CAC LIVING WATER
DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE

Saturday, July 21, 2018

TOPIC:
TESTED, NOT TEMPTED


Read James 1:12--15

MEMORISE
Let no one say when he is tempted, " I am tempted by God "; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone (James 1:13).

EXPOSITION
Our memory scripture clearly shows that God isn't playing games with anyone. Jesus said to him (the devil), " it is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." Why that? God cannot be tempted by any of His creatures, spirits (fallen or holy angels), human, plants, animals or any other kind.

When Job fell into diverse ordeals, God was testing him while Satan tempted him (Job 1:13-22; 2:4-6). Truly, God allows our faith to be tested. Trials toughen faith, build the tested, and fortify him or her against the whim and caprices of giving up too soon. Temptation, otherwise, is solicitation to do wrong. While tests seek to discover the man's moral qualities or character, temptation persuades to evil, deludes, that it may ruin the tempted.
To give up on God or yourself is another way of yielding to temptation. To give up on God means failing to hold onto His biblical promises as applicable to your situation and circumstances. To give up on others means doubting the ability of God to cause what is not, to be. And to give up on yourself means it is too late for a significant change or turn - around.

There are two other equally damning lies Satan wants you to believe: (1) just once won't hurt; (2) now that you have ruined your life, you are beyond God's use,and might as well enjoy sinning. Don't believe that nonsense. Whatever tests (trials) you are going through, don't give up. What settings are you in when you fall? Get out fast. What props do you have that support your sin? Eliminate them. And what ungodliness are you usually with? Avoid them. Remember, it is easier to suppress the first wrong (evil) desire than to satisfy all that follows it.

PRAYER POINTS
1. Oh Lord, turn my eyes away from worthless things, and preserve my life according to Your Word.
2. Oh Lord, see me through every trial period that may come my way.
3. Father in heaven, destroy every satanic stronghold against the peace of our dear nation.

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EXTRA READING FOR TODAY:
Esther 8-10 & Hebrews 11

HAVE A GREAT SATURDAY.......... SHALOM

C.A.C SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON.

UNIT I: MAN'S LOVE TOWARD GOD
July 22, 2018.

LESSON ONE.
THE PATRIARCHS LOVED GOD WHOLLY.

How Noah chose to love and follow God in his crooked generation, and how Abram chose to follow the YAHWEH he knew little or nothing about are proof of the patriarchs' love for the true God. That love mustn't die with you!



MEMORY SCRIPTURE
By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir or the righteousness which is according to faith (Hebrew 11:7)

* 1. BRIEF COMMENT
After anyone has accepted Christ, there are levels of Christian living. Some people live in the basement of Christian's experience, merely inside the building, where it is dark, dismal and gloomy. Others live on the ground floor. They leave the first foundations and go on. Ray of light enters but their outlook is upon the circumstances about them. They live very close to the world. Still others live up higher. Ray of light and warmth flood the rooms.

The noise and attractions of worldly Street do not disturb them. The air is pure. The outlook is toward the blue skies and distant mountains. These ones live above the world, hid with Christ in God.

Noah lived on this higher plane and got sighted and connected by God who forewarned him about the future decimation of the world. He demonstrated his faith by acting on God's warning about the coming flood and spent many years building an ark to save his household. His love for God was expressed as, "faith-in-action."

It is on this higher realm of faith that God wishes us all to live continuously. May you received God's grace to be His representative.

* 2. DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS
1. Action speaks louder than voice. Do not tell us how much you love God by mouth, show it by your choices, preferences and actions.
2. Ruth and Esther can both represent the feminine gender in this regard (Ruth 1:16-17; Esther 4:16).
3. All of us believers must show our love for God by preaching the gospel of Christ on daily basis (I Cor. 9:16).

*3. BACKGROUND SCRIPTURE: I Peter 3:20
*4. AIM AND OBJECTIVES
AIM: This lesson is aimed at helping learners to see and understand the actions of love displayed by Noah and Moses, with a view to making a resolve to do same.

OBJECTIVES: At the end of this two-week lesson, learner:
i. should be able to differentia between love in action and love in word;
ii. are expected to recognize and explain the rationale behind Noah and Abraham's display of love;
iii. are expected to have resolved to demonstrate such love for God through "growing" of their faith; and
iv. should be determined to make choices and actions that would prove their love for God, come what may.

INTRODUCTION
TEXTUAL SOURCE: GENESIS 6; 7;8; HEBREWS 11:7
We have just concluded series of lessons for the first half of the year, with the Theme: LOVE IN ACTION. To God be the glory for the revelations that we have received and the enabling grace with which He is helping us to demonstrate (put into practice) our convictions. Clearly, we saw that whatever God has done, and is doing now, has always been informed and motivated by love i. e All of God's actions have been love-induced, love-motivated and love-provoked. Therefore, the challenge in I Jn. 3:18. We saw God in actions in the first six months of the year. What about man? Have men responded? This is the challenge in part II, i.e the second half of the year. This is a continuation of Part I: LOVE IN ACTION.

Again, God's purpose and programmes are usually older than man. So whenever God wants to do a thing, a new thing, He usually painstakingly looks for those who have faith (no matter how little) in Him, this (little faith) would have been registered consciously or unconsciously in their CHOICES AND ACTIONS.

Whenever, He sees such, He would come around, He would help them by deliberately establishing relationship with them. Thus, testing, trusting and trying their OBEDIENCE and faith by their CHOICES and ACTIONS which they would demonstrate willingly, and in love.

