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Prepare For Spiritual Change Now Showing: Week 1 (October 1st-7th) | Week 2 (October 8th-14th) | Week 3 (October 16th-21st) | Week 4 (October 22nd-Month End)
October 31st: No Room for Questions? - Some people are scared of the Spirit. They only want to go so far. When we start getting into the subject of spiritual change they get into the cars and leave. This is because the Spirit of God does not lend itself to your mental intellect or investigation. The Spirit of God transcends all understanding. But some are afraid that the Spirit is going to bring up some issues that will expose you. That’s why they do not want to get into the Holy Ghost. Assignment: Do you have questions about spiritual change? Instead of ignoring them or allowing them to hijack your spiritual growth, spend today focusing on those questions. As they come to you, write them down. If not today, then sometime soon, talk through them with another trusted believer. October 30th: Change from the Inside Out - You do not change until God gets inside of you. If He does not become a part of the way you relate and think, you will always be the same. You won’t be changed from the inside out. Assignment: Find a passage in the Bible that speaks of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Use this passage as your guide for gradually being changed from the inside out. October 29th: Check Your Area of Influence - It is very important to watch who you bring into your inner circle, because people carry influence. If you bring the wrong people in your circle, those people can eventually neutralize what God is pouring into you. So make sure that you are surrounding yourself with spiritual people. They may seem strange. They may carry a tambourine or have a song in them, but it’s better to be around them then people who are always singing the blues. What does your AOI (Area of Influence) look like? Assignment: On a sheet of paper or using a computer program (Microsoft Word or PowerPoint), draw or paste a picture of you in the center of the page. From your picture draw lines that show your connections to those you spend the most time with (family, friends, co-workers and etc.) Are they Christians? Do they support your spiritual growth? What does your AOI tell you? October 28th:Like Recognizes Like - God knows that a prophet will take what He says and act on it, even at the risk of his or her own life. So Samuel tells Saul to go to the high place and dwell amongst them because their attitudes are contagious. If you get caught up in what they are doing, sooner or later, you are going to find yourself being just like them. Assignment: List five Godly characteristics that you possess. If you can’t think of any off of the top of your head, take a look at one of these passages: Galatians 5:16-26, Romans 12:1-3, 1 Peter 1:14-16 or Ephesians 5:1-12 to start. Ask yourself whether or not the people who you spend time with have these characteristics. October 27th: Use Your Revelation - Some never do anything with the mysteries that have already been revealed so why should they continue to receive vision when they have yet to move on the vision already provided. Have you received a revelation in your life? Are you operating in it, moving on it or ignoring it? Assignment: If you are ignoring it, in your prayers today ask God for forgiveness and a second chance. If you are moving on a revelation, ask God to continue to order your steps.
October 26th: All Will Be Revealed - It is in the high place that Samuel tells Saul he will meet prophets who will reveal to him the mysteries. Mysteries are only revealed to people who put themselves in place to receive the anointing. Assignment: Are you in the right place to receive the anointing? Take a look at where you are mentally and physically. Reflect on your relationships, where you spend your time and how you spend your time. Think about your thoughts, focus and habits. Based on your review, try to discern, with God’s help if you are in the right place to receive a revelation from God.
October 25th: Divorce Depression, Disappointment and Discouragement - If you are going to lead and be changed, you have to understand that you cannot have a love affair with depression. You cannot have a love affair with disappointment and discouragement. You will have bouts of that, but you cannot have a love affair with it because you are anointed to see what other people cannot. Assignment: In your journal, list one specific instance when you were able to see something (in someone, in the future) that others could not see. Whenever you get discouraged, look back at that entry and remind yourself of that faith.
October 24th: The High Place - Samuel tells Saul to go up to the Mount of Gibeah, the high place, because visionaries cannot survive in the valley. It is all right to visit the valley occasionally but you do not want to give that out as your forwarding address. Are you spending too much time in the valley? Assignment: On a sheet of paper draw a slanted line from the top to the bottom. The bottom is the valley and the top is the high place. Starting at the bottom, list the steps that you are going to take to get to the high place that Samuel references. For example, bible study, creating a set-aside prayer time and etc. October 23rd: Supplier of All Needs - Samuel goes a little further and tells Saul that he will meet men with three goals and that one man will have wine and another will have three loaves of bread, of which Saul will receive two. This was God’s way of saying that when He calls and anoints you, you will never have to worry about your source or your supply. Assignment: Read and reflect on Philippians 4:19. What does this statement mean to you?
October 22nd: A Donkey's Tale Part III - Another interesting characteristic about donkeys is the strange sound that they make. There are not many other animals that make that sound. If they are lost, it is because they want to be, because all they have to do is open up their mouths to be found. So why are you following people who are so stubborn when it comes to the will of God and are determined to run their lives without God’s influence? Are you living life under God’s influence? Does your life reflect God’s will? Assignment: If you are clear of God’s will for your life, sit down today and write a contract between you and God. In this contract list God’s expectations of you and how you will behave. Sign it and place it in your journal or Bible. If you are not clear of God’s will for you, write a prayer asking God to make His will clear to you.
