Tuesday, 13th February 2024
Bible Reading: Hebrews 12:2
Memory Verse: Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. Matthew 16:24 (NLT)
In your walk with the Lord, be ready to stand alone though you are not lonely. In your work for the Lord, be ready to suffer some legitimate shame and some legitimate pain.
One thing led to another, and a brother couldn’t live together with his wife. He did everything possible for reconciliation, but it all fell on deaf ears. He decided he either have his wife back or he will never touch another woman. He settled for the later. That was his own cross to carry.
As anointed as Apostle Paul was, he had an infirmity of which he prayed thrice unto the Lord. God didn’t resolve the problem but freely gave him sufficient grace to bear along. Such an infirmity was the cross attached to his own life and destiny.
A brother was severely punished for not being involved in fraudulent practices at work. He was not promoted for over 30 years. He suffered shame and reproach. That was his cross, and he lovingly carried it. Few months to his retirement, God used his enemies to deploy him to a supposed abandoned area and there, he met a man who rewarded him for his faithfulness of over three decades.
A brother once confided in his friend. He said if he had understood the mystery of a message like this, he wouldn’t have resigned untimely when he was persecuted in his Church. A season of hard test/persecution came but he couldn’t discern. He rejected his cross, and despised his glory. Be warned brethren, there is a mystery surrounding your glory.
Hear me beloved, there is no layer of glory that doesn’t come with its own attendant Cross. Ask anyone you know that has been lifted by God in due season. There is a Cross he once had to carry. Brethren, really, nothing is free. There is a cross for power. There is a cross for your lifting. There is cross before you can walk in healing. Brace up; and like Jesus said, “Carry your Cross daily and follow Him”. Don’t be like those who carry their cross seasonally. Beloved, dare under the mighty hands of God’s grace to carry your cross daily (Matthew 16: 24).
Quote: You cannot separate Christianity from the message of the Cross.
Prophetic Decree: Receive sufficient grace to carry your Cross daily, in Jesus name.
Prayer Focus
1. Lord, help me to carry my cross daily in my search for You, in Jesus name.
2. Lord, help me never to despise my own cross, in Jesus name.
3. Lord, help me to embrace my Cross, the symbol of shame and reproach joyfully on a daily basis, in Jesus name.
4. Lord, help me to stay glued on my journey to Calvary, not bothered by other on-goers, in Jesus name.
5. I receive grace to abandon all for You, Lord, in Jesus name.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Leviticus 1-4
