GLEANINGS FROM OBTAINING STRENGTH FOR PRODUCTIVE LIVING: AND THE OIL STAYED

“And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. AND THE OIL STAYED.” 2 Kings 4:6 (KJV) [Emphasis mine]

There is a need for us to know that we stand to lose nothing by giving (to others), and/or by interceding (for others).

This widow held on to the pot of oil in her hands, and kept pouring out into each vessel as brought to her by her sons. She was determined to fill all available empty vessels; the ones that would not be filled, were the ones that were not present in her room.

Do you know also that the divine provision of God in Christ Jesus is inexhaustible, for all that will come to Him? No matter how much empty vessels you bring to Him, He will fill them all: of His fullness have we all received, grace for grace! He filleth all things with His fullness.

When all the vessels were full, the widow asked for more, but her son told her no more vessel. The Bible says “and the oil stayed”. Could this statement mean the oil ceased or the oil dried?

If the oil ceased or dried, then her request for more vessel would not have been correct, in the first place. She requested for more vessel because the pot of oil in her hand was still full and was ready to give out oil!

There is something about a life that is connected to Christ; though the life may look small or insignificant, yet he fills all without losing anything!

As this pot was, at the beginning of the pouring exercise, so it was, at the end of it. The pot poured out so much oil, but never got emptied of its content! Are you tired or exhausted? It could be a sign of disconnect from Jesus!

You can give out so much grace, anointing, love, energy and so on, without becoming exhausted. You can give out so much gifts and yet not becoming gift-less.

What is the secret? Secret is to be a channel and not a tank. All nations of the world would not be able to exhaust what you convey, if you don’t contain it. As long as God is the Source, to Whom you are connected, then you are inexhaustible!

The sun retains its temperature over the years because of its connection to God If not, it would have cooled down.

Why are you afraid of ‘repercussion’ of generosity, if you are connected to the Word that created all things? You can exhaust a tank or a reservoir, but not a pipe that is connected to an ocean- the Word of God. Oil, grace, resources and other good things of life will run through you endlessly!

Pray that:

1. You will be connected to the everlasting Source.

2. You will no longer run on your own strength.

3. The LORD will increase your capacity and enlarge your area of influence.

4. Nothing will overwhelm you again.

5. You may obtain strength for productive living.

Shalom!

In HIS grip,
Segun Ariyo.

GLEANINGS FROM OBTAINING STRENGTH FOR PRODUCTIVE LIVING

“Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few.

And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.

So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out.

And it came to pass, WHNE THE VESSELS WERE FULL, that she said unto her son, BRING ME YET A VESSEL. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.” 2 Kings 4:3-6 (KJV) [Emphasis mine]

Success is sweet!

The excitement with which the widow asked for more vessel, betrayed the fact that she was enjoying what she was doing! Even though she had poured into all the available vessels, she was still eager and willing to pour out more; there was no sign of tiredness in her at all!

Who will ever get tired of getting good results? Nothing tires or discourages the heart like getting no result? No one will be excited to keep pouring water into a basket, even if there is an ocean to fetch from! Prayer becomes boring and uninteresting, when it is not met with results!

God declares:

“For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:

SO SHALL MY WORD BE THAT GOETH FORTH OUT OF MY MOUTH: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” Isaiah 55:10-11 (KJV)

Who will not be looking for issues to pray about, if each prayer offered is answered? God is not tired of speaking His Word because, as it is certain that when rain comes upon the earth from heaven, it would not return to heaven without watering the ground, causing the earth to bring forth and bud, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so is every Word that goes out of the mouth of God!

Every Word spoken by God is meant to accomplish that which pleases God and prosper anywhere God sends it! Rain is not discouraged from falling from (a very distant) heaven because of the results that follow its falling! Methinks, no one will be discouraged to keep pouring (in prayer) if we see results of our pouring out.

If the Word of God prospers in the thing whereto God sent it, then it means every word that comes out of our mouth in prayer, could also count! Don’t you think that prayer will be more exciting if we see answers to our prayers?

Will it be out of place for us to ask that our tongue be circumcised with authority, so that what we say in prayer comes to pass?

But what circumcision did the widow has or what could be the secret of her instant result?

“For verily I say unto you, That WHOSOEVER SHALL SAY unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; AND SHALL NOT DOUBT IN HIS HEART, BUT SHALL BELIEVE THAT THOSE THINGS WHICH HE SAITH SHALL COME TO PASS; HE SHALL HAVE WHATSOEVER HE SAITH.

Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” Mark 11:23-24 (KJV) [Emphasis mine]

Whosoever shall SAY…What does it cost to say? Just say (speak)! Those who cannot pray, at least, can say (speak)! Do you say (in prayer), and yet get nothing?

