*FRIDAY, 16 MAY*
*TEXT: MATTHEW 11:25-30*
*TOPIC: CHRIST ASSURES ABOUT OUR SOULS*

*MATTHEW 11:25-30 NIV*

25:At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.

26:Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.

27:“All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

28:“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

29:Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

30:For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
*CHRIST ASSURES ABOUT OUR SOULS*

Jesus thanks the heavenly father for revealing the deep things of the kingdom to “the little children” and hiding them from the “wise and the learned”. The main subject is thanksgiving.

The little children here referred to those who are willing and desire to know more about Jesus and His kingdom while the wise and learned mean those who had mastered the law but, unfortunately, are hard-hearted.

But Jesus in this text assures everyone of rest for their souls, especially those still struggling with sin and the weary and burdened.

They all know what they are respectively going through. But He who has the final say is calling on all of them to come and find rest in Him..

*QUESTION:* What do you require to have an intimate relationship with Jesus?

*PRAYER:* Oh Lord, I submit totally to You because I need to have peace and rest, in Jesus's name. Amen.

*Food for the Day - 2025*

Never give up easily

*TUESDAY, 29 APRIL*
*TEXT: MATTHEW 7:13-20*
*TOPIC: YOU'RE KNOWN BY YOUR FRUITS*

*MATTHEW 7:13-20 NIV*

13:“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.

14:But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

15:“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.

16:By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?

17:Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.

18:A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.

19:Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

20:Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

*YOU'RE KNOWN BY YOUR FRUITS*

Every good fruit makes people want to eat it.

Jesus used this metaphor of good and bad fruits to distinguish between His true and false disciples.

We must be wise in making choices so that we can take the right way which is narrow but leads to life (vs. 13-14).

So, as true disciples of Christ, we should be mindful of the kind of fruits we bear because such fruits tell people the kind of people we are.

Therefore, no matter how false disciples try to pretend or appear as wolves in sheep's clothing (vs.15) they would be ultimately found out.

Thus, such trees that bear bad fruits will be cutdown and thrown in to the fire. That is God's judgement (vs.19-20).

*QUESTION:* What kinds of fruits are you bearing?

*PRAYER:* Lord God, help me to bear good fruits as I líve on earth, in Jesus' name. Amen.

*Food for the Day - 2025*

*SATURDAY, 19 APRIL*
*TEXT: MATTHEW 27:57-66*
*TOPIC: CONSPIRACY*

*MATTHEW 27:57-66 NIV*

57:As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus.

58:Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him.

59:Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,

60:and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away.

61:Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.

62:The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate.

63:“Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’

64:So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.”

65:“Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.”

66:So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.

*CONSPIRACY*

Because the devil is never happy with the righteous man, he is forever seeking ways to attack him at every given opportunity.

Caiaphas, the chief priest whom the devil was using, did not relent in his evil plan to get Jesus crucified.

After he succeeded in getting Jesus crucified, he sought to prevent Jesus' resurrection (vs. 62) and even reminded Pilate of the words of Jesus to His disciples that He would raise after three days (vs. 63).

Caiaphas demanded for more security personnel to be deployed to the tomb. But little did he know that the resurrection power of God is beyond and greater than any conspiracy or security the devil put together because they are all under Jesus' power and dominion.

*QUESTION:* Are you aware that the devil is not satisfied even when he hears the news of your death?

*PRAYER:* Dear Lord, I have no strength of my own, please frustrate the evil schemes of the devil over my life, in Jesus' name. Amen.

*Food for the Day - 2025*

Happy good Friday

*SATURDAY, 12 APRIL*
*TEXT: MATTHEW 26:1-5;14-16*
*TOPIC: PLOTTERS OF EVIL*

*MATTHEW 26:1-5;14-16 NIV*

1:When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples,

2:“As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”

3:Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas,

4:and they schemed to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him.

5:“But not during the festival,” they said, “or there may be a riot among the people.”

14:Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests

15:and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver.

16:From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

*PLOTTERS OF EVIL*

Today's passage is about the evil plot by Caiaphas, the high Priest, and others to arrest and kill Jesus. In fact, Caiaphas served for eighteen years longer than most other high priests.

Could it be due to the long time he was in office, coupled with his good relationship with the Roman Government that he was able to succeed in getting Jesus killed?

In their evil plot, they acted as if they were concerned about the health of the Jewish nation (vs. 5).

Caiaphas masterminded the plot and found a ready tool in the person of Judas Iscariot who was willing to collect anything (thirty pieces of silver) to betray Jesus.

*QUESTION:* What evil plot are you hatching against an innocent person in your office, church or neighbourhood?

*PRAYER:* Dear Lord, I am sorry for plotting evil against others. Have mercy on me and grant me the grace to discontinue my evil plans, in Jesus' name. Amen.

*Food for the Day - 2025*

*FRIDAY, 21 MARCH*
*TEXT: EZRA 10:1-17*
*TOPIC: A GENUINE CONFESSION*

*EZRA 10:1-17 NIV*

1:While Ezra was praying and confessing, weeping and throwing himself down before the house of God, a large crowd of Israelites—men, women and children—gathered around him. They too wept bitterly.

2:Then Shekaniah son of Jehiel, one of the descendants of Elam, said to Ezra, “We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women from the peoples around us. But in spite of this, there is still hope for Israel.

