Wednesday 2nd 

This Mystery Called Joy 2.

Joy has the capacity to make you celebrate in the face of pain, you can keep advancing in the face of trouble when joy dominates your life. Chaos and confusion don’t have what it takes to stop you when joy is present in your life. So, what exactly is this thing called joy?

In trying to understand the exact meaning of joy from different people and sources, my discovery confirmed the fact that love is indeed mysterious. Many believe joy and happiness are the same, even some dictionaries use joy and happiness interchangeably. The word happy is from “hap” which is also the root for the word “happen”. The word “hap” could mean; chance, fortune, situation, coincidence or luck. It generally carries the idea of some external impact acting on a person or a particular situation. For example, you may be happy because you secured a new job or excel in a particular examination. Joy on the other hand has absolutely nothing to do with all that is happening externally, it’s all about what is happening within.

Habakkuk 3 vs 17-18 (NLT), 17 Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!

The picture shown in verse 17 of this passage is not a pleasant picture at all. How can anyone be joyful in such a state? How can you be talking about joy in the face of hopelessness? Happiness has to do with pleasant external factors while joy does not. In Romans 8, Apostle Paul spoke two types of hope; the hope that disappoints and hope that does not make you ashamed. Jesus also spoke about two types of peace; the peace that the world gives and the peace that He gives.  Clearly the joy expressed in God's kingdom is different from the joy that the world talks about which is the same as happiness. When it takes external factors to be pleasant before you are excited, lively and jubilant then you are happy and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

If life always serves us pleasant events, how wonderful it would be, but the truth is that a number of times, the pain and disappointments that life brings can be quite mean. That is when we need to reach within and pull on this mysterious gift from God called joy.

I wish you happiness in your life but I pray that you will experience the continuous flow of joy in your life in Jesus’ Name.

God bless you, enjoy your day.

The Mystery Called Joy_1

DVD With Niyi Adekunle

Monday 31st May

Watch and Pray 8

As important as it is that we watch while praying, it is much more than just looking around at anything that catches our attention. There is a way God expects us to watch.

Luke 17:20 (NLT), 20 One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will the Kingdom of God come?” Jesus replied, “The Kingdom of God can’t be detected by visible signs.

Another translation says the kingdom of God does not come by physical observation.

Jesus established here that the watching that matters in the Kingdom of God is beyond physical observation. The primary way with which we watch is by the Word of God and the help of the Spirit. This watching we are talking about starts from the spirit before it’s manifested in the physical. If we watch things only in the physical, Satan will take advantage of us. The bible says those that are led by the Spirit are the Sons of God. The place to begin our watch is in the spirit by the Word.

In Romans 4, from Abraham's experience, he did not watch his own old body or Sarah's dead womb. He strictly focused on the promise of God’s Word and God transformed Abraham's hopeless situation into a living testimony.

2King 3:17 (NLT), 17 You will see neither wind nor rain, says the Lord, but this valley will be filled with water...

God is saying to you that as you commit to watch in the spirit through the word, you may not have any physical evidence of victory, but once you have the evidence of faith in God’s Word, victory is sure. It’s time to settle down and begin to learn and relearn how to watch by the Word. Elisha’s servant panicked because he was watching from the physical but the moment God opened his eyes in response to Elisha’s prayer, what he saw as he watched made him completely unperturbed by the problems that seemed to surround them in the physical.

May God touch your heart and eyes afresh so that you will operate in His power and wisdom as you watch and pray in Jesus’ Name.

God bless you. Enjoy the rest of your day

 Sunday 30th May 

 Watch and Pray 7

God answers prayers, never forget that but the first place where we experience the power of prayers is in our life - our attitude. We watch by the word of God as the word begins to change our attitudes. I pray that you will experience a change of attitudes and feelings in Jesus’ name.

I king 18:42-45 (NLT), 

So Ahab went to eat and drink. But Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel and bowed low to the ground and prayed with his face between his knees. 43 Then he said to his servant, “Go and look out toward the sea.” The servant went and looked, then returned to Elijah and said, “I didn’t see anything.” Seven times Elijah told him to go and look. 44 Finally the seventh time, his servant told him, “I saw a little cloud about the size of a man’s hand rising from the sea.” Then Elijah shouted, “Hurry to Ahab and tell him, ‘Climb into your chariot and go back home. If you don’t hurry, the rain will stop you!’” 45 And soon the sky was black with clouds. A heavy wind brought a terrific rainstorm, and Ahab left quickly for Jezreel.

