THE WORD OF GOD AS A HAMMER

Daily Devotion

TEXT: Jeremiah 23:29
Is not my word like as a fire? Saith the Lord; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?

DEFINITION
A hammer is a tool with a heavy metal head for breaking things, driving in nails, etc. It can also be the wooden mallet used by an auctioneer. In some cultures, a hammer is also used for pounding – solid are hammered until they become pulp or powder.

CONTEXT
God was speaking against false prophets in Jeremiah 23. In verse 29, God describes the nature of His word. Amongst others, His word is like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces.
God said that since the false prophets had chosen to speak their own words and not God’s, He would disgrace them. The passage suggests that the disgrace would come because their word would lack power. It would not be able to “break the rocks”. Thus, they shall be put to great shame.
I another sense the word of God as a hammer could break their stony hearts or arrogant and rebellious lives to pieces, such that those who can see their destruction would certainly laugh at them.

RELEVANCE
The word of God as a hammer is useful against:
1. The spirit of pride
2. Demos who manifest violently, especially the demons of insanity. They can be overpowered with the hammer of God. Thus weakened of pulverized, they are easy to cast out.
3. False prophets. The word of God as a hammer can be used to overrule their prouncements, so that their words would lack effect. Moreover, you could ask the hammer of God to deal with them until they surrender to Jesus.
4. The word of God as a hammer is also useful against the spirit of divination. This spirit manifests often through utterance of false prophecies or demonic tongues during church/fellowship programs. They can be crushed with the hammer of God.
5. The word of God as a hammer can be used to deal with manifestations of the spirit of Jezebel. The spirit of Jezebel is responsible for immorality.

PRAYER POINTS
1. By the word of God as a hammer, I speak against very false prophets in this country in Jesus’ name.
2. I use the word of God as a hammer against occultism in the body of Christ Jesus’ name.
3. The word of God as a hammer, come against religions cults in this country   in Jesus’ name.
4. I come directly against the spirit of insanity with the hammer of the word of God in Jesus’ name.
5. Jezebel spirit, the word of God as a hammer is against you in Jesus’ name.
6. Heavenly father, let your word like a hammer break every stony and rebellious heart in Jesus’ name.
7. You false prophets, I break your stronghold with the word of God as a hammer in Jesus’ name.
8. Spirit of divination; be terminated with the word of God as a hammer in Jesus’ name.
9. All demonic tongues during church programmes, be crushed by the word of God as a hammer in Jesus’ name.
All agents of immorality in the church of God, I come directly against you with the word of God as a hammer. Be destroyed in Jesus’ name.

PRAYER FOR THE DAY

Pray for the day:
Text: Matthew 14:16-21 –    16 But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat.

17 And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.

18 He said, Bring them hither to me.

19 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.

20 And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.

21 And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.

PRAYER

Lord, I thank You for provision. Despite the lack that we have, yet, you miraculously provide for us and be satisfied. We pray for more provision and open doors in Jesus name we pray.  Amen

THE POWER OF GOD’S WORDS


TEXT: Isaiah 55:11
“In the same way, the promise that I make does not return to me, having accomplished nothing. No, it is realized as I desire and is fulfilled as I intend.”

When we dig into God’s Word, we learn about his indescribable power and greatness. God can create whatever he wants, even out of nothing! God’s counsel and his plans stand forever. We can either place ourselves in a position to receive his blessing or not. God’s Word is powerful. Active. It accomplishes. Wherever it is sent, it prospers. To fulfill God’s purposes, we need to absorb all that is contained in God’s Word. As we do so, we learn more about the mind of God and open ourselves to receive his direction. By his Word we are renewed inwardly. His Word is like discovering the treasure of treasures: “

“For the one who finds me has found life and received favor from the Lord.” —Proverbs 8:35

“So then from now on we acknowledge no one from an outward human point of view. Even though we have known Christ from such a human point of view, now we do not know him in that way any longer” (2 Corinthians 4:16). Only the Word of God can renew us and give us true direction. All other pursuits are in vain if they are substitutes for the Word of God in our lives.

