the watcher

1 Peter 5:10   But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.  2025 is moving on fast as we see the last day of January. Let us remind ourselves of the eclipse. An eclipse can be said to occur when there is an obstruction to the full reflection of the sun, causing a period of unusual darkness. What does the sun imply to us? It is our daytime, when all is alright and there is no gloom. We are not worried or troubled. There is no big issue bothering our mind. However, we know that In life we have times when everything doesn't look alright, challenges arise, some things come up that prompt us to worry. I want to call these time a period of eclipse! What do you do when there is an eclipse? You don't go scared and begin to worry. No, you always have in the back of your mind that it is only for a season, it will shortly pass away. One important thing we...

Philippians 2:13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. No, it is not the traditional birthday you have in mind, it is the birth of a new thing, idea, project, goals, assignment, call, yes it could be any new phase in your life. The day you begin a thing is the day, you were born into it. Until you have come to an acknowledgement of a truth, you cannot fully live in it. You could talk about it, dream it, but it hasn't started until you actually take the first step. That step we pray should always be in the right direction. Psalm 37:23  The steps of a [good] man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. You could be: * around the truth * within the truth or * arguing the truth You never get the benefit of it until you accept and receive the truth. Just like our salvation in Christ Jesus, which is the only way to the Father. We could dream so much and keep trying ways but there is one way that will open unto us that which we desire. ...

Psalms 77:11 I will remember the works of the LORD: surely I will remember thy wonders of old. One of the best ways to respond to a challenge or difficulty is to remember the victories of the past.  We tend to forget that we have had victory in previous battles. No, we should remember the victory and also He who did it previously for us, for He would yet do it again. It may be that we are exhausted or we feel that we ought to have a break from the spiritual living or relax on the trusting. Elijah felt the same way: a man who by his auction was able to get fire from heaven to soak up his over drenched sacrifice and defeat all the priests of baal, he was the one who also stopped rain for three years and called it again, yet he had to run into hiding because of an evil woman. No wonder it was clear that it was time for him to hand over. We should learn from this. Psalms 40:1 I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. We cannot afford to forget the vict...

James 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. Luke 6:46 "But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say? It is one thing to know what God desires from us and another to actually do them. There is the written will from His word, His will spoken to you as a person and His will spoken to you as a family. If we are of God, our lives must show it, by the daily obedience to His Word. The only way to know His word is by studying them, then the Holy Spirit keeps reminding us of them. John 14:26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. We should remember that whom we obey is whom is Lord over us. The truth is that we must obey someone. I was listening to a sound track in the movie "the ultimate gift" and the lyrics said,: "You must serve someone it may be the Lord or the de...

Genesis 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: The need to grow is built into everyone, that is how God made us. He instructed us to grow.  Every living thing He created, was authorized to grow including plants and animals alike. The question is "Are we growing"? "Are we fruitful?" The growth should be in body, mind, intellect, finance, ministry, character, maturity, education, career, the list goes on. Most importantly grow in our relationship with God. 2Peter 3:18 But grow in grace, and [in] the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him [be] glory both now and for ever. Amen. As we continue in 2025 there is a need for us to confirm that we are willing to grow, God will always help when we do His will. How do we know that we are growing? We ask the following questions: * How is my relationship with God this year compared to the previous year? * Do I lead my family in prayer,...

John 14:30 "I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me. The enemy "satan" or the "devil" has been defeated, his agenda is to take our heart away from God and focus on him, or that which is his. The battle had always been for the soul(mind, heart, intellect, emotion) of man, even from the garden of eden when he caused man to die spiritually thereby being separated from God. Man had to now battle with what he had dominion over. Therefore we who have been saved cannot therefore fall into the same error. 1Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. The enemy's agenda has always been the fight for the soul of man. Cause he knows that: Proverbs 4:23 Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. Ephesians 2:2  in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according ...

