QUOTE OF THE DAY: “GOD NEVER REWARDS WASTED EFFORT,
HE REWARDS WISDOM STEPS”

Memory Verse: “If only they were wise and would understand this and discern what their end will be!” Deuteronomy 32:29.

A life, in which anything goes, is a life in which nothing goes. One of the definitions of wisdom is having the discipline to prioritize and the ability to work towards a stated goal. One of the preliminary topics in Ordinary Level Economics is ‘Scale of preference’.

By this, I mean a list containing all your needs carefully arranged in order of priority. The issue of drawing scale of preference was informed by the fact that human needs will always outweigh the resources to meet them. Where priority is rightly set, the little resources will be judiciously and productively spent. The story is told of a lighthouse keeper on a rocky stretch of coastline who received a new supply of oil each month to keep the light burning.

Being close to the shore he had lots of guests: a woman from the village needed some oil to keep her family warm; a farmer requested some for his tractor; a mechanic wanted some to lubricate a wheel. All the requests seemed legitimate so the lighthouse keeper tried to please everybody. Before the month was over his oil was gone and the beacon went out.

[pullquote]Where priority is rightly set, the little resources will be judiciously and productively spent. [/pullquote]As a result, several ships were wrecked and lives were lost. When the authorities investigated, the man was very repentant. But to his excuses and pleading their reply was; ‘You were given oil for one purpose: To keep the light burning’. Jesus actually interpreted misplacement of priority on the part of the Pharisees and Scribes in Matthew 23:23 as hypocrisy, and pronounced woe on them.

When setting priority, the wisdom in it is the art of knowing what to overlook, because petty things steal too much of our time and we finish up living for the wrong reasons. If you react to every situation and say, ‘yes’ to every request, you will never succeed in what you are called to do.

The question is not, ‘will my calendar or diary be full, but ‘who will fill it’, and what will it be filled with?’ To know your life’s priorities, you must frequently pause and ask; ‘Lord, what do you want me to do?’ (Acts 9:6). What is required of me that nobody else can do? Which of my choice will bring the greatest return? Be wise, prioritize! Have a fruitful day!

DIVINE INSTRUCTION FOR THE DAY:
TODAY, PRAY BETWEEN 11:45PM TO 12:15AM, STEP INTO THE NEW MONTH IN PRAYERS.

PROPHETIC PRAYERS:

• Give me the insights required for setting priorities.
• Make me a prudent and good manager of resources; grant me a sense of accountability.
• Trust me with resources; I will be faithful and judicious in spending it in Jesus name.
• From today, let my words said, my decisions taken, and my steps be ordered in godly wisdom.

FURTHER STUDY: Matthew 23:1-34.

Read the Bible through in one year: Exodus Chapters 1 – 4.

Remember to further prophesy on yourself!

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “AT THE BRINK OF DEPRESSION, THE RIGHT WORD AT THE RIGHT TIME ELEVATES THE MIND”

Memory Verse: “An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up”. Proverbs 12:25.

When we are too tired or discouraged to keep going, an act of compassion can give us new strength. When we are at the brink of failure, hearing the right word at the right time can keep us in the game. Encouragement is one of the central themes of the Bible – Isaiah 35:3. Encouragement does not deny the problem; it enables us to overcome it.

It does not validate stubbornness or stupidity; it simply corrects and guides us in the right path. It does not leave us alone to carry the burden, it lets us know that God is present to help and strengthen us. The nineteenth-century writer Walt Whitman struggled for years to get anyone interested in his poetry. In the midst of his discouragement he received a life-changing note from an admirer of his work.

[pullquote]Encouragement does not deny the problem; it enables us to overcome it. [/pullquote]The note read; ‘Dear sir, I am not blind to the worth of the wonderful gift of leaves of Grass. I find it the most extra ordinary piece of wit and wisdom that America has yet contributed. I greet you at the beginning of a great career’. It was signed by Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Interestingly, Whitman enjoyed a long career and is now considered one of the giants of American Literature. But when times were tough, he needed encouragement to keep going. Sir Isaac Newton is best known for his theory of Gravitation and description of the Three Laws of Motion. But Newton might never have published his work had it not been for Edmond Halley.

