One of the core tenets we must live by and continually remind ourselves of is that love is the blood of Christianity. We mustn’t be overcome with the cares of this world and forget that our love is what distinguishes us from others.

From the life of Jesus, we see that we love does not lose. Despite what looks like oppression or cheating, walking in love automatically makes you the winner. How? You have blocked the road of offense! If you walk in love, you outsmart the enemy by avoiding the trap of offense.

To walk in a new season, you must understand that God has raised you for people, this will mean that to effectively serve the people He has raised you for, you must stay in intercession. You cannot be a blessing to people you don’t pray for or hear for. Like Moses, your new season requires that your priestly ministry is effective. If you don’t love people, you won’t see an opportunity to help them. Love is speed in destiny (See 1 Samuel 30:11-31), and it is crucial to your new season.

STUDY THIS: Galatians 5:22

DECLARE THIS: I am a love being, so it is in my nature to walk in love. Like Christ, I seek to serve others. Glory!

SING ALONG: Son of God by Pneuma Worship Collective & David Oguche

The word of God must be more than abstract theory to us, and God must be more to us than only what we’ve heard others say about Him. We shouldn’t study scriptures just as an observation, we must see ourselves in scriptures by revelation (as it pertains to us). It’s not enough to read about God as Jireh in scriptures. It must become real to you.

While we received Christ  based on what was preached to us, that is, the word of mouth of others, ultimately, as we follow Him, we must build our own convictions. Rooted, personal convictions  are what hold on to us during our downtimes, and will keep us going and running. God doesn’t want us to build a relationship with Him based solely off of hearsay. Each child should  have a personal, intimate relationship with Abba. In scriptures (The Old Testament especially), the different names of God are revelations and experiences of God to men. They experienced God on a unique and personal level and these experiences spurred them to attest to God in the various capacities that He showed up for them. These names were originally recorded by each of them, and not based off of the experiences of others. (See Genesis 22:14, Psalm 91:9, Jeremiah 16:9,  Exodus 31:13,Psalm 18:2,  Exodus 17:15, Psalm 27:1). It is those that know their God that will be strong and do exploits. We cannot truly represent a God that we do not intimately know. God must be experienced, rather than just theorized. He’s not just good on paper, He’s good in real life.

The thing with trusting God is that you’re giving room for your convictions to take deeper rooting. The boy whose loaves of bread and fish was multiplied by Jesus definitely saw Jesus in an unprecedented way. No one could convince him otherwise because He experienced it firsthand. This is how we must be. Our live must be testaments to the awesomeness and power of God. Talk about how Christ changed you from the inside out. Share testimonies of God’s goodness and compassion. This is important. What is your testimony of God? He cares what you think of Him (See Matthew 16:15)

STUDY THIS: John 17:3, Job 42:5, Jeremiah 15:16

DECLARE THIS: God is my Father. I experience God and I see myself in His works. The word of God is real to me. Glory!

SING ALONG: Jehovah Nissi by Nathaniel Bassey

ACTION POINT: Contemplate the track record of God’s goodness in your life.

1. Meditate on it/ hear it again (See 1 Timothy 4:15): Let's see Psalm 62:11.It says:"God has spoken once; twice have l heard this; that power belongs to God" God's word is supposed to build convictions in us. Conviction comes by repetition. So, how did the Psalmist hear God twice? By meditating! Our meditative lifestyle should cause us to hear God's word over and over again. Listen to that teaching again and again until it enters into your subconscious. Read that scripture again and again, till an immovable conviction is built in you. Go over your notes again and again until you become persuaded beyond reasonable doubt. Meditation is not just thinking about what you've heard or read. It goes down to speaking it too!

2. Do it (See James 1:23-24): Transformation comes from letting God's word influence your life and change what needs to be changed. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 gives us a rundown of the various ways the Word of God is designed to profit us; Doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness. Don't take some and reject the rest. God's word is to make you well rounded. God's word is supposed to improve your way of thinking and in turn change how you live (See Romans 12:2, Proverbs 4:23). ldentify what is coming to you by the word and start to implement it by the help of the Spirit. If it's a correction, receive it with humility and start to repent in your heart (metanoia; Greek for the word repent' meaning change your mind). Start to adopt a new outlook by the Word. Look for new habits and practices in line with what you've heard to infuse into your everyday life. Obey God's word promptly and wholeheartedly. Transformation of life is in the accumulation of small habits and practices. Let God's word actually influence you. Let it cause you to stop doing some things, or start doing some things.