Lamentations 3:23 [They are] new every morning: great [is] thy faithfulness. Our God works in divers ways and we definitely cannot understand all of it. He is not limited by time or space neither is God limited in ways to help or bless us. Look at the record of the people of Israel: To cross the red sea, the rod is stretched over the sea and it parted. Exodus 14:21 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go [back] by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry [land], and the waters were divided. To cross the Jordan four priests had to carry the ark into the water, immediately they did this, the water stopped flowing. Joshua 3:17 And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan. To bring down the wall of Jericho they had to walk round the city seven times then ended with a lou...

2Samuel 7:22 Wherefore thou art great, O LORD God: for [there is] none like thee, neither [is there any] God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears. Psalm 118:23 This was the Lord's doing; It is marvelous in our eyes. We live in a time when knowledge abounds, science has made remarkable discoveries, new ways and technologies have been established. Man has discovered easy ways of doing things, faster ways of moving from place to place by land, air and water. This knowledge keeps increasing day after day. We need to be reminded that this is God's release of wisdom to man. This knowledge includes deep understanding of the scriptures and exposure to realms. Yet in all I still believe in miracles. I see it as a miracle, when I can not do it of my own, when people, science and even believers have said it is impossible. We have a God that does show up and when He does He expresses Himself that all may know that He is God. Psalm 109:27 That they may know that th...

James 3:2 For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. The tongue is one very important part of our body. The smallest but yet boasts great things. James 3:5 Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! Many wars have been as a result of the tongue. Many a disaster, was as a result of the tongue. Young minds have been disillusioned and dreams killed all because of the tongue. James still continues by saying "no man can tame the tongue" though man has tamed powerful animals such as horses and has controlled large ships by their tongue (helm) James 3:4 (BBE) And again ships, though they are so great and are moved by violent winds, are turned by a very small guiding-blade, at the impulse of the man who is using it. We need the power of God to tame the tongue (the Holy Spirit), because the proceed of the tongue is from the content of t...

Luke 18:1 And he spake a parable unto them [to this end], that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; 1Thessalonians 5:17  pray without ceasing, Prayer is simply seeking the Father's face it involves making requests. Matured believers make it a communication and not a monologue. This is where we all want to be, though we most times struggle with it. One thing is sure about prayer in all forms as stated in the scripture, is that it must be consistent and never ceasing. Daniel 6:10b   . . . he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days. Great men of old had the custom of praying consistently, from Abraham to John the Baptist, this was so even till the resurrection of Jesus and is still continued when the Holy Spirit came down on Pentecost. Prayers are of many types and forms but the most important part is when you have discussions with God. A child must communicate with the father. In times of ...

Isaiah 59:21 "As for Me," says the LORD, "this is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants," says the LORD, "from this time and forevermore." Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. We need to remind ourselves that the only way to be God's child is our believing in His Son and accepting Him as our Lord and Saviour then He lives in us as the Holy Spirit. That was our salvation experience. John 3:16 "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 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name: Revelation 3:20 "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to ...

Proverbs 15:23 A man has joy by the answer of his mouth, and a word spoken in due season, how good it is! Everyone has a circle of influence, people who are affected by what you say, do or the decisions you make. It could be large or small, no matter the size it remains our sphere of influence and God expects us to affect the circle positively. You are there to influence them positively. If *  the souls of these ones are important to you, you will lead them to Jesus the Christ. *  their mind is important you will feed them with the word of God and Godly counsel. * their future is important to you, you will always tell them the truth and gear them to accomplish more. * they would call you their mentor, then help them build their career * they would call you father, give them good advice daily and link them to opportunities that will make them prosper. * their needs and welfare is important, you will reach out to them no matter how little you can give. * you love them, you will ...

