📖 *WORD4TODAY* 📖

*Hab 1:5 MSG*
" Look long and hard. Brace yourself for a shock. Something's about to take place and you're going to find it hard to believe.
☝
The last statement i find very intriguing...

👉🏽It strikes one as a statement of CERTAINTY.

"...Something's

#Shouldn't you rather thank God first, than start with Prayer Points?

God frowns at ingratitude.

Make no mistakes, no one makes progress with ingratitude

The passage below is proof that God frowns at it👇🏼

2.
Luke 17:16 MSG
He kneeled at Jesus' feet, so grateful. He couldn't thank him enough - and he was a Samaritan.
Luke 17:17 Jesus said, "Were not 10 healed? Where are d 9?

V17 is the PUNCHLINE.
Yes, to many, d New Year is just like any other day & to others, it's a special time.

3.
Be that as it may, it would be a great deed to start with Thanksgiving and then follow-up with directions for the year.

*Let me tell you what I do daily.

When I wake up each morning, I am deliberate about Thanksgiving. I thank God for at least One Hour without interrupting

4.
the session with Prayer Points. After the One Hour Thanksgiving Session, I can then switch to prayer points etc.

God has never stopped being good, we've just stopped being grateful.

Thanksgiving never cease because, blessings never cease

You must realize that Ingratitude

5.
stinks and It is easily noticed & conspicuous. It makes the one who is behind your smile to withdraw.

It's been God through the years and Apostle Paul wrote in
Acts 26v22a GNB
But to this very day I have been helped by God.

🔰 *WORD4TODAY* 🔰

*Isaiah 51:2b MSG*
... *but once I blessed him, he multiplied.*

This was the Lord talking about Abraham & Sarah.

*Note* -👇🏼
He said, "but once I blessed him, he multiplied".

*This is very profound.* 👇🏼
God's blessing, provokes multiplication.

We see the same sequence in👇🏼
*Matthew 14:19-20 KJV*
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* .

Just 5 loaves and 2 fishes were presented to Jesus to feed over 5k people. He blessed the bread & fish and the rest they say is history.
👇🏼
His blessing upon the

meagre food provoked multiplication and even had leftovers. Wow😱

His blessing provoked the multiplication. *Let that sink in*

👉🏼God bless your home.
👉🏼God bless your business.
👉🏼God bless your ministry.
👉🏼God bless you in your workplace.
👉🏼God bless the ground you walk on.👇🏼

Still on this lateness issue on wedding day.

I recall sometime in 2013 or there about, on my way to Sango-OTa to conduct a wedding slated for 10am, I had left Abeokuta, where I was and still resident at 7am for Sango-Ota which is just about 1hr 30mins drive. At 9.30am,

I was not even near my destination. What I'm I going to do all decked up in an expensive suit, white shirt and a bow tie to match, I asked myself..."I don't arrive late for ministry assignment I said... it's still a guiding rule for me.

Without much ado, I asked my wife to get behind the wheels while I hopped on a bike. To cut the long story short, I got to the church at exactly 9.55am.

I had pastored the intending couple for about 4 years and they very well knew I was a stickler to time, particularly,

"church runs."

During counselling sessions, the intending couple had been reminded over and over again not to come late to the church on their wedding day, but alas, one of them came late. (You guessed right)

I got to the church and met the groom who was at this time on the

talking to his wife angrily.

To cut the long story short, at the strike of 10am, I gave instructions that the service should commence.

We proceeded accordingly and just at the moment I asked, "who brings in the bride?" I saw the bride running in at 10.35am into the church, wow,

🔰WORD4TODAY🔰

Gen 16:13 MSG
She answered God by name, praying to the God who spoke to her, "You're the God who sees me!" "Yes! He saw me; and then I saw Him!"
👇🏼
Circumstances chased her (Hagar)out of her home, chased her out of the place she once felt safe & comfortable.😭
👇🏼

She was now at a place she felt rejected, dejected, abandoned, neglected, humiliated and depressed. No one saw her at this particular time of her life, no one saw her there, yet, God saw her.

