Restoration House Calgary

Revealer of Secrets

INTRODUCTION:
The HOLY SPIRIT is the revealer of secrets, He reveals the deep and secret things. The secrets of God will make gods out of ordinary, common men. John 14:26; John 16:12-13; Deuteronomy 29:29. There is a secret for your elevation. There is a secret of deliverance from death. There is a secret that will handle that harassment of Satan. There is a secret that will make you wealthy. There is a secret that will put you in charge of life’s affairs. Job 36:22. God is a master teacher. He only teaches secrets to those who are very serious. This is because secrets are valuable keys that can not be given to just anyone. Psalms 25:14, Mark 4:10-11 “…And He said to them, “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables””, (v11).

DREAMS & VISIONS:
Have secrets been revealed to you in your dreams? One of the mediums God reveals secrets is through dream and vision. Job 33:14-16; Numbers 12:5-8; Genesis 37:5-10; Matthew 1:20; Acts 2:17 (Joel 2:28); Daniel 1:17; Matthew 27:19; Acts 16:9-10, Habakkuk 2:2-3; Acts 9:10-11; Acts 10:3, 17; 2 Corinthians 12:1; God sometimes teaches secrets during the night. Important things are discussed at night. Destinies are determined at night. Genesis 20:3. God can teach you in your dreams what to do about: Marital or relationship distress, stubborn financial problems, Chronic lack of favor, witchcraft-engineered sickness, etc. Isaiah 50:4.

Activity: share Your Personal Experience on Dreams & Visions?

CASE STUDIES:

1. DANIEL: Opened door to divine elevation and promotion. Daniel 2:16-22, 27-28, 46-49

2. JACOB: Divine strategies for generational prosperity and blessings. Genesis 31:10-13. Jacob tapped into massive generational wealth through a divine idea or secret taught him in the dream. In Genesis 31, Laban thought that he had caged Jacob forever. He thought “Yeah, this will be my slave forever. He cannot go anywhere”. However, through divine secrets, all the wealth of Laban was supernaturally transferred to Jacob. Genesis 31:6-9.

3. BABY JESUS: Warning and deliverance from impending danger. Matthew 2:13-16, 19-21; 2Kings 6:12

4. ANANIAS & SAPPHIRA: Exposure of secret lies and evil conspiracies. Acts 5:1-14. They thought they had secrets and well concealed. They paid a terrible price when their secrets were revealed. The Holy Spirit revealed their actions to Peter. The bible said in Acts 5:3, “then Peter said “Ananias, how is it that Satan has filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?””. Acts 5:4c says, “You have not lied to men but to God”

5. GEHAZI: Similarly, in 2Kings 5:1-27, after Naaman, captain of the king of Syria had been healed of leprosy by dipping himself seven times in River Jordan as directed by Prophet Elisha, he went with gifts to appreciate Elisha. Elisha did not accept the gifts. However, Gehazi, Elisha’s servant secretly went behind to receive gifts from Naaman. This action of Gehazi was revealed to Elisha by the Holy Spirit. When Elisha accosted Gehazi, he denied and leprosy was pronounced on him and his generation.

Note that the Holy Spirit will always reveal and bring to the open everything you do. When you think nobody is watching, the Holy Spirit is watching. Be mindful of what you do, especially in the presence of God.

PRAYER POINTS
Father, You are the revealer of secrets, please show me deep and secret things in Jesus name. Show me secrets to my breakthrough, promotion, elevation, healing. Show me what is responsible for my situation, problems I’m facing in Jesus name.

King Uzziah; Some Learning Points

SOME SALIENT POINTS ABOUT THE LIFE AND TIMES OF KING UZZIAH:
From Verse 1

  • He was made king by kingmakers – he didn’t make himself king. His own type of king was crowned by the kingmakers and not by force. We need kingmakers in our lives. School authorities choose the school head boy and head girls, captains of football, basketball, hockey etc. It is indeed a favor from the Lord.  Let us pray that God will send king makers our way, even campaign managers.

 

  • He was only 16 when he was made a king which means that he made it early. Who makes a 16 year old boy king over a nation that was warring all through? It was the grace of God. Let our children stand up and let us pray that they will make it early, they will go to school early, they will graduate and start working early, they will marry without delays.

 

  • He was surely not a defiant. Sure he would have shown a great lot attributes and qualities of a king. Sure he was not an enemy of the cross just like Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli.

