2 Peter 1:3-6
“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;”
INSIGHT
–Many are the desires in a man’s hearts but it is God’s purpose that prevails (Proverbs 19:21). Often times do we desire certain things; or to move from one level to the next, which is a normal occurrence to all. Sometimes such dreams and desires are fulfilled instantaneously and other times they take longer. We are reminded to be still and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10). As we wait on God’s divine promises we are called to put on faith, which is confidence in what we hope for and assurance of what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1). Abraham had faith and it was accounted for him to righteousness. Like Abraham who submitted his desires to God and walked in obedience. God reminds us to have total faith in Him for He has given us all that we need to live a godly life through the power of the Holy Spirit working in us who believe. Therefore, we are called to add to faith goodness; to goodness knowledge; to knowledge self control; to self control perseverance; to perseverance godliness. Through this we live a godly life and escape the corruption of the world caused by evil desires. We are then transformed by the renewal of our minds and walk in His good, pleasing and perfect will.
PRAYER
Dear Heavenly Father, we come before Your presence with thanksgiving and praise in our hearts. Truly You have been our guide and our help in times of need. You have never left us Lord, we praise Your holy name. Thank You Abba Father for giving us Your Holy Spirit to help us. With You precious Holy Spirit in our lives, we have everything that we need. May You increase our faith and help us to partake of all Your divine promises. Teach us to be still and know that You are God; for You are exalted among the nations and on the earth. May Your love overwhelm us that we may walk by faith and not by sight. May You fill us with Your goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance and hope as we wait on You everyday. All that we have done, said or thought that is unpleasant before You; we humbly ask for Your forgiveness and guidance precious Holy Spirit. We cast all our burdens and cares unto You for You love us and care for us. May You heal our hearts and transform us. May You heal our economy and businesses dear Jesus. May You provide for us new opportunities and graces that only bring glory to Your name. May You bless the work of our hands and increase us. May You heal those who are unwell among us and provide for the needy dear Jesus. Thank You Lord for You are great and for hearing us. We trust that You will do all things according to Your will, and fulfill our hearts desires. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and forever more. Amen
Further reading: Romans 12:1-2, Ephesians 4:1
1 Timothy 6:17-19
“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”
INSIGHT
-Apostle Paul in this chapter explains that the love of money is the root of all evil, but godliness and contentment is great gain. Further that, since we brought nothing to this world and we can take nothing out of it, we should flee from all such evil schemes and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness (1 Timothy 6:11). Money has a way of causing pride in the hearts of men, with the deceptive thought that one can buy everything and do anything out of their power. The rich are therefore commanded to put their trust in God and not in wealth and money which is fleeting. God also commands that we should give to the poor and do good deeds so that we may store up our treasures in heaven where no moth nor rust can destroy, and thieves cannot break in and steal. The parable of the rich man and Lazarus reminds us that we should care for the needy and share our resources with others, which is a means of eternity. We are reminded that it is God who gives us everything we need and for enjoyment, we should be willing to give our time, resources and offer our gifts to those who need them most, and by this we do it unto God, who gives us the gift of eternal life.
PRAYER
Oh Lord our God, how excellent is Your name in all the earth. You are exulted above all creation in the heavens and the earth. You are our Creator and Provider, we put all our trust in You. Thank You for loving us and for choosing us. Thank You for giving us the gift of salvation. May Your renew our minds that we see You and seek You faithfully. Teach us Father to do Your will always. Give us hearts of compassion that we may always do good and give to the poor and needy in the society. Help us Holy Spirit to focus more on the purposes for which You have created us and brought us to this earth. Teach us to look to You for all our needs and not to our wealth which is uncertain. May You forgive us for every time we have looked at money as a source of salvation and not to You Lord our Savior. May You teach us Jesus to do Your holy will. May You deliver us from pride and arrogance and give us patient and humble hearts. May You bless all the candidates who are undertaking their exams and grant them knowledge, wisdom and understanding, that they may excel in all their exams. You are our Faithful God and Father. May You provide for all our needs and hearts desires according to everlasting mercy and grace. We praise You and exult Your holy name Jesus, now and forever. Amen
Further reading: Luke 16:19-31, Matthew 25:31-46
Ephesians 1:3-5
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—”
INSIGHT
-Spiritual blessings should be separated from spiritual gifts. Spiritual gifts as outlined in 1 Corinthians 12:8-11, are gift of faith, healing, working in miracles, healing, speaking in different kinds of tongues, interpretation of tongues, word of wisdom, word of knowledge and discernment of spirits. Spiritual blessings on the other hand are the promises that we inherited in Christ by the redemption of the purchased possession through believing in the gospel of salvation having been sealed with the Holy Spirit. He predestined us to become His children and posses every spiritual blessings that we need, by the inheritance of eternity in accordance to His good pleasures.
PRAYER
You are worthy to be praised and adored Abba Father receive all the praise. We count our blessings and name them one by one, thank You Jesus for Your love, provision, sustenance, protection, guidance, healing, deliverance and the gift of salvation. We count our blessings and name them one by one. Thank You for blessing us with every spiritual blessing and making us heirs to Your kingdom. How awesome is Your name in all the heavens and the earth. We thank You Jesus for loving us and for blessing us. We exult Your name for You have always been good to us. How awesome is Your name in all the heavens and the earth. How powerful is Your name oh Lord our God. May You bind us together in our families with codes of love that cannot be broken. May You hide our stars and those of our children within Yourself dear Jesus that we may fulfill Your purposes hear on the earth as it is in heaven. You are holy Lord and worthy to be praised and adored, we worship You and give You praise now and forever. Amen
Further reading: Romans 8:15-17
1 Chronicles 29:13-14
“Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name. “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.”