📌In her rejection, God saw her.
📌In her dejection, God saw her.

📌In her abandoned state, God saw her.
📌In her neglected state, God saw her.
📌In her humiliated state, God still saw her.
📌In her depressed state too, God saw her.
👇🏼
Hagar was invincible to everyone, but, not God. God saw her.

📍She said, "I have seen the One who sees me"

*Genesis 16:13b MSG*
"You're the God who sees me!" "Yes! He saw me; and then I saw him!"
👇🏼
Many do not " *see* " God at times like these, and if truth be told, these are not easy times to focus. They can be overwhelming if one isn't sensitive.
👇🏼
*Good news today;*

1
You are more than what "men" can see or would ever see..

This is a SHORT EXHORTATION

Let me start with this Mantra from Guinness Nigeria Ltd.

They have this brand of stout, and at the end of the advert, I usually hear these words..."You are made for more..."

2.
Yes, we are all indeed made for more, but, sadly, many never attain unto what God has called them to be, either through spiritual laziness, ignorance, nonchalance etc.

Many have allowed their background keep their "backs" perpetually on the ground. In the beginning,

3.
it was not meant to be so.

You see, You are more than what "men" can see or would ever see. You are even more than what you see. There is always more.

While Pastoring at the RCCG many years ago, I heard these words by the General Overseer, Pst. E.A. Adeboye, over a zillion

4.
times.. "I have not even scratched the surface..".

Each time he reached what we all considered to be a major milestone, he would be quick to tell us, "I have not even started".

I recall the inconceivable idea of gathering over
6m people at lekki '98 Holy Ghost service.

5.
It was crazy at the beginning and many were full of unbelief at the time, but, the rest, they say is history. CNN even confirmed we were over 6m that gathered at lekki.
Fast forward to when the RCCG built the largest camp ground auditorium in the world, measuring 3km by 3km,

🔰WORD4TODAY🔰

1 Samuel 16:6 MSG
When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, "Here he is! God's anointed!"

He was dead-wrong😱
👇🏼
*Eliab* wasn't the one, and neither was *Abinadab* . *Shammah* too looked like the one with the aroma of God's endorsement, but,

prophet Samuel was wrong about all three of them. They were rejected by God.😱
👇🏼
The one with the *aroma* of God's endorsement was not even anywhere near the place a life changing decision was going to be made.
👇🏼
The choice one was *David* . He was the endorsed one.

👉🏼When it

was evident the choice one was not around

*1 Samuel 16:11b MSG*
"...Samuel ordered Jesse, "Go get him. We're not moving from this spot until he's here."

*No-one sat until he came in.* Hmmmm.
👇🏼
A life changing decision is about to be taken concerning you. The kingmakers

will not be comfortable until you show up.
👍🏼
Your life is about to turnaround for good.
🙏🏼
Anywhere you are today, an order to get you in position and in place will be issued.
👇🏼
You are the choice one. The one on whom the aroma of God's endorsement is evident. There is a throne

Jesus, this is above your "Pay grade"

Luke 8:49b KJV
"...Thy daughter is dead; trouble not the Master."

I wouldn't blame them for this piece of advice to those who were troubling the Master. Afterall, it was obvious to all, the child was dead

1. They probably didn't really

""KNOW" Jesus.
2. They probably knew or heard He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, healed one or two crippled folks, and the best they probably heard of Jesus was that, when He showed up at Peter's workplace, He did what could be termed as an exceptional miracle. Well,

Elijah did similar stuffs anyways, they said.
3. The knew Jesus to be a gentle and easy going and probably did not show any sign of someone that could raise the dead, someone in the semblance of Elijah who called down fire or Elisha who was a bit temperamental and performed some

very powerful miracles.
4. Jesus? Oh pleaseeeeee. Raising a child is above His "pay grade" He doesn't have the pedigree or looks, they said.

