Judges 11. Jephthah defends Israel


The daughter of Jephthah (1879)

The daughter of Jephthah (1879) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Judges 11. Jephthah defends Israel

1 Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah. 2 And Gilead’s wife bare him sons; and his wife’s sons grew up, and they thrust out Jephthah, and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit in our father’s house; for thou art the son of a strange woman. 3 Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain men to Jephthah, and went out with him.

4 And it came to pass in process of time, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel. 5 And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob: 6 And they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Ammon. 7 And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not ye hate me, and expel me out of my father’s house? and why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress? 8 And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Therefore we turn again to thee now, that thou mayest go with us, and fight against the children of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead. 9 And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again to fight against the children of Ammon, and the LORD deliver them before me, shall I be your head? 10 And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The LORD be witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words. 11 Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and captain over them: and Jephthah uttered all his words before the LORD in Mizpeh.

12 And Jephthah sent messengers unto the king of the children of Ammon, saying, What hast thou to do with me, that thou art come against me to fight in my land? 13 And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land, when they came up out of Egypt, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and unto Jordan: now therefore restore those lands again peaceably. 14 And Jephthah sent messengers again unto the king of the children of Ammon: 15 And said unto him, Thus saith Jephthah, Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon: 16 But when Israel came up from Egypt, and walked through the wilderness unto the Red sea, and came to Kadesh; 17 Then Israel sent messengers unto the king of Edom, saying, Let me, I pray thee, pass through thy land: but the king of Edom would not hearken thereto. And in like manner they sent unto the king of Moab: but he would not consent: and Israel abode in Kadesh. 18 Then they went along through the wilderness, and compassed the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the east side of the land of Moab, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, but came not within the border of Moab: for Arnon was the border of Moab. 19 And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon; and Israel said unto him, Let us pass, we pray thee, through thy land into my place. 20 But Sihon trusted not Israel to pass through his coast: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and pitched in Jahaz, and fought against Israel. 21 And the LORD God of Israel delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they smote them: so Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country. 22 And they possessed all the coasts of the Amorites, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and from the wilderness even unto Jordan. 23 So now the LORD God of Israel hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and shouldest thou possess it? 24 Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee to possess? So whomsoever the LORD our God shall drive out from before us, them will we possess. 25 And now art thou any thing better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? did he ever strive against Israel, or did he ever fight against them, 26 While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and her towns, and in Aroer and her towns, and in all the cities that be along by the coasts of Arnon, three hundred years? why therefore did ye not recover them within that time? 27 Wherefore I have not sinned against thee, but thou doest me wrong to war against me: the LORD the Judge be judge this day between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon. 28 Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah which he sent him.

29 Then the spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead, and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over unto the children of Ammon. 30 And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands, 31 Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD’S, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering. 32 So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hands. 33 And he smote them from Aroer, even till thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and unto the plain of the vineyards, with a very great slaughter. Thus the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel. 34 And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter. 35 And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back. 36 And she said unto him, My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth unto the LORD, do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth; forasmuch as the LORD hath taken vengeance for thee of thine enemies, even of the children of Ammon. 37 And she said unto her father, Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may go up and down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my fellows. 38 And he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months: and she went with her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains. 39 And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man. And it was a custom in Israel, 40 That the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.

May GOD bless Nigeria, America and Israel and take care of us; May GOD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the LORD lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

May the grace the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen!

A Muslim Boy’s Journey to Christ


Česky: Kříže - symbol utrpení Ježíše Krista a ...

A Muslim Boy’s Journey to Christ.

By The Voice of the Martyrs Canada

Faith

Imagine what it would be like if your decision to follow Jesus made you an outcast from your family and even a target for death.

That’s what happened to a man named Abdu. But the power of love broke down the barriers and brought him and his family back together.

These days Abdu and his father, Suleman, spend time praying and studying the Bible together. Some might call that a miracle since the two did not speak for nearly 20 years.

In fact, Abdu’s father once tried to kill him. Why? Because at the age of 16 he decided to leave Islam and follow Jesus.

An Unexpected Visit

The young man’s journey of faith began with an unexpected visit.

“I was sleeping and Jesus woke me up, and it was like a dream or revelation,” Abdu recalled.

Abdu gave his life to Christ after reading from a borrowed Bible. His decision made his family angry because in their Muslim community, leaving Islam brings disgrace.

“We didn’t know what kind of belief he brought,” Suleman said. “We were fundamentalist Muslims and were very upset. That is why we were against him.”

“Our neighbors also told us he brought a foreign religion here which is not good, and they said, ‘Attack him and don’t accept him,'” he said.

His mother, Semira, was also very upset when she learned her son became a Christian.

“I had deep, deep sorrow in my heart because I thought I had lost my boy,” she said. “I thought we can’t even be buried together when our days are over. It was a big sorrow at that time.”

Village leaders tried to intimidate Abdu by ordering a gang of young men to attack him.

“As I was walking to school, they met me on the road and they beat me very badly with a rope and made me suffer,” Abdu recalled. “They [asked] me, if this was my final decision. If I continued to be a Christian, they said they would take the full measure and would kill [me].”

Still, Abdu refused to renounce Jesus, and his father became so angry that he tried to kill him.

“We chased him out from our home because we didn’t want to be against our neighbors. He brought different things [here] so we chased him out and he went to another village,” Suleman said.

During his years in exile from his family, Abdu worked at a church as a security guard and grew stronger in his faith. He read more than 100 Christian books and began discipline other former Muslims who had come to Jesus.

Thawing Hearts

But Abdu’s mother missed him terribly, and after many years of separation, she slipped away to visit her son.

“During the six years, I had heard that he wasn’t drinking alcohol and doing bad things,” she said. “But the boys who were his friends here were doing those things, so I decided to see him secretly.”

Impressed by the changes in her son’s life, Semira began to consider Christ. However, it took 10 years before she too would leave Islam to follow Jesus.

“I believed that the faith of my son was true and correct, but now I had a big problem with my husband,” Semira said. “But I still decided to follow Jesus and tried to bring [my husband] to Christ. We showed big love to him and big changes in our character. This influenced him.”

About a year later, Suleman’s heart softened under the influence of God‘s big love. Now, he and the rest of his family, about 40 of them, are all Christians.

A hut on the family property is now a place of worship to the Lord and for hearing the Gospel.

“I’m very happy that my family has come to Jesus,” Abdu said. “But the biggest thing that makes me excited is that near the home [where] I grew up is a place being used as a church. People are coming and praying and giving their lives to Christ!”