INSIGHT
–The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world and all who live in it (Psalms 24:1). The Lord is superior over all and everything belongs to Him. Some may claim to be self-made millionaires and billionaires, or claim to be the best in sports, athletics, or any other field and profession by their own power. We find king Nebuchadnezzar who exulted himself saying, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?” (Daniel 4:30). He was immediately dethroned and driven away from people, and ate grass like the ox. His body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird. At the end of that time, Nebuchadnezzar raised his eyes toward heaven, and his sanity was restored. He praised God the Most High and honored him. Deuteronomy 8:17-18 reminds us that, you may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.” We are called to acknowledge God’s Sovereignty as the Source and Creator of all, and submit to His divine essence in creating everything and everyone that exists. We are reminded that God owns everything and gives us the ability to produce and make wealth.
PRAYER
The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for He founded it on the seas and established it on the waters. Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? We sing a new song to You Lord, for You have done marvelous things. We proclaim Your benefits and praise You Oh Lord our God. Your dominion is an eternal dominion and Your kingdom endures from generation to generation, how great are You in all the heavens and the earth. We come to You in humble adoration asking You to forgive us for the times we have harbored pride in our hearts. We acknowledge that only You are God and everything belongs to You. We surrender our lives and all that we have unto You, may Your will be done in our lives dear Jesus. May You bless the work of our hands and make us fruitful. May You bless our businesses and careers. May You enhance our talents and abilities Holy Spirit that we may stand out in excellence. May You provide for us fresh opportunities and grant us the grace to make wealth dear Jesus. Help us Holy Spirit to be good stewards and be kind to the needy for the glory and honor of Your name. Amen
Further reading: Psalms 24:1, Matthew 23:12
James 1:17
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
INSIGHT
-God is the source and giver of anything that is good. There is more good than most people realize. From the Biblical times until now, God is good. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. James has been discoursing on trials, and even these are good and perfect gifts. God gives us wisdom liberally and without reproach when we ask Him. King Solomon asked for wisdom and he received many other blessings from the Lord some of which he did not even ask for. Everything that we have is a gift from God, undeserved. After salvation and adoption, every gift from God is a blessing.
SUMMARY
God is a perfect planner and He has given us everything that we need according to His riches in glory. First, from the creation story we see God creating the universe, plants and animals and finally man. In perfect order He ensured that we have everything that we need for our existence and wellbeing. Our affairs therefore do not take God by surprise, but He planned our lives before we were conceived in our mothers wombs. Secondly, God loved us and predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ according to His good pleasure and will. He chose us before the foundation of the world to be blameless and holy in His sight. He has thus blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:3-5). Christ by His love and mercy united us together with the Father and when we were far from the commonwealth of Israel, He brought us close by reconciliation through His blood (Ephesians 2:12-13). Thirdly, by God’s divine power, He has given us everything that we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His glory and goodness, that we may receive His precious promises and escape the corruption of the world caused by evil desires (2 Peter 1:3-6). Fourthly, God gives us wisdom that we may become Christlike and obtain every good and perfect gift (James 1:17). Fifth, God faithfully provides everything we need for our enjoyment and discourages us from putting our trust in wealth which is uncertain but in Him. We are also encouraged to do good and give generously to the needy (1 Timothy 6:17-19). We are also called to be impactful in our societies, not only for our own sakes but for the sake of other. We are reminded to be rich in good deeds as we store up our treasures in heaven and lay our foundation for eternity. As we give to the needy, we acknowledge that God is our source and provider (1 Chronicles 29:13-14). It is a form of thanksgiving, and by this we lend to the Lord and He will repay. When we do good and give, the Lord supplies everything that we need according to His riches in glory. He also gives us the ability to make wealth. Lastly, God is love and have given us His fruit of love that we may love Him and our neighbors, which is everything that we need. God calls us do everything in love (1 Corinthians 16:14). To love sincerely and not hypocritically, through kindness and clinging to what is good (Romans 12:9-13), for the glory of His name.
PRAYER
Lord You are good and Your mercies endures forever. Lord You are merciful and Your love endures to all generations. We exult Your name and lift up Your banner in our nation. Only You are our Lord and King, we have no other God but You. Thank You for You have provided everything that we need by Your divine power from everlasting to everlasting. Thank You Jesus for the plans that You have for us, plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us hope and future. May You grant us wisdom and the Spirit of the fear of You in our hearts. May You draw our hearts, those of our family members and leaders close to Yours that we may look to You Jesus in all situations. Teach us to worship You in spirit and in truth always. May Your love consume us as You bring Your promises to pass in our lives, families, descendants, society and nation. Thank You for Your grace and gift of Your Holy Spirit in our lives. Our Father who art in heaven; hallowed be Your name; Your Kingdom come; Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptations but deliver us from evil; for thine is the Kingdom the power and the glory; forever and ever. May You bless us and keep us Lord. May You make Your face shine upon us and be gracious to us. May You lift up Your countenance upon us and give us peace. Amen
Further reading: Romans 8:29-30, Philippians 4:19