There had been no rain in Israel for three and half years. Elijah knew what God promised in His word and what to do when the heavens are shut and there is no rain - PRAY

13 When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, 14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 2 Chron.7:13-14 (NKJV)

 Elijah had told King Ahab to leave immediately if he didn’t want the rain to stop him. It was difficult for the king to believe since there had been no rain for over 3 years besides, there was no sign of rain when Elijah gave this message to the king as he spoke from the conviction of his heart and he backed up his conviction with prayer. As a man of prayer, Elijah knew the principle of effective prayer. As he prayed, he sent his servant to be on the watch. Initially the servant didn’t see anything but Elijah kept him on the watch, eventually on the 7th watch, he saw a little dark cloud and Elijah knew the rain had come.

A lot of us pray passively, we would have given up after praying and watching for a while without seeing anything. When we pray with faith and expectation, we will see the evidence of our prayer, no matter how small. Prayer without expectation is the reason some pray in and by the time they finish praying, they have absolutely no recollection of what they prayed about, how then can you watch when you can’t remember what you prayed about. Prayer must be with expectation and when you are expectant you watch.

As you watch, may your eyes be opened to see what will stir up faith in your heart and bring you into a new level of abundance in Jesus’ Name.

God bless you and enjoy the rest of your day.

 Saturday 29th May 

Watch and Pray. 6

 God is doing wonderful things in our lives and it is important that we are able to see them. The only way to see these important things God is doing in our lives is when we pay adequate attention.

Genesis 24:12-14,21 (NLT), 12 “O Lord, God of my master, Abraham,” he prayed. “Please give me success today, and show unfailing love to my master, Abraham. 13 See, I am standing here beside this spring, and the young women of the town are coming out to draw water. 14 This is my request. I will ask one of them, ‘Please give me a drink from your jug.’ If she says, ‘Yes, have a drink, and I will water your camels, too!’—let her be the one you have selected as Isaac’s wife. This is how I will know that you have shown unfailing love to my master.” 21 The servant watched her in silence, wondering whether or not the Lord had given him success in his mission.

Abraham sent his top servant Eliezer to get a wife for his son Isaac from his ancestral home, it was a difficult assignment because he had strict instructions not to take Isaac back there and the wife must be willing to leave her home to another country to marry a man she had never met. Abraham prayed to God for guidance and Eliezer was sent off on his journey.

When Eliezer got to the place, he prayed that God would lead him to the right lady for Isaac. In his prayers, he listed specific things he expected to see in the lady God had chosen for Isaac but he didn’t stop there. After he prayed, he began to watch the ladies coming to the well and as he spoke to them, he also watched for the criteria he had listed. To his amazement as he spoke to Rebekah and watched, she met all the conditions he had set and more importantly, she was Abraham’s relative.

Most people are disconnected from their prayers, because after they have prayed, they have no recollection of what they have prayed about so it becomes impossible to watch. We are not mindful of what we are praying about so there’s nothing to watch because we have been careless and non - attentive. If we truly want answers to our prayers, we must be mindful of them. God is always working to bring answers to our prayers but it is our responsibility to watch out for them. Eliezer’s prayer was connected to his watching. He prayed and also watched and he wasn’t disappointed.

I pray that God will give you the grace to be more sensitive and keenly aware in the place of prayer so that you can see what God is doing for you and in you in Jesus' Name.

God bless you and enjoy your day.

Friday 28th May 

Watch and Pray 5

We are still looking at the life of this wonderful woman of faith called Hannah

 1 Samuel 1:16-18 (NLT)

 Don’t think I am a wicked woman! For I have been praying out of great anguish and sorrow.” “In that case,” Eli said, “go in peace! May the God of Israel grant the request you have asked of him.” “Oh, thank you, sir!” she exclaimed. Then she went back and began to eat again, and she was no longer sad.

