BIBLE READING: 1st Kings 2:1-3
Now the days of David drew near that he should die and he charged Solomon his son, saying, “ I go the way of all the earth; be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man. And keep the charge of the Lord your God to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments and His testimonies as it is written in the Law of Moses that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn.”
In Israel, when a father is passing away, he charges or instructs his son of what to do. Our forefathers have passed through a lot in their lives but if we can live up to their instructions, , we would excel in whatever we are doing. Deuteronomy 34:9 says “ Now Joshua, the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom for Moses had laid his hands on him; so the children of Israel heeded him and did as the Lord had commanded Moses. Joshua was brave and courageous. Moses had laid his hand on him in order to fulfill the purpose of God for the children of Israel. Genesis 25:5 says “ And Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac.” Elijah cast his mantle to Elisha. Jesus is telling you today to prove yourself a man. Education, marriage, money, family background , mind etc does not make you a man. The wisdom of God makes you a man , woman, mother. When you give your life to Jesus, you become a child of God. Joshua 1:12-13 says “ And to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, Joshua spoke, saying, remember the word which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, the Lord your God is giving you rest and is giving you this land.” Again Romans 8:14 says “ For as many as are led by the spirit of God , these are the sons of God.” When you grow spiritually to some extent , you receive power of the Holy Spirit. God wants you to be matured in whatever you are doing. God wants to move you from minimum level to maximum level; lower level to higher level. Jeremiah 29:11 says “ For I know the thoughts that I think toward you says the Lord; thought s of peace and not evil, to give you a future and a hope.” God wants to give you peace, hope and prosperity. If the disciples were not matured enough, they would have been wiped out and they would not have given us the Bible. When you develop yourself spiritually, you will get the things you are looking for. Solomon was too young to govern Israel but his father, David, said you are a youth but don’t look at yourself a youth. Responsibility makes you stronger than your contemporaries. You should grow wiser in the kingdom of God, grow wiser as a pastor, grow wiser in your parent’s home, grow wiser in the church, grow wiser in your community, grow wiser in your neighborhood because you are a peculiar holy nation and so you are carrying anointing to people. Romans 8:5 says “ For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.” Any carnally minded person do not obey the Laws of God. If you are in flesh, you cannot please God. Limitations and barriers are removed from your life in Jesus Name. Amen. Hebrews 6:1 says “ Let as many bondservants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and His doctrine may not be blasphemed.” There are some things you present to your shepherd to intercede for you and there are some things you do yourself. Jesus has given you the authority to cast out demons; authority to know your rights. If you know your rights, you will command the devil to sit down. David told Solomon to be strong and courageous so that his critics would not look down on him. Both man and woman should be strong. No one is ugly in the kingdom of God. You should see yourself as the most handsome, most beautiful, wonderfully and fearfully made by God.
DEVELOPING SPIRITUAL MATURITY
- ACKNOWLEDGE THE SUPREMACY OF GOD:
He is the only God. He is the creator of the Heavens and the earth. The devil has been defeated and cast down. Christ has taken over. Jesus is ruling over your lives. You are redeemed by the blood of Jesus. There is no one like Him. Isaiah 4:6 says “ And there will be a tabernacle for shade in the day time from the heat, for a place of refuge and for a shelter from storm and rain.” Satan will not take the glory of God. Every problem, turbulence, storm is over in your life in the Name of Jesus. Every other God is Idol. As a child of God, you are better than Idol worshippers. Everybody has to be strong in the Lord. Isaiah 60:1 says “ Arise, shine; for your light has come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.” You should rejoice even if you are rejected or disappointed. God will never forsake, forget or destabilize you. Malachi 3:6 says ‘ For I am the Lord, I do not change”. Therefore, you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.” God do not change and you have to tap into the same anointing. God says you should arise and shine in your business, career etc because of His glory in your life. God says you will rise again and that He will resuscitate your business when it crumbles
2. UNDERSTAND THE AUTHORITY OF THE MASTER OF UNIVERSE:
You do not have two kings in the palace. Jesus is the only king of the universe. If Christians are defeated by the devil, it then means Christ has failed and at the same time a liar. John 19:7 says “ The Jews answered him, we have a law and according to our law, He ought to die because He made Himself the Son of God.” The king of kings and of the universe says “it is finished” and so why are you disturbed? He says He will not change and the glory of God must rise upon you. The Lord will bring you out from the pit, poverty, trouble, affliction, failure, disappointment, promise and fail, sickness, rejection etc. When Joab, the commander of David’s army joined Adonijah in order to make him a king, David told Solomon – prove yourself a man, that is, he should not let himself down. Romans 2:11 says “ For there is no partiality with God” Husbands should not be subjective ( wives accept s whatever they say). Instead, husbands should be submissive ( allowing wives to make contributions in running family affairs).
3. WORK OUT YOUR VISION; DON’T LET YOUR VISION WORK YOU OUT:
If you don’t work out your vision, you will be worn out. Esther 4:16 says “ Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shusham and fast for me neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And I will go to the king, which is against the law and if I perish, I perish.” God favored Esther in the sight of the king. Again, 2 Samuel 3:1 says “ Now there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. But David grew stronger and stronger and the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.” With the favor of God David was able to face the house of Saul. 1 Samuel 2: 8-9 says “ He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the beggar from the ash heap. To set them among princes and make them inherit the throne of glory. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s and He has set the world upon them. He will guard the feet of His saints but the wicked shall be silent in darkness. For by strength, no man shall prevail.” Here, Hannah prayed out her heart when she asked God for a male child.
4. MAKE EXCUSE YOUR ENEMY
If you are a man of vision, God will make a provision for you. You should terminate the spirit of procrastination in your life. You should not continue to postpone courses that may accelerate your career or projects( building a house) that are beneficial to your life to a later date/year . When the word of God is in your mouth, you are above the world. God wants you to speak positivity. When you speak negative things against yourself, it stays with you. Don’t get tired easily. For you to harvest, you must plant to harvest more.. One with God is majority. You are blessed to have Jesus. With Jesus, you can move forward.
5. UNDERSTAND THE LEVEL OF YOUR SPIRITUAL JURUDICTION.
As a minister of God, don’t do deliverance If you are not ordained to do it. There are things you can do alone and in some cases, you need assistant Pastors or prayer warriors to achieve them. The Lord shall grant you long life, favor, excellence, progress, healing, restoration. Amen.
6. YOU MUST LOVE
Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:8 says “ Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.” Again 1 Corinthians 13:13 says “ And now abide faith, hope, love; these three; but the greatest of these is love.”Fathers, Mothers, Elders love your Pastor. You will move forward if you have people that love you around. Do not criticize people or destroy people’s personality in order to get to a higher level. Joab, the commander of David’s army shed blood because he wanted to be close to the king. Simultaneously, he did not want anybody to take his position.
7. PRAY WITHOUT CEASING:
Prayer will force you to pray because of situations. Five minutes prayer can turn things around for you. God will answer your prayers Amen. You should be spiritually matured and strong. Exodus 22:18 says “ You shall not permit a sorceress to live.” Do not say it is unnecessary to travel to your home land because witches, wizards, occultist powers abound there. Psalm 34:21 says “ Evil shall slay the wicked and those who hate the righteous shall be condemned.” God will wipe them out in Jesus Name. Amen. God says prove yourself a man.