Jesus said those who get result, are those who will not doubt what they say in their hearts! That widow had results because she did not doubt what she was doing in her heart. God accomplishes so much by His Word because He does not doubt His Word in His heart! It is one thing to believe the Word of God, it is another thing to believe your own word (as said in the place of prayer)! Jesus taught us to believe both the Word of God and our words, too, especially, when we utNot doubting (our words) is not enough, we must also believe that what we say will come to pass. It is only when we believe that what we say (in prayer) shall come to pass, that we (can) have, that is possess or receive WHATSOEVER we (have) said!

WHOSOEVER (anybody) can have WHATSOEVER (anything)!

Just desire, pray, believe (that you receive), and have it!

Pray:

1. That doubt be separated finally from your heart.

2. Unbelief will no longer be part of your configuration.

3. That God will increase your faith to believe what you say from today.

Can you make some declarations over your life, (family, ministry, career, education), the Church and Nigeria?

Shalom!

GLEANINGS FROM OBTAINING STRENGTH FOR PRODUCTIVE LIVING

“Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few.
And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.
So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; AND SHE POURED OUT.
And it came to pass, WHEN THE VESSELS WERE FULL, SHE SAID UNTO HER SON, BRING ME YET A VESSEL. And he said unto her, THERE IS NOT A VESSEL MORE. And the oil stayed.” 2 Kings 4:3-6 (KJV) [Emphasis mine]

We cannot over-emphasise the promptness of this widow in carrying out the instruction of Elisha, the man of God. She moved so fast, to go and borrow the empty vessels, as commanded by the man of God, so much so that her speed was too much for the camera of the Bible to capture! We suddenly saw her in her room already pouring the unhurt oil into the empty vessels she had collected from her neighbours.

Thank God this widow had good relationship with her neighbours, despite the death of her husband! It is needless to have good relationship with your pastor, without you having such with your neighbours. The man of God may not give you all that you need, part of what you need may be in the hands of your neighbours; be good to them. If you are good in the church, then be good also at home and in the neighbourhood!

However, there are two major issues of concern in the passage above, which we need to attend to, in our prayer. The first one shall be dealt with here and now, while the second one shall come later:

THE NEED TO INTERCEED FOR OTHERS:

Those who do not know how to recognise ’empty vessels’ in others, and pour out into such ’empty vessels’, (in secret), are not qualified to display oil-filled vessels in the public!

If you check well, you will see lives that need the pouring of your gifts, kindness, prayers etc! Check around you, you will see many “empty vessels” that you can engage and pour your prayers into! Don’t say you also need something, everybody does! The widow in question also needed something, but the way to get out of her quagmire was to pour out, first!

Why don’t you pour what is in your hand into the available ’empty vessels’, and see what will happen? Those ’empty vessels’ were not ingrates; they gave back to the woman, as much as she poured out into them! In fact, they emptied themselves for the one who poured her fulness into their emptiness! They did not forget when they were empty; therefore, they were more than willing to be empty again, because of the generosity of this widow towards them! Try it!

Truth is, the solution you are looking for could be in the hand of the person you refused to intercede/pray for! All what s/he is waiting for, is for you to configure him with your prayer, and he will be in the right position to give you what you are looking for.

Please note that the widow did not put few drops of oil into the vessels; she poured out! Interceding for others will not bring true solution if it is done half-heartedly, with no passion. Pray as if everything depends on your intercession.

It is challenging that we prefer to gossip (passionately) about the obvious issues/needs in the lives of our neighbours, to praying about/for them. Can we go back to bearing ourselves up in prayer, as brethren?

We found intercession as the strength of the believers in those days. Mobilise yourself to pray for that brother/sister/family, and see how your own needs would be met, even through it. Not praying for others is spraying your path with stagnation!

Pray:

1. That God will make you see the need in others, more than you see your need.

2. That God should spur your heart to truly intercede for others, as if your case is no more important.

3. That God will restore the grace of intercession in us, so that we can pray for one another, until there will be no more ’empty vessels’ around us.

4. That the vessels that are filled (with our oil) will not become ingrates, after being filled!

5. That the filled-vessels will also be willing to pour out and pour back to you. (No one wants to labour in vain)

6. That you will obtain strength to do this sincerely, for this is strength for productive living!

Do you notice the excitement with which the widow asked for more vessel? That will form the second part of this gleaning, which should hit your device, by the grace of God, tomorrow.

Shalom!

WHENCE COMEST THOU?

“Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, AND SATAN CAME ALSO AMONG THEM.