For years, Hannah had been going to the temple of God at Shiloh to pray to God for a child but nothing seemed to be happening. At this time, she was looking at her husband and her mate Peninnah and the more she looked at them the angrier and more frustrated she became. Her prayer wasn’t making any difference because she was watching people and not God. But this time was different, she was completely lost in prayers as she poured out her heart and her pain to God. Eli the priest saw how she was praying and was convinced she was drunk.

Eli approached her and scolded her because he thought she was drunk. On answering him and telling him her problems, Eli prayed for her and immediately her countenance changed and she wasn’t sad again. From that moment, she took her eyes of her husband and Peninnah and began watching out for the answer to the prayers of Eli. God honoured her "praying and watching" and she gave birth to a beautiful son - Samuel. As long as she was watching the wrong things and the wrong people, nothing happened. But the moment she changed her focus and her attitude changed, she became pregnant.

Peninnah mocked her, Eli wrongly accused her but she wasn’t discouraged, she kept watching out for the prophetic word spoken by Eli. The moment God's word can change your attitude, situations that used to cause her anxiety, fear and anger no longer affected nor troubled her. When this happens, that is the sign that your miracles are on the way and that's exactly what happened in the life of Hannah.

I pray in the name of Jesus that every wrong picture you're looking at, be it people, places, or anything outside of God's focus for your life, may you receive grace to do away with such pictures now in the name of Jesus.

God bless you, enjoy your weekend.

 Thursday 27th May 

Watch and Pray 4

It's important that we pray, but it's equally important that we are alert so that we do not miss the essence of our prayers.

 1 Samuel 1:9-20 (NLT)

 Once after a sacrificial meal at Shiloh, Hannah got up and went to pray. Eli the priest was sitting at his customary place beside the entrance of the Tabernacle. Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the lord. And she made this vow: “O lord of Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the lord, his hair will never be cut.” As she was praying to the lord, Eli watched her.  Seeing her lips moving but hearing no sound, he thought she had been drinking. “Must you come here drunk?” he demanded. “Throw away your wine!” “Oh no, sir!” she replied. “I haven’t been drinking wine or anything stronger. But I am very discouraged, and I was pouring out my heart to the lord. Don’t think I am a wicked woman! For I have been praying out of great anguish and sorrow.” “In that case,” Eli said, “go in peace! May the God of Israel grant the request you have asked of him.” “Oh, thank you, sir!” she exclaimed. Then she went back and began to eat again, and she was no longer sad. The entire family got up early the next morning and went to worship the lord once more. Then they returned home to Ramah. When Elkanah slept with Hannah, the lord remembered her plea, and in due time she gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, “I asked the lord for him.”

Looking at the story of Hannah, we see how desperate she was to have a child and all she did to get this child. She had been praying for a while and God answered her prayers and gave her a son. So we see that prayer really changes things but the first thing that prayed that changed wasn’t Hannah's status to that of a pregnant woman, the first thing prayer changed was her attitude. The bible recorded she was no longer sad nor cast down again after Eli prayed for her. Sometimes we miss God because we are looking at the wrong places for God’s response to our prayers. Remember, when on the watch out for God’s response, the first place to look is within us and not around us.

May God redirect our attention to look at the right places and the right things in Jesus’ Name.

God bless you, enjoy your day.

Wednesday 26 May 

Watch and Pray 3

I usually tell people, “watch and pray so you don’t fall.”

When Jesus was going to cross, knowing how tough things would get, He called some disciples and told them to pray with Him. Jesus moved forward a bit and began to pray. After a while He came to check on His disciples and they were all asleep. He woke them up and gave them a warning saying “watch and pray so that you don’t get into trouble.” They did not heed Jesus’ warning and that night marked the beginning of trouble for them.

When Judas came with the mob to capture Jesus, His disciples began to fight and eventually ran away. That same night that all His disciples deserted Him, Peter swore thrice that he didn’t know Jesus. They had no strength to stand in the time of trouble because they didn’t take heed to Jesus’ warning to “…watch and pray so that they won't fall…” Jesus on the other hand was praying and keeping watch all through the night, so when trouble came, His response was different. An angel came from heaven to strengthen Him and the mob could do nothing to Him until He gave Himself to them.