Questions/Contributions

Give examples of any qualities he would have exhibited that would have made the people of Judah change their minds and not make him a king?

From verse 2 onwards

  • The first thing he did was that he built Eloth and restored it to Judah and after that, his father “slept with his fathers”. He did what his father could not do. Eloth obviously belonged to Judah and was taken and destroyed by the enemies. Our children will be greater than us and where we stopped will be their starting point.

 

  • He did not bring shame to the family. Through him the mother was known as the Jecoliah of Jerusalem which means “perfection or power of the Lord”. Let us pray that we will not bring shame to our families. Our children will not bring shame to our family. Through us, our families will be known for good in Jesus name.

 

  • He did what was right in the sight of the Lord. He was taught by Zechariah who had understanding in the visions of God. He was teachable/trainable. He listened and obeyed his teachers. Some of us are not teachable, we know it all. Recall the case of Mayweather whose father was giving him all the secrets to the opponents, he obeyed and never lost a fight.

From verses 7 & 8

  • He did great exploits for the Lord – He walled off the enemies. The enemies even brought gifts to him so as to keep being at peace with him.

From verse 15

  • He was marvelously helped till he was strong. We all need help and favor from the Lord. Recall what happened in John 5; the man that was sick for 38 years and Mark 2. Brethren, the Bible tells us about a man that no man to take him to the water what the angel of the Lord troubles and the first to get to the water after the angel gets healed. The man had no one to help him but Jesus singled him out and helped him out of his infirmity.
    The bible also tells us in Mark 2 about a man in Capernaum whose friends helped him to see Jesus in order to receive his healing. They had to remove the roof and dropped him at the feet of Jesus and he was made whole. That is some help. Brethren, in both cases, both the man that couldn’t help himself and the one that got helpers were all healed. King Uzziah was marvelously helped. Let us open our mouths and call on the Lord to send helpers to us where we cannot help ourselves and where we have no man to help us, let Him send angelic help to us. Where we have people to help us, let them not rest until they have helped us out in Jesus name.

Part 2

  •  King Uzziah did not finish well 2Chron 26:16-21, he went to burn incense instead of the priests because of pride and he was struck with leprosy.

No no no no I will finish well and my wife and children will finish well. We will not be proud and offend the Lord as we succeed in life.

Was Uzziah the only young king in the Bible? 2Kings 22, the Bible told us about another young king named Josiah that finished well. We will finish well like Josiah.

  • When He died that the Prophet Isaiah saw the glory of the Lord, the veil was removed. Isaiah 6:1-8.

Other people that did not finish well; what did they have in common with Uzziah?

  1. King Saul – 1Sam 13:8-14 – Pride
  2. Ephraim – Gen 48:13-20, Hosea 4:17 – Idolatry

 

Activity: Mention any other character that did not finish well and anything they had in common with King Uzziah.

CHRISTIANITY AND GOVERNANCE

Lesson Introduction – Governance is an act of administration: leading and exercising authority over a group of people. God has called us into a life of influence, control and dominion. Gen 1:28
Christians are to take charge and the issue of governance is no exception. As the light of the world, we are to dispel the darkness of unrighteousness, sycophancy, etc. Matt 5:15-16

Romans 13:1-6 transfers the following responsibilities to the governed.

  • Subject/submission to authority (respect) Rom 13:1
  • Obedience to power (afraid of power). Romans 13:2-3
  • Payment of tax (payment of tribute). Romans 13:6-7
  • Do that which is good (law abiding). Romans 13:3

The same scriptures confers the following responsibilities to those in government.

  • Judge/punish evil work (justice). Romans 13:3,4
  • Reward good work (reward/award). Romans 13:3
  • Ordained to do only what is good to the citizenry (Rule of law/fairness). Romans 13:4
  • Attending continually to needs (welfare). Romans 13:6

Let the government and the governed be guided.

Lesson Outlines

Lesson outline A – The view of God on governance

  • God is the ultimate power who delegates functions to human beings, Romans 13:1, Genesis 45:8, Genesis 1:26.
  • Governance/Government/Ruling is a calling of the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:28, Romans 12:8
  • Governance/ruling is a machinery for orderliness and sanity. Titus 1:5, Judges 21:25
  • God instituted governance for administration of justice and general welfare of citizenry, Psalm 72:4
  • God commanded the governed to submit to those in authority (the government). Romans 13:1-2, Ephesians 6:5-8.
  • God instituted governance as a means of serving the governed i.e to govern is to serve. Matthew 20:25-28

Activity – What are those services which government should provide for its citizenry to make it relevant to the people?