A new week again and also a day to join other brethren to thank God for all He has done for us. Giving God thanks is sure important and all through scriptures we see God's people giving Him thanks again and again. Wise people understand that we cannot take appreciation for granted. 1Thessalonians 5:18 "in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." We know there are times when we may not feel like giving thanks, we may feel overwhelmed by one issue or the other. It may be that we are still expecting one thing or the other from God, however we must remember that the reason why we worry is because we are alive and healthy in the first place. So we give thanks. One major reason we need to thank God is that we know Him, through the only way He has provided for man to return to Him: John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. Do you know that many still struggle with this tru...

1Peter 2:9 But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Nothing like starting the year with the understanding of who you are. It defines all and makes everything align to your position. This position is not for everyone and it is not a function of your earthly link or connection, it is one that has to be done or created by adoption because of our belief in the Son of the Living God. Yeshau Hamaschiac, Jesus the Christ. John 1:12 To all those who did so take him, however, he gave the right of becoming children of God--that is, to those who had faith in his name: Ephesians 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will: The value of our sonship is so great and so much a privilege it required Christ to die. Yet many of us do not enjoy its fullness because we ...

1Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: It is always said that what brought Satan down and made him lose all his glory was that sting called pride. Proverbs 15:25 The LORD will destroy the house of the proud, but He will establish the boundary of the widow. James 4:6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." Pride could mean you forgetting who is in charge, God, then placing yourself in His place. The Lord may not act immediately but when He does the result is not pleasant. Isaiah 42:8 I am the LORD, that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another, nor My praise to graven images. When we place ourselves in God's place we find it easy to find faults in others, we always feel offended and rarely see ourselves offending others. Pride will make one always see oneself above others, always the one needed to be apologized to, wanting to be revered, a...

Genesis 15:6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness. There is this error of confusing the works of faith with the works of the law. This misunderstanding could make a believer think that faith is just a feeling or a profession. As we go on this new year, we would have received lots of instruction, prophecies, and made lots of plans. We would have set goals and also resolved to change some methods and strategies including our lifestyle. We do all this because we have faith in God that they would all come to pass. Yes, this is the right thing to do, but we must be complete. James 2:17&20 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? The working of faith must be effective if we are to succeed. * We do the speaking; Matthew 17:20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this m...

Psalms 26:7 That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works. Psalms 30:11 Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; She was born into royalty, her father was the king. She did not know what it meant to look for food to eat, to be rejected as a bastard child by one's father and be left to cater for sheep. He was not even called when the other sons were called for one of them to be anointed. Spear was thrown at him, by the one he came to bring healing to. He had to face a lion and a bear, yet the Lord gave him victory. He had to face one of the greatest giants who ever lived, Goliath and the Lord gave him victory. He had to hide in caves to run away from a king who wanted his head. This is the story of Michal and David. She did not know why he, who was now king, danced and gave thanksgiving to God in such a vile way in front of all his subjects. She had no idea what he had been ...

John 10:9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture Many have tried to take over the heart of men. Wise books, wise sayings, nice quotes and impressive philosophies. Yet man is not limited by his intellect or feeling but an inner conviction that tells you "I am more than this". More than the social animal that all this philosophy, science or religions would want to reduce us to. Worst still is the enemy's plot to take over our mind completely by destroying our faith and an abandon to sin. He has failed! If one believes there is God and desires to end on the good side of eternity, one needs to know what is at stake. The parable Jesus gave of the rich man and Lazarus illustrates to us the circumstance that would ensue after we leave this earth. Many things we worry about, wouldn't bother us anymore. That which we may not have put in much bother then becomes the only issue! Really we live in a mortal body, whic...

Matthew 21:22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. After Jesus made this statement, He went on to say that if we had faith, and doubt not, we would move mountains. Never underestimate the power and essence of prayers in the life of the believer. It is our life force. When we pray a lot of activities take place, we need to remember that we pray to change things. Just like we see with Jabez' prayer.  Listen! Do we also understand that when we change a part, the other part is automatically affected. Take the case of the sons of Zebedee: Matthew 20:20 & 21 Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshipping [him], and desiring a certain thing of him. And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom. Well we may all attack her as selfish, in fact, the other disciples were not happy with them. It is...