And the LORD said unto Satan, WHENCE COMEST THOU? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.” Job 1:6,7 (KJV) [Emphasis mine]

Not everyone who appears in the house of God is godly, and not everyone who appears to be close to
God, takes his/her descent from God. The fact that you are a regular comer to the house or Presence of God, does not make you a godly person, and does not mean you will be affected by God, such that you will change from you evil ways! The Word of God affects and prospers in those who are born by God! No matter how many years your dog lives with you, it will not make him to behave like a human being!

WHY Satan came to the Presence of God, did not bother God like WHERE HE CAME FROM! God worries more about your SOURCE, not your resource! God did not ask for what the devil came to do, for what he came to do was the least of God’s headache!

What could be the reason for your coming to the house of God? God is still not worried even if you have come for a selfish reason, but it becomes worrisome when He notices that He is not your Source. He is worried when He sees that you are not His son/daughter!

Elisa asked Gehazi this same question, when he returned from the evil gift he went to collect from Naaman, the leper!

“But he went in, and stood before his master. And Elisha said unto him, WHENCE COMES THOU, GEHAZI? And he said, Thy servant went no whither.” 2 Kings 5:25 (KJV) [Emphasis mine]

Where are you coming from, brother/sister?

David had to ask this same question from the young man, who came to break the news of Saul’s demise, to him, because he could not come to terms with how a well-brought up Israelite will stretch forth his hand against the LORD’S anointed:

“And David said unto the young man that told him, WHENCE ART THOU? And he answered, I am the son of a stranger, an Amalekite.” 2 Samuel 1:13 (KJV) [Emphasis mine]

David was not disappointed when the man told him that he was a son of a stranger! It takes the son of a stranger to do such a strange thing. When you do what are strange to God and His nature, then you are without doubt, a son/daughter of a stranger!

This Amalekite was a soldier in the army of Israel, yet a stranger! It means that anybody can a soldier, fighting, as it were, on the side of God, and yet be a son/daughter of a stranger! You can be a pastor and be a son of a stranger! Occupying a lofty position in an important place in the Church or in the society does not mean you are not a son/daughter of a stranger.

Unfortunately, the military skill of this young man became nothing to David because of the traits of a stranger found in him; David ordered his immediate execution! Your eloquence, wealth, influence and what have you, will not matter to God, if your birth is wrong!

Where are you from?!

Shalom!

in HIS grip,

Segun Ariyo.

AFLAME 2018 LOADING…

AFLAME 2018 BURDEN

BURDEN FOR AFLAME DISCIPLESHIP RETREAT 2018

Beloved,

Last year, the LORD gathered us and discussed the issue of atonement with us, with the theme “Atoned”. From the Word of God, we were made to understand the unbridled access we have to God’s unending mercies, by what Christ did on the cross for us. We hope you still believe that your sins have been atoned for, on the cross? However, it is becoming worrisome that many Christians do not have faith in the Word of Truth again and, this, we perceive, is the concern of God for this year’s Aflame.

Happenings, like the recognition of Jerusalem as the eternal and indivisible capital of Israel, by the United States (US), just at the expiration of 70 years in which the United Nations (UN) recognised and confirmed Israel as a sovereign state, is a confirmation of the accuracy of God’s Word, as spoken by Jeremiah (Jer. 25:11-12; 29:10) and echoed by Daniel (Daniel 9:2).

The way these old Bible prophesies are coming to pass, in recent times, with dashing accuracy and precision, is a proof that the Word of God is ever true, and this should help us to trust the Word more. However, it is disturbing and saddening that contrary to this expectation, many Christians, and preachers alike, still do not think the Word of God should be trusted with their lives and situations; therefore, they look for alternatives. Some of the reasons for these setbacks include, but are not limited to, long-waiting for God’s promises or thinking that a document (the Bible) that was put together many centuries ago, cannot be relevant in a digital age, like ours! How great it will be if you know that the Word of God is timeless and ageless; it has no manufactured date, therefore does not have an expiry date. And since it was not manufactured, it is certain that it cannot malfunction!

When Nehemiah started the construction of the wall of Jerusalem, Tobiah despised it and said:

“…Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall even break their stone wall.” Nehemiah 4:3 (KJV)

However, when the wall was eventually finished and dedicated, as if to prove the strength, the capacity and the integrity of the wall against the words of Tobiah, Nehemiah said:

“Then I BROUGHT UP THE PRINCES OF JUDAH THE WALL, and appointed two great companies of them that gave thanks, whereof one went on the right hand upon the wall toward the dung gate:

And the other company of them that gave thanks went over against them, AND I AFTER THEM, AND HALF OF THE PEOPLE UPON THE WALL, from beyond the tower of the furnaces even unto the broad wall;” Nehemiah 12:31,38 (KJV) [Emphasis ours]

How come that the wall, which Tobiah said cannot bear the weight of a fox, was able to bear the weight of all the princes of Judah, those who were singing and dancing, half of the people who came to Jerusalem for the dedication and Nehemiah himself? Do you think you should listen to those who are saying God’s Word is not reliable enough for you, your family and career, to trust? You need to know the certainty of this Word of Truth!

