Saturday, 9 April 2016

Eli's Home

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1 Samuel 1: 1-3 (NKJV)
1 Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim Zophim, of the mountains of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. And he had two wives: the name of one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. This man went up from his city yearly to worship and sacrifice to the Lord of hosts in Shiloh. Also the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the Lord, were there.

1 Samuel 2:12-17 (NKJV)

12 Now the sons of Eli were corrupt; they did not know the Lord. 17 Therefore the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord, for men abhorred the offering of the Lord.

(Amp)
12 The sons of Eli were base and worthless; they did not know or regard the Lord. 17 So the sin of the [two] young men was very great before the Lord, for they despised the offering of the Lord.


1 Samuel 2:22-25, 27-35

22 Now Eli was very old; and he heard everything his sons did to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. 23 So he said to them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all the people. 24 No, my sons! For it is not a good report that I hear. You make the Lord’s people transgress. 25 If one man sins against another, God will judge him. But if a man sins against the Lord, who will intercede for him?” Nevertheless they did not heed the voice of their father, because the Lord desired to kill them.27 Then a man of God came to Eli and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Did I not clearly reveal Myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh’s house? 28 Did I not choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be My priest, to offer upon My altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod before Me? And did I not give to the house of your father all the offerings of the children of Israel made by fire? 29 Why do you kick at My sacrifice and My offering which I have commanded in My dwelling place, and honor your sons more than Me, to make yourselves fat with the best of all the offerings of Israel My people?’ 30 Therefore the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I said indeed that your house and the house of your father would walk before Me forever.’ But now the Lord says: ‘Far be it from Me; for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed. 31 Behold, the days are coming that I will cut off your arm and the arm of your father’s house, so that there will not be an old man in your house. 32 And you will see an enemy in My dwelling place, despite all the good which God does for Israel. And there shall not be an old man in your house forever. 33 But any of your men whom I do not cut off from My altar shall consume your eyes and grieve your heart. And all the descendants of your house shall die in the flower of their age. 34 Now this shall be a sign to you that will come upon your two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas: in one day they shall die, both of them. 35 Then I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who shall do according to what is in My heart and in My mind. I will build him a sure house, and he shall walk before My anointed forever.

1Samuel 3:11-14

11 Then the Lord said to Samuel: “Behold, I will do something in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. 12 In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 13 For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knows, because his sons made themselves vile, and he did not restrain them. 14 And therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.”

1 Samuel 4:10-11, 16-18

10 So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and every man fled to his tent. There was a very great slaughter, and there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers. 11 Also the ark of God was captured; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died. 16 Then the man said to Eli, “I am he who came from the battle. And I fled today from the battle line.”
And he said, “What happened, my son?”17 So the messenger answered and said, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has been a great slaughter among the people. Also your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead; and the ark of God has been captured.” 18 Then it happened, when he made mention of the ark of God, that Eli fell off the seat backward by the side of the gate; and his neck was broken and he died, for the man was old and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years.

 Genesis 2:18 (Amp)

18 Now the Lord God said, It is not good (sufficient, satisfactory) that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper (suitable, adapted, complementary) for him.

Prayer

Ø  Lord, help me to be the helper (help meet) You have graciously made me to be to my husband.
Ø  Lord, help me to live a life that measures up to the standard of the helper that you have set for me. (Ephesians 4:1)
Ø  Help me to take my role/assignment very seriously. Help me to be committed totally to this.
Ø  Lord, let it be Christ inside of me responding to every help my husband needs so that he can fulfil your mandate for his life.
Ø  Lord, help me not to be missing at my duty post.
Ø  Lord, grant my husband wisdom required to carry out/manage all his responsibilities appropriately. May he not be found lacking in any area.
Ø  Grant my husband a heart that loves You sincerely and follows You; a heart that is obedient and honours You in all things.
Ø  Help him not to trivialise Your Word when it comes to him. Help him to arise and do that which is needful immediately, no matter how difficult it may be.
Ø  Help him not to fail You. Cause him to walk in the footsteps of Jesus. Just as Jesus sought direction from the Father every moment, help him to seek direction from You likewise.
Ø  Lord, please grant each of our children a heart that are receptive to Your Word no matter the age. Give them understanding; give them a heart that fears, loves and follows You.
Ø  Lord Jesus, cause them to encounter the cross and its message no matter what age.
Ø  Give our children a revelation of You. Give them eyes to see You and ears to hear You and a heart that is totally obedient and committed to You.
Ø  You are the wise master builder. Help me, my husband and children co-operate with You in the building of our home. Help us to build according to Your pattern and laid down principles.

