Exodus 4:17-18
“And you shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs.” So Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said to him, “Please let me go and return to my brethren who are in Egypt, and see whether they are still alive.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.”
INSIGHT
-Sign in Hebrew is written as oth which means a mark, miracle, banner, pledge, seal, witness & wonder. God authors signs through His people to act as reminders for the covenants He has made with man; for instance, the sign of the Noahic covenant (Gen 9:13) & sign of the Abrahamic covenant (Gen 17:11), to reveal His mighty power (Exo 8:23, Dan 4:2, 2 Cor 12:12), to caution His elect of the end times (Mk 13:21-22, 2 Thes 2:9), to reveal His luminary function by directing man (Isa 38:22), to expose the mighty works of His creation by separating signs & seasons (Gen 1:14) etc.
-Moses like Abraham had faith in God & believed that God would deliver the Israelites from bondage through him. With his rod, God promised to perform signs which would pose as evidence of His mighty power in delivering Israel His firstborn son; with a caution of destroying the Egyptian firstborn sons incase of opposition. Moses knew that his season had come to perform Gods’ will & purpose; which would propel him & the Israelites to the next frontier of life. Just like the disciples left everything & followed Jesus, Moses confidently bid farewell to Jethro his father-in-law to undertake the assignment. God reminds us to forsake everything for His Kingdom with a promise of many graces here & in the age to come; eternal life (Lk 18:29-30), as He calls each one of us for the glory of His name.
PRAYER
We thank You dear Father for Your everlasting love & for giving us yet another opportunity to begin a new week in good health, received all the glory & praise. We humbly ask You Lord to heal all the sick & renew our strength each day so that we may live peacefully according to Your merciful love. You equipped Moses Lord; with a rod that he used to perform many signs through Your power, equip us Father with Your wisdom, knowledge & strength so that we may successfully execute everything that You have called us to do. We believe that You are doing a new thing in each one of our lives, nation & families; including our children, brothers & sisters who are sitting for their final exams, guide them & prosper them in all papers so that they may have good success. You are exulted Lord above all, we magnify Your holy name; now & forever. Amen
Judges 6:17
“Then he said to Him, “If now I have found favor in Your sight, then show me a sign that it is You who talk with me.”
INSIGHT
-At first Gideon; just like Moses doubted that God would use him to deliver the Israelites from the Midianites & asked for a sign. Gideon felt inadequate saying that he was the least in his fathers house & his clan was the weakest in Manasseh’s tribe. He requested for a sign/confirmation that it was God Who spoke to him & the angel of the Lord consumed the sacrifice that he offered to the Lord & vanished, but Gideon still doubted. He then asked for another sign but this time it was conditional. He requested that the woolen fleece he placed on the threshing floor should be found wet while the ground should be dry, & the Lord accomplished it. With unending doubt in his heart, Gideon requested for yet another sign that this time; the woolen fleece should be found dry & the ground wet, which was also fulfilled & he believed. Gideon like many among us have not placed their complete trust in God & have certain reservations that they need confronted through signs. God has made many assurances through His word & has told us that He will never leave us nor forsake us & calls to put our complete trust in Him.
PRAYER
We have no doubt Lord that You love us with an everlasting love, we thank You. We surrender our lives unto You Lord for we are inadequate without You. We believe that You dwell in our hearts Holy Spirit, remain in us for we need You at every moment of our lives. You are the Beginning & the End Father & You designed our destinies before the foundations of this world, lead us always in the way we should go. You have promised us that You will never leave us nor forsake us Father, remove all doubt & anxiety from our hearts merciful Father, we place all our trust in You. May Your goodness & mercy follow us all the days of our lives & we will dwell in Your house forever. Amen
Daniel 4:2-3
“I thought it good to declare the signs and wonders that the Most High God has worked for me. How great are His signs, And how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And His dominion is from generation to generation.”
INSIGHT
-God gave Daniel wisdom & counsel to interpret dreams where astrologers, magicians & sorcerers failed. While in prison under the authority of king Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel intercepted the dream of the chief baker & the chief cupbearer which transpired as interpreted. He later got an opportunity to interpret king Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams which made him realize that the God of Daniel is true & mighty, & His Kingdom is everlasting from generation to generation. God also delivered Daniel from the den of lions & his friends from the furnace of fire which also made king Nebuchadnezzar exult God (Dan 3:26-28). Sometimes God shows us dreams & visions to reveal prophecy, to give us instructions or directions, to encourage us, to act as a warning against impending danger so that we may pray against all evil snares, to tell of His mighty works etc. Daniel always remembered to praise God for giving him the wisdom to interpret dreams & for showing him many other signs & wonders with the knowledge that they are very instrumental in aligning us to His divine will.
