HOUSE CHURCHES STUDY GUIDE

Saturday 17^th January, 2015

Topic: SIN STARTS SMALL

Text: Proverbs 6:27-29

 Memory Verse: “Can a man make take fire in his bosom and his clothes not be burned.” –Proverbs 6:27

Besides signs and wonders, we need wisdom because Proverbs 4:7 says it is the principal thing. Ecclesiastes 9:16 says wisdom is better than strength. If you doubt this, ask Samson. He performed signs and wonders but lacked wisdom and he could not finish strong. That you have the strength does not guarantee you a good finishing. Many people have become victims of the strength for lack of wisdom. Psalm 111:10 says the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. Proverbs 16:6 says, “by mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil.” It is wisdom to fear God; it is wisdom to flee from sin. It is wisdom to avoid what can make you to compromise your faith. It is wisdom to visit your finance in company of someone else. It is wisdom not to sleep in the same apartment or worse sleep on the same bed before marriage. There are some Christians who were seen to be strong spiritually. They too believe they were strong so they ignored wisdom tips and at the end, they compromised their testimony. It is not always that we are tempted at an area of weakness. Sometimes the devil wants to satisfy himself that he is still as cunning as ever, so he comes to some believers and tempts them from a point of strength where the object of temptation is quite unattractive. He tells the fellow, “Never mind this temptation; after all you are not weak in this area, so allow it” Initially, the tempted feels no attraction but gradually, his or her defense begins to give way, as the temptation begins to grow stronger and stronger until it gets to a point it becomes irresistible. A little peck or caressing may nothing to the tempted initially. But that was enough to quit the scene of the temptation. Yes, you may even see some nakedness and it appears nothing moves you into action. That is just enough for you to run for your life (Read Genesis 39: 7-12). The devil will tell you it does not matter. After all did you feel anything? But as you allow more, before long, you will be the one panting for more. Everything matters! If you fail to run when you should, you would end up a victim of sin.

PRAYER POINT

Father don’t allow sin to bring shame to me in Jesus name (Amen)

ANNOUNCEMENT

1.      Celebration service-Tomorrow Sunday 18^th January, 2015 at DBCI headquarters and parishes by 8am and 9am respectively.

2.      21-Day-Fasting and Prayer-continues

3.      Bon-fire Service-Friday 23^rd January by 5.00pm at the headquarters in quarry.

Moment of Triumph January Edition

DEAL WITH LITTLE SINS

"Abstain from all appearance of evil" - 1Thess. 5:22

If you must be victorious in the battle against Satan and his forces, you must let your separation from evil be total and absolute. Some people look at some things and say hey are not too bad, If they are not too bad, then contain some element of evil no matter how little. When you tell a "little" lie to go out of a fix or to cover up some wrong, you may think it is not too bad after all some patriarchs-Abraham and Isaac did the same. In fact Jacob was worse. The truth is, any sin you indulge in without fully repenting and terminating it has a way of affecting your generation and it will enlarge as it goes further. This is why any vice you do not want to see in your future generation must be stopped in your life. Abraham lied but because he did not deal with it, the ability to lie was passed on to Isaac. He too lied and did nothing about it and by the time it got to Jacob, the ability to lie had multiplied to the extent that deception and fraud started operating in him right from the womb. He was a twin with Esau when he tried to subvert him in their mothers womb. But when he could not, he grabbed his leg by the time they were coming out so that he could say they came out at the same time. Since his grandfather and father refused to deal with lies, he became lie personified.

What is the vice you are still harbouring today? No matter how small, deal with it! You cannot be victorious if sin still reserves space in you.

Some situations may appear not so tempting, but do not turn them into tempting ones. A brother may be friendly with a lady at the place of work. It may be a purely official relationship and they face no apparent temptation. But by the time he begins to touch her or she begins to touch him while they exchange greetings, they are now changing the mood of the relationship. If such "plays" do not stop, the innocent touch may gravitate into a more sensitive touch and before long, lust fills the heart and sin is born. Avoid every evil appearance! - Bishop I.O. Alaya.