Week 3 October 21st: A Donkey's Tale Part II - For most of us, our problem is that we follow donkeys for our destiny. This may seem like a non-issue, but it can cause real problems. Donkeys have big ears and love listening to stuff, both good and bad, and if you get to close to them they will bite you. If you get behind a donkey, it will kick you. So if you are hanging around with donkeys you must love being bitten and kicked. God is trying to tell you that your destiny is not with a donkey. It was okay to hang around these types before you received salvation, but now He has something better for you. Are you hanging around donkeys? Are they your friends? Family members? Assignment: In your prayers today ask God to focus your attention on your destiny, not your donkeys.
October 20th: A Donkey's Tale Part I - After the anointing and affirmation, Samuel does something that you should not miss. He calls Saul from a life that is too small and unchallenging saying, “Now that you are anointed, now that I’ve kissed you and you are affirmed, you are going to find some men on you way who are going to tell you that you no longer have to look for donkeys because God is changing you for a higher purpose.” Are you content with your life just as it is? Is God calling you to something better? Assignment:In your prayers today ask God to call you towards His higher purpose for your life.
October 19th: Affirmation follows Anointing - After Samuel anoints Saul, he turns around and affirms him. He does so by kissing him, which is an act of affirmation and intimacy. In this act he symbolizes to Saul that once you are anointed, you are close to God; so close that you can almost feel God say, “muah”. It is almost as if God kisses you when you wake up in the morning and you are facing a brand new day. You can face any challenge because you have already been kissed by the life of God. Assignment: Do you forget that God loves you? Today, choose one scripture that reminds you that God loves you. Place it on your mirror, refrigerator, desk or wherever you can look at it every day for the rest of the month. October 18th: Transcend Mediocrity - When you are anointed in God, He allows your abilities that you had no idea were lying dormant to surface. God allows you to do things in such a way that it goes beyond the norm. With an anointing on your life, you transcend mediocrity. Assignment: Take out the spiritual resume and appraisal that you developed yesterday. Review them. If your actions fall short of your anointing, developing a plan of action for transcending your current levels of service. October 17th: Understanding the Anointing - Our churches would be a whole lot better if we really understood what the anointing is really all about. It is not about your hands, your feet, your voice or your mind. It is about everything that God has given you that you give back to Him so that He can prepare you to do service. What gifts has God bestowed upon you. Are you using them? Assignment: Develop a spiritual resume. In this resume include your most recent ministry work, church attendance, testimonies to friends, prayers said, gifts provided to the church and others and anything else that you can think up that uplifts the body. After completing your resume, conduct an appraisal. Does your resume reflect your anointing or are you falling short? October 16th: Set the Atmosphere - When you are anointed, everything about you is saturated with the presence of God. In fact, as an anointed person you can change the atmosphere just by walking into the room. People who are talking nonsense will shut up because of your anointing. Do you change the atmosphere for better or worse or does your presence have no impact? Assignment: List five ways you can change the atmosphere with your anointing. October 15th: Submerged in Power - We so often get it wrong. We tend to make statements like, “She has an anointed voice,” as if that is the only thing about her that is anointed. But when God anoints you, He anoints you from the top of your head to the soles of your feet so that you are completely submerged in His power and endowment. Assignment: Do you too have a tendency to believe that only certain aspects of yourself are anointed for service? Draw a picture of yourself (it can be a stick figure). Highlight the area(s) that you feel sure is anointed for service. Look at the areas left blank. What do you believe they are anointed for? How do they serve in your ministry of anointing?