PRAYER
Lord our Father, we thank You for Your goodness & mercy upon our lives. You are the Lion of Judah & our Redeemer, great is Your faithfulness. Thank You Lord for showing us many signs & wonders, dreams & visions which inform us of Your glorious works in our lives & in all the earth. Grant us the wisdom & counsel loving Father to be able to accurately interpret them for Your love & mercy endures forever. Great & mighty are Your wondrous works Lord our Father & Your kingdom is everlasting from generation to generation. Amen
Acts 2:19-21
“I will show wonders in heaven above And signs in the earth beneath: Blood and fire and vapor of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD. And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved.’”
INSIGHT
-Christ cautions us against speculation on the events of the end times for false christs & false prophets will rise & show signs & wonders to deceive even the elect (Mk 13:21-22). These signs, powers, lying wonders & unrighteous deceptions manufactured by satan will confuse many who did not love the truth leading to eternal condemnation (2 Thes 2:9-12). God promises to reveal specific signs & wonders that inform us of His second coming including; blood & fire, vapor of smoke, darkened sun & blood like moon, so that we may find wisdom in Him as these events are further illustrated in Matthew 24:3-51. God calls us to seek Him first, stay awake in the spirit & revere Him in our walk of salvation. Jesus also promises salvation to everyone who calls on Him; disregarding their religious, social & moral backgrounds, for He gave His life as a ransom on the cross for the whole human race.
PRAYER
Heal us Oh Lord & we shall be healed; save us Oh Lord & we shall be saved, for You are the One we praise. In our weakness we find strength only in You, in our fears we find hope only in You, in our ignorance we find wisdom only in You, for You are the One we praise. Have mercy on us Lord according to Your unfailing love, according to your great compassion, blot out our transgressions & wash away our sins, for You are the One we praise. We give thanks to You Lord always for You are good & Your mercy endures forever, bestow unto us wisdom, faith, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility & self control, for You are the One we praise. Bless our families Lord, bless our leaders, bless our nation, bless us Jesus, for You are One we praise. Amen
Mark 16:17-18
“And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
INSIGHT
-Jesus performed many signs & wonders which exploded the minds of many to believe in Him but others thought He performed these acts by the power of Beelzebub. He made us aware of the power of the Holy Spirit Who worked in Him & explains that through faith in Him; He will enable us to perform the same signs & wonders that He did when He was physically present here on earth.
SUMMARY
Signs were used & are often used for various functions geared towards the glory of God & lead us to encounter Christ through worship & thanksgiving. Jesus has successively performed many signs & wonders which reveal His mighty power from the time of Moses to present times through us. During Pentecost; the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples in the form of tongues of fire & they spoke in new tongues, & performed many signs & miracles. Jesus Who is the Head of the church & we the body; calls us to unite with one another through faith in Him by growing together in love & sharing communion in Him & dwelling in true doctrine yielding grace. God revealed His ultimate sign of love to all mankind through His only beloved Son; Jesus Who died on the cross for the sins of the world so that we may believe in Him & be saved. God has thus continually assured us of His divine power working in us & through us in signs & wonders witnessed through the gifts of the Holy Spirit, dreams & visions which establish His divine presence in our lives & reignite our faith in Him leading to life everlasting.
PRAYER
We give thanks to You Lord our loving Father for Your goodness & mercy upon our lives. Purify our hearts & renew our minds Jesus; so that Your holy will may be synchronized to ours. Fill us with You gifts Holy Spirit we humbly implore You so that Your mighty works may be evident through us for many will believe in You. In Your name Jesus; You have called us to cast out demons, to trample over snakes & scorpion, & to overcome all the power of the enemy, we plead Your blood over our lives, families & nation. Through faith in You Jesus; You have called us to lay hands on the sick & they will recover, to speak in new tongues & perform many signs & wonders, we believe in You. All power, authority, strength, salvation & wisdom belongs to You Jesus, now & forever. Amen