“I have food to eat of which you do not know.” Therefore the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me, and to finish His work” (John 4:32-34).

Lesson:

Children of God ought to set their minds on satisfying God at all times, and at all costs. We should learn from our master Jesus Christ who never traded his ministry for any other desire. He even skipped meals in order to preach the gospel (John 4:32-34): he refrained from casual rest also. Time wait for no one and every child of God should consider every opportunity as the best moment to preach the gospel. There might never be a perfect time to preach the gospel; therefore, every opportunity must be utilized! Every Christian is required to evangelize the good news of Jesus Christ to all people – whether the time is convenient or not! The scripture emphasized the need for preaching the gospel (2 Timothy 4:1-5). God reserves his outpouring blessing for anyone who diligently preaches Christ’s gospel to other people.

Prayer:

Dear God, please empower me to preach the gospel at all times – whether convenient or not. Help me to understand the need for evangelism, and help me to evangelize the gospel to your satisfaction. Anoint me with grace to explain the gospel in a way that will yield positive rewards for your kingdom. As I share the gospel, let unbelievers submit their faith to Jesus Christ and be saved. In addition, please bless me, and let me receive your due reward for obeying your instructions. For in the name of Jesus Christ I make my requests. Amen.

“David went up by the Ascent of the Mount of Olives, and wept as he went up, and he had his head covered and went barefoot. And all the people who were with him covered their heads and went up, weeping as they went up” (2 Samuel 15:30).

Lesson:

Children of God ought to turn to God through prayer whenever they are in difficult situations. The world is comprised of both positive and negative circumstances; therefore, Christians should pray to overcome them all. Since God loves his people, he will answer their prayers. He will not abandon his own people during a crisis. God will surely respond to the cries of his children, and make their faces shine in spite of any difficult circumstance that may come their way.

Prayer:

Dear God, please teach me how to pray to you for help during difficult situations. When I pray, please listen. Answer my prayers and grant every request of my heart. Let me live in joy, peace, and prosperity throughout the days of my life. for in the name of Jesus Christ, I make my requests. Amen.

“Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:13-14).

Lesson:

Jesus Christ is the living water that comes from God. Anyone who drinks from the water shall not thirst again! The effect of Jesus’ power surpasses quenching any physical thirst. The Savior will offer eternal life to anyone who accepts him as his/her personal Lord and Savior. In fact, he will bless his believers with everlasting life and perfect peace in heaven – forever! However, anyone who rejects the salvation offer of Jesus Christ would be unqualified to enter heaven, such a person will have his/her place in hellfire – where there shall be everlasting torments.

Prayer:

Dear Jesus Christ, I want to go to heaven, I do not want to go to hellfire. I confess you as Lord and I accept you as my Personal Savior. As from today, I yield my complete life to you, and I promise to serve you throughout the days of my life. For in the name of Jesus Christ I make my requests. Amen.

Crises erupted in David’s house. Two of his children committed incest; one of them committed homicide. One David’s son killed his own brother and also made love to his father’s concubines in public. The same child also overthrew David from the throne and attempted to kill him. David lost his throne and became a fugitive overnight. Mr. David lost everything he had and was greatly distressed. Some references that unveiled David’s affliction as a result of his sins are highlighted as follow:

1. David’s children committed incest: “…But she answered him, “No, my brother, do not force me, for no such thing should be done in Israel. Do not do this disgraceful thing! And I, where could I take my shame? And as for you, you would be like one of the fools in Israel. Now, therefore, please speak to the king; for he will not withhold me from you.” However, he would not heed her voice; and being stronger than she, he forced her and lay with her” (2 Samuel 13:12-14)

2. David’s son killed his brother: “Now Absalom had commanded his servants,
saying, “Watch now, when Amnon’s heart is merry with wine, and when I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon!’ then kill him. Do not be afraid. Have I not commanded you? Be courageous and valiant. “So the servants of Absalom did to Amnon as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king’s sons arose, and each one got on his mule and fled” (2 Samuel 13:28-29).