Nkw, imagine Jesus coming in and making them look stupid by saying in V52

Luke 8:52 MSG
Everyone was crying and carrying on over her.

Jesus said, "Don't cry. She didn't die; she's sleeping."

Like seriously?
Jesus, You must really have some nerve coming in here and telling us we dint know the difference between a chil sleeping & a child that is stone cold dead.

Luke 8:53 MSG
They laughed at him. They knew she

As a business man or woman, You need people who have the ears of the great and mighty in our midst.

People who are strategically positioned to put in a word or two on your behalf

It's time to pray for such people to come into our lives and business.

Daniel 1:3 KJV
And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of d children of Israel, and of the king's seed, and of the princes;

An unpopular name in d bible.(ASHPENAZ)

Mentioned just once.

He was a master servant In d king's palace

ASHPENAZ represents men that are strategically positioned.

1. ASHPENAZ was a eunuch and a scout too
2. He had access to the corridors of power.
3. He had the king's ears.
4. His job was to identify talents, groom talents and then, open doors for them.
5. If you found favour in

the eyes of Ashpenaz, you were almost 100% certain, you will find favour before the king.

Ashpenazs' are major players.

Gifts and callings aren't enough, you need an ASHPENAZ.

You need people who have the ears of d great & mighty in our midst.

One man or woman can come into

#With God, you have nothing to lose

You see, when it's God's war, the battle strategies always look ridiculous. Seasoned Generals would argue against it. They will point out the foolhardiness of applying the strategy.

"This is ridiculous. Are you insane?

This is war and not child's play"

Many onlookers would murmur the same sentiments.

When it's God's war, you cannot comprehend it. The only thing you can possibly predict, is the outcome.

2 Chronicles 20:15b MSG
This is God's war, not yours,

God said to king Jehoshaphat when three kings united against him. All the king needed to do, was get the worshippers ahead of the soldiers and all, in one accord begin to praise and thank God.

That was it.
A battle strategy indeed. They dint have to lift a finger. God laid

ambushment against the three kings.

2 Chronicles 20:17 MSG
You won't have to lift a hand in this battle;

When the Israelites were delivered from Egypt and the shackles of slavery, they were caught between pharaoh's merciless army & the mighty redsea.

They dint have to lift a finger. God said, "Stand still, and see me in action. The rest they say, is history.

When God briefed Joshua on how to penetrate the fortress of Jericho, without a doubt, I believe Joshua must have said to God, "can You please repeat what You just said?

🔰WORD4TODAY🔰
Penninah was said to have mocked Hannah on a consistent basis.

👉🏼Penninah mocked her because she was childless.
👉🏼She mocked her because she was unfruitful.
1Samuel 1:6 NLT
So Peninnah wld taunt Hannah & make fun of her b/c d lord had kept her from having children

👇🏼
Penninah wasn't as prayerful as Hannah, yet, she was fruitful.

👉🏼She wasn't as spiritual as Hannah, yet, she was fruitful.

👉🏼She made fun of Hannah, because, she was "ahead".
👉🏼She made fun of her because, she had the "advantage."

👇🏼
Maybe, there are things u ought to have achieved, but, they are looking impossible to achieve.

👉🏼Maybe, there are things that u ought to have attained unto & u are even light years away even right now.
👇🏼
This situation has made u a laughing stock amongst friends & neighbors.

👇🏼
You have nothing to show for all your regular church attendance, all your prayer meetings, all your tithing, all your offerings.
👇🏼
It's beginning to eat you up internally.😭
👇🏼
Just as Hannah was grieving and praying with tears dripping down her eyes during another church

service, the Bible said;
*1Sam 1v19b KJV*
...& d Lord remembered her.
👇🏼
Yes, the Lord *REMEMBERED her, & the rest, they say is history.
👇🏼
This week, the Lord will glorify u in d presence of your mockers.💃🏼

1Sam 2:1B NLT
...Now I have an answer for my enemies