Last week, the Area Head  gave a powerful sermon about intercession. I wanted to continue in that line but the Lord drew my attention to another important subject.  It’s what I have entitled, first things first. Set your priorities right.  Today there’s a lot of burdens on many people. What’s the kingdom of God, where can we find it, what is the Bible talking about.  The first message Jesus started to preach the kingdom of God, the gospel. It’s all about the kingdom.  Even the parables of Jesus talks about the kingdom. One parable talks about a man who once saw a treasure hidden in a piece of land, He sold all he had and bought the land. That’s how valuable the kingdom of God is.  Even in the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught the disciples to say, ‘Thy kingdom come’  Every king would want to extend his territory. That’s what made the Great Britain colonize Ghana. Today, there’s the commonwealth and the commonwealth Nations where all countries that were colonized by the Britain are part of.  When God created man, He gave him dominion and power over the earth.  God created us to have authority; that is why today a politician can kill a fellow human being to have power.  Now, the devil also wanted to have power over the earth, this made him deceive Eve in the garden of Eden.  That’s how the devil got possession of the earth, this kingdom. The Bible admonishes us to seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness first.  John Wesley made this quotation. Man cannot do anything without God,  The second part of the quote is striking. God will not do anything without man  God has raised us from darkness, we are now Princes and Princesses so we shouldn’t be afraid of witches. I have never seen a witch before. If there is any here, come and see me after church. Witches and wizards have no power over us. We have power as children of God. When we look for the Kingdom and his righteousness and every other thing will be added to you. Seek God in everything you do.  Prayer Thank God for his word. Today’s word tells us we have power over every circumstance. Thank Him for this word

Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be  persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. And pray for  me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain  God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike. Ephesians 6:18‭-‬19 NLT Let  me illustrate this further. Who is powerful enough to enter the house  of a strong man and plunder his goods? Only someone even  stronger—someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house. Mark 3:27 NLT And ye shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land, and dwell therein: for I have given you the land to possess it. Numbers 33:53 KJV And  I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand  in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I  found none. Ezekiel 22:30 KJV I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; 1 Timothy 2:1 KJV Moreover  as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to  pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way: 1 Samuel 12:23 KJV

Timothy, my dear son, be strong through the grace that God gives you in  Christ Jesus. You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by  many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy  people who will be able to pass them on to others. Endure suffering  along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. Soldiers don’t get  tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the  officer who enlisted them. And athletes cannot win the prize unless  they follow the rules. And hardworking farmers should be the first to  enjoy the fruit of their labor. Think about what I am saying. The Lord  will help you understand all these things. Always remember that Jesus  Christ, a descendant of King David, was raised from the dead. This is  the Good News I preach. And because I preach this Good News, I am  suffering and have been chained like a criminal. But the word of God  cannot be chained. So I am willing to endure anything if it will bring  salvation and eternal glory in Christ Jesus to those God has chosen. 2 Timothy 2:1‭-‬10 NLT In  a wealthy home some utensils are made of gold and silver, and some are  made of wood and clay. The expensive utensils are used for special  occasions, and the cheap ones are for everyday use. If you keep yourself  pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will  be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good  work. Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue  righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the  companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts. 2 Timothy 2:20‭-‬22 NLT

Equipping means providing items, equipment, tools, resources provided for a purpose. Now  may the God of peace— who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the  great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an eternal covenant with his  blood— Hebrews 13:20 NLT Endure suffering along with me, as a  good soldier of Christ Jesus. Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs  of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted  them. 2 Timothy 2:3‭-‬4 NLT The church is an army, once  the church is an army, then you are a soldier of Christ. So endure  suffering as a soldier of Christ.

We’re starting today’s study from the story of Daniel and Nebuchaadnezzer.  Nebuchaadnezzer had a dream that distressed him in the morning.  May the Lord reverse any dream we had about 2022 that has made us afraid. He’s now reading the story of Daniel and Nebuchadnezzer  Nebuchadnezzer was a king who had a dream that greatly worried him. He called his advisors and counselors to tell him the dream and the meaning. He got angry because they could not tell him the dream and could not interprete it either.  He intended to give them a death sentence. His counselors said, there is no one who can answer you except a god who has power than everyone else. This question is beyond our gods.  Daniel and his friends were amongst these counselors. the other counselors decided to call on Daniel because they believed he served a living God. Now, I pray that if you find yourself amongst unbelievers, may they call to you for answers.   So they consulted Daniel and Daniel spoke with them well.  As a Christian, learn to speak good words to all around. We don’t have to be rude. Story continues,  Daniel told the other counselors, give me some time and I will tell the king’s dream and the meaning. Daniel went to pray and God revealed the dream and the meaning of the dream to Daniel. As a Christian, you should spend some time alone with God. When certain situations are difficult to handle,get some time alone and speak to the Lord; He will show you great and unsearchable things you do not know.  If you had trouble in 2021,may the Lord change it in 2022. God changes days and times. May he do this for you. May he turn your mourning into dancing.  I’ve told you the things I have been through. I used to work really hard back then in the village. I used to weed farms for people.  I am now a pastor with a car living in a mission house. May the Lord change things for his glory in 2022 Daniel and the counselors were going to be killed had God not revealed the dream to him. May this be your story.    Story continues  . Daniel went before the king and said, I do not know the answer to this dream but there is a God of heaven who can explain this dream. All solutions are in the presence of God This is your God, Put your trust in Him. Like I always say, the God who has taken me out of a ‘house of gods’  and has made me a man of God can make your life more beautiful than he has done for me.  May the Lord fight for you in 2022 and may he restore all you have lost.  It may be that certain forces have teamed up against you. Remember that the Lord your Lord is a consuming fire and he is on your side  Fire broke out some years ago the church was in that vicinity. thankfully, there was just smoke around the area, the church of God wasn’t burned. Spiritually, there may be forces that will decide to attack certain parts of your life, your finances, your spiritual life, your decision to stay holy for God, but know that God will bring you salvation. All their plans are like smoke. They will have no hold on you.  2022 is not a year for too much talk, spend time with God and see his hand perform wonders in your life. Stay in God and continue to keep his word.  Numbers 33:3  We’re praying into the year 2022. That we will walk triumphantly.