3. David’s son committed adultery with his concubines: “And Ahithophel said to
Absalom, “Go into your father’s concubines, whom he has left to keep the house; and all Israel will hear that you are abhorred by your father. Then the hands of all who are with you will be strong.” So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the top of the house, and Absalom went into his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel” (2 Samuel 16:21-22).

4. David’s son overthrew him and wanted him dead: “Now a messenger came to
David, saying, “The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom.” So David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, “Arise and let us flee, or we shall not escape from Absalom. Make haste to depart, lest he overtakes us suddenly and bring disaster upon us, and strike the city with the edge of the sword” (2 Samuel 15:13-14).

Lesson:

Sin irritates God, it is evil, and it can cause a child of God to suffer. Sin forces God to withdraw his protection from anyone who engages in it and also grants the opportunity for Satan to strike. Hence, children of God should be careful not to entertain sin since it incurs a negative impact. However, there is hope for a sinner who repents from his/her sins. The merciful and forgiving God will show mercy on anyone who humbly confesses his/her sins, and repent from them.

Prayer:

Dear God, please guide my footsteps so that I do not sin against you. Do not let me sin against you so that Satan will not have an advantage over me. Empower me through your Holy Spirit to obey all your commandments, and help me to faithfully serve you so that I can prosper throughout the days of my life. For in the name of Jesus Christ I make my requests. amen.

“How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? How long will my enemy be exalted over me? Consider and hear me, O Lord my God; enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death; lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed against him”; lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved” (Psalm 13:1-4).

Lesson:

Christians have no better weapons than prayers. We are encouraged to call on God and table our petitions before him at all times. There is no limit to the number of requests that we should tender before God. He has enough power to handle many situations at the same time, and he will surely respond to the needs of his children. Therefore, with the understanding that Christians are not orphans and powerless, we should walk up to our heavenly Father and request whatever we want from him. God’s responses to prayers include, but are not limited to protections, provisions, and promotions.

Prayer:

Dear God, I understand that you are the king of the universe; you have all things at your disposal, and nothing is difficult for you to do. Therefore, I invite your presence into my situation, and I ask for your help. Please, subdue every mountain of challenges that surround me. Level all mountains of sickness, poverty, and all forms of attacks. Award me victory and give me laughter. Let me rejoice and celebrate your goodness in the land of the living. For in the name of Jesus Christ I make my requests. Amen.

“A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before Him’” (John 3:27-28). John also told the Pharisees, “He must increase, but I must decrease. He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all” (John 3:30-31).

Lesson:

Humility is better than pride. Humility brings honor but pride brings shame. All children of God are required to be humble. We are mandated to demonstrate a humble heart like Jesus Christ who had all power at his disposal but yet remained humbled till the point of death so that he could save the lost sinners.

Prayer:

Dear God, please give me the grace to remain humble to you at all times. Do not let me be arrogant, and do let me claim superiority over others. Do not let me arrogate your glory to myself, and do not let me give your due honor to someone else. Fill and energize me with your Holy Spirit to do pleasant things in your presence at all times. Also, let your Holy Spirit assist me to treat other people with respect so that they can be challenged to praise your holy name. For in the name of Jesus Christ I make my requests. Amen.

“Have mercy upon me, O God, according to your loving-kindness; according to the multitude of your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned, and done this evil in your sight— That you may be found just when you speak, and blameless when you judge. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin, my mother conceived me. Behold, you desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part you will make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear joy and gladness, that the bones you have broken may rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me by your generous Spirit” (Psalm 51:1-12).

Lesson:

God is merciful and he will forgive any sin that is confessed and repented before him. Truly, God hates sin, and he would only celebrate anyone who abstains from it; however, The Creator will not ignore a sinner who repents. He will forgive and pardon repentant sinners, and he will grant them equal rights in his kingdom. However, a sinner who refuses to repent will the suffer consequences of his or her actions in hellfire. Therefore, all people are encouraged to abstain from sin so that they can escape God’s imminent judgments that will soon come on all unrepentant sinners.