A Missionary to Muslims

Abdu is now a missionary to Muslims in areas that are hostile to the Gospel.

With help from the Voice of the Martyrs Canada and Scotland, Abdu oversees a tentmakers’ project for six other former Muslims who are sharing their faith.

“Our way of bringing people to Christ is not only telling them the Bible, but we show them big love and share our things with them and also show them the good life we have in Christ,” Abdu said.

That approach has been very effective, with thousands of former Muslims responding to the Gospel.

As for Suleman, while he and his family are persecuted for the faith, he said he’s not about to return to Islam and he looks forward to eternity with the Lord.

“The fundamentalists can do the worst they can to us,” Suleman said. “The last option for them is to kill us. We don’t mind if they kill us because some believers will bury us.”

“For us, it is better with Christ than to live in the community without Christ,” he said. “We don’t feel fear. These days for us are not a threat.”

May GOD bless Nigeria, America and Israel and take care of us; May GOD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the LORD lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

May the grace the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen!

 

 

Judges 10. Israel Humiliated


Stained glass at St John the Baptist's Anglica...

Judges 10. Israel Humiliated

1 And after Abimelech there arose to defend Israel Tola the son of Puah the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar, and he dwelt in Shamir in mount Ephraim. 2 And he judged Israel twenty and three years, and died, and was buried in Shamir. 3 And after him arose Jair, a Gileadite, and judged Israel twenty and two years. 4 And he had thirty sons that rode on thirty ass colts, and they had thirty cities, which are called Havothjair unto this day, which are in the land of Gilead. 5 And Jair died, and was buried in Camon.

6 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the LORD, and served not him. 7 And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon. 8 And that year they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel: eighteen years, all the children of Israel that were on the other side Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead. 9 Moreover the children of Ammon passed over Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim; so that Israel was sore distressed.

10 And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, saying, We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim. 11 And the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines? 12 The Zidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and ye cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hand. 13 Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more. 14 Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation. 15 And the children of Israel said unto the LORD, We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee; deliver us only, we pray thee, this day. 16 And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the LORD: and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel. 17 Then the children of Ammon were gathered together, and encamped in Gilead. And the children of Israel assembled themselves together, and encamped in Mizpeh. 18 And the people and princes of Gilead said one to another, What man is he that will begin to fight against the children of Ammon? he shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.

May GOD bless Nigeria, America and Israel and take care of us; May GOD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the LORD lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

May the grace the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen!

Judges 9. Abimelech’s wickedness and downfall


English: Michmethath__which_is_before_Shechem

Judges 9. Abimelech’s wickedness and downfall

1 And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem unto his mother’s brethren, and communed with them, and with all the family of the house of his mother’s father, saying, 2 Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem, Whether is better for you, either that all the sons of Jerubbaal, which are threescore and ten persons, reign over you, or that one reign over you? remember also that I am your bone and your flesh. 3 And his mother’s brethren spake of him in the ears of all the men of Shechem all these words: and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech; for they said, He is our brother. 4 And they gave him threescore and ten pieces of silver out of the house of Baalberith, wherewith Abimelech hired vain and light persons, which followed him. 5 And he went unto his father’s house at Ophrah, and slew his brethren the sons of Jerubbaal, being threescore and ten persons, upon one stone: notwithstanding yet Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left; for he hid himself. 6 And all the men of Shechem gathered together, and all the house of Millo, and went, and made Abimelech king, by the plain of the pillar that was in Shechem.

7 And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you. 8 The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us. 9 But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? 10 And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us. 11 But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees? 12 Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us. 13 And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? 14 Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us. 15 And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon. 16 Now therefore, if ye have done truly and sincerely, in that ye have made Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done unto him according to the deserving of his hands; 17 (For my father fought for you, and adventured his life far, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian: 18 And ye are risen up against my father’s house this day, and have slain his sons, threescore and ten persons, upon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his maidservant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother;) 19 If ye then have dealt truly and sincerely with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you: 20 But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech. 21 And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.

22 When Abimelech had reigned three years over Israel, 23 Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech: 24 That the cruelty done to the threescore and ten sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood be laid upon Abimelech their brother, which slew them; and upon the men of Shechem, which aided him in the killing of his brethren. 25 And the men of Shechem set liers in wait for him in the top of the mountains, and they robbed all that came along that way by them: and it was told Abimelech. 26 And Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brethren, and went over to Shechem: and the men of Shechem put their confidence in him. 27 And they went out into the fields, and gathered their vineyards, and trode the grapes, and made merry, and went into the house of their god, and did eat and drink, and cursed Abimelech. 28 And Gaal the son of Ebed said, Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? is not he the son of Jerubbaal? and Zebul his officer? serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem: for why should we serve him? 29 And would to God this people were under my hand! then would I remove Abimelech. And he said to Abimelech, Increase thine army, and come out. 30 And when Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger was kindled. 31 And he sent messengers unto Abimelech privily, saying, Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brethren be come to Shechem; and, behold, they fortify the city against thee. 32 Now therefore up by night, thou and the people that is with thee, and lie in wait in the field: 33 And it shall be, that in the morning, as soon as the sun is up, thou shalt rise early, and set upon the city: and, behold, when he and the people that is with him come out against thee, then mayest thou do to them as thou shalt find occasion. 34 And Abimelech rose up, and all the people that were with him, by night, and they laid wait against Shechem in four companies. 35 And Gaal the son of Ebed went out, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: and Abimelech rose up, and the people that were with him, from lying in wait. 36 And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, Behold, there come people down from the top of the mountains. And Zebul said unto him, Thou seest the shadow of the mountains as if they were men. 37 And Gaal spake again and said, See there come people down by the middle of the land, and another company come along by the plain of Meonenim. 38 Then said Zebul unto him, Where is now thy mouth, wherewith thou saidst, Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him? is not this the people that thou hast despised? go out, I pray now, and fight with them. 39 And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech. 40 And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and many were overthrown and wounded, even unto the entering of the gate. 41 And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah: and Zebul thrust out Gaal and his brethren, that they should not dwell in Shechem. 42 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people went out into the field; and they told Abimelech. 43 And he took the people, and divided them into three companies, and laid wait in the field, and looked, and, behold, the people were come forth out of the city; and he rose up against them, and smote them. 44 And Abimelech, and the company that was with him, rushed forward, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: and the two other companies ran upon all the people that were in the fields, and slew them. 45 And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people that was therein, and beat down the city, and sowed it with salt. 46 And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard that, they entered into an hold of the house of the god Berith. 47 And it was told Abimelech, that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together. 48 And Abimelech gat him up to mount Zalmon, he and all the people that were with him; and Abimelech took an ax in his hand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it, and laid it on his shoulder, and said unto the people that were with him, What ye have seen me do, make haste, and do as I have done. 49 And all the people likewise cut down every man his bough, and followed Abimelech, and put them to the hold, and set the hold on fire upon them; so that all the men of the tower of Shechem died also, about a thousand men and women.