3. Share it (See Philemon 1:6): God's word shouldn't be contained. Spread it! Teaching gets you more rooted in what you know. As you share the word of God with others, you're giving them the opportunity to profit from it, while getting more persuaded. Share what you learnt. Don't keep quiet about it. Ensure that you're a channel dispensing the accurately divided word of truth. As we spread the word, our own convictions take deeper rooting, thereby strengthening what we already know. Do the work of an evangelist today by sharing and spreading the word of God. Be like the Samaritan woman by the well in John 4:4-26

STUDY THIS: 2 Timothy 2:14

DECLARE THIS: I am a word practitioner! I do the word swiftly and wholeheartedly. I spread the word of God with boldness. Glory!

SING ALONG: Ancient Words by Michael W. Smith

ACTION POINT: Be intentional about sharing what God has been teaching you.

As we've learnt, the word of God is supposed to profit us. It's supposed to transform us and not just inform us. But our transformation and the extent of it, is determined by what we do with the word. What exactly are we supposed to do with God's word?

1. Receive it (See James 1:21): To start with, the word of God is of no use if you don't receive it. God's word is a gift that has been handed to us, and if it going to benefit us, we must receive it. We receive God's word into our spirits with meekness. We mustn’t receive God's word with reluctance or hesitation. We receive with joy! It's possible to reject the word of God or stifle it. Prepare the soil of your heart so that it becomes a conducive atmosphere for God's word to thrive in and through you. Receive God's word as the final authority over you. In other words, be submitted to the influence of the word.

2. Believe it (See Romans 10:17): Faith is not something we struggle or try to have. It's the most logical response to the word of God. It is the most rational thing for a spiritual being to do when he has knowledge. Before God's word comes to you, prepare your heart to believe that there's nothing truer than what you're about to hear. Believe what you're about to hear even before you hear it. Prepare your heart to trust that what you're about to hear is the most potent thing ever, and is able to cause a transformation in your mind, and subsequently your life. Faith is the response to God's word, however, walking in faith is a decision. Trust in the finality and potency of God's word. Put all your stakes on it. Before you hear it, let this be your conclusion: it's either it works or it works. Receive it to believe it.

3. Prioritize it (See Proverbs 3:5-6 ): Faith is the response to God's word, however, walking in faith is a decision, and that decision is informed by putting God's word permanently as number one. It's by letting God's word be your first and only resort, and by letting it define your life (thoughts, speech and actions). Remember what happened to Peter in Matthew 14:28-29 when he had seen Jesus walking on water? Jesus said to him, "come". He heard the word, Faith was produced and he started walking towards Jesus. Midway, he prioritized what was going on around him, rather than the word he heard. He began to doubt that God's word which he had heard was able to sustain him. Sadly, this is what we do sometimes. We prioritize feelings and external circumstances rather than the word of God. Prioritize God's word over your opinions.

STUDY THIS: 1 Thessalonians 2:13,Philippians 2:16

DECLARE THIS: l am wholly given and submitted to the word of God. I receive it with meekness and joy, I believe it with all mny heart and I prioritize it. Glory!

SING ALONG: Quickening Fire by Pneuma Worship Collective feat. Joshua Oguche

ACTION POINT: Intentionally fix your mind on scriptures today

As we permit the Spirit’s influence through us, we must submit to His influence over us. As we mind God’s business, we mustn’t forget that we are His business, and we must let Him mind us. We must yield to His influence in us, as He helps us to keep conforming to the image of Christ. We are plants that need daily watering and nurturing, and it is designed such that every other thing flows from our time with the Lord (ministry inclusive).

It’s important to state here that the Holy Ghost is more than an influence. He is a person that has an influence. Let’s see something in Ephesians 5:18. It says “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;”The fruits of being drunk with wine are foolishness, destructiveness, wastefulness and riot. So Paul is saying, rather than being drunk thereby being under the influence of alcohol which leads to wastefulness, destructiveness and the likes, we should be filled with the Spirit.

The word filled there is the Greek word “pleroo” which can mean “to be satisfied with” Remember that we already have the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, so Paul is definitely not implying that we should receive the Holy Spirit again. He’s not outside us. He never left. Paul is saying that since we already have The Spirit, we should keep on being satisfied with Him! We should keep on being filled. Being filled, really is staying filled. ‘Be filled’ is a verb in the passive voice. This means that as much as we can work out the indwelling of the Spirit (See Ephesians 5:19-21), really, we are not the source of our infilling, He is. Take a moment to read through again.

