Beloved, Congratulations, you have gone past the first half of the month.   By God’s grace you would   see the end of the month in joyfully in Jesus name.

Let’s continue with our discussion on Walking with the Lord.    If you haven’t made that decision, please make it now.

Walking with the God is a like laying a foundation for a structure.     It is the root of a relationship with God.

Once there is a relationship that pleases the Lord, then, you have an assurance that no challenge would overpower you.

In most cases, the closer you are with the Lord; the chances are that the devil and his demons would want to test your faith.

An example is found in the life of Job. In Job 1 vs. 8-12 (KJV): “ And the LORD said unto Satan. Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?

Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?

Hast thou not made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.

But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.

And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that  he hath is in thy power; only upon himself  put not forth  thine hand. So Satan went forth from the  presence of the LORD”.

Brethren, during this dialogue we see the LORD speaking confidently about Job  a man  that keeps away from sins, a man  that the fear of the Lord dominates his heart.

In other words, Job was a man that walked with God.  He had a good relationship with God and would do nothing to offend God.

The rest of the story, is that Satan caused a storm in the life of Job and he lost all that he had including his sons and daughters.   He not only lost material things, he lost  human lives as well.  Even his wife deserted him yet, Job held on to his relationship with the LORD.

Brethren, from this story, we see that God indeed blessed Job but Satan wanted to prove that Job’s love of God was on the periphery.

I may not know what  the storm is in your life right now. Perhaps, you have lost all opportunities or people and material things precious to you.  Like Job, ensure you do not lose faith, or lose hope.

My dear sister,  you don’t need to keeping thinking about your age and the  seeming possibility of your inability to bear children.

As long as you focus on scientific limitation or obstacles to the attainment of your goals, you are  telling yourself that your case is beyond God.

The Bible however, tells us in Jeremiah 32 vs. 27 (NIV) : “ I am the LORD, the God of all mankind.  Is anything too hard for me?”.

Job lost everything except his life.  Let’s see how God turned things around for Job a man whose situation had become hopeless humanly speaking.

Job 42 vs. 12& 13  completes the story.  “ So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen  thousand sheep, and six thousand  camels, and a thousand yoke  of oxen, and a thousand she asses.

He had also seven sons and three daughters”.

Brethren, besides, praying and obedience, a person who is ready to walk with God, must be willing to subdue the flesh and lift up the Spirit.

In other words, you must be willing to control the flesh and its desires and not allow the flesh to control you.

When the flesh controls a man, it leads to sin but when a man subdues the flesh, he draws nearer to God  with the attendant blessings.

The story of Adam and Eve is an example of the flesh controlling man.

Genesis 3 vs. 6: “ And  when the woman saw that the tree was good for food,  and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat”.

For their failure to control the flesh, they incurred the wrath of God and led mankind into sin.

Ezra 8 v 21-23 tells us of how a people had to subdue the flesh to  seek Divine direction.

“ Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance.

For I was ashamed to require of the king a  band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way; because we had spoken unto the king saying, The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him.

So we fasted and besought our God for this; and he was intreated of us”.

Brethren, another example of a person that fasted and got overflowing  blessings  was Hannah.

1st Samuel1 vs. 13-15: “ Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips  moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken.

And Eli said unto her, how long wilt thou be drunken? put way thy wine from thee.

And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD.”

Clearly, while others were feasting at Shiloh, a sorrowful Hannah did not  have any drink.   We can safely say, she also didn’t eat.

Hannah  subdued her flesh in order to seek the face of the Lord.

Brethren, I don’t know what you desire from the Lord, be  determined to control the flesh to enable  you get a spiritual lift.  A spiritual lift moves you closer to God and it’s a sure way of laying a foundation for   that blessing you seek from the Lord.

The Bible tells of the blessings that Hannah received. 1st Samuel 1 vs. 19&20 : “  And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped  before the LORD,  and returned, and came to their house in Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the LORD remembered her.

Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she hare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the LORD”.

We can assume that after she had Samuel, Hannah maintained her closer walk  with the LORD. 

She didn’t stop praying, she didn’t stop obeying the Lord, and she kept away from sins and probably continued to fast to protect her son and pray for him.

God rewarded her beyond  her imagination.

1st  Samuel 2 vs. 21: “ And the LORD visited Hannah, so that she conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters.  And the child Samuel grew before the LORD”.

Brethren, be  prepared to subdue the flesh to please God.

At a time of the year like this, many churches   declare fasting and prayer for their members.

It is to make believers lay a solid foundation for  a closer walk with God.

A closer walk with God  moves one closer to astonishing miracles.

May the Lord help us to have a closer walk with  Him this year.

I’ll  share  a prayer point raised by the General overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor E.A. Adeboye at the January Holy Ghost Night.

It is paraphrased . “ Everything that I need to serve you like never before, give unto me this year”.

Brethren its sounds simple but it’s a very powerful prayer point.

No matter how long you have been coping with challenges especially delay in child- bearing, your walk  with God would produce amazing testimonies this year in the name of Jesus.

God does not delight in the sorrow of his children.    

He wants us to be happy and fulfilled.

By the Grace of God, this is your year of testimony .

It shall soon end in Praises.