The bottom line? There is no way for one to be an effective Converterlator without knowing the Word of God. Along with the Holy Spirit, the Word is the primary means for bringing transformation to our values, attitudes, and mindset. It is also the means for nourishing and fueling the very roots of our being. It is by God’s Word that we learn about the will of God and how to implement and execute the plans he reveals to us through his Word.

With our access to technology these days, there are many ways to access God’s Word! If you have a Bible, start reading it today and select a verse for memorization and meditation. Go online and access a reading program; two that are popular and easily available are through http://www.biblegateway.com and http://www.navigators.org. Many Christian organizations also offer great Bible reading helps through their websites which you can get by searching Google

Unlike other written documents, God’s Word is living and powerful. One of my favorite Bible verses is Hebrews 4:12, the verse that opened this chapter: “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing even to the point of dividing soul from the point of dividing soul from spirit, and joints from marrow; it is able to judge the desires and thoughts of the heart.” God’s Word works in us and through us! Every day, we need to have his Word actively operating in our lives.

How much of God’s Word do you have memorized? How can you make this a priority in your life?

Converterlators know the Word of God and allow it to actively operate in their lives on a daily basis.

12 STEPS TO INTERCESSION

Step 1.2:  A Command  (not a suggestion)
In our last update on the above subject we discussed about “secret” , how God reveals secret and who reveals the secret to. In continuation we are discussing on “Command, not suggestion”
This subject “command and suggestion” are two different things.
When we talk of command we are saying that the subject is mandatory.

God has given his people express commands governing the turbulence of their own hearts and the peace that he offers and expects. None stands out so markedly as  Isaiah 30:15 “In quietness and confidence will be your strength and you would not…”  It declares that the Lord’s purpose is for his people to return to Him to find quietness and confidence before Him.  The indictment was that his people “WOULD NOT,” therefore they had no peace.

Psalm 4:4  “Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still.”
Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that I am thy God…”
Isaiah 30:15 “In quietness and confidence will be your strength and you would not…”
Isaiah 32:17 “The effect of righteousness is quietness and assurance forever.”
Isaiah 41:1 “Keep silence before me, O islands; and let the people renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us come near together to judgment.”
I Kings 19:12 “After the earthquate a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.”
Ecclesiastes 3:7  “A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;”
Habakkuk 2:20  “But the LORD is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.”
Mark 4:39 “And he arose and rebuked the wind and said unto the sea, Peace be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.”
Revelation 8:1 “And there was silence in heaven for about the space of a half hour.”
It is the mandate of God that we still ourselves before him in order to find his peace and hear his voice.  So thus we have as the first and most important step in the believer’s prayer life to still ourselves before the Lord.

RED LIGHTS AND GREEN LIGHTS (1)

TEXT:  “They tried to go…but the Spirit…would not let them.” Acts 16:7 CEV



WHEN GOD gives you a green light, you must go. And when He gives you a red light, you must stop. *“Paul and his friends went through Phrygia and Galatia, but the Holy Spirit would not let them preach in Asia. After they arrived in Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not let them. So they went on through Mysia until they came to Troas. During the night, Paul had a vision of someone from Macedonia who was standing there and begging him, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us!’ After Paul had seen the vision, we began looking for a way to go to Macedonia…sure that God had called us to preach the good news there”* (vv. 6-10 CEV).

After a series of green lights, God gave Paul a red light. Why?
(1) Because the timing wasn’t right. Apollos had to go there first and lay the groundwork.
(2) Because God needed Paul and Barnabas elsewhere.
(3) Because God wanted them to be more seasoned before embarking on such a major mission.

Note the words, *“They tried to go…but the Spirit…would not let them.”* How reassuring! God loves you so much that He will save you from your own misguided plans.
The Canadian preacher A.B. Simpson said: “Often there’s nothing as godly as inactivity on our part, or nothing as harmful as restless working, for God has promised to work His sovereign will.”