Matthew 22:37   Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. As we enter the second Sunday this year , I hear our Saviour asking: "Do you love me?". The bible talks about the evidence of our love for God: 1. We keep His commandments 1John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. Joshua 22:5 But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the LORD charged you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul. The love of God is actually His commandment. I remember my dad saying, why should someone teach another to love God? However he was born into a christian home and taught to pray and worship God from his youth. Others may not have had it so, some may have been born into different bel...

Philippians 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. There was a time I used to wonder how God handles all things and how many of us praying at the same time would all be able to get God's attention. How does He take care of all the issues in this world and also those things in heaven. These were childish thoughts. Isaiah 55:8&9 For my thoughts [are] not your thoughts, neither [are] your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For [as] the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. God is indeed great, the mind of man is too small to comprehend the mystery of God, His power, His might, His glory, His splendour, majesty and strength. No wonder none have seen Him except the son. Even Moses was only able to see a reflection of Him. Isaiah 40:22 [It is] he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof [are] as g...

Jeremiah 42 : 3 & 7 That the LORD thy God may shew us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may do.  And it came to pass after TEN days, that the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah. It is ten days into the new year, at this time we would be busy doing many things. However nothing as important as seeking from the Lord the direction, plan, purposes and "expo" for 2025 if you are yet to fully receive it. We remember what we requested for, from our lecturers before the examinations began. We ask for the area of concentration. Rightfully because we serve the God who knows the end before the beginning, He is able to take us ahead. The prophets of old had that privilege and we the later "prophetic" can enjoy even a greater revelation: * That idea that would take your business to the next level in 2025; * That course you ought to study; * That man/woman you need to make serious plans with; * That job you must apply for; * Those changes you ought to make in...

Daniel 2:21 And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: As we go on this new year, we must understand that there is a distinction between the timing of the earthy calendar and the season of God's move. We could decide to move according to the timing of things according to the natural perspective or preferably we could move with the divine change of season. After the ascension of Christ, Peter had to stand twice in the midst of the brethren. At the first standing the Holy Spirit was yet to be poured on the disciples so his standing led to the casting of lots to appoint a twelfth disciple: Acts 1:15 And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,) Acts 1:25-26  That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go...

Psalm 18:32 [It is] God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect. As the year begins, naturally wisdom is to look back and see what you have been able to achieve. You want to see the targets you had set, requests you made to God and even deadlines you set to achieve or receive. Did you meet them last year? Psalm 34:8 Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! Wait, don't rush, there is one important aspect you have to consider. WHAT ARE THOSE THINGS YOU NEVER ASKED FOR, PLANNED FOR OR EXPECTED but God still did for you? Mathew 6:8 "Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. No matter what, my friends lets give thanks, because if you look you will see that GOD HAS BEEN GOOD. Knowing this as we plan for 2025, let us believe that there is a lot God would still do for us this year. There is nothing wrong in bringing those requests again to Him, not because you l...

Matthew 19:26 But Jesus beheld [them], and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. That we would have expectations, desires and challenges is usual, since we are humans and we live in this world. However if we look back through the years, we will see the hand of God steering us through it all. Providing our needs, healing infirmities, answering prayers, fighting our battles even forgiving our faults. Can we say we have pleased God totally? Could we please God of our own strength? No. Living the christian life could look so bulky sometimes, it reminds me of the laws of Moses. . . impossible . . . but that is God's speciality taking care of the impossible. Christ came that we do not have to carry those burdens or yokes anymore. Glory. The Holy Spirit helps us achieve the will of God. The character of God personalised in us by the power of God's Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23 mentioned the character of the spirit. Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, K...