A well respected scientist in his own right. Halley visited Newton at Cambridge to discuss a problem he was working on, only to discover that Newton had already solved it. Halley encouraged Newton to publish his work and even offered to do it at his own expense. The result was the publication of ‘Philosophica Naturalis Principia Mathematica in 1867, which laid the ground work for the study of mathematics and changed the way people see the world.

My question to you is, who can you encourage to do great things? Who has God put into your life to cheer up, rise up or assist on their journey? It could be in words, action or material things. Remember, when you help others to do the things God created them to do, you share in their achievement. Locate someone today and be a source of inspiration or encouragement. It is well!

DIVINE INSTRUCTION FOR THE DAY: LESS THAN TWO DAYS TO GO IN THE MONTH, PRAY AND ASK GOD FOR A 24-HOUR MIRACLE.

PROPHETIC PRAYERS:

• Holy Spirit, inspire me to say the right word at the right time that will brighten someone’s day.
• From today, sweeten my words with grace; let it be edifying.
• Use me as a motivator to someone; through me, let hope be restored to the hopeless.
• Through me, the greatness in the life of people around me shall find expression in Jesus name.

FURTHER STUDY: Luke 14:1-14.

Read the Bible through in one year: Mark Chapters 13 – 16.

Remember to further prophesy on yourself!

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “THE CLOSEST STAGE TO SUCCESS IS ALWAYS THE ROUGHEST”

Memory Verse: “If you falter in times of trouble, how small is your strength”. Proverbs 24:10.

Every task in life always appears difficult at the outset. No matter how sure you were before embarking on a journey – be it in business, career, academic pursuit, relationship, ministry, project or whatever, at a point you will feel like calling it quit. Sometimes, everything might look like mission impossible. I have also felt like that before. It is not anything strange and should not raise any alarm at all.

People we celebrate today have once been in this same situation before, but they refuse to give it up at that point. Ask footballers or boxers, they will tell you that the tail end of the race is always like they won’t have the strength to push through but they know that giving up at that point will be a bad decision. So, they keep it up, putting the last strength in them to hit the goal.

Everyone on a mission sets out to win. If you know you will fail, you would not start neither would you invest your money or strength? Be totally resolute that you won’t fail. Have it in your mind that the chance to succeed or fail in any venture is 50/50. So hold on to success and shut your mind against alternatives. The moment your mind is made up, the work is half done.

Be ready to make sacrifices to achieve the course you believe in. No one has ever done anything worthwhile in life that did not make sacrifices. Though it may not be easy, it is very much necessary.

[pullquote]So hold on to success and shut your mind against alternatives. The moment your mind is made up, the work is half done.[/pullquote]Finally, stay till you win. Winning is the reason for starting, so do not quit till you hit your target. No matter the price paid for winning, when you finally win, you will not remember the pain anymore. I pronounce fear and discouragement dead in you. Receive grace for boldness and more strength to carry on in life.

You are a winner!

DIVINE INSTRUCTION FOR THE DAY:
IN LESS THAN 72 HOURS, THIS MONTH WILL BE OVER, ASK GOD FOR A 48-HOUR MIRACLE TODAY. HE WILL GRANT YOU.

PROPHETIC PRAYERS:

• I take authority over the power behind weariness and discouragement in Jesus name.
• By the blood of Jesus, I erase impossibility and difficulty in my mind.
• I receive grace to complete all abandoned projects before me in Jesus name.
• Holy Ghost, strengthen me from within to advance forcefully in destiny.

FURTHER STUDY: Matthew 10:1-23.

Read the Bible through in one year: Mark Chapters 9 – 12.

Remember to further prophesy on yourself!