50 Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it. 51 But there was a strong tower within the city, and thither fled all the men and women, and all they of the city, and shut it to them, and gat them up to the top of the tower. 52 And Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought against it, and went hard unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire. 53 And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech’s head, and all to brake his skull. 54 Then he called hastily unto the young man his armourbearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and slay me, that men say not of me, A woman slew him. And his young man thrust him through, and he died. 55 And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man unto his place. 56 Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren: 57 And all the evil of the men of Shechem did God render upon their heads: and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.

May GOD bless Nigeria, America and Israel and take care of us; May GOD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the LORD lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

May the grace the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen!

Judges 8. Gideon conquers Midian’s kings. The final defeat of the midianites


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Judges 8. Gideon conquers Midian’s kings. The final defeat of the midianites

1 And the men of Ephraim said unto him, Why hast thou served us thus, that thou calledst us not, when thou wentest to fight with the Midianites? And they did chide with him sharply. 2 And he said unto them, What have I done now in comparison of you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer? 3 God hath delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb: and what was I able to do in comparison of you? Then their anger was abated toward him, when he had said that.

4 And Gideon came to Jordan, and passed over, he, and the three hundred men that were with him, faint, yet pursuing them. 5 And he said unto the men of Succoth, Give, I pray you, loaves of bread unto the people that follow me; for they be faint, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian. 6 And the princes of Succoth said, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hand, that we should give bread unto thine army? 7 And Gideon said, Therefore when the LORD hath delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into mine hand, then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers. 8 And he went up thence to Penuel, and spake unto them likewise: and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered him. 9 And he spake also unto the men of Penuel, saying, When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower. 10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their hosts with them, about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of all the hosts of the children of the east: for there fell an hundred and twenty thousand men that drew sword. 11 And Gideon went up by the way of them that dwelt in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and smote the host: for the host was secure. 12 And when Zebah and Zalmunna fled, he pursued after them, and took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and discomfited all the host. 13 And Gideon the son of Joash returned from battle before the sun was up, 14 And caught a young man of the men of Succoth, and inquired of him: and he described unto him the princes of Succoth, and the elders thereof, even threescore and seventeen men. 15 And he came unto the men of Succoth, and said, Behold Zebah and Zalmunna with whom ye did upbraid me, saying, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hand, that we should give bread unto thy men that are weary? 16 And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth. 17 And he beat down the tower of Penuel, and slew the men of the city.

18 Then said he unto Zebah and Zalmunna, What manner of men were they whom ye slew at Tabor? And they answered, As thou art, so were they; each one resembled the children of a king. 19 And he said, They were my brethren, even the sons of my mother: as the LORD liveth, if ye had saved them alive, I would not slay you. 20 And he said unto Jether his firstborn, Up, and slay them. But the youth drew not his sword: for he feared, because he was yet a youth. 21 Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, Rise thou, and fall upon us: for as the man is, so is his strength. And Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and took away the ornaments that were on their camels’ necks.

22 Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, Rule thou over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son also: for thou hast delivered us from the hand of Midian. 23 And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the LORD shall rule over you. 24 And Gideon said unto them, I would desire a request of you, that ye would give me every man the earrings of his prey. (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.) 25 And they answered, We will willingly give them. And they spread a garment, and did cast therein every man the earrings of his prey. 26 And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was a thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold; beside ornaments, and collars, and purple raiment that was on the kings of Midian, and beside the chains that were about their camels’ necks. 27 And Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, even in Ophrah: and all Israel went thither a whoring after it: which thing became a snare unto Gideon, and to his house. 28 Thus was Midian subdued before the children of Israel, so that they lifted up their heads no more. And the country was in quietness forty years in the days of Gideon.

29 And Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and dwelt in his own house. 30 And Gideon had threescore and ten sons of his body begotten: for he had many wives. 31 And his concubine that was in Shechem, she also bare him a son, whose name he called Abimelech. 32 And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age, and was buried in the sepulchre of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. 33 And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel turned again, and went a whoring after Baalim, and made Baalberith their god. 34 And the children of Israel remembered not the LORD their God, who had delivered them out of the hands of all their enemies on every side: 35 Neither showed they kindness to the house of Jerubbaal, namely, Gideon, according to all the goodness which he had showed unto Israel.

May GOD bless Nigeria, America and Israel and take care of us; May GOD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the LORD lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

May the grace the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen!

Sermon and prayer points by Pastor E A Adeboye. RCCG April 2013 Special Holy Ghost Service for children. Arrows of the Mighty


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Sermon and prayer points by Pastor E A Adeboye.  RCCG April 2013 Special Holy Ghost Service for children.  ARROWS OF THE MIGHTY

Let’s give Him glory, let’s give Him honor, let’s give Him adoration, He is worthy to be praised, bless His holy name, bless Him especially for our children.

Give Him glory for their laughter; give Him glory for the noise that children bring into homes.

Praise Him for the excitement of these little ones, bless His holy name.

Let’s give God all the glory, all the honor, all the adoration, for all the wonderful children He has given unto us.

He is worthy to be praised, He is worthy to be adored, bless His holy name.

Worship the King of kings, worship the Lord of lords, worship the Ancient of days, worship the Lion of the tribe of Judah.

Worship the holy one of Israel, worship the unchangeable changer, give Him glory, Give Him honor, give Him adoration, there is no one like Him, bless His holy name.

Worship Him give Him glory, give Him honor, bless Him for all He did for you in January, Bless Him for what he did in for you in February, bless Him for all the blessings of March.

Give Him glory for bringing you into yet another month. Praise Him; He is worthy to be praised. Thank Him for life, Thank Him for health, for strength, for provision, for protection, for joy in the Holy Spirit.

Bless Him for the hope of glory. Give Him glory because our tomorrow will be alright, bless Him for victory, bless Him for testimonies, Give Him glory for signs, for wonders, for miracles untold. Give Him glory for answered prayers…

In Jesus mighty name we have worshipped.