Prayer:

Dear God, I admit that I am a sinner who does not deserve any special blessing from you. I have committed many unimaginable sins, and I am not qualified for heaven! However, I have realized my mistakes and have come to you with a humble heart. Today, I repent from my sins, and I ask you to please forgive me. Kindly remove all consequences of sins from my life; accept me again as one of your choice children, and give me grace not to return to my old sins. Keep me standing in good faith, and let me qualify for your blessings on earth and in heaven. When the end comes, count me among people that will permanently live with you in heaven! For in the name of Jesus Christ I make my requests. Amen.

“There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:1-8).

Lesson:

Jesus Christ utilized every opportunity he had to preach the gospel to sinners while he was on earth. Despite the skepticism of his opponents, Jesus maintained a good attitude towards all people. He was not repulsive to anyone, but he accommodated whoever showed interest in his message. Out of his liberal heart towards Pharisees, Jesus answered all questions that Nicodemus asked. Those responses have become pinnacles of faith for all Christians. They have become iconic sermons, phrases, and clauses for believers to use for engaging lost sinners and lead them into God’s salvation. Jesus stated to Nicodemus:

1. “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).

2. “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:14).

3. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

4. “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:17).

5. “He who believes in Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God” (John 3:18).

Prayer:

Dear Jesus Christ, what a wonderful Lord you are! You have expounded the gospel for all people to benefit. You endured persecutions and expressed a loving heart during hostile people. You suffered various forms of abuse for the sake of saving the world! I love you Jesus Christ, and I promise to reciprocate your love with my life. Hence, I confess you as Son of God, and I accept you into my life as my personal Lord and Savior. I confess my sins and repent from them; I will serve you throughout the days of my life. I am utilizing this moment to ask for your grace to preach the gospel and tactically engage others until they surrender their lives to you. For in the name of Jesus Christ, I make my requests. Amen.

“Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” Then David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her, for she was cleansed from her impurity; and she returned to her house. And the woman conceived; so she sent and told David, and said, “I am with child”… “In the morning it happened that David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. And he wrote in the letter, saying, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retreat from him, that he may be struck down and die” (2 Samuel 11:1-5; 14-15).

“Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more! Why have you despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon. Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, before the sun’” (2 Samuel 12:7-12).

Lesson:

Nemesis will catch up with evil people, no matter how far they run! Anyone who does evil and believes he can get away with it is joking! God knows how to arrest wicked people and punish them. No one can run outside the radars of God; since he knows all things, he will reward all things! Therefore, a wicked person who prospers today may still suffer the consequences of his or her actions tomorrow. Hence, all people are challenged to fear God and do pleasant things under his watchful eyes.

Prayer:

Dear God, please save me from sin. I know you see all things, and you will reward all things. Therefore, I ask you to please give me the grace to behave appropriately in your presence. Do not let me abuse my opportunity, but help me to satisfy you with holiness at all times. Please overwhelm me with the strength of your Holy Spirit so that I can finish my race well on earth, and end up with you in heaven. For in the name of Jesus Christ I make my requests. Amen.

“And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it” Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.” And they took it. When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!” (John 2:3-10).

Lesson:

Parents should encourage their children to maximize their potential. We should learn from Mary who literally forced her son Jesus to bring out his talent! At least no one knew about Jesus’ extraordinary capability until the time of the wedding in Cana of Galilee when his mother challenged him to do something! Prior to that time, no one knew Jesus to be somebody special. Meanwhile, Mary had probably noticed his son’s remarkable strength at home. From her daily observations, she had seen and concluded that her son had some extraordinary power to perform miracles. Therefore, when the opportunity came, Mary would not allow her son to rest until he showcased his gift and talents for the whole world to see and benefit. Yes of course, Jesus eventually responded; he performed his first miracle, and the rest is history!

Prayer:

Dear God, let me be a good parent who will encourage my children to bring out their best virtues. Help me to be sensitive to recognize the traits that will benefit them. Once I am aware of their traits, give me grace to properly direct them, so that they can be successful. I also pray the same prayer for all parents and those who aspire to be parents. For in the name of Jesus Christ I make my requests. Amen.