John 18: 4 – 6 (NLT)

4 Jesus fully realized all that was going to happen to him, so he stepped forward to meet them. “Who are you looking for?” he asked.5 “Jesus the Nazarene,” they replied. “I am he,” Jesus said. (Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them.) 6 As Jesus said “I am he,” they all drew back and fell to the ground!

After being strengthened by the angel through watching and praying, He was able to withstand all that happened till he went to the cross. If He didn’t surrender to them, it would have been impossible for them to lift a finger against Him In fact, He said He could summon 144,000 angels to battle on His behalf but He yielded to His captor so that the scriptures could be fulfilled. Ezekiel 2:2 says, “…the spirit entered into me when He spoke to me and stood me up on my feet.” When we watch and we pray, God’s Spirit energizes us to stand against the challenges of life.

I want you to be able to pray and be more prayerful. Importantly, I want you to learn how to be watchful. When you are watchful, God will show you mighty things. He will give you instructions that are crucial to your victory.

God bless you. Enjoy the rest of your day.

Tuesday 25th May 

Watch and Pray 2

God is not a wicked Father that loves to see His children suffer without providing guidance, the challenge most time is that a number of us don’t know how God communicates so we usually miss Him. As humans, we have several modes of communication we use in talking to one another, we have written, spoken, sign language, body language etc.  Effective communication takes place when both parties understand the mode of communication being used. God also has different means of communication He uses and it is our responsibility to learn these various modes of communication.

Let's consider a few ways that God uses to communicate with us.

Hebrew 1:1-2 (NLT), Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. 2 And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe.

God speaks in different ways, but everything He says must be in conformity to the Son Who is the Word. Let’s see how God communicated with people in the past as they watched out for what He was communicating.

Habakkuk 2:1 (NKJV) I will stand my watch, And set myself on the rampart, And watch to see what He will say to me, And what I will answer when I am corrected.

Habakkuk didn't just hear what God was saying, he saw it.  

Acts 9:10 (NLT), Now there was a believer in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, calling, “Ananias!”, “Yes, Lord!” he replied.

God spoke to Annas in vision.

1 Timothy 4:1, Now the Spirit speak expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

Today, God speaks to us by the Holy Spirit living in us.

Jeremiah 33:3, Call on me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you did not know.

We can see some of the different ways God communes with us. Do not expect God to speak to you the same way all the time, we must be on the watch for the way He chooses to communicate with us per time and learn to understand Him better. It is also important to note that God will NEVER say anything that is not in agreement with His written Word.

To watch effectively, we must be open to the different ways God communicates with us and we must master them so we don’t miss out on the things God is communicating with us.

God bless you. Enjoy your day.

 Monday 24 May 

Watch and Pray.

One of the most frustrating things about prayer is when we pray and we don’t get any response, it could be very discouraging. Prayer is meant to be a dialogue, the moment it seems like nothing is happening from God’s side we tend to switch off. The truth is this, many times God is communicating back to us but most people don’t know how God communicates. In John 12;29, Jesus was talking to the people and a voice spoke from heaven, though the people heard the sound they didn’t know what it was, some said it thundered, another group said the angel of the Lord was speaking to Him. But Jesus told them, “…that voice that spoke, was for your sakes”. God was communicating to them but they missed it. Why? Because they did not know how to watch out for what God was saying.

Jesus understood this, and he gave this timely advice to His disciples when they went to pray with Him in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Mark 14: 38 (NIV)

38 Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

What does it mean to watch? To watch means to be alert, sensitive and attentive to what is going on. God speaks to us in different ways and if we are not careful to know how, we will miss it. So first He said “be on the watch out for what God is communicating to you. Secondly, when we don’t watch, we miss out on what God is saying and as a result we might fall victim to all kinds of unpleasant things. So, it is important to understand that the advice that Jesus gave to His disciples back then, is as relevant to us today. It is a wonderful thing to be prayerful but that is not enough, we must also be watchful.

I pray that this will be the beginning of a new and deeper level of sensitivity in your walk with God in Jesus name.

God bless you. Enjoy the rest of your day!