3:Now let us make a covenant before our God to send away all these women and their children, in accordance with the counsel of my lord and of those who fear the commands of our God. Let it be done according to the Law.

4:Rise up; this matter is in your hands. We will support you, so take courage and do it.”

5:So Ezra rose up and put the leading priests and Levites and all Israel under oath to do what had been suggested. And they took the oath.

6:Then Ezra withdrew from before the house of God and went to the room of Jehohanan son of Eliashib. While he was there, he ate no food and drank no water, because he continued to mourn over the unfaithfulness of the exiles.

7:A proclamation was then issued throughout Judah and Jerusalem for all the exiles to assemble in Jerusalem.

8:Anyone who failed to appear within three days would forfeit all his property, in accordance with the decision of the officials and elders, and would himself be expelled from the assembly of the exiles.

9:Within the three days, all the men of Judah and Benjamin had gathered in Jerusalem. And on the twentieth day of the ninth month, all the people were sitting in the square before the house of God, greatly distressed by the occasion and because of the rain.

10:Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have been unfaithful; you have married foreign women, adding to Israel’s guilt.

11:Now honor the Lord, the God of your ancestors, and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples around you and from your foreign wives.”

12:The whole assembly responded with a loud voice: “You are right! We must do as you say.

13:But there are many people here and it is the rainy season; so we cannot stand outside. Besides, this matter cannot be taken care of in a day or two, because we have sinned greatly in this thing.

14:Let our officials act for the whole assembly. Then let everyone in our towns who has married a foreign woman come at a set time, along with the elders and judges of each town, until the fierce anger of our God in this matter is turned away from us.”

15:Only Jonathan son of Asahel and Jahzeiah son of Tikvah, supported by Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite, opposed this.

16:So the exiles did as was proposed. Ezra the priest selected men who were family heads, one from each family division, and all of them designated by name. On the first day of the tenth month they sat down to investigate the cases,

17:and by the first day of the first month they finished dealing with all the men who had married foreign women.

*A GENUINE CONFESSION*

Due to over familiarity in our journey of faith, many believers no longer feel remorse over personal guilt and offences.

We see Ezra praying, confessing, weeping and throwing himself down before God's presence. This sincere confession led the Israelites to do the same.

There was a covenant to send away all foreign women and their children which they followed and it worked for them (vs. 16-17).

God is always willing to address a church's or community's atrocities if only they are willing to take the right steps towards making amends.

*QUESTION:* How sincere are you in turning away from your past?

*PRAYER:* Dear Lord, forgive us for always adding to our unfaithfulness. Help us to be bold in turning back from that sin, in Jesus' name. Amen.

*Food for the Day - 2025*

Happy Sunday friends

Look at my angel

*MONDAY, 10 MARCH*
*TEXT: EZRA 3:7-13*
*TOPIC: SHOUTS OF JOY FROM SOUNDS OF WEEPING*

*EZRA 3:7-13 NIV*

7:Then they gave money to the masons and carpenters, and gave food and drink and olive oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre, so that they would bring cedar logs by sea from Lebanon to Joppa, as authorized by Cyrus king of Persia.

8:In the second month of the second year after their arrival at the house of God in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak and the rest of the people (the priests and the Levites and all who had returned from the captivity to Jerusalem) began the work. They appointed Levites twenty years old and older to supervise the building of the house of the Lord.

9:Joshua and his sons and brothers and Kadmiel and his sons (descendants of Hodaviah) and the sons of Henadad and their sons and brothers—all Levites—joined together in supervising those working on the house of God.

10:When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments and with trumpets, and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their places to praise the Lord, as prescribed by David king of Israel.

11:With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord: “He is good; his love toward Israel endures forever.” And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.

12:But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy.

13:No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away.

*SHOUTS OF JOY FROM SOUNDS OF WEEPING*

Today, we see mixed feelings from those who witnessed the new temple and those who knew the old one Solomon built. What stands out is the replacement of the place of worship for Yahweh.

Everyone seemed to have contributed to the realization of this project. Young and old Levites in their robes supervised the project.

The sons of Asaph were there to entertain the workers with songs of praise. After the foundation was laid, there was a split.

The younger generation was enchanted by the new temple but the older ones who had seen Solomon's own were bitter. But the summery of it all is that it was difficult to distinguish the atmosphere.

*QUESTION:* What stands out for you in today's passage?

*PRAYER:* Oh Lord, help me to accept what comes my way in my efforts to please You, in Jesus' name. Amen.

*Food for the Day - 2025*

I have this for sale in case you need

Happy Sunday friends

Here's a revised prophetic prayer with attached Bible verses:

Prayer:
Father God, I lift up my people to You. Pour out Your Spirit upon them (Joel 2:28-29). Heal their wounds, mend their relationships, and restore every area of their lives (Psalm 107:20, Isaiah 61:1-3).

Give them wisdom and discernment to navigate life's challenges (Proverbs 3:5-6, James 1:5). Surround them with supportive people and bless them with prosperity and abundance (Psalm 1:3, Deuteronomy 28:1-6).

Use them as vessels for Your glory, shining brightly in a world that needs Your light (Matthew 5:14-16, 2 Corinthians 4:6-7).

In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

Declaration:
I declare that my people are blessed, healed, and restored in Jesus' name (1 Peter 2:24, Isaiah 53:5).

I am new here, am I welcome?