The disciples said to him, “If this is the situation between a husband  and wife, it is better not to marry.” Jesus replied, “Not everyone can  accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. For there  are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been  made eunuchs by others—and there are those who choose to live like  eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept  this should accept it.” Matthew 19:10‭-‬12 NIV I wish that  all of you were as I am. But each of you has your own gift from God;  one has this gift, another has that. Now to the unmarried and the widows  I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do. 1 Corinthians 7:7‭-‬8 NIV There  was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of  Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years  after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She  never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Luke 2:36‭-‬37 NIV Blessings of singlehood 1. Stage for some to serve God and church better. 2. State to identify and nurture God's giftings 3. Offers the opportunity to develop a well balanced social life. 4. A time to level up your career development skills Challenges facing singles 1. Stigmatisation 2. Low self esteem

“Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites.  Say to them: “ ‘ “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his  face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward  you and give you peace.” ’ “So they will put my name on the Israelites,  and I will bless them.” Numbers 6:23‭-‬27 NIV Have the Levites  stand in front of Aaron and his sons and then present them as a wave  offering to the Lord. In this way you are to set the Levites apart from  the other Israelites, and the Levites will be mine. “After you have  purified the Levites and presented them as a wave offering, they are to  come to do their work at the tent of meeting. They are the Israelites  who are to be given wholly to me. I have taken them as my own in place  of the firstborn, the first male offspring from every Israelite woman. Numbers 8:13‭-‬16 NIV Blessings are not only about money but all the things that make a being whole. Why do we need to be blessed? Blessings are God's gift. It is the blessings of God that prospers a man. God's ingredients for a good life, is his blessings.

Meanwhile, Jacob left Beersheba and traveled toward Haran. At sundown he  arrived at a good place to set up camp and stopped there for the night.  Jacob found a stone to rest his head against and lay down to sleep. As  he slept, he dreamed of a stairway that reached from the earth up to  heaven. And he saw the angels of God going up and down the stairway. At  the top of the stairway stood the Lord, and he said, “I am the Lord, the  God of your grandfather Abraham, and the God of your father, Isaac. The  ground you are lying on belongs to you. I am giving it to you and your  descendants. Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the  earth! They will spread out in all directions—to the west and the east,  to the north and the south. And all the families of the earth will be  blessed through you and your descendants. What’s more, I am with you,  and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to  this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you  everything I have promised you.” Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and  said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!” Genesis 28:10‭-‬16 NLT So  Jacob went over and kissed him. And when Isaac caught the smell of his  clothes, he was finally convinced, and he blessed his son. He said, “Ah!  The smell of my son is like the smell of the outdoors, which the Lord  has blessed! Genesis 27:27 NLT

Now Adam had sexual relations with his wife, Eve, and she became  pregnant. When she gave birth to Cain, she said, “With the Lord’s help, I  have produced a man!” Later she gave birth to his brother and named him  Abel. When they grew up, Abel became a shepherd, while Cain cultivated  the ground. When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his  crops as a gift to the Lord. Abel also brought a gift—the best portions  of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The Lord accepted Abel and his  gift, Genesis 4:1‭-‬4 NLT But there was a certain man  named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property. He  brought part of the money to the apostles, claiming it was the full  amount. With his wife’s consent, he kept the rest. Then Peter said,  “Ananias, why have you let Satan fill your heart? You lied to the Holy  Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself. The property was  yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the  money was also yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this?  You weren’t lying to us but to God!” Acts of the Apostles 5:1‭-‬4 NLT All  the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what  they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. The  apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and  God’s great blessing was upon them all. There were no needy people  among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them Acts of the Apostles 4:32‭-‬34 NLT Jesus  sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the  crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts.  Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins. Jesus called his  disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has  given more than all the others who are making contributions. For they  gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given  everything she had to live on.” Mark 12:41‭-‬44 NLT

Now a man of the tribe of Levi married a Levite woman, and she became  pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child,  she hid him for three months. But when she could hide him no longer,  she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then  she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of  the Nile. His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to  him. Then Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her  attendants were walking along the riverbank. She saw the basket among  the reeds and sent her female slave to get it. She opened it and saw the  baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This is one of the  Hebrew babies,” she said. Then his sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter,  “Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?”  “Yes, go,” she answered. So the girl went and got the baby’s mother.  Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this baby and nurse him for me,  and I will pay you.” So the woman took the baby and nursed him. When the  child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her  son. She named him Moses, saying, “I drew him out of the water.” Exodus 2:1‭-‬10 NIV amram and Jochebed gave birth to moses at a time when it was illegal to have male children.