Let’s lift our voices to Him and say Father, please bless all the children all over the world today, let today be a special day of blessing for all children wherever they may be all over the world…..

In Jesus mighty name we have prayed.

Lift your voice to the Almighty God and say Father; all those who are trusting you for children, answer them today too.

Those who are here, those who are listening to us by the television and on the Internet Lord please grant their request today….

In Jesus mighty name we have prayed.

Say Father I am your child, bless me also….

In Jesus mighty name we have prayed.

There is none holy as the Lord; there is none besides thee,

Neither is there are anyone like our God, there is none Holy as the Lord.

There is none holy as the Lord; there is none besides thee,

Neither is there are anyone like our God, there is none Holy as the Lord.

Thank your Lord, The Lord says there is someone listening to us in a hospital room right now, saying but for the sickness of my child, I will be at the Redemption camp now. Daddy asks me to tell you the child will not die.

Holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy

Holy is the Lord, halleluiah!

Holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy

Holy is the Lord!

Thank you Father, the Lord said there is a lady here that your marriage is on the brink of breaking down because of bareness.  My Daddy asks me to tell you that next year you will come here with a set of twins.

You are high and lifted up, there is no one like you

Halleluiah, Halle, Halle Halleluiah

You are high and lifted up, there is no one like you

Halleluiah, Halle, Halle Halleluiah!

Father, we just want to say thank you, King of glory we adore you, ancient of days we bow before you, accept our worship in Jesus name. There is no one like you, you are greater than the greatest, you are bigger than the biggest, you are older than the oldest, you are wiser than the wisest, you are mightier than the mightiest, glory be to your holy name.

Thank you for January, thank you for February, thank you for March, thank you for April, thank you for a glorious tomorrow, please accept our thanks in Jesus name.

Father all we are asking you to do tonight is just take all the glory; in salvation, in healings, in deliverance, in miracles, in signs, in wonders in testimonies, in victories, in joy and in multiple blessings, take all the glory in Jesus name, thank you Almighty God. In Jesus mighty name we have prayed.

Let someone shout halleluiah!

Prayer for April children

If you are an April child let me hear you shout halleluiah!

Father, I am committing all your children born into the month of April into your hand, April if the fourth month of the year, so Lord I am asking that you will give them fourfold blessing in Jesus name.

From the east send help to them, from the west send help to them, from the North send help to them, from the south send help to them, from the four corner of the world send help to them, let it be well with them and let them serve you till the end, in Jesus mighty name we have prayed.

April children let me hear you shout another halleluiah!

ANNOUNCEMENT

By the grace of God in the month of May we will be talking about THE WONDERS OF HIS FAVOUR.

I have been talking about favor recently particularly since December but it looks as if the more I study divine favor, the more I discovered.

So next month being the fifth month normally the moth of grace; and the word grace and favor go together, we will be talking about the WONDERS OF HIS FAVOUR so I am looking forward to seeing you there and it will be a wonderful time in Jesus name.

MESSAGE

We want to talk briefly talk about the ARROW OF THE MIGHTY.

Psalm 127 v 3-5 Lo children are an heritage of the Lord and the fruit of the womb is His reward, as arrow are in the hand of a mighty man so are children of the youth. Happy or blessed is the man that has his quiver full of them, he shall not be ashamed but he shall speak to the enemy at the gate.

Tell your neighbor you will never know shame again!

The one who spoke before me had already given you the definition of an arrow.

Simply put an arrow is a weapon; it could be a weapon of defense 1 Samuel 14 v 45- 47 when David was going to kill Goliath, he didn’t get close to Him, he sent what you could call an arrow to go and deal with him.

Because an arrow is a weapon that you stand in one place and you send it on an errand to go and deal with your enemies.

And I am praying that even as you are here tonight, the Almighty God will send all those forces to go and deal with all those forces working against you.

An arrow could also be a weapon of offences; when you need to deal with forces that are coming against you and you need to go ahead and attack them particularly before they can overwhelm you.

In Psalm 8 v2 the Bible says out of the month of babes and suckling Thou art ordained strength, so that you can still your enemies. God ordained strength through the mouth of babes, and as you are going to see later on God uses children as a weapon of his warfare.

Now since we have two major words; Arrows of the Mighty.

Arrow and mighty and you already known when we talk of mighty you know whom we are talking about.

Maybe we should spend some time to talk about weapons generally, because there are categories of weapons; you have arrows, you have spears, you have guns and now you have bombs.

But when we say we want to talk about weapons briefly now, we want to talk about spiritual weapons.

And I will start by talking about weapons that available to all; whether you are a Christian or you are not a Christian, there are weapons that will work for you.  Maybe I will just mention one that is common to everybody. Interestingly it is a weapon many people are reluctant to use.

It is called the law of harvest, the Law of harvest says in Galatians 6 v 7 be not deceived God is not mocked whatsoever a man sows that is what he reaps.

The law of harvest; you sow you reap.

It is applicable to everybody, it doesn’t matter where you are a Christian or you are a total unbeliever, if you sow you will reap.

Proverbs 11 v 25 says the liberal soul shall be made fat; he that water shall be watered himself.

Now He didn’t say the liberal holy soul, it doesn’t matter whether he is a sinner or not. The liberal soul shall be made fat. . It is a weapon available to all.

When God said give and it shall be given, He didn’t add provided you are a Christian, it is a weapon available to all.

But then there are some weapons available to believers only;

Number one: Praising God.

When you praise God; He arises for you Psalm 68 v 1 – 3 says let God arise, and His enemies will be scattered.

You praise God, He will arise for you. That is why Christian who know what they are doing always come before God with praise.

People wonder why do we spend so much time praising God, it’s because it is a weapon.

I have told you before, you’ve never seen me when we are gathered together like this no matter how huge the crowd, you have never heard me say “Devil I bind you”

I don’t want you to interfere with this program. Because every day I hear people say Devil I bind you, at the beginning of the service, Devil I bind you, in the middle of the service I bind you, and at the end Devil I bind you.

Did he get loose so quickly?

But I have discovered that if you want to get the Devil far away from you, just praise God.

That is why I started everything by saying let somebody shout Halleluiah!

But God will not even accept the praise of a wicked, according to Proverbs 15v 8 it says the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to God.

But praise in the mouth of a Christian is a weapon.

2Chronicle 20 v 25, you know very well how a king overcame all his enemies just by praising God.

