heart may ache, and rejoicing may end in grief” (14:13). There is balance in both books. The proverbs contain sound counsel for living and help us choose the life-affirming path of wisdom. And Ecclesiastes concludes, ...

BE WISE WITH YOUR SPENDING Read: Luke 16:1-2 Luke 16:1-2  And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward. MEMORISE:  There is desirable treasure, and oil in the dwelling of the wise, but a foolish man squanders it (Proverbs 22:20) EXPOSITION Fools spend money as fast as they get it, but wise men are disciplined and slow about spending, and always save some of all income. Your spending habit is crucial for financial success. Income is not as important; you can waste a high income as easily as you can waste a low income. Wise men have foresight and self-discipline to avoid bad habits and impulsive spending and save some of their income. Benjamin Franklin said, "A penny saved is a penny earned." If you spend one penny less this mon...

TOPIC: REKINDLE THE FIRE BIBLE READING: Psalms 122: 1-9 MEDITATION: The wave of revival in the 70s, especially, in Nigeria, came with such a spiritual passion that left nobody in doubt who a Christian was. This wave of revival continued through the 80s till the early 90s. It was a common place to see the new Christian converts hurrying to church on Sunday mornings with their bibles. There was the sharing with one another of simple scriptural verses that made strong impressions upon us from fellowships attended. There was also the hunger and desire for genuine fellowship with brethren (Hebrews 10:25). Today, it seems we are living in an era where the relationship between God and man has essentially taken on the mode of contractual obligations. Some call it the entitlement syndrome - if God answers my prayers, I will continue to serve him, if not, I turn my loyalty elsewhere! Passion for spiritual service seems to be driven these days by personal gains and benefits. Jesus saw it coming w...

Topic: Trouble Maker Or Trouble Shooter? Memorise: Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Matthew 5:9 Read: Hebrews 12:14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:  Message: Some teenagers have made themselves terrors; they don’t appreciate serenity. They like to make trouble so they can have some action anywhere they find themselves. See, being troublesome is not a fruit of the Spirit and you would only create a bad reputation for yourself wherever you go. A troublemaker doesn’t listen to anyone but himself; he feels he has the best ideas and should anyone counter them, he unleashes trouble. This attitude does not give room for peace or healthy growth. On the other hand, a trouble-shooter is peaceful and settles disputes. No wonder the Bible says peacemakers shall be called the sons of God (Matthew 5:9). The teenage years are the most memorable in ones life and whatever you create in it will later become y...

Topic : The Lord Is Waiting For You TEXT : Isaiah 30:18-26 18. And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you; for the LORD is a God of judgment; blessed are all they that wait for him. For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem; thou shalt weep no more; he will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when he shall hear it, he will answer thee. And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers; And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left. Ye shall defile also the covering of thy graven images of silver, and the ornament of thy molten images of gold; thou shalt cast them away as a menstruous cloth; thou shalt say unto it, Get thee hence. Then shall he gi...