Today God may be saying to you, *“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted [in this situation]”* (Psalm 46:10 NKJV). Please pay attention!

FURTHER READING:* 1 John 1:1 – 3:10, John 7:14-24, Ps 104:19-26, Pro 24:28

THICK DARKNESS

TEXT: Exodus 10:21-23, 14:19-20
The Moses called for all the elders of the Israel, and said up to them, draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the Passover.
And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and deep in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the basin; and none of you shall go put at the door of his house until the morning.
For the lord will pass through the smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two sides posts, the lord will pass over the door , and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.
…………..
And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them.
And it came between the camp of Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not neat the other all the night.

DEFINITION
Darkness is the noun form of the word “dark” which means having little or no light. It can also mean hopeless, sad or cheerless situation. Darkness of the mind means that the point/ matter is not clear to or had disappeared from the mind of the person. Then, the mind can be said to be in darkness.
Thick darkness is the most extreme form of darkness- completely black with no ray of light at all.

CONTEXT
The children of Israel were slaves in Egypt. At a point God ordained Moses as a deliverer and sent him to Pharaoh to proclaim the message of liberty for the Jews. However, pharaoh was stubborn and would not allow them to go. Thick darkness as in Exodus 10:21-23 was one of the ten plagues that God used to afflict the Egyptians.
Also, in Exodus 14:19-20, God used a cloud to separate fleeing Israelites from the pursuing Egyptian army. There was light in the camp of the Israelites, but the darkness in the camp of the Egyptians who sought to recapture them and keep them in bondage. Thus, they could neither fight nor recapture the Israelites.

RELEVANCE
Thick darkness can be used as a spiritual weapon to fight several enemies:
1. Stubborn oppressors: You can invoke or declare the thick darkness of God upon wicked oppressors who are tormenting your life. These may be human or spirit beings who are using evil powers to afflict you or to keep those you love in bondage. Once they are overcome by the darkness, they will not be able to proceed further with their evil schemes.
2. Stubborn pursuers: certain enemies of your soul, from whom you escaped ( e.g. when you received Jesus Christ as your Lord and saviour) could still seek to pursue the torment you. Their aim is to recapture you and continue with their wicked reign in your life. The thick darkness is useful. To separate you from them, as God separated the Egyptians from the Israelites.
3. Familiar spirit love to monitor their victims. The thick darkness of God can be used to blind them so that they can no longer see their victims.
4. You can also invoke the thick darkness of God against all those who use demonic mirrors, telescopes, etc to monitor or remote- control your life or the lives of those you love. That way, they shall not be able to see and to continue their evil works.
5. Thick darkness can be used to attack those who need to move about to do their evil works. These include armed robbers, hired assassins, etc

PRAYER POINTS
1. Father, by your power, I release thick darkness upon every stubborn pursuer of my life in Jesus’ name.
2. Every satanic pharaoh standing against my promise land I cover you with the cloud of thick darkness.
3. I command every Egyptian oppressor running after my life, be covered by the thick darkness of God.
4. Every familiar spirit monitoring my life is covered by thick darkness in Jesus’ name.
5. Every satanic programme against my family is covered by thick darkness in the name of Jesus.
6. I command every stubborn pursuer of my prayer life, to be blindfolded by the thick darkness of God in Jesus’ name.
7. Every demonic mirror monitoring the progress of my marriage is covered by thick darkness in Jesus’ name.
8. I command the thick darkness of God to block the activities of household wickedness monitoring my marriage in Jesus’ name.
9. O! Lord, by your power, I cover every familiar spirit making me to bed – wet with thick darkness in the name of Jesus.
10. Every programme of evil doers against my life, family and business, be covered by thick darkness in Jesus’ name.