In scriptures, we see a contrast between the influence of the Spirit and drunkenness (See Luke 1:15). Again, in Acts 2, on the day of Pentecost, people mistook the influence of the Holy Spirit for drunkenness (See Acts 2:13). We can infer and say that the similarity between ‘getting drunk’ with alcohol and ‘being/staying filled’ with the Spirit is that both terms imply control over an individual which can alter the person’s thinking or manner of conduct. While drunkenness leads to lasciviousness, the Apostles were under the influence of the Spirit, and this caused them to speak in other tongues, causing a change in their initial conduct. It’s important to know that just as being drunk requires continuous drinking, we stay filled by continually yielding to His influence.

As powerful as the Holy Ghost is, we can stifle or resist His influence. Scripture literally tells us to “quench (extinguish) not the Spirit” (See 1 Thessalonians 5:19). So, He can be quenched. His influence can be resisted. He won’t do anything without our permission, consent and alignment. He will only seek to influence our interests, our hearts, and our preoccupations. Let’s give room for the influence of the Spirit in us by yielding. This is the only way to be more like Jesus.

STUDY THIS: Romans 8:14

DECLARE THIS: I allow the Holy Spirit to influence my choices, will, and interests. I yield. Glory!

SING ALONG: Carry Me by Nathaniel Bassey

ACTION POINT: Yield to the Spirit’s leading today

The word of God, in changing us, reveals to us what is wrong by showing what is right. It is a mirror, and as we look into it to conform, we see what we should look like and we see what we look like.

The word of God sets us straight by rearranging our perspectives. We must understand that relying on and trusting that the word of God is true is trusting in the wisdom of God. When we accept what God's word says, we accept the superiority of the word. We are not wiser than God or His word. The word of God should transform (change) us, but change is not always comfortable, neither is correction.

The word of God is for rectification, that is, putting things right. To learn God's ways is to unlearn our ways. It's important to understand this. The word of God is for reinformation, which suggests that an old information might have been passed before, but a new one has come to light. The problem with the Pharisees is that they were stuck in their own ways and unwilling to see that what they were holding on to was already obsolete. Sadly, sometimes we are like this, unwilling to let go of light to take hold of greater light. Receiving correction involves dropping what was to embrace what is. When God’s word speaks, we do not say “but”.

It's also important to know that to reject correction by God's word is to conclude that we know better than the word. It is wise to listen to what God has to say, why? because He knows better than we do. He corrects us to shift our way of thinking and living, and sometimes He does this through those around us. It's dangerous to be in the midst of people who cheer you on even in wrongdoing. Inherent in love is correction. God loves us too much to leave us wallowing in wrongdoing.

A hallmark of humility is the ability to have a teachable heart; a heart that can reason with perspectives other than ours, and a heart that is willing to see that other perspectives can be right, and ours could be wrong. The word of God shows us where we should be, but we must receive with humility.

STUDY THIS: 2 Timothy 3:16

DECLARE THIS: I am receptive to correction! I am teachable! I am meek enough to embrace change and by the word, I see and make adjustments. Glory!

SING ALONG: Quickening Fire by Pneuma Worship Collective and Joshua Oguche

ACTION POINT: Prayerfully make adjustments to habits, thought patterns and speech based on corrections by God’s word

In Matthew 6 when Jesus was teaching His disciples how to pray, He raised a very important prayer prompt, requesting that The Father supplies our daily bread. Our text above helps us understand that with the breaking of the dawn of each day, we are eligible to receive daily benefits from Abba. Think of it as a daily allowance that we receive. Is it money? Absolutely not! It’s the word.

Our failure to receive the word for each day is what makes us have bad days. Before you set out or go about the day’s business, get the day’s word from Daddy. Learn to enquire of Him, learn to spend time with Him in studying scriptures. Ensure you get a word to run with; whether an instruction, a word of encouragement or comfort, or a prophecy.

Typically, you don’t run a new day on the food you ate the previous day. No, you go for a new intake, even if it’s the same thing you had the previous day. Sometimes, God wants to reiterate or ascertain the word He gave you the previous day. Other times, He wants you to hear that word anew and see it in a different light. There is the word, for now, the word for later, and the word for forever. The point is that you hear Him anew for each day. Don’t be slothful in fellowshipping with God.