2Kings 6:33b what, should I wait for the LORD any longer? As believers our trust is in God, though there are things that work so directly and easily for us that we do not even bother to pray about them. However there are things that seem not to come that easily and to receive them we get to pray and maybe pray more. However when it comes to our eternity we cannot be unsure of where we stand, it is a final price, where there are no more opportunities or a second chance. Here we cannot afford to miss it. As we go through the first week of this new year, we must take stock not only of our achievements and failures in the past year but also our stand with God. Do we still hear from Him, is He still in Control? Have we erred, are we stagnant or are we growing? 1Corinthians 16:13 Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. If we ever needed God it is now, His strength, His direction, glory and favour. His promise are fulfilled for us in Christ Jesus. Glory. As we make pl...

2 Chronicles 29:31, 34   Then Hezekiah answered and said, Now ye have consecrated yourselves unto the LORD, come near and bring sacrifices and thank offerings into the house of the LORD. And the congregation brought in sacrifices and thank offerings; and as many as were of a free heart burnt offerings. But the priests were too few, so that they could not flay all the burnt offerings: wherefore their brethren the Levites did help them, till the work was ended, and until the other priests had sanctified themselves: for the Levites were more upright in heart to sanctify themselves than the priests. Two important attributes of those who worship God are "willingness" and " diligence". Looking at the record of king Hezekiah, a king who loved the Lord and worked in His ways. We see from yesterday's study that his father walked NOT in the ways of the Lord, yet he Hezekiah chose right. In doing this his first step was to restore and bring back the place of worship: 2 C...

2 Chronicles 29:1-2   Hezekiah began to reign when he was five and twenty years old, and he reigned nine and twenty years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father had done. It is a wonder how a father will be faithful to the Lord walking in His steps, then the son grows up and then decides to walk in the ways of evil. The same way a father walked in the ways contrary to God, doing abominable things, yet the son grows and chooses to walk in the way of the Lord. Hezekiah is an example of such. King Ahaz chose the terrible part, he went as far as locking up the temple so that no one will worship the true God there! 2 Chronicles 28:1, 3-4, 22, 24  Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: but he did not that which was right in the sight of the LORD, like David his father: Moreover he burnt incense...

Psalm 1:3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. When God created man and enabled him to reproduce, He did not leave it to chance. Every human is purposeful and came to be for a reason. Thus Solomon teaches that every thing has its season: Ecclesiastes 3:1 To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven: Unlike Adam we are created to mature from young to adulthood then to old. We all are each in one of these three phases. There is nothing like the process, it ensures we are trained, matured and ready to take up our next position, promotion and assignment. Genesis 1:14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: Many who fall, have not passed through the process and thus may have not been ready for the overw...

Philippians 2:13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. The day you begin a thing is the day, you were born into it. It is never too late to start on that which God wants you to do or achieve. Once you have identified it go ahead and begin. It is another beginning for that particular assignment and surely you will complete it. You may have started years, months, weeks, days or even hours ago, it doesn't matter. It is another phase, the main thing is your consistency.  Have you broken it down into phases?  The day you decided to accept Jesus as Lord and saviour is your spiritual birthday so also the day you begin to fulfil that assignment God has given you. For every purpose there is a beginning. That is the procreation that God gave beyond bearing physical children Philippians 1:6  being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; As we go on this year, I see y...

Genesis 26:13(KJV) And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great: Another year is here, 2025. It could be like any other year. What really makes one day different from another? The events that take place! When these events take place they could: * make you or mar you * strengthen you or weaken you * cause you profit or bring you loss * increase you or reduce you * bring hope or induce despair  The question is who decides?  The answer is awesome - YOU. Until you understand that you have been empowered to make certain decisions and changes in your life, you will remain in the mediocre state and this is not good for growth will be impeded. This year we refuse to be impeded, we must move on to the next level. We are NOT going over our heads, No. We wait on the Lord, going at His pace but going forward, yes we will. Exodus 14:15   And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go f...