October 14th:A Total Anointing - Samuel poured the oil on him so that Saul might understand that in the anointing there is no such thing as scarcity. He poured it on his head so that it covered him from his head to his toes, because the anointing is never partial. God anoints the total person for service. Assignment: Are you totally anointed for service? Write a prayer asking for God’s anointing to completely cover you in your area of service. October 13th: Abundance in the Anointing - In the 10th chapter of Samuel, Samuel anoints Saul. Samuel takes a flask of oil, and according to the text, he pours it on Saul’s head. He did not do what you see done at revival services when you are anointed. He did not take a dab and make a cross on his head. The Bible says that he poured it, which symbolizes that there is always abundance in the anointing of God. Assignment: Are you truly operating in your anointing? Reflect on your anointment for service. Are you finding scarcity in what you’re doing or is God continuing to supply your needs? October 12th: Strength in Strange Places - God gives you strength in those strange places that you thought you would never have. Rosa Parks sat down so that we could stand up in the strength that God provided for her. Assignment: Read Philippians 4:13. Do you believe it? If so, answer this question: what can you do because of what is written in this verse? List specifics. October 11th: God's Footprints - Because Saul was available, God gave him what was necessary to carry out the mission that he had been assigned. I do not think that Rosa Parks knew the strength that she had that day when she was tired and sat down on that bus after working those long hours. She did not know the strength that was in her. I believe that it was God, not just her tiredness that gave her the strength to sit there and resist the Jim Crow laws even though her life could have been taken at that moment. Assignment: Today, conduct a search for the poem “Footprints” also known as “Footprints in the Sand.” Read it and share it with someone who has never read it. October 10th: Trust in Him - When you feel like you cannot make it through or that the burden is too heavy, God says, “Oh yes, you can make it because now you are not relying on your own innate ability, but you are trusting in Me.” Can you visualize your burdens? Are they too much to even think about? Assignment: Grab a sheet of paper and plain envelope. On the sheet of paper draw boulders (weird shaped circles). In each boulder write one of your burdens. After you have finished, fold the sheet of paper and place it in the envelope. Seal the envelope and on the front write “God.” Place the envelope in your Bible. Congratulations, you’ve just transferred your burdens to Him. Now trust Him to work it out. October 9th: His Strength, Our Weakness - In the midst of a crisis, most of us will complain, cry and feel like we cannot take it. But God who knows the end from the beginning knows just how much you can bear. When we are at our weakest, God gives us the strength to face another day. What are your weaknesses? What are God’s strengths? Assignment: Today, focus on one major weakness that you need help dealing with. Search for one scripture that shows how God can strengthen you. Make this your mantra. October 8th: Revelation through Crisis - The way God shows you what you are capable of is to put you in a crisis or situation where the odds are against you. It is then that God allows you to depend on Him and in depending on Him, God reveals through you a strength that you never knew you had. Are you in crisis? Are you struggling to find your way out of a situation? Assignment: Take the time to reflect on your current challenge. Do you see God in it? What strengths are being honed by your situation? Make this your testimony and share it with at least one person today.
October 7th: Strength in Availability - It is interesting that when you make yourself available to God, the first thing that God will do is show you that you have greater strength and ability than you ever thought you had. God will show you that there is more in you than you could have imagined. Has God done a lot with what you saw as nothing? Assignment: What strengths and abilities has God revealed to you through your availability to Him? Do you have great leadership skills or perhaps you have a particular talent for praying a meaningful prayer. Write down at least three of those gifts and don’t stop there. After you have listed these strengths and abilities write down how you are using them or plan to use them in the near future. October 6th: Be Available - The one positive thing I must say about Saul is that Saul was available. He was reluctant at first, but he was available. Would you consider yourself a good leader? What traits do you think a leader should have? Are they Biblical? Assignment: Read and reflect on 1 Timothy 3:1-13. Think about whether or not your characteristics measure up to those given in the Bible. October 5th: A Good Leader - Saul was impressive. The Bible says that he stood head and shoulders above the average Israelite. However, the Bible does not give us any more information about the traits and characteristics about Saul that would make him a good leader. I believe that in order to lead you have to be more than just tall. Would you consider yourself a good leader? What traits do you think a leader should have? Are they Biblical? Assignment: Read and reflect on 1 Timothy 3:1-13. Think about whether or not your characteristics measure up to those given in the Bible. October 4th: God Grants Our Every Want - Even after warning the elders, Samuel did confirm that if a human king was what they wanted, God would grant it. So in the ninth chapter of 1 Samuel, Saul is identified as the person that Samuel is instructed and commanded to anoint as the king of Israel. Are you asking God for something that you don’t need? What is it? Assignment: Think about your recent prayers. Are your prayers in accordance with God’s will or are they in accordance with your will. If you are positive that your prayers are not in your will but in God’s, keep praying. If you’re not sure, before you go to sleep tonight, take the time to reevaluate your prayers. October 3rd: Disadvantages to Humannes - Samuel took their request to God and God agreed to give them the king that they wanted. But Samuel had to explain to the elders the disadvantages of having a human king, reporting that a human king would put their children to work, get fat and rich at their expense and not always be fair in judgment. Do you complain about how people act? Can you list your complaints off the top of your head? Assignment: Take out a sheet of paper. Write down five to ten negative tendencies that we have as humans (selfish, quick to offense, etc.). Draw a line from those tendencies and list the opposite characteristics of God. *Bonus: provide a scripture reference for each Godly characteristic. October 2nd: I Want a King - In 1 Samuel 8, the Elders don’t just tell Samuel that he is antiquated and outdated and that his two sons that he has made judges do not follow the way of the Lord and therefore they want a king. They tell him that they want to be like other nations and have access to a human king while still acknowledging the reign of God. Do you get so caught up in trying to be like others that you don’t appreciate what God has given you? Have you been putting God aside in favor of more worldy attainments? Assignment: Take a moment today to tell at least one person of one gift God has given you. Share with them your gratitude for this gift and reflect on how you intend to use it to glorify His Kingdom. October 1st: You're too old - The eighth book of 1 Samuel, which is the historical book of the life of the prophet Samuel, shows the interactions with David, the Israelite army and the Philistines. It is around the eighth chapter that the leaders of Israel, particularly the elders, go to Samuel who is the prophet and tell him that he is old. Is time getting away from you? Are you living the life you want to lead? Assignment: It’s not too late and you’re not too old to change. Sit down today and make your list of the things that you want to accomplish in the upcoming months. Pray on your list and ask God to order your steps.
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