Such were Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Daniel, Esther, Ruth, etc. They chose God, cleaved to Him during periods of uncertainties, in loneliness, with risky movements, "unreasonable" instructions (divinely given), etc. Their actions /choices revealed their faith in and love for God, which eventually affected their generations and their DESTINES.

The first lesson in this series is Titled: THE PATRIARCHS LOVED GOD WHOLLY. We would concentrate on the ACTIONS of love displayed by Noah and Abraham. We may not see much of the opportunities we enjoy today (fellowship with other brethren, Pilgrimage to Jerusalem, Ownership of different versions of the Bible and choices, totally resolved to DEMONSTRATE what they knew (I Jn. 3:18). May we be provoked to ACT our love for God, His word, house and His people. Amen.

*6. INTRODUCTION TO EACH DIVISION
This is a two-week lesson. Each of the divisions, i.e I and II are further subdivided into parts A and B respectively.

DIVISION I: BEFORE THE FLOOD: NOAH'S EXAMPLE
This division describes Noah, a righteous man, and his choice of God, amid the wickedness of his days and society. God needed to purge the earth of wickedness and wicked of men, and but He must preserve a few for the purpose of procreation. He found Noah and gave him instructions on what to do in preparation for the impending decimation upon the world. Noah loved God and put this into action by going ahead to build an ark inside which God preserved him and his household plus other selected animals. After the flood, Noah still continued to be on God's side.

DIVISION II: AFTER THE FLOOD: ABRAHAM'S EXAMPLE
This division focuses on Abraham; a man who knew God, loved him and demonstrated faith toward Him. God had handpicked him from amongst many people, gave him an instruction to leave his father's house and country to a land that God wished to give him. Abraham obeyed. Also, after God had fulfilled His promise of a son to Abraham, He brought him again to the 'test-room.' In all of these events, we saw Abraham demonstrating unfeigned love and faith in God. This division will tell us faith-activating and reviving testimonies about Abraham.

LESSON OUTLINE
I. BEFORE THE FLOOD: NOAH'S EXXAMPLE
A. HE CHOSE GOD IN A WICKED WORLD
B. HE CLEAVED TO THE LOVING GOD

II. AFTER THE FLOOD: ABRAHAM'S EXAMPLE
A. HE FOLLOWED GOD OBEDIENTLY
B. HIS LOVE WAS TESTED.

LESSON EXPOSITION
22nd July, 2018 | I. BEFORE THE FLOOD: NOAH'S EXAMPLE (Gen. 6, 7,
Evil had grown rampant on the earth. It threatened to destroy everything that was good. Only one righteous man remained, Noah. God sent the flood to restore good upon the earth. When he came out of the ark, the first thing Noah did was to erect an alter and worship God. A rare display of love and unfeigned faith.

A. HE CHOSE GOD IN A WICKED WORLD (Gen. 6:1-9, Heb. 11:7)
This is the genealogy of Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God (6:9).
i. God was disappointed with His creatures and resolved to destroy both man and beast, creeping things and birds of the air (Gen. 6:6, 7). Has man really changed? Like Enoch (Gen. 5:22,24) who walked with God, Noah is another challenge v9. God always has a witness (Acts 14:17). Those who walk with Him usually work for Him.
ii. Noah chose to walk with God (v.9) in that perverse generation that was eventually wiped off. He chose to be part, to be separate and to serve God. Adam and Eve chose to obey the devil; Jesus chose to obey God, His Father. Our choices reveal who we are.
iii. We do not know how much Noah knew in theory (Theology), but we can see the uncommon, unpopular and risky choice he made which was a practical demonstration of His love for God, in truth and in deed (I John 3:18). How do we show our love toward God, His Word, His people and His Word? God vindicated His unpopular choices and actions (II Pet. 2:1-5).
iv. Noah whose name means "comfort" received the grace to survive the first universal flood and to be the one with whom God started another dispensation. Why? He "chose" to identify with God, so God honoured Him? Are we ready for Him in this generation?
v. Gen. 6:13-22, God chose to speak to a mortar man what He intended to do before the events. If anyone chooses God, He/she would enjoy indescribable privileges.
vi. The emblem of true love for, and faith in God is to pledge for Him when all others are doing/going contrary to His will, for it is highly rewarding.

B. HE CLEAVED TO THE LOVING GOD (6:13-22; 7:1-4; 8:20122)
Then Noah build an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar (Gen. 8:20).
i. Cleaving involves sticking (Joining, uniting) to someone or something. The language is often heard when a marriage between a man and a woman is solemnised (Gen. 2:24). Choosing God is the first step towards relationship with Him.
ii. Noah head from God and continued to hear from Him without interruptions, before the flood (6:13ff), after the construction of the Ark (6:22, 7:1-5), after the flood (7:24,8:1-5) after they had disembarked from the Ark (8:15,20-22). Listening, hearing, doing are the ways to consolidate relationship with God.
iii. Noah heard God. Building an ark? Any precedence? Expecting rain? Has it rained before (Gen. 2:5)? Imagine the strangeness, unreasonableness and the technology involved (Gen. 6:13-22; Gen. 2:15). No wonder, God found him.
iv. Noah heard God and obeyed Him; he was consequently saved from the flood by the ark (a perfect type of Jesus, our Ark of safety).

LESSONS DERIVED
i. The choices we make determine our actions which would unavoidably affect our destiny.
ii. God speaks, and of course, in many ways and consistently. Listening and cleaving to Him anywhere and at all times would reveal our trust and love in action. These would guarantee unbroken relationship, which is a vital condition for fulfillment.

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WORK TO DO
Abraham showed love in action by putting others first (Gen. 13:1-18), taking a risk for the undeserving (Gen. 18:23-33, 19:29). Any