Bible in One Year:
Saturday, November 14, 2009
(Is 58 - Is 60)

Memorise: "And by a prophet the LORD brought Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet was he preserved" (Hos 12:13)

Read: 2 Chronicles 20:20-21

20 And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.
21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever.

The four lepers of 2 Kings 7:1-11 were starving to death when they asked why they must die where they were. That question provoked them to dare their enemies. They took the step and they became national heroes. These lepers became prosperous for the rest of their lives but they remained lepers. This means that a prosperous leper is still a leper. A prosperous sinner is still a sinner. Naaman was another case. He was an eminent personality with a retinue of national awards and achievements. Yet he remained a leper. In public, he rejoiced as he was being decorated but back at home he was so depressed about his leprosy that he wept profusely. Anyone who is prospering materially without being born again is likened to a ram being fattened for the slaughter slab. The truth is, you can prosper and still be free from a major 'but' in your life like leprosy, sorrow or any other sickness. That is why Jesus came. Are you financially or materially prosperous yet saddled with a particular sickness? If only you can surrender your life to Jesus, it will be well with you. You will receive the ability to enjoy the wealth you already have and your life will start having meaning. 

"The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it" (Prov 10:22). I know many wealthy people with lots of big problems. The reason some people go from air-conditioned car into air-conditioned office and then into air-conditioned house is because there is a lot of fire burning under their expensive attires. The Lord Jesus can quench that fire and leave you healthy, wealthy, glorious and rapturable. Another lesson is about the king's national Economic Adviser who refused to believe the good news. He became a victim of its fulfilment. When you fail to believe a good prophecy, by the time of its fulfilment, it could trigger a loss or something unpalatable. Your inability to believe or receive what a genuine prophet of God says will not prevent it from happening. In a particular year, the Lord told me 70 members of the RCCG would have Mercedez Benz cars. When I said it, some did not believe. As a couple drove home in their fairly used Volkswagen, the wife told her husband she claimed what I said. Doubting how that could be, the husband asked his wife if she was crazy. Not long after, their landlord asked them to quit from his apartment. Miraculously God provided their own house and a Mercedez Benz car. Every good prophecy that has been spoken concerning you shall come to pass. Believe the Lord, and believe His prophet. 

ACTION POINT:
Thank God for your pastor and his family. Appreciate God for the various ways He has been using them to impact you and others for good.