When Rabshakeh, in the name of Sennacherib, thundered these words:

“But if ye say unto me, We trust in the LORD our God: is not that he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and hath said to Judah and Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before THIS ALTAR in Jerusalem?” 2 Kings 18:22 (KJV) [Emphasis ours]

It was to mean that Hezekiah made a grievous mistake by removing all the strange altars in Israel, leaving just one- “this altar”, for all the people of Israel to sacrifice to God. Rabshakeh felt “this altar” will not be enough to save Israel from the hand of Sennacherib. How wrong! God sent one angel to his camp in one night, and 185,000 soldiers laid dead by the following morning (2 Kings 19:35)! You think Jesus (His name, covenant and blood), is not enough for you? Think again!

The Ark of Noah did not need more than one window, to give ventilation to all the precious lives in the Ark (Gen. 6:16). By that single window, Noah had all the information he needed while he was in the Ark!

The Bible says:

“That I might make thee know THE CERTAINTY OF THE WORDS OF TRUTH; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee?” Proverbs 22:21 (KJV) [Emphasis ours]

Since it is the responsibility of God (by His Spirit), to make us know the certainty of the Word of Truth, He has thus bid us to invite you to this year’s Aflame Discipleship Retreat 2018.

Theme: “The Certainty of the Word of Truth”.

Venue: Kwara Baptist Conference, Ganmo, Ilorin.

Date: Thursday 5th to Sunday 8th July, 2018.

Kick off time: 7:30 p.m. (5th July, 2018.)

Enquiries: 0803-584-3638

Registration, accommodation and feeding shall be free, as the LORD, your Host, shall provide.

Shalom!

In HIS grip,

SEGUN ARIYO,

For the Labouring Team.

WAITING, NOT WASTING

“IN THE THIRD YEAR OF HIS REIGN, he made a feast unto all his princes and his servants; the power of Persia and Media, the nobles and princes of the provinces, being before him:” Esther 1:3 (KJV) [Emphasis mine]

The king was three years on the throne, when he had the feast that led to the dismissal of Vashti. Few weeks/months after this event, the king missed his divorced wife greatly, and a beauty contest was thus organised to choose another queen. Many virgins gathered from various places and were brought into the hand of Hegai, the king’s chamberlain in charge of the women. The Bible says:

“NOW WHEN EVERY MAID’S TURN WAS TO COME TO GO IN TO THE KING AHASUERUS, after that she had been twelve months, according to the manner of the women, (for so were the days of their purifications accomplished, to wit, six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with sweet odours, and with other things for the purifying of the women;)” Esther 2:12 (KJV) [Emphasis mine]

It means each maid must spend twelve months, at least, in the hands of the beautician called Hegai, before she could meet the king for a night.

“Then thus came every maiden unto the king; whatsoever she desired was given her to go with her out of the house of the women unto the king’s house.

In the evening she went, and on the morrow she returned into the second house of the women, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s chamberlain, which kept the concubines: she came in unto the king no more, except the king delighted in her, and that she were called by name.

NOW WHEN THE TURN OF ESTHER, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for his daughter, WAS COME TO GO IN UNTO THE KING, she required nothing but what Hegai the king’s chamberlain, the keeper of the women, appointed…”

“So Esther was taken unto king Ahasuerus into his house royal IN THE TENTH MONTH, which is the month Tebeth, IN THE SEVENTH YEAR OF HIS REIGN.” Est. 2:13-16 [Emphasis mine]

It did not come to Esther’s turn until the seventh year of the reign of king Ahasuerus. The implication of this is that, Esther spent three extra years, after the expiration of the mandatory one year treatment, before she could meet the king for a night. It was a long nerve-shattering and hope-dimming waiting! But Esther held on! She did not falter. Her hope remained bright for those years!

However, those three extra years of waiting, exposed her to extra lessons from Hegai, that won her the crown!

Though the other maidens, whose turn came immediately after their mandatory one year purification exercise, were also prepared by the same Hegai, but the difference is that they were not as fully prepared for the king, as Esther was! Do you think you are wasting away by waiting for your turn to come? NO!!! However, learn all the lessons you need to learn while you are waiting!

Remember that there was none of those who went ahead of Esther that got the crown! Nobody can take your place! Relax!

Shalom!

In HIS grip,
Segun Ariyo.