As you get the word, declare it, run with it, put it to use. Remember, what we do with the word determines whether or not we will profit from it and the extent to which we will profit from it. Have you heard Daddy today? Have you received the word for today? Have you taken time to study the word? Go for the word! God sustains us by His word as we feast on Him (See Matthew 4:4). We gain direction and practical insight that we need to navigate life here on earth. Go for the word! Stay with the Word!

STUDY THIS: John 6:27

DECLARE THIS: I give due diligence to studying God’s word. I spend time in fellowship with Abba, and I walk in His precious promises for me. I effectively run with the word. Glory!

SING ALONG: Abba Father by Nathaniel Bassey

ACTION POINT: Give due diligence to be fastened to God’s word today

Sometimes, it can extremely hard to believe that God is attentive to our prayers or that he even wants to hear from us. This might be because of guilt or feelings of inadequacy or irrelevance. The emphasis in prayer is not on the flaws or inadequacies of the person praying, but on the person being prayed to. Even when we go wrong and feel like we do not deserve God's audience, He wants us to come before Him in prayer not because of our deservedness, but because we're His children whom He loves.

God is good. God is gracious. He is merciful and He will not withhold any good thing from us. Most importantly, He is our Father. The awareness that God is Abba should inform our confidence in Him and change our approach to prayer. Notice how Jesus prayed in John 14:16. That is the confidence we should have when talking to God. Scripture helps us understand that men being wicked do not offer stone to their children in place of bread, how much more our Heavenly Father who knows our needs before they even arise?

We must come before God knowing that he is attentive to our voices, our tears and even our irrelevant random thoughts. He cares about every single thing. Nothing is too small or too big to talk to God about.

When we pray, we are not speaking to the wind or the empty space. We are talking to a loving, responsible, capable Father who wants the best for us and who is committed to taking care of us. So speak, the Father listens.

STUDY THIS: John 5:15, 1 John 5:14, Jeremiah 33:3, Philippians 4:9

DECLARE THIS: I affirm and believe that God is my Father. He listens to me when I pray. I am anxious for nothing, but I present my needs before Him with thanksgiving. Glory!

SING ALONG: Abba by Leon Timbo & Northern Lights United

ACTION POINT: Approach prayer with a childlike heart, knowing that God is your Father and He is for you.

Our prayers are powerful because our God supplies the power, and as we stand in our authority against the wiles of the enemy, we must not overlook the power of prayer in subduing the flesh and overcoming temptations.

In James 4:7, we are instructed to submit to God and then resist the devil. 1 Peter 5:6 equally instructs us to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, and then verse 7 tells us to cast our cares upon Him. Prayer is how we humble ourselves and submit to God. Prayerlessness is pride. It is somewhat thinking we are powerful enough to run our own lives and it is this pride that opens us up to being subdued by the flesh, because he that proudly thinks he stands will fall (See 1 Corinthians 10:6-12). The strength to resist the devil comes from submitting to the Lord in prayer. To use the Lord’s authority, you must first be under His authority.

As you come under the authority of God, you can then walk in His authority over sin and satan and yes, over self.

STUDY THIS: Luke 22:40, 46

DECLARE THIS: I am submitted to God! As I make tremendous power available, I walk in authority over the flesh. Glory!

SING ALONG: Prophetic Chant by Pastor Emmanuel Iren feat. Nosa

ACTION POINT: Declare the Lordship of Jesus over every area of your life as you pray today.

All godly habits are not the end in themselves, but means to an end, the end being God (The Omega). They are designed to help us fellowship and relate with God better and not to take His place. It is therefore important that as we build the habit of prayer, we do not idolize prayer.

Prayer is a two way communication between us and God, and so what makes it meaningful is the God we are communicating with. Take God out of the picture, and prayer will be meaningless. Our prayers are powerful because the God we are speaking to is powerful. This means that the earnest prayer of a righteous man has power and produces great results because God supplies the power. To idolize prayer therefore, is to put prayer in God’s place and to be fixated on the activity rather than the God who gives meaning to the activity. Prayer is special because of the God who hears us when we pray.

The Pharisee Jesus described in Luke 18:11 prayed just to prove a point. It is pride to want to obey God to earn bragging rights, and likewise, you must not pray just to prove that you can pray.

As we build godly habits, we must have the right goals in mind. When we are no longer fixated on delighting in God and discerning His will and pleasure in prayer, then we must reassess our hearts.

Any spiritual habit that doesn’t glorify God and humble us (make us continually die to self), has become an idol. God instituted prayer for fellowship, we must take care not to idolize it. We must worship The Blesser and not the Blessing, and we must worship the God we pray to, not prayer in itself.