I still remembered a case several years ago, either 1981 or 1982 at the headquarters, we were having a little crusade at the Headquarters. God spoke to me and said tonight, nobody should pray to me, everybody should just praise me; sing dance and praise me and see what I will do, and I announced it.

Shortly after, they brought a woman that had been rejected from the hospital to go home and die. They brought her to the place because she heard that God was performing miracles.

Daddy says the story I am about to tell you is going to be replicated here tonight.

They brought this woman, she was dying, and she came and saw my assistant and said “please pray for me, they said if I get here God will heal me”.

My assistant said “sorry ma; announcement has come from the altar, no prayer tonight, just praise”.

She said “But I am dying”.

My assistant said, If only you will do what they tell you just dance you will be well

She said “but I could not even stand”,

The old man said “sorry I am not going to disobey God”.

So they managed to bring her out of the car, somebody supported her on the right, somebody supported her on the left, she could hardly move.

But as the music was going on, she was moving a little to the right, a little to the left and suddenly the power of God hit her and she pushed the fellow on her right aside, pushed the fellow on her felt aside and was completely whole.

That is going to happen here tonight.

Another weapon available to Christians that some of you might not be aware of is a very simple weapon called shouting.

The Bible says in Psalm 47 v 1 He says clap your hands all ye people; shout unto God with a loud voice of triumph.

In Joshua 6 v 20 all that the children of Israel had to do to pull down the wall of Jericho was to shout.

Now let me hear somebody shout halleluiah!

Again I tell you another story, some years ago, they brought a woman to the headquarters and she said for years, that any time she eats anything she will vomit.

The doctors have tried everything just to help her keep down any little food; if she drank water she will vomit it.  And they brought her for prayers.

And just about as we were about praying, we started by saying let everybody shout halleluiah! As she shouted halleluiah! She vomited a worm and as she vomited the worm, the sickness disappeared.

Whatever it is the Devil has planted in you shall be pushed out as you shout another halleluiah!

Weapon number three, that is available to Christians only is the name of Jesus.

Because according to Philippians 2 v 9-11 the Bible says God has given Him a name, that is above every other name; that at the name of Jesus, every kneel should bow; of things in heaven, that includes agents, things that fly, of things on earth and of things underneath the earth.

It doesn’t matter where the demons are hiding they must bow to the name of Jesus.

In Act 16 v 16-18 the Bible tells us about a girl who was demon possessed and was following Paul and Silas about, disturbing them, the Bible says Paul turned around, commanded the demons to leave and the demon left immediately.

Last night, I was going to minister to my children after the Holy Communion service and as I was about to enter the car, there was these girl who was screaming and screaming and ran towards me.

So I told my boys to leave her alone and see what is happening.

Somebody who brought her said she was on youth service and something happened there and she lost her voice completely.

And she wrote on paper that if only she can get to Daddy G.O the demon who has taken over her voice will go out.

I said “that is a simple matter”,

Father in the mighty name of Jesus…, you know the kind of simple prayer, before I finished praying, she said Amen.

I turned round to enter into my car and she began to shout daddy, daddy.

And my son said she is already speaking, I just smiled.

The Bible says it is written at the name of Jesus Christ every knee must bow.

Do I hear someone shout the name of Jesus?

Another weapon that is available to Christians is the blood of Jesus.

Revelation 12 v 11 says they overcame the devil by the blood of the lamb.

The Bible tells us that God said when I see the blood, I will pass you by, I will make sure that the destroyer won’t come near you when I see the blood.

But if you are not a Christian of course you can’t use the blood.

I mean if they say they overcame the Devil by the blood of the Lamb and you belong to the Devil according John 8 v 44.  If you belong to the Devil, you cannot overcome the Devil by using the blood.

But in case you don’t know how powerful the blood of Jesus is, I will give you two illustrations very quickly because it is very essential particularly when you are dealing with children who are having nightmares.

Because some of you have problems with children who will just cry out of dreams, it is because forces of darkness are tiring to oppress them, when they are going to bed just cover them in the Blood of Jesus.

Years ago, I think I have shared this with you before. A husband and wife were wondering what is going on because their money was disappearing.

The money of the husband disappeared, the money of the wife disappeared from the house. At first, the husband felt it was the wife who was stealing the money.

The husband said ‘what is wrong with this girl all she needed to do was to ask me for more’.

And the girl was wondering; if He gave me money for housekeeping and he stealing the money then what kind of man is he?’

One day the husband confronted the wife and the wife said “ I thought you are one stealing my money” And then the two of them came and I realized immediately that it was the devil misappropriating their finances.

So I told them from now on anytime you are putting your money anywhere, say I cover you in the blood of Jesus. From that moment onward they never lost anything.

Today I am decreeing that everything that is precious to you be covered in the blood of the Lamb.

I tell you another story just to let you know how powerful the blood is, I think this was 1977 we went to Ilorin for a congress and at that time there was a acute water shortage in the town

And so to get water to bathe, people had to go to one very dirty stream.

They brought water for me, the water was black, and you don’t have to be a scientist to know that there is danger in the water.

And then they gave me a bottle of Izal. “Sorry sir, this is all the water we have, but if you mix Izal with it, it will be safe for use, I thanked them and took the Izal.

I was about to pour it when the Lord spoke to me, “son, which is more powerful, Izal or my blood? I said your blood.

He said because I am going to send you to places in the world where the water will be worse than this and there will be no Izal, cover the water in my blood and take your bath.

I covered the water in the blood of Jesus and took my bath.

The fact that I am still alive today tells you the blood works.

Everything that could cause you any form of danger the blood will speak against it in Jesus name.

Thank you Father, the Lord says healing has started and He asked me to tell someone specifically that your joint shall be strong again.

Thank you Father, the Lord said there is someone tonight, He said for years now, it has been one story of sorrow after another, He asked me to tell you, for years to come it will be story of glory and promotion.

The Lord said that there is someone here tonight, He said the incident that will begin your upward movement is about to happen.

Another weapon available to Christian is the word of God.

Because it is written Psalm 119 v 89 forever oh Lord Thy word is settled.

The Almighty God says in Psalm 1 v 1-3 He said if you stay away from sinners, from the ungodly, from scorners and you meditate on the word of God day and night, He said you will be like a tree planted by a rivers of water bringing forth its fruit in due season.

The word of God is a powerful weapon particularly against the devil.

You know very well in Mathew 4 v 1-11 that, that is the weapon Jesus used against the devil.