Lesson outline B – Why Christians should be involved in governance

  • To provide/effect positive and lasting change. Genesis 1:26, 41:33-38
  • To make righteous laws and decrees which will promote national progress. Proverb 14:34
  • To bring blessing and breakthrough to the citizens. Proverbs 11:11
  • To avoid paying costly price for bad leadership. Romans 13:12
  • It is God’s will and instruction. 1Peter 2:13-15

Lesson outline C – Biblical examples of those who governed.

  • Noah and the civil governance. Genesis 9:1-3
  • Joseph and the Egyptian government. Genesis 41:40-41
  • Joshua and the administrative style of governance. Joshua 1:1-3; Judges 2:7
  • Deborah triumphant administration in the days of intimidation and adversity. Judges 4:4; 15-16.
  • Nehemiah liberal administration for reconstruction and prosperity. Nehemiah 5:14-15.
  • Daniel’s position as “Chief of Governors” and the First President (Parliamentary and Presidential) provided administration of direction and excellence to Babylon. Daniel 2:48

Summary

God wants His children involved in governance to fulfill His mandate and for the best of the governed. The Bible contains examples of God’s children who governed and left indelible footprints in the path of history. Citizenry too have their duties to provide for good governance. Therefore, governance involved the government and the governed.

Conclusion

God instituted governance; it is not a secular concept or people’s creation. Believers should therefore take their rightful place in deciding the destiny of their nations and turn the kingdom of this world to the kingdom of God which is God’s divine mandate for us.

Enemies of the Cross

Salient points about the CROSS

  • One of the most important word to a Born again Christian is the “CROSS.” It is a symbol of atonement and reminds Christians of God’s love in sacrificing His only son for humanity
  • It represents Jesus’ victory over sin and death – through His death and resurrection He conquered death itself
  • It is a word to be wept over. The apostle Paul said in our text, “Many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ” (Philippians 3:18). Tears are not the only proper response to militant Islam, but tears are right when a group of people declare themselves enemies of the cross
  • The tears are not for fear that we will be hurt. They are for sadness that Christ’s sacrifice and God’s love are so dishonored, and that so many enemies of the cross will perish. 2COR 2:4 says “For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears; not that ye should be grieved, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you”
  • The cross is the greatest display of God’s Love that ever was or ever will be. John 3:16
  • The cross was the climax of Christs obedience. It is as though all His obedience was summed up in those final hours of final testing. There is no obedience that can be compared to the obedience of staying on the cross in fulfillment of the father’s will. Phil 2:8 says “And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross”
  • The cross is our life and our joy and our only hope of fellowship with God. Without the sacrifice on the CROSS there will no true salvation for man.
  • To hate the cross is to hate the demonstration of the love of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18 says, “The word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing”

Some behaviors that make us big enemies of the CROSS: Matthew 7: 21 – 23 & 2 Timothy 2:20,

  1. Lack of Love – 1Cor 13: 1-8
  2. Forgetting past favour quickly
  3. Treating your partner with disdain/disrespect
  4. Pride
  5. Unwillingness to accept/confess a fault and ask for pardon
  6. Envy/Jealous of others’ progress/success
  7. Indulgence in unholy anger
  8. Love for money
  9. Backbiting
  10. Adultery/Fornication
  11. Little” Lies
  12. Incessant aspiring after honours of the world

What should be our reaction to the CROSS?

Mark 8: 34 -38 “And when He had called the people unto Him with his disciples also, He said unto them, whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it……”

  • What does it mean to take up our CROSS and follow HIM and How can we effectively take up our CROSS and follow Him? Matt 25:32-40, 2Tim2:19

Conclusion:

  • Anything that stands between us and our salvation is an enemy to the cross
  • Being an enemy of the cross is equivalent to crucifying Christ on the cross for the second time
  • There are many Christians who live continually as enemies of the cross by indulgence in any known sin. However, this one thing is clear: if they refuse to submit to the first death in order to experience this first resurrection, they will never experience the blessing of the second resurrection. The Holy Spirit is the agent of all resurrection (Romans 8:11).  And if He didn’t resurrect you the first time in the image and likeness of Christ, He won’t resurrect you the second time to make your body conform to the body of Christ’s glory.
God knows His Own

INTRODUCTION: In a world consisting of millions upon millions of people how is it possible for God to differentiate good people from bad? How can He know those in Africa and at the same time those in America, Europe, India, China, the near and far East? What type of brain has He? Isaiah 40:28, answer these questions. But there are other q1uestions.