STUDY THIS: 1 John 5:15

DECLARE THIS: In my life, God is enthroned above all else. I do not make an idol out of prayer. My heart is fixated on God and God alone. Glory!

SING ALONG: Deep In Love With You by Michael W. Smith

As important as it is to pray, we must understand that our thoughts before and after we pray are very crucial too.

Ephesians 3:20 shows that God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we ask or think. What we ask and what we think are equally important.The word 'or' in the context of this scripture shows a comparison between two words. This is to show us that our thoughts are as powerful as what we say, and in fact, our words are first thoughts. Proverbs 23:7 tells us that as a man thinks in his heart, so is he, not so he will be. Our thoughts are so powerful that they have the ability to make us or break us. Of all places to renew, Scripture places so much emphasis on the renewal of the mind (See Romans 12:2).

As much as we speak words while praying, we must ensure that what we are thinking and what we are saying after we pray are in corroborative alignment with the word of God. Right after you pray, there are million negative "what if" thoughts that the enemy tries to sow in your mind. We must guard our hearts. Don't think things negating the word of God that is in the process of fruition. Your thoughts will ultimately affect your confessions.

The real warfare is actually in the mind, and we must know that we do not fight thoughts with thoughts. We fight thoughts with words, and more importantly, God's word. Also, we must go into prayer with the assurance that God is present, able and willing. Don't entertain doubt or unbelief. See through God's word, speak God’s word and guard your heart with God’s word! Your thoughts are powerful, because they are your words waiting to be said (See Luke 6:45). Ensure that you're not being pessimistic. Of all the possible outcomes of a situation, choose to believe and dwell on the one that God's word said.

STUDY THIS: Hebrews 11:6, 2 Corinthians 4:13

DECLARE THIS: I affirm that my heart is fixed on God's word. I give no room for doubt and unbelief. I transform my mind daily by the word, and my heart is a haven for only Christlike thoughts. Glory!

SING ALONG: Ancient Words by Michael W. Smith

The tradition of the church is the tradition of teaching. Jesus taught His disciples, died and resurrected and taught them some more. (See Acts 1:3 ). Paul was always found teaching(See Acts 17:2). The apostles taught as well. Doctrine is the most important part of our Christian walk because it shapes our perception of every other thing. In other words, our understanding of the word of God frames our conviction pertaining to other things.

Doctrine frames our understanding of what prayer is and how to pray. By doctrine, some people view prayer as an aggressive petition to a reluctant God, while others see prayer as a means of communion and communication with a loving Father. Doctrine frames how we view worship. It frames what we understand worship as; whether as just the rendition of songs, or a perpetual lifestyle of sacrifice. Doctrine frames how we relate with God, how we see Him, place Him in our lives, and how we serve Him. Different people believe different things about God because of the ideologies of Him that have been communicated through teaching. Teaching is much more important than we realize. The perceptions that have grown into convictions today were fueled and fed by repetitive teaching. It is what we are told and taught about God that we will end up believing.

STUDY THIS: Acts 17:11

DECLARE THIS: I am a diligent student of the word. I am a sound student of scriptures and I recognize the importance of sound doctrine. I therefore labor diligently in my study of scriptures and I pay attention to sound teaching. Glory!

SING ALONG: Ancient Words by Michael W. Smith

ACTION POINT: Spend some time praying Ephesians 1:18

In Matthew 6:7, Jesus confronts an approach to prayer. He says to avoid vain repetitions. Jesus doesn’t emphasize repetitions, He emphasizes vain repetitions.

Vain repetitions simply refer to incomprehensible rapid blabbing, and what characterizes such kinds of prayer is absent mindedness. Prayer must involve the heart. It must be heartfelt. When you pray, you must pray with all your attention and gaze on God. Mental awareness is important while praying, because your mind is where the consciousness of things takes place. Your mind must be able to note and recognize what has happened/is happening in prayer. Have you been encouraged, corrected, comforted, emboldened or instructed? What did God say to you as you prayed? What matters in prayer is what God said, so make sure to track your mindfulness as you pray.

Another way to pray mindfully is to pray in your understanding. Praying in other tongues is great, but if it’s done mindlessly, then it is vain repetition. If you can pray in other tongues, you can interpret those tongues, because the same Holy Ghost is the sponsor of both gifts (See 1 Corinthians 12:4 ), and as you say what you’re saying in other tongues in your understanding, you’re keeping your mind focused.