Each time the devil brings a temptation, Jesus said it is written.

The devil cannot contradict “it is written”, if it is written, it is written.

Do you know that it is written that It shall be well with you?

If you are a child of God it is written in Isaiah 3 v 10 “Say ye to the righteous it shall be well with him”.

So you can tell your neighbor your tomorrow will be alright.

I think it was 1981, I have become General Overseer and I was visiting our churches, kind of familiarization tour and at that time several of the youth were rejoicing because God has put us in position and I remembered we were going towards my village.

Suddenly the devil began to speak to me and said you are very popular now, it is better to die when you are popular than wait till the time when they won’t like you anymore, it is honeymoon time for you, if you go now it will be good.

And I knew it was the devil speaking and the word of God came out to me saying I will live, I will not die and I will declare the works of the Almighty God.

Do you know that less than five minutes after that we nearly had a horrible accident.

If the word of God has not come up to deal with the devil it will have finished me on the road at that time.

At that time the entire congregation of the Redeemed Christian church of God was less than one thousand. Suppose I had died then, look at what the devil saw and he wanted to prevent.

I am saying to every one of you here tonight, none of you will die; you will fulfill the purpose of God for your life.

So there are some weapons exclusive to everyone, sinners, Christian.

There are some weapons available to Christians alone.

And then there are some weapons exclusive to God’s servants.

There are some weapons that are exclusive to God’s servant, maybe I will just mention about two of them tonight.

One is prophesy:

Amos 3 v 7 says God will not do a thing without revealing it first to his servant the prophet.

1Samuel 3 v 19 says God will not allow the word of his prophet to fall to the ground,

Ezekiel 37 v 1 – 10 when the Almighty God wanted to bring dry bones back to life, He used his prophet.

He said to Ezekiel “can this dry bones live?”, Ezekiel said “Lord only you can tell”.

And God said alright you do the job for me; prophesy and as he prophesied to the dry bones, the dry bones came together, bones to bones, skin covered them but they were still dead.

So God said to Ezekiel, “son of man, prophesy again” and he did.

And suddenly, what used to be dry bones became a mighty army.

Tonight I want to prophesy into the life of someone here, I want to prophesy that it shall be well with you, I want to prophesy to you that God will answer all your prayers. I want to prophesy that your joy will over flow.

Another weapon available to the servant of God is what I called decrees:

You know the Bible says in Job 22 v 21-28, He says if you will satisfy certain conditions, then you will decree a thing and it will be established unto you, but when you go through the scriptures you will find that those who have used that weapon successfully are mainly, and I’m not saying exclusively, are the prophets of God.

For example, in 2 Kings 4 v 1-7 a widow came to Elisha and said, I am heavily in debt what shall I do?

The man of God said what do you have in the house?

She said a bottle of oil.

The man of God say okay go home; borrow empty vessels from your neighbors. Borrow not a few, lock the door on yourself and your son, and begin to pour that little oil you have into the vessel, and whenever one vessels is full, set it aside.

Read the passage when you get home, you will notice that Elisha didn’t even pray, you will notice he didn’t even say thus says the Lord, he simply decree that the oil will keep on multiplying and it kept on multiplying until there was no more vessels to contain it.

I want to decree to someone here tonight, that kind of blessing that will be more than sufficient, receive it tonight in Jesus name.

Thank you Father, the Lord said there is someone here tonight He said I should reassure you, apparently He has told you that before, but He said I should reassure you that He is your backbone and because He is your backbone, nobody can break your back.

In 2 King 4 v 8-17, The Bible says there was this great woman of Shunem who has been taking care of Elisha.

And one day Elisha said woman “what can I do for you?”

The woman said I don’t need anything,

And then Elisha made some investigations and discovered that the woman was barren.

And he said to the woman, woman nine months from now you will have a son.

Now he didn’t prophesy, he didn’t say thus say the Lord, he merely issue a decree; woman, you will have a son nine month from now.

The woman said “man of God don’t deceive me,”

If you enjoy my food say thank you, don’t make a promise that cannot be fulfilled.

Because the woman was advanced in age, the husband was old. When you hear a prophesy the fulfillment of a prophesy is anchored on if you have enough faith to receive it, when it is a decree even your doubt is not going to stop it.

That is why I am decreeing tonight to every one of you here, this is the beginning of your greatness.

Maybe I should just leave that alone and move on to the weapons that are exclusive to God.

We have talked about weapons common to everybody, we have talked about weapons available to Christians, we have talked about weapon available to Gods ministers, now we are talking about weapons exclusive to God.

And it will amaze you that the principal one among the weapons available to God exclusively are children.

They are His number one’s weapon, that is why the text we read said children are the heritage of the Lord, the fruit of the womb are His rewards, as arrows in the hands of mighty.

He compares children to an arrow in the hand of the worrrior; He said just as an arrow is in the hand of the warriors, so are children in My hands.

And like in the passage I mentioned earlier, Psalm 8 v 2, He said out of the mouth of babes and suckling Thou hath ordained strength because of your enemies, to still your enemies and your avengers.

Whenever God wants to fight His enemies, His number one weapons are children.

Why?

Because they are surprise weapons.

In 1samuel 17 v 42-51 when Goliath saw David coming, he thought what kind of joke is this.

And God said ‘good, Goliath you are dead’.

If it had been a huge man, a big warrior, coming against Goliath, Goliath would have been more careful, but when he saw a little fellow coming, he said  “this one?”  This one is already dead

And God said good! I will surprise you.

In the Name that is above every other name, God will surprise all your adversaries.

You know the rest of the story.  But there is something important that you need to take note of.

Mathew 18 v 10 Jesus Christ said.  Be careful, don’t despise any of these little ones, He said because their angels have direct access to God.

Every child has at least one angel guiding him or her, every child.

I don’t know how many of you have seen angels before, I have seen them a couple of time, and I am telling you that angels are fearfully huge, as a matter of fact, if you see a true angel, the first thing he will say to you is fear not.

That is going to be statement number one, because nobody can see an angel for the first time, that will not be terrified, they can be huge.

You ask me how huge?, I give you and illustration; if you have ever seen an airplane, the biggest one before the current one is a 747, an angel can carry a 747 in the palm of his hands.

So if you know a man who can carry a trailer, let’s bring it low. If you know a man so big that he can carry a trailer in the palm of his hands and you see that man suddenly; I can assure you sir, no matter how courageous you are you will be afraid.

