Day 1(Monday 23rd of August 2020)- 2021 Festival Fire

 

Bible Reading: Proverbs 4:18-19

Topic: Your Handle is the Starting Point

Memory Verse: Elijah stood up in front of all the people and asked them, “How long will you try to have it both ways? If the LORD his God, follow him; if Baal is God, follow him.” The people didn’t say a word. II Kings 18:21

 

The axe has a handle with which the user holds it. Without the handle, no one can make use of the axe. Similarly, God must be in control of his battle axe. The critical question to ask is, ‘who is using me? Is it God or the devil?’

All the terrorists, prostitutes and sinners are battle axes in the hand of the devil. He is in a firm grasp of their handle. But, on the other hand, the Gods’ battle-axe must surrender their life to Jesus before becoming one. Men like Peter, James, John and other apostles did the same before God used them mightily.

Remember, Mary Magdalene, who had seven demons, later became a follower of Jesus. In all honesty, while she was with those demons, the devil held the handle of her battle axe firmly. When she surrendered to God, she was free and God had control of the handle of her battle axe.

Rehab was a prostitute at Jericho and the devil was in charge of her life until she encountered the spy from Israel. She gave God her handle, and today, the redemption story is incomplete without her. She became one of the grandmothers of Jesus Christ.

Paul, the Apostle, wrote two-third of the new testament. The same Paul supervised the killing and persecution of believers when his battle-axe handle was with the devil. Authorised by the chief priest, he was going to Damascus when Jesus met him. He surrendered his battle-axe handle to God, and the precious blood of Jesus saved him.

Romans 6:16 God Word Translation(GWT)

Don’t you know that if you offer to be someone’s slave, you must obey that master? Either your master is sin, or your master is obedience. Letting sin be your master leads to death. Letting obedience be your master leads to God’s approval. 

The word offer in that verse tells you one thing; you cannot simultaneously provide your battle axe’s handle to two persons.  No wonder Joshua said to the children of Israel in the book of Joshua 24:15

But if you don’t want to serve the LORD, then choose today whom you will serve. Even if you choose the gods, your ancestors served on the other side of the Euphrates or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live, my family and I will still serve the LORD.” (GWT)

Joshua insisted that even if everyone in Israel intended to surrender their battle-axe handle (lives) to the gods, their father served on the other side of Euphrates. He will not follow the majority. He and his family will surrender the handle of their battle-axe to God. You cannot serve two masters (Matt 6:24). In Ibadan and other cities in Nigeria, the nightlife is now more active than it was ten years ago. You need to cover a very little distance to get a club/lounge/brothel/disco hall. It is no wonder that smartphones are exposing us to sin and evil, the more.

God does not want the handle of your battle-axe to be with the devil or anchored on sin. Instead, He wants to be in charge. For many reasons, the devil has nothing to offer. He uses his battle axe and destroys them. Judas Iscariot offered himself to be a battle axe in the hand of the devil. John 13:27 showed us that the devil entered into him. He provided the handle of his battle axe to the devil. After the devil used him, the devil destroyed him. He committed suicide (Matt 27:3-5). Devil regularly kill anyone who offers themselves to him.

Ananias and Sappirah agreed together to tempt the holy spirit and they died (Acts 5:1-9). Gehazi yielded himself to greed and he, as well as his household got leprosy (II Kings 5). King Saul offered himself to greed and he lost the throne (I Samuel 15:9;31). Finally, Absalom offered himself to be used as a battle axe for treason against his father and he also died.

On the other hand, when you yield yourself to God, you are righteously justified by God. God will make you better than what you were when he found you. He met Abraham, a baren man and made him the father of many nations.

Proverbs 4:18-19 KJV

But the path of the righteous is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble. 

Proverbs 4:18-19 showed us that the just (anyone who believes in their heart that Jesus was raised by God from the dead and confess that Jesus is Lord) would be better because they are in the hands of a good God. On the other hand, someone in devil’s hands will be destroyed because the only thing the devil offers is killing, stealing and destruction.

Prayer of Repentance

Lord Jesus, I come to you today, I believe that you are raised from the dead by God, and I confess that you are the Son of God. Therefore, I hand over the handle of my battle axe to you today, be my Lord and Savior.

Battle Axe Confession

I am God’s Battle Axe; my handle is in his hands. I am getting better in every area of my life. With me, God takes new territory and plants righteousness in nations, establishment, organisations, and anywhere I find myself. God will break into pieces the nations, and with me, God will destroy kingdoms.  Also, God will break in pieces the horse and his rider; and with me, God will break in pieces the chariot and his rider.

Also, God will break in pieces man and woman; and with me, he will break in pieces old and young; a young man and the maid; the shepherd and his flock; husbandman and his yoke of oxen and captains and rulers. I give him my handle all the time, and he will use me for his glory.

Prayer Points

1. I yield my body, soul and spirit to you oh Lord, use it for your glory
2. I offer to you oh Lord my time and strength, use it for your glory in the name of Jesus
3. At no point in my life will I be a tool in the hand of the devil in the name of Jesus
4. I am an instrument of righteousness, oh Lord purge, for your use in the name of Jesus.
5. Everything around me must notice that I am your battle axe; oh God, my father, in Jesus’ name.
6. I will run my course and finish it in Jesus’ name. Amen

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