Finally, to pray heartfelt prayers, simply say what you mean and mean what you say. It’s easier to pray constantly if you don’t have to premeditate or rehearse your prayers. God is interested in what you might think is minor. If it’s serious enough to get you worried, it’s serious enough to be prayed about. Philippians 4:6 says, “…. in everything by prayer and supplication, let your requests be made known to God.” It says in everything! Everything is everything! Talk to God about anything and everything. Let Him in on your thoughts. He is interested in everything.

STUDY THIS: 1 Peter 5:7

DECLARE THIS: Today and always, I pray mindfully. I am conscious of what God is doing and saying as I pray. My prayers are heartfelt. Glory!

SING ALONG:Koinonia by Dolapo Lawal

ACTION POINT: Apply your heart in prayer today.

As we grow in Christ and begin to take on more spiritual responsibilities, it becomes easy to confuse motion with intimacy; to equate constant activity with closeness to God. However, Scripture shows us that our first calling is not to work for God, but to walk with Him. In Luke 10, Martha was busy serving, but her sister Mary sat at Jesus’ feet, soaking in His words. Jesus didn’t rebuke Martha for her service, but He called Mary’s choice “the one thing needful.” That statement is profound. It tells us that what we need most is not more “doing” but more being with Jesus.

In John 12, Judas criticized Mary for “wasting” her expensive perfume on Jesus, but what looked like waste to him was actually deep worship. Judas thought like a worker. Mary responded like a lover. The difference is heart posture.

We are God’s servants, yes, but more than that, we are God’s children. Children come close. Children listen. Children receive. Our Father is not just looking for laborers, He’s looking for lovers. Ministry must never replace intimacy. It should flow from it. Sometimes we think that our time with God is only valuable when it equips us to minister, but God also wants to tend to you just because He loves you. Not every word He gives is for a sermon. Some are for your healing, your strength, your refreshing.

Even Jesus with His full earthly assignment still made time to retreat and be with the Father (See Luke 5:16). If the Son of God needed fellowship, how much more do we? Don’t let the applause of men, the pressure of platforms, or the addiction to results rob you of the better part. The truth is: Heaven is all about fellowship. There’ll be no stage, no pulpit or no media team. If your Christian life is all about output, heaven might feel awkward but if you’ve already cultivated a life of worship and fellowship, eternity will just be a continuation of the love you already enjoy.

STUDY THIS: Proverbs 23:4, Psalm 127:2

SING ALONG: Nothing else by Cody Carnes

DECLARE THIS: I am childlike. I am not caught up in activities. I prioritize fellowship and I am ministered to, supplied to, and cared for. Glory!

ACTION POINT: Fix your gaze on Jesus as you speak with Him.

Do you have friends or people in your life that you can talk to for hours upon hours without the fear of running out of what to say? Do you have friends that you can tell almost everything? Well, God wants this kind of relationship with you. He is interested in you and is committed to being your friend.

God does not want a long-distance relationship with us. He is not someone living far away in the clouds. Understand that He is in you and with you, so even before you start talking to Him, be aware that He is right there in the room. Don't see prayer and study as a mechanical chore. They require discipline and diligence quite alright, but ultimately, God wants us to delight in them. Fellowship time shouldn't be something you see as just another task to check off your to-do list. It should not be a rehearsed thing either. God wants us to feel comfortable telling Him any and everything; our highs, our low moments, our strengths, and even our weaknesses. Understand that your time of devotion is God’s gift to you and not your gift to Him, neither is it an avenue to impress Him.

Koinonia means fellowship. It also means partnership. How can we claim to have been called into unbroken fellowship with God in Christ, yet neglect our friendship with Him? What happens when there's a lack of communication and quality time in a relationship or friendship? It will definitely suffer! Our Christian walk is not only a walk of service, it is a walk of unending friendship. Remember, we were created to be in fellowship with God. Also, remember that God is a good friend. The best friend anyone can have.

STUDY THIS: James 2:23

DECLARE THIS: I have received an unbroken fellowship with God in Christ. I am God's friend and God is my friend. I delight in spending time with Him. Glory!

SING ALONG: Koinonia by Dolapo Lawal

ACTION POINT: Approach devotion seeking God’s heart alone

Prayer is an avenue for fellowshipping with God, and to inquire into His will and align to it. It is also the avenue to get direction, or redirection. The point is that in prayer, our eyes are fixed on Him and our minds recognize His perspective on issues and align. In prayer, we must seek to see His will done on earth, in every area of our lives.