 

  1. How intimately does God know His own?

a) John 10:3 – He knows them by their individual names
b) John 1:48 – Even in the offices or farms
c) Nathum1:7 – Also in the time of trouble
What conclusions can we draw from I Corinthians .8:3, II Timothy 2:19-20. Does he know the sinners too? Amos 9:3, Zephaniah 1:12, Jeremiah 17:10.

  1. How can you know that He knows you and recognizes you as His own?
    I John 2:3-5, I John 3:14, I John 3:19, I John 4:13, I John 5:9, John 15:14. If we find it easy to obey His commandments and final pleasure in doing it then we can have the witness in us that He knows us as His own. Also, a deep love towards all His children is another determining factor.
  1. Who else knows the saints as special people of God? Acts 19:15, Acts 16:16-18. All evil spirits recognize saints for what they are.
  1. How do saints know themselves? How can you recognize a true child of God if you meet one? Ps. 119:63, Malachi 3:16, Acts 2:42, I John 1:17, Proverbs 17:17. All true children of God enjoy fellowshipping together and live a holy and blameless life.
  2. If I want to become a saint what must I do?
    What benefits are mine if I become someone who is recognized by God as His own? Psalms 34:18, Acts 17:27, Ps. 145:18, Ps.16:8, Genesis 25:24, Revelation 3:4. If you want to become a saint the first thing is to be truly sorry for your sins and humbly come to God for forgiveness. When you become accepted of Him there is hope of eternal life and eternal glory for you.

CONCLUSION: How glorious is it to walk with Jesus! How wonderful to be recognized as a friend by God Almighty when even the State Governor does not know you! Imagine the glory of one day dining with the King of kings and of Lord of Lords! And all it takes is to live a holy life! Is that too great a price to pay! Are you willing to pay the price? Talk to Him about it now.

OVERCOMING LIFE’S CHALLENGES 2

A. INTRODUCTION: WHAT KIND OF CHALLENGES DO PEOPLE FACE IN LIFE?

It is a very frightening thing to be defenseless in a hostile world. It is indeed a horrible feeling to be completely helpless. When a man is sick he runs to the doctor hoping to be healed, but when the doctor tries his best and says there is nothing else he can do, the Sick becomes hopeless. When a man has serious financial problems, he runs to his bank expecting a bail-out, but what will he do when bank insists on using assets he doesn’t have as collateral? In the same way, when a child is sick, he looks up to his parents for help and care, but how will the child feel if his parents tell him that the forces battling against him are beyond their capability? It is a terrible thing to feel lonely or forsaken by relatives and loved ones. Are you facing the worst of times with no one to defend you? Just as a body of water can become stagnant, a person’s life can also enter into a state of stagnancy. Stagnancy ultimately leads to lack of productivity, barrenness, fruitlessness, indebtedness, poverty, failure, sorrow and disappointment. I bring you good news, there’s help for the helpless and hope for the hopeless and cover your naked.

Action Points: Make a list of challenges people face in life

Challenges come in various ways and may include the following: Financial storms, Poverty, Lack, etc; Barrenness; Sickness; Material burdens; Stagnation; Disappointment, Marital Troubles and other conflicts. It can also be in form of Demonic yokes, affliction, oppression, or any other generational problems etc.

B. ARE CHRISTIANS EXEMPTED FROM CHALLENGES OF LIFE?

If you have money and all the wealth in the world would you be able to make all your problems go away? John 16:33, Romans 5:3-5, Hebrew 2:18, 2 Corinthians 4:8-11, Psalm 55:22, James 1:2-4Ecclesiastes 6:1-2

The truth is, as long as we live in a fallen world, we will always have problems. Jesus was perfect and without sin. However, because He lived in a fallen world, Jesus Himself faced a number of challenges which He had to deal with. The great thing about Jesus is that He conquered and overcame EVERY problem that we can imagine.

C. HOW DO PEOPLE REACT TO CHALLENGES?

1. Fear; 2. Desperate or being impatient; 3. Looking for alternatives

Action Points: Add to the list

Case Study: Sarah (Genesis 16:1-6): After several years of waiting for God’s promise to be fulfilled, Sarah sat down one day, had a long thinking session, and came up with an alternative plan which she presented to Abraham, and He accepted it. She had been barren for several years and was tired of being in that state; hence, she decided to give Hagar, one of her slaves, to her husband hoping to get a child through her.