12 STEPS TO INTERCESSION, Step 1a

12 STEPS TO INTERCESSION
Step 1a – Be Still
Without a doubt the most difficult step in intercessory prayer is this one – keep silence, be still. Learn this step and you will transform your prayer life. Remember, your mind is like an undisciplined child running constantly and refusing to be dominated. It wants it own way. It is like a wild stallion that does not want to be tamed, bridled or ruled. It wanders wherever it wishes. It clamors for its own way. It speeds ahead to its own agenda. It refuses to be brought under control. But God says it must be bridled. Peter urges us to “gird up the loins of your mind.” (1 Peter 1:13) Paul says, “Bring every thought into the captivity of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5)

A Secret

There is a secret that God reveals to his servants that is hidden from all other men. It is the secret of his presence. He delights to walk and talk with us but he will only do so in the “Secret place of the Most High.” Therefore David exalts the mystery of that secret retreat with God alone where God shadows over his own with his protective presence. Jesus said that the secret place for believers is the “closet of prayer” in Matthew 6:6.  The Greek word translated in KJV is “tameion”  which means a closet, secret or inner chamber, or a storehouse – thus “a closet.” He is very specific about it. “When you have entered into your “tameion” (secret chamber), shut the door…and pray in secret!” God longs to have that romantic secret chamber of interlude with each of us

THE CONSUMING FIRE OF GOD

Text: Hebrews 12:29
For our God is a consuming fire
DEFINITION
Fire can mean a condition of burning, destructive burning to use artificial heat on something with the intention of changing /destroying it.
The word consume is our context means to destroy, to use up or to waste away. Therefore, consuming fire that is destructive burning which uses up destroys wastes away something. When the consuming fire burns, it leaves no remnants; it destroys completely.
CONTEXT
The writer of Hebrews was reminding the readers about the dangers of disobedience. He warned that those who refuse to heed God’s warning cannot escape His judgement. According to him, God will shake heaven and earth; to “separate wheat from chaff”. He therefore warned all to worship God acceptably with reverence and godly fear, for God is a consuming fire. He had used the example of the children of Israel under Moses as an example. They refused to listen to God, and were eventually destroyed.
RELEVANCE
The consuming fire of God can be called down upon:
1. The mixed multitude who pollute the church; These people are not in the church to accept Jesus  or to serve God, but to commit all kinds of abomination; pollute the church, and thus weaken her so that she would not be able to confront the enemy. They can be dealt with, using the consuming fire of God.
2. Demonic agents in the church: some of these demonic agents worship in the church regularly and pretend to be believers. Some are even in strategic positions in the church. On the other hand, some are sent t the church- physically or spiritually, and are not regular members/ worshippers. However, their one-off visit or intermittent visits wreak enough havoc in the church.
3. Disobedient or recalcitrant evil men who will not listen to God’s warning; such people, more often than not, are acting under demonic influence. In fact, some have sold their hearts to the devil, and cannot but execute his mandate. It takes the consuming fire of God to overcome them.
4. All those who defile or desecrate God’s temple and refuse to repent; these may include armed robbers, fraudsters (419 agents), thieves and pick-pockets, harlots, and so on who come to church regularly or who visit the homes of Christians. These people, being evil upon those they come in contact with. Therefore, they should not be tolerated. 
PRAYER POINTS
1. O Lord! By your power, I command the fire of God to consume the entire mixed multitude in the house of God in Jesus’ name.
2. Every demonic agent operating in the church is consumed by the fire of God in Jesus’ name.
3. Let the fire of God consume every stony/ stubborn heart in Jesus’ name.
4. Every spiritual and physical robber operating in the house of God is consumed by the fire of God in Jesus’ name.
5. Let the consuming fire of God consume every witchcraft manipulation in the body of Christ in Jesus’ name.
6. Holy Ghost fire, consume all the enemies of the gospel in Jesus’ name.
7. Thou fire of God, consume every satanic altar raised against Christian homes in Jesus’ name.
8. By the fire of God, I consume every disobedient and recalcitrant evil agent who will not listen to God’s warnings in Jesus’ name.
9. The consuming fire of God exposes and consumes the activities of armed robbers, fraudsters and pock-pockets in the church of God, if they refuse to repent, in Jesus’ name.
10. I command the consuming fire of God to destroy the activities of harlots and their networks in the church of God in Jesus’ name.