Day 2 of the 28 Days Fasting and Prayer – Supernatural Leverage (Pursuing Kingdom Profits – Self Discipline). 1 Corinthians 9:24-27
To enjoy supernatural leverage in this season. We must understand what brings leverage and empower us to have the advantage. We must pursue that which guarantees our profitability. Scripturally, certain things profit and God wants us to pursue them. If we pursue these things we will enjoy supernatural leverage.
1 Timothy 4:15 Meditate on these things; give yourself wholly to them; that your profiting may appear to all.
Pursue after them vigorously.
1. Discipline – Every average person hates discipline. But without discipline, it will be difficult to make reasonable progress in anything in life. We have to set rules and regulations for ourselves in line with the word of God and diligently follow them to achieve any meaningful goal. Self-discipline is a proactive measure that we can take to limit reactive actions from others or even from God.
He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.” – Proverbs 25:28
One can’t be a disciple of Christ without exercising self-discipline. To fast and pray is part of self-discipline.
As Christians, for us to advance in our walk with God we must submit ourselves to the tutelage of Christ and enroll in the University of the Holy Spirit. Christ said to learn of me.
In our relationship with God, there is a God part and there is a man part. God will not do for you what you are supposed to do for yourself (Luke 16:10). Jesus told His disciples in Luke 21:36 to watch and pray always to be able to escape all that was going to happen. This requires a lot of self-discipline.
In Matthew 11:29, he says take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
There are two things here to be enrolled in the discipleship of Christ.
1. Take up his yokes
2. Learn of him.
We must first take his yokes before we can learn of him. For us to be a disciple of Christ we are expected to take up his yokes and learn of him.
Some of us want to learn of him without taking his yokes but it is important to note that we must take up his yokes before we can learn of him.
We can’t take his yoke without dropping our yokes. We must drop ours to pick his yoke and thus requires discipline.
One of God’s principles for advancement is diligence. Without discipline, you cannot be of much use to God and even to man, be it family or workplace. You have to discipline yourself to read the Bible daily. There is a system called BBB; it means Bible Before Breakfast. To get the best of God in life, the word of God must be in you through reading, meditation, and memorization. All these will lead to obedience of the Word.
Jesus said in Matthew 16:24 If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
There are things that we must do to drop our yokes so that we can pick his yoke. Firstly, we must deny ourselves and take up our cross. Our Cross is the place where we have crucified everything that is ourselves and anything that can hinder us from following him diligently. It is at the cross we pick up the yoke of Christ.
Being yoked with Christ means —
1. Partnership
2. Fellowship
3. Carrying about Christ in our body.
4. Firmly attached to Christ.
5. Friendship
If we read that scripture after several years of walking with the Lord. It will be read like this – If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, take up my yoke, learn of me, and follow me.
Because if we have not yet denied ourselves and nailed that self to that cross it will be a great hindrance to taking up the yokes which will affect how we will learn of him and in turn affect how we will follow him.
Since some have not yet denied themselves, they have taken their own yokes thinking it is of the Lord, and have learned things not of Christ, and have followed wrong things which are not Christ.
That was why Pauls said we should act in ways that align with our learnings of Christ.
Ephesians 4:20-24 – But ye have not so learned Christ; if so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: that ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
The proof that we have followed these steps is the manifestation of the new man which is the fullness of Christ in righteousness and true holiness.
All these require us to be disciplined and subject our bodies to the words and instructions of God through Christ.
To be effective as a Christian, you need personal discipline. This is also by the power of the Holy Spirit. In every stage of your Christian life, you need the fullness of the Holy Spirit. The Bible says it is not by power nor by might but by my Spirit says the Lord. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill your life and God will give you His promise of the Father to all His children (Luke 11:11-12).
Prayer Points-
• Worship God and give him praise.
• Lord of mercy, make me holy, in the name of Jesus.
• Lord, empower me to be diligent and disciplined in the name of Jesus.
• Every operation of self, flesh, and Adamic nature in me be destroyed now in Jesus’ name.
• I receive victory over the power of besetting sins, in the name of Jesus.
• Sin shall not have dominion over me, I render sin powerless over my life.
• O Lord, arise and empower me to live a crucified life, in the name of Jesus.
• I receive the grace to deny myself, carry my cross daily, learn of him, and follow him.
• My destiny shall not be wasted by indiscipline, in the name of Jesus.
• Jesus Event in August shall birth revival in the Land of the Czech Republic.
• Lord, build Rehoboth Centre, and everything you have not planted is uprooted out in Jesus’ name.