Lessons: When God is leading you in a certain direction, or if He has a made a promise to you, any contrary opinion or alternative is borne out of impatience, doubt or unbelief. It is when people can no longer wait for God’s plan that they come up with their alternatives. This can take a person out of God’s original plan.

D. WHAT CAN YOU DO TO OVERCOME?

1. INVEST IN PRAYER & FASTING AND PRAISE: It is a spiritual master key that unlocks doors to answers the petitions of God’s children. Isaiah 58:6-12, James 5:13, 16, Matt 7:7, John 14:14, Psalms‬ 34:4, 17, 19.‬‬‬‬‬‬

Case Studies: Peter (Acts 12:5-11), Paul (Acts 16:24-26), Esther (Esther‬ 3:8-9, 13-15, Esther 4:13-16, Esther 6:1-12)

2. SEEK GOD’S PLAN OR GUIDANCE AND FOLLOW IT: Proverbs 3:5-7. God has a plan for your life, Jeremiah 1:4-5. Be filled with His Word and His Spirit, prayerful, watchful, thankful and humble, Joshua‬ 1:8‬. God’s Word never negates His will for your life, James 1:18. The question is, “Are you still in God’s Plan?”‬‬‬‬

3. FAITH – KNOWING GOD AS THE EVER PRESENT HELPER: Hebrew 11:29-35, Psalm 46:1. When you go into battle, your strength, wisdom, and resources are limited to what you and your allies have.

Case Studies:

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego (Daniel 3:19-25): Can you imagine what would have happened if the fourth man had not appeared on time in King Nebuchadnezzar’s furnace in Daniel‬ 3:25? The three Hebrew children would have been history, but because He came right on time, they made history. God will not be late for you. His intervention in your life shall be timely, and He shall shut up the mouth of your enemies.‬‬‬‬

Widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17:8-16): The poor widow was getting ready to eat her last meal and then die; but against her expectations, help came her way. Sometimes, when a child of God is going through some difficulties, God may appear silent. His silence does not mean He is ignorant of what is happening.

4. OTHER PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS:

a- PLANNING your way out of troubles: Luke 14:28-32, Habakkuk 2:1-3, Genesis 13:15, Proverbs 6:6-8.

b- SELF EXAMINATION: Identify your area of Strengths and Weaknesses (SWOT Analysis), Galatian 6:4, 1 Corinthians 11:28, 2 Corinthians 13:5, Haggai‬ 1:5-7.‬‬‬‬

c- SEEKING COUNSEL for marital, financial and other challenges. Proverbs 15:22, Proverbs 24:6, John 14:26, Psalm 73:24

d- DILIGENCE OR HARD WORK & EXCELLENCEPsalms‬ 90:1, Philippians 4:13. Grace does not take and will not take the place of hard work. Grace is not a license for laziness and mediocrity, Proverbs 22:28, Proverbs 12:24, Proverbs 14:23, 1 Timothy 5:8, Proverbs 6:6-11. Our God is a God of excellence.‬‬‬ You need hard work to develop your competence and prepare yourself for excellence.‬

f- TIME MANAGEMENT; Stop procrastination: John 9:4, Ephesians 5:15-16, John 11:9-10.

Action Points: Catalogue what you spend your time doing in a day or week, and this will give you a good indication of what your focus really is in life

g- SELF DEVELOPMENT; SEEK WISDOM & KNOWLEDGE: Proverbs 4:7, Hosea 4:6, Daniel 9:2

Develop your Competence: Competence (or competency) is the ability of an individual to perform a job properly (Wikipedia). Synonyms: capability, capableness, capacity, ability, competency, faculty. Romans 12:2.

h- UNDERSTAND YOUR SEASON: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, 1 Chronicles 12:32

In God’s timetable, there’s is a time for everything. Life is split into different seasons.

i- MAKE ROOM FOR GRACE & MERCY OF GOD: Ecclesiastes 9:11. Ultimately, God is the owner of time and chance. He also changes them as He likes, Romans 9:15-16. Diligence, skill, ability, prayer, good character, effective communication, networking are great principles of success in life, but without the grace and mercy of God, they will not help you go far enough in life. This year, may the grace of God enables you to do exploits beyond your human ability and opens doors for you in Jesus name, Isaiah 45:2.

j. Action Point: Think of other practical solutions to overcome challenges of life.

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