Bible Text: Josh.1:13-16; 6:6-10; Ps.100:1-5; 50:23; Matt.26:6-13;Series: FIRST FRUIT FAST – APRIL 1ST – 7TH | INTRODUCTION:

We have come to the beginning of the second quarter of the year, so we are setting aside this first week of April to pray and fast for the blessings of the quarter.

One of the outstanding messages in the last December Retreat was “Ministering To The Lord” which has to do with offering the sweet odour of praise and worship unto the Lord.

In this first message of the programme captioned “You Shall Pass Before Your Brethren Armed”, we shall be looking at “Break Open The Box Of Fragrance”.

In life, whenever a bottle of perfume is broken, the aroma fill the air.  Praise, worship and thanksgiving constitute a sweet fragrance to the Lord.

The word worship means prostrating, reverencing and ascribing greatness/value to God, worshipping God means pouring out our love unto God for who He is and not because of what He has done for us; but praise and thanksgiving is giving Him glory/praise because of what He has done (Ps.50:23).

In God’s arsenal, the heaviest artillery is praise, worship and giving of thanks. We are to enter the inner chamber to thank and worship Him for the privilege of coming before Him and interacting with Him (Jn.4:23-24).

Mary sacrificed the most valuable of her life to the Lord because she loved God. Today, the Lord wants us to do same: it is another aspect of prayer which puts the enemies in disarray (2Chro.20:1-3, 12, 18-20).

Worshipping, praising and thanking the Lord makes His countenance to shine upon the worshipper. Such exercises build memorials in heaven and yield breakage of yokes and bondages, healing of diverse sorts, open heavens, miracles and every positive experience. The agent of true worship and praise is the Holy Spirit (Rm.8:26-27; 2Sam.6:12-14).

PRAYER POINTS

 

95:1-7a – We have been commanded to sing, make a joyful noise, come before His presence with thanksgiving and worship our God. So let us sing unto Him using our song book – HSCF 1, 2, 3, and 10.
Let us thank God for His blessings, benefits and providence unto us and our beloved ones.
Thank the Almighty God for our G.S and his family, the deliverances of God upon their lives and the grace of God that carried them all through this time.
Remember God’s deliverance upon the Diocesan Pastor during the post Enugu on the hill programme. Thank God for his life and that of his entire family.
Let us also thank God as has been commanded for all our Diocesan Pastors and their families, the District Pastors, Parish Pastors and all the leadership of this ministry. Appreciate God for the kind/caliber of ministers He gave us in the Watchman.
Appreciate and thank God for all the Watchman workers and the entire congregation. He has been mindful of this movement that is the reason He has been keeping us despite every opposition that comes our way.
Let’s worship God with praise and choruses for His mercy endured forever.
Thank God for this divine programme that He organized for the Watchman. Also pray and commit the programme into His hand asking Him for the enabling grace to go through the programme.
Let the brethren be touched in their heart so that they will have overwhelming zeal/interest to participate fully in the program.