Saturday, 15^th July, 2023

Bible Reading:  Acts 13: 6-12

Memory Verse: But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8 (NKJV)

A man of God shared the testimony of an encounter he had with forest spirits in 1932. He went to a town called Efon Alaye, in Nigeria where he met the king and requested for a place to build his church. The king gave him a very demonic bush where a gigantic python that talks with people in their own native language resides. It was the most notorious spot in the town. That was the place where twin babies were dumped before the advent of Christianity and civilization.

Again, it was also customary for them to bury pregnant women who died there. Witches and notorious members of the community were also buried in or thrown into that evil forest. That was what the man of God had to face, in his attempt to reach out to that terrible idolatrous community. The worst sacrifices known in history of that ancient town were taken to the evil forest. No one who enters into the evil forest and stays there for five minutes comes out alive. The king and his chiefs laughed at the back of the Man of God. They were sure that the man of God and whoever entered the evil forest will never come out alive.

The man of God gathered his associates for a very powerful prayers, laid hands on all of them and demanded that all the powers which are residents in the evil forest should become paralysed. His prayers caused terrible commotion in the evil forest. They did not see any human being but they heard the footsteps of a crowd leave the forest, and saw the movement of leaves and trees. It was clear to them that the powers in the forest had been disturbed and dislocated. The sound which they heard could be likened to footsteps of people who were being pursued.

That was how they invaded the evil forest with their cutlasses. They were bent on clearing the bush in order to carve out a place of fellowship. The man of God did not allow the python to speak further. He spoke against it, in the name of Jesus and commanded the python to stretch itself and die. The serpent fought violently for two hours. It scattered the entire forest. The man of God instructed his assistant to keep on cutting the grass. The serpent got tired of its acrobatic displays, stretched itself flat and died. That was how the terrible demonic spirit died in a very dramatic power encounter session.

Lesson: You need the power of God if you must expand the coast of your ministry, life, and territory.

Quote:  You need power not grammar

Prophetic Decree: Receive the power to conquer your root for inevitable expansion in all ramifications, in Jesus name.

Prayer Focus 

1. I receive power to conquer myself, in the name of Jesus.

2. I receive power to conquer my roots, in the name of Jesus.

3. I receive power to conquer my territory, in the name of Jesus.

4. I receive power to overcome environmental powers, in Jesus name.

5. I receive power to run and not be weary, to walk and not faint, in Jesus name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 Chronicles 28, 2 Kings 16-17