Now God says every child has an angel and every angel of each child has direct access to God, it is not because God considers a child to be such a terrific weapon, that is why He attaché an angel to each child.

You mess around with a child, the angel will deal with you and I am telling you don’t want to fight with an angel.

Children are weapons in the hands of God because many at times we older ones are too preoccupied or our hears are already dulled by sin,

So when God wants to speak, we don’t hear, but children their ears are still open, they don’t worry as we do.

So from time to time, God wants to send a message He will send it through a child 1 Samuel 3 v 1-10.

But probably one of the reasons why children are so powerful a weapon in the hands of God is because of their innocence; they have not yet sinned so when they pray nothing hinders their prayer.

Several years ago when my children were still very little, anytime I needed something urgently from God, I ask them to pray for me I tell them what to pray about, I know their prayers will not be hinder the answers will come.

Thank you Father, the Lord says there is someone here tonight; He said the forces pushing you back have been relocated.

Isaiah 59 v 1-2 says the hands of the Lord is not shorten that He cannot saved, neither is His ear heavy that He cannot hear, He said but your sins have separated between you and your God that you won’t hear.

Sins can stop the prayer of the elderly but the children don’t know sin, they are innocent, when it is time to praise Him, they praise Him uninhibited.

They know how to dance before God because they are not looking at anyone and they don’t care who is looking at them. And God is always close to those who praise Him as you know very well.

When they cry to God, the angel carries the prayers straight to heaven and straight away the answers comes.

That is why the Bible says blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.

Children are blessing carrier, wherever they go they carry blessings.

You can go through the scriptures Genesis 21 v 1- 6 when Isaac was born; he put an end to the sorrow of the parent.

1samuel 2 v 1 -10, when Samuel was born, the mocker of his mother was silenced. J

Judges 13 v 2-5, when Samson came on the scene, deliverance began to come for the children of Israel.

Genesis 50 v 18 – 20, Joseph was a child in the family that became a preserver, not only of his own nation but of people of the world.

That is why I have a word or two for you parents tonight.

Parents I want you to watch out; because you may not know it, there may be a Joseph already in your life.

In Genesis 37 v 3- 11 the Bible says when Joseph began to have those wonderful dreams, the brothers were angry but the father observed the sayings.

Watch out there may be a Joseph already in the family, watch out there may be a Samson already in the house.

Judges 13 v 24- 25 the Bible says the spirit of God began to move Samson at times, he was still young, but if the parents have been observant they would have noticed that the spirit is already on this child.

I know quite a few among my children and their friends, who had been speaking in tongue from the age of five.

The spirit of God came down when they had one camp meeting here, the spirits of God came down and these children were baptized in the Holy spirits, it was amazing.

The teachers didn’t believe what was happening but when I listen to them I know this is God.

There may be a Samson already in the house, which is why you need to please take extra care of these children, draw them close to God, train they in the way they should go.

Proverbs 22 v 6 train up a child in the way he should go when he is old he won’t be able to depart.

Remember any child that you didn’t not bring up properly in the way of the Lord will cause you sorrow in the future.

Take good care of these children train them in the way of the Lord then in your old age, you will have cause to rejoice.

If you don’t train them in the way of the Lord, if you say you are going to church and you leave your children at home and you said well he is already a youth, he should be able to decide for himself, if you do not bring these people up properly in the way of the Lord you will be asking for trouble.

My prayer is that in your old age your children will be a blessing to you not a curse.

Remember what Joshua said in the book of Joshua 24 v 15, he said as for me and mine house, we shall serve the Lord, not me alone, as for me and my house!

I’m appealing again to all parents, bring these children up in the way of the Lord, it is important. If you allow them to drift, the result will not be pleasant at all.

Now as for your children, just a word for you too.

Exodus 20 v 1 2 says honor your father and your mother that your days may be long.

Do you know the implication of that?

The implication is that if you honor your parent you will live long, it means the children who will not honor his or her parents are likely to die young.

I pray for all children who are here tonight, none of you will die before your time.

Children please listen to me carefully; there will be occasions where your parent will say no to certain things you want to do and you think they are being too hard, they may not tell you all the reasons, it is because of the things they have experienced, it is because of the scars they are bearing, it is because of the things they have done in the past and the repercussion that they are still suffering.

When your parents said, this is the boundary, please don’t go beyond the boundary.

And the Lord will bless you as a result in Jesus name.

Now Ecclesiastes 12 v 1 stated clearly, He said remember now thy creator in the days of thy youth.

When is the day to remember your creator?

When is the time to be close to your creator?

In the days of thy youth, when you are young, that is when you should move to creator of heaven and earth, when you are young that is when you should run towards the Almighty God.

There will be friends trying to turn you away from the way of the Lord.

The Bible says when sinners entice you, consent thou not, if they say let’s do it this way tell them no!

“I am a child of God. Am an arrow in the hands of the Almighty God, I know where I am going, and I will arrive, I will reach my goal.”

So shall it be with all you children in Jesus name.

Like I shared with some of you yesterday Ecclesiastes 11 v 9 says if you don’t want to take the advice of your parent, if you don’t want to live within the limitation of the Christian upbringing, if you want to be free to do whatever you like, the Bible says go ahead; enjoy yourself, fool around, sow your wild oats, do whatever you want, drink, smoke, take drugs, fornicate, do whatever you want in your youth.

He said but remember you will pay one day.

Any child who says I don’t want to be limited, I want to be free, I want to do whatever I like should remember the Proverb of the elders.

You know in the olden days, chicken in the farm are allowed to roam freely, they called them free range.

The mother hen will say to the little chick, “stay close to me, don’t stray”

And the little chick will say why?

Why do you want to hinder my freedom, let me stray.

The little chick doesn’t know there are eagles overhead looking for chicks for dinner.

I pray that forces of darkness hovering over your life trying to devour you will not succeed in Jesus name.

Children obey your parent, honor them and you will live long, remember your creator now in the day of your youth before you get into trouble, remember your creator.

Don’t join those who say they want unlimited freedom; unlimited freedom will only bring you into casualty.

Take my advice

Do you know you are not an arrow in the hands of God unless you are one of his children?

If you are not a child of God then you are not an arrow.

But there is an opportunity to anyone who wants to become the child of a living God, because according to John 1v 11- 12, the Bible says He came unto his own but His own received Him not, but as many as believe Him to them He gave the power to be sons of God.

If you are willing to receive Jesus Christ tonight, you will become the child of the living God and you will become an arrow in the child of the Almighty Himself.