Saturday, 2 April 2016

Labouring in Obedience

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The Lord has been particular about the issue of obedience as we have been praying recently; we need to settle this matter; that God will help us to deal decisively with the issue of obedience as Calvary believers.

King Saul – 1 Samuel 15
Balaam - Numbers 22
Young prophet – 1 Kings 13
King Solomon – I Kings 11
Ananias and Sapphira – Acts 5

When we disobey, and then repent, God is merciful and forgives. But often, the consequences are damaging – the example of Abraham (Ishmael); David. God will help us examine our lives sincerely so that we can labour profitably and not in vain for the home front.

Romans 5:19 (TLB)Adam caused many to be sinners because he disobeyed God, and Christ caused many to be made acceptable to God because he obeyed”.

18 – 19 (MSG)“Here it is in a nutshell: Just as one person did it wrong and got us in all this trouble with sin and death, another person did it right and got us out of it. But more than just getting us out of trouble, he got us into life! One man said no to God and put many people in the wrong; one man said yes to God and put many in the right”.

God doesn’t want our lives to continue to contradict Him – it is time to arise in total obedience to the issues; specific issues He is raising. God is deliberate about this, as this is the only kind of life that will labour, execute properly, His kingdom in the lives of people in the earth, in our homes. (Example of Hannah, Jochebed, Elizabeth, Apostle Paul).

Are we still “touching” things that the Lord is asking us to drop? Are we still quietly compromising? Are we still set in our way in some issues (rather than His), quarrelsome, malicious, impatient, idle chatter, gossip, are we still carrying any ID of this world system? We must be sincere before Him.

Every single one of us is a product of a home, even part of a home or running a home. A human being takes off in life from the confines of a home. Now, as Calvary believers, God will help us begin to see all of this from His eyes and His purpose.

What is the status of my home? As Calvary believers in a home, how is Christ inside of me doing, manifesting? Am I conscious that my obedience, whether partial or total will have consequences in my home?

We all have responsibilities as Calvary believers – male, female, young and old. These responsibilities are not dependent on how conducive our homes, ours is to obey.

John 14: 15
(NLT) - “If you love me, obey my commandments”.
AMP – “If you [really] love Me, you will keep and obey My commandments”.

Prayers
Ø Thank You Father, that it is mercy that You are impressing it deliberately in our hearts again and again, this issue of total obedience. Thank You that You are desiring that we be totally conformed to the image of Jesus. Thank You for not giving up on us.

Ø Lord, help us to respond quickly to You. Let this issue of obedience not become a snare for us or a hindrance to what You want to do in our homes; give us courage to deal decisively with total evacuation, total surrender; not just in the place of prayer, or even when we come together to pray on the platform. Lord, give us no rest until this matter is settled. Then give us the grace to continue in this without looking back.

Ø Lord, let “Calvary believer” not become mere words/phrase to us, let it not be a mere tag or identity, let it become reality. Lord, let the knowledge of the death and resurrection of Jesus be real in our daily living.

Ø Lord, help us not to be carried away by the “dispensation of grace”, and use that as avenue to be inconsistent, put a fear of the consequences of disobedience in our hearts o God! Like Job, he hated iniquity; he was focused on integrity, even interceded on behalf of his children just in case they erred! Lord, put a perfect hatred for disobedience in our hearts.