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of guidance (See John 16:13), and by the virtue of His eternal indwelling us, we have the reality of unbroken guidance. The believer is never without guidance, that is, there will never be any point in time where we are left alone to figure out things. We have the assurance of the voice of God, so confusion is not the believer's heritage (See Isaiah 30:21). God wants you to have clarity more than you want to have clarity, so He will ensure to speak to you in the way you will recognize and understand. Don't forget, He is El-Roi (The God who sees you), and so, He knows how to speak to you, His dearly beloved child.

Very importantly, clarity will come as you pray. Remember, prayer is an avenue to see into Abba's heart. He is the one with all the answers, and so to pray is to be humble enough to seek Him in all things. All you will ever need is inside you.

The Holy Ghost is all sufficient. He is the Counselor, The Guide, The Spirit of Knowledge, Wisdom, Might, and the Fear of the Lord. The One who has all the answers is inside you! The answer is inside you! Prayer is how you fetch that answer. Prayer is how you fetch clarity and direction. The distance between you and clarity in any given issue is the word of God. The distance between confusion and clarity is prayer. Sometimes, you are literally hours in prayer away from clarity.

STUDY THIS: Psalms 119:105

DECLARE THIS: Because the Holy Ghost who dwells in me is my guide, I can never be confused. I always know what to do. Clarity is the order of the day in my life. Glory!

SING ALONG: Zoe by Odunayo Adebayo feat. Pastor Emmanuel Iren

ACTION POINT: Spend quality time in prayer today

God will always ensure that you’re ready and mature enough to handle what you’re asking for. If you’re not, He will most likely answer you with a ‘wait’, and the reason is because He doesn’t want you to mishandle or make a mess of what you’re asking. For instance, if your five year old son asks you for a car, you know he’s not ready for what he’s asking, and so you want to tell him to wait till he’s ready. Sometimes, a ‘no’ is not a ‘never’, it’s actually a ‘not yet’ or a ‘wait’.

There’s something scripture calls the appointed time (See Habakkuk 2:3). It is not prayed for, it is waited for and grown into. Are you ready for what you’re asking? Have you built the character required to sustain it? Have you built the capacity for it? We must learn to submit to God’s timing and processes. It is in His fashion to prepare you before sending you out. He will build strength and most importantly character.

The waiting room is not the most pleasant place to be, but it is God’s way of building us. He will take us through training in order to ensure that we’re ready for where He’s taking us to. It’s also important to understand that sometimes, we could be prolonging our own waiting by refusing to grow out of some things. Lessons will continue to be repeated if we refuse to learn from them (consider Jonah). So, the sooner we learn what God is trying to teach us, the better. It’s also important that we understand that waiting is a way to save time, and inadvertently move faster. As we wait and learn, we know how to do things rightly, and will therefore avoid mistakes that could take us back to square one. Rushing out of the waiting room could open us up to mistakes that could ruin things, and cause us to begin again. Don’t rush. Permit the work God is doing in you as you wait.

STUDY THIS: Isaiah 5:26

DECLARE THIS: I affirm and believe that God’s timing is the best. I am patient as I wait and grow. Glory!

SING ALONG: While I’m Waiting by Travis Greene

ACTION POINT: Prayerfully seek out the will of God for your life

Jesus is the finality of God as we see in Hebrews 1:1, and this means that we must take His words on all things as true above all else. What He says is what we live by. In Luke 11:1, His disciples asked Him to teach them to pray, and we will start by looking at Jesus’ response.

The first thing is how Jesus taught us to relate with God. He said when we pray, we should call God Father, so we have it on good authority that this is how God wants to be related with. We are His children and He’s our Daddy. Let’s ponder on the implications of that today. Calling God Father implies that there is a relationship, a bond, a connection. A kinship. If this is true, then in a healthy Father-child relationship, constant communication is only natural. Now, the fact that God is love puts His Fatherhood in context. He is not just any Father, He is a loving Father. It must settle in our subconscious that communicating with God is the norm because we are His children and He is our Father. Jesus wants us to relate with God as our Father, because it drives home how natural it should be to talk to God. He wants us to see how abnormal prayerlessness and inconsistent communication are.

Consistency in prayer is sometimes difficult because we don’t realize how natural it is to talk and listen to God. It was once impossible to talk to God without going or traveling to a temple or tabernacle or sending requests through a priest (See Luke 18:10 1 Samuel 1:24,Jeremiah 7:16, 2 Chronicles 30:27), but the gift of the Holy Spirit has made communication with God a norm. It is important to understand that God will never ask of us what He has not given us. Everything that God asks of us is from the assumption that we’re in the position to give/ do it. He can ask us to live holy because He’s given us the gift of His holiness (See 1 Peter 2:9, 1 Peter 1:15). He can ask us to be living sacrifices because He gave us His life (See Romans 12:1, Galatians 2:20), so He wants us to pray always because He has made communication the norm through His permanent indwelling in us.

The only thing needed to facilitate constant communication now is not a high mountain or a middleman. It is His presence. He dwells in us because He wants us to see that we are not speaking to a God who lives far away. Traveling far distances to speak and listen to Him might seem like a reason not to pray always, but He has bridged that gap so that we can see that He has truly made communication the norm. He’s really right there in you, wanting to speak and listen to you.

STUDY THIS: Romans 12:12

DECLARE THIS: I recognize that I am in unbroken fellowship with God and I affirm that the Holy Ghost lives in me. Prayer is therefore the norm in my life. Glory!

SING ALONG: Abba Father by Nathaniel Bassey

ACTION POINT: Be conscious of the fatherhood of God as you pray

Let’s see our text. It says, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” What Scripture terms as asking amiss is simply asking with a wrong motive, which is simply a lustful motive. So, sometimes, the problem is not what is being asked for, it is the intention behind what is being asked. It’s okay to want a car, but it’s not okay to want it just to show off or flaunt it. Why do you want what you’re asking? Why do you really want what you’re asking? This calls for introspection and evaluation.

Let’s also examine the popular story of Hannah. For many years, she had been asking God for a child, and the year she decided to dedicate that child back to God, she conceived. Of what use is what you’re asking to the furtherance of the kingdom? So, yes, you have your requests, but where is the intersection between what you want and what God wants? How can what you want further propagate what God wants? Check your intentions. Remember, asking amiss is asking with the wrong motives.

As you start to seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness, you start to find yourself wanting what He wants. John 15:7 says if we abide in Him and His words abide in us, we shall ask and it shall be done. Some people conveniently ignore the first part of this scripture. The point is that as His words abide in us, they start to form and reform us. They start to inform our wants. As we permit the word to dwell richly in us, we start to genuinely seek the will of God. This is when prayers can get His ‘yes’; when what we’re asking is exactly what He wants for us.

STUDY THIS; John 4:34

DECLARE THIS; I am in tune with God’s heart. I want His wants. I am interested in His interests. I do not ask amiss, because I do not ask with lustful motives. Glory!

SING ALONG: Yes to Your Will by Pastor Emmanuel Iren

ACTION POINT: Ask God to search your motives and align yours with His

There’s truly no such thing as an unanswered prayer, what we have are answers we do not like or want. God answers with either a yes, no, or wait. He doesn’t leave our prayers unanswered. We must understand that God is a good father who has the best interests of His children at heart. He knows best, and we must learn to trust His heart. We must also understand His will for us. Is what you’re asking for in accordance with what He wants for you at that point in time?

Jesus in Luke 22:42 submitted to the will of God despite how inconvenient and heavy it was to bear. Your prayers will get a yes if they are in accordance with God's will for you. No matter how much you ask and keep asking, if what you’re asking for is not what God wants for you, He won’t let you have it, and this is because He’s a good father. This leads us to the next thing. God’s ‘no’ is out of His love for us, and that’s another reason to rejoice! Rejoice that God cares about you so much that He would say no to things that are not for you.

Rejoice because He does not let you have everything you want. He will not say yes to something that will harm you just to pacify you. He will not allow you to have access to something that can potentially harm you. Understand and accept that God knows better than you do, and He wants the best for you even more than you do, so when you do not understand His hand, trust His heart. As you thank God for making a way, also thank Him for getting in the way! Thank Him for interrupting your plans. The proof that God’s counsel over you is standing is that your own plans are failing. Thank Him for the closed doors because you might not have known what was behind them. As you thank God for His ‘yes’, also thank Him for His ‘no’. Thank Him because although His ‘no’ might seem like a detour, all things work together for your good, including the things you don’t understand.

STUDY THIS: John 15:7

DECLARE THIS: God hears me when I pray! God listens to me when I speak to Him! I trust His heart, and I believe that in accordance with His Will for me, He will grant my heart desires. Glory!

SING ALONG: Yes To Your Will by Pastor Emmanuel Iren

ACTION POINT: Spend time praying today, knowing that God is interested in you