So what do I need to do to become a child of the living God?

Very simple, you come to Him, you call on Him and say Father I am surrendering my life unto you, please cleanse me in your blood, please wash me in your blood, let your blood wash away all my sins and I will serve you for the rest of my life.

It is as simple as that, the moment you call on Him for salvation He will save your soul.

So I am going to give an opportunity to anyone tonight who will want to surrender his or her life to Jesus should come and do so.

Please remember if you claim that you are a child of God and you are still living in sin then you are deceiving yourself, because the Bible is clear, he that is born of God does not commit sin.

If you are here and you are still living in sin and you want to become a child of God come now.

Pray as you come ask God to have mercy on you, asks God to cleanse you in his blood, ask Him to make you a child of the living God today, call on Him.

The rest of us, shall we please stretch our hands towards these people and pray for them; that the one who saved our soul will save their soul also.

Intercede for them; ask that the Almighty Saviour to save the soul of everyone of them and to restore every backslider among them back to Himself

….In Jesus mighty name we have prayed.

Eternal Rock of ages I want to say thank, I want to bless your Holy name.  Thank you for your word, I want to thank you for all these your children who have responded to the Altar call, Father you promised that whosoever will come unto you, you will in no wise cast out, Father they have come unto you now, Father please receive them in Jesus name.

Forgive them in Jesus name, let your blood wipe away their sins in Jesus name, save their souls tonight and write their names in the book of life.

In Jesus name and Lord God Almighty the grace to serve you from now on and forever give to them in Jesus name.

Please Lord from this moment onward anytime they call you on you, answer them by fire in Jesus name. Let them become arrows in your mighty hands in Jesus name.

Thank you Almighty God, for in Jesus mighty name we have prayed.  Amen.

Now those of you who have come forward let me hear you shout halleluiah!

Now I am rejoicing with you tonight for two major reasons;

Reason number one because of you right now according to the word of God, Jesus is dancing in heaven because you have come to Him, and that is very wonderful.

And then the second reason why I am rejoicing with you, is that from now on by the grace of God, I will be praying for you and you will be receiving miracle that you didn’t even ask for, you will know that there is somebody somewhere praying for you and that somebody is me.

So I am going to need your name your address and your prayer request.

APRIL HOLY GHOST SERVICE PRAYER POINTS

1.  Praise God for saving your soul and making you a child of a God.

2.  Father, please make both me and my children signs and wonders to the world.

3.  Father, please make both me and my children vessels unto honor in your mighty hands.

4.  Please use my family to heal the sick, raise the dead and set captives free.

5.  Father, use my family to win billions of souls into your kingdom.

6.  Father, please keep sickness, death and demons and every form of tragedy far from my   home.

7.  Father, let there be only shouts of joy from my habitation

8.  Personal request.

May GOD bless Nigeria, America and Israel and take care of us; May GOD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the LORD lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

May the grace the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen!

Judges 7. Gideon’s three hundred men. Gideon defeats the Midianites


Stained glass at St John the Baptist's Anglica...

Judges 7. Gideon’s three hundred men. Gideon defeats the Midianites

1 Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up early, and pitched beside the well of Harod: so that the host of the Midianites were on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley. 2 And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me. 3 Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand. 4 And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go. 5 So he brought down the people unto the water: and the LORD said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink. 6 And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water. 7 And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place. 8 So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets: and he sent all the rest of Israel every man unto his tent, and retained those three hundred men: and the host of Midian was beneath him in the valley.

9 And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host; for I have delivered it into thine hand. 10 But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host: 11 And thou shalt hear what they say; and afterward shall thine hands be strengthened to go down unto the host. Then went he down with Phurah his servant unto the outside of the armed men that were in the host. 12 And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude. 13 And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along. 14 And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: for into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the host. 15 And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and returned into the host of Israel, and said, Arise; for the LORD hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian.

16 And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet in every man’s hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers. 17 And he said unto them, Look on me, and do likewise: and, behold, when I come to the outside of the camp, it shall be that, as I do, so shall ye do. 18 When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon. 19 So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch; and they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers that were in their hands. 20 And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon. 21 And they stood every man in his place round about the camp: and all the host ran, and cried, and fled. 22 And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the LORD set every man’s sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host: and the host fled to Bethshittah in Zererath, and to the border of Abelmeholah, unto Tabbath.

23 And the men of Israel gathered themselves together out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and pursued after the Midianites. 24 And Gideon sent messengers throughout all mount Ephraim, saying, Come down against the Midianites, and take before them the waters unto Bethbarah and Jordan. Then all the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and took the waters unto Bethbarah and Jordan. 25 And they took two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb; and they slew Oreb upon the rock Oreb, and Zeeb they slew at the winepress of Zeeb, and pursued Midian, and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side Jordan.

 

 

 

 

May GOD bless Nigeria, America and Israel and take care of us; May GOD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the LORD lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

May the grace the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen!

The beatitude (Matthew 5:3-11)


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The beatitude (Matthew 5:3-11)

Blessed are the poor in spirit,

For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn,

For they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek,

For they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

For they shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful,

For they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart,

For they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,

For they shall be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,

For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 

May GOD bless Nigeria, America and Israel and take care of us; May GOD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the LORD lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

May the grace the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen!

 

 

The Lord’s prayer (Matthew 6:9-13)


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The Lord’s prayer (Matthew 6:9-13)

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Given us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,

As we forgive our debtors.

And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen!

 

May GOD bless Nigeria, America and Israel and take care of us; May GOD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the LORD lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

May the grace the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen!

 

 

God is present everywhere. God Is Our true security


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God is present everywhere. God Is Our true security

This is My command—be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
(Joshua 1:9)

At times this life can be very lonely and terrifying. We may have many friends, relatives, or a loving spouse, but ultimately we still must face our problems on our own. No one can take our place. No one can be with us at all times. No one, except for One—God! He is present everywhere.

Because God is always present, we never have to wonder first thing in the morning: Is God here in this room, and is He willing to start the day with me? We do not have to ask ourselves: Will God be with me tonight—even when I’m asleep? We never have to worry: Will God be with me tomorrow when I undertake a difficult task?

God is our ever-present friend. In joy, heartache, temptation, and peace, God is there.

Right now, wherever you are, think about a specific moment in the past week when you needed to know that God was with you. Did you have confidence that He truly was present?

 

 

 

May GOD bless Nigeria, America and Israel and take care of us; May GOD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the LORD lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

May the grace the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen!