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Text: Matt.9:4  
Evil thoughts can be described as intrusive thinking that are are morally and biblically bankrupt.
There may be evil thoughts of many kinds, envious thoughts, discontented thoughts, profane thoughts, unkind thoughts, angry thoughts, avaricious thoughts, impure thoughts. All these thoughts come buzzing about the head and heart, and will settle to do harm, unless driven away. They are only little thoughts. Each is very small, but altogether they are a great host. They are like flies.Pharaoh, King of Egypt, was plagued with flies. They came upon his servants, and the houses of the Egyptians were full of swarms of flies, "and the land was corrupted by reason of the swarm of flies.".
The heads of a great many people are like the houses of the Egyptians -- full of swarms of evil thoughts tormenting them at night ,on their beds, on their knees, inside the church,when they are alone and while they are with others. And if care is note taken their life could be corrupted by these thoughts.
Before we continue,it must be emphasized that There is also a difference between being tempted (a thought entering into the mind) and sinning (dwelling upon an evil thought and wallowing in it).
Evil thoughts are like wandering birds.You may not be able to prvent them from flying over your heads but you can stop them from building a nest there.
When Abraham prepared a sacrifice to the Lord, there came down on it swarms of birds . And when they did so, we are told that Abraham "drove them away."Your responsibility is to mak sure that those birds do not say


WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT EVIL THOUGHTS
1.The Thought life of a Christian Must Build Christian Character: One of the most important truths concerning human character building was spoken in passing by Solomon in Proverbs 23:7: "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." The thoughts of our minds are like building blocks with which we build our character. If a person permits himself to think often of evil, he will soon be doing evil acts, falling into evil habits, and finally living an evil life.
2.Christ spoke of the impact of the thoughts: Jesus had this in when He spoke as He did as found in Matthew. What defiles the man? Not that which enters his body, but that which cometh out of the man... for from within…Mat t15:17-19.
3.Possibly ALL sin committed by a person is first conceived in the thought life. Every deed that a man performs is born first in his thought life. Most deeds are not brought to birth with a sudden impulse, but lie rooted in many repeated thoughts. No man sins suddenly.
4.The guarding of the thought life is a matter of utmost importance. Every evil thought is a dangerous thing. It carries with it the seeds of evil, the promise of ugly growth which if not rooted out will bring forth a character of weakness and sin.
One of the greatest sources of thoughts come from our reading, and our viewing of TV or looking at pictures It is a personal responsibility then to filter what you read, listen to or watch.
5.We must "fall in love" with the Living Word and the Written Word. The only sure answer to the problem of the battle over thoughts is to "set our affection on things above" and to make Christ "preeminent" in our lives. (Col. 3:1-4; 1:18) HE must be loved and we must live for HIM.

BIBLICAL EVENTS THAT WERE OBVIOUSLY PRECEEDED BY  EVIL THOUGHTS
David when tempted as he saw Bathsheba.
Joseph when tempted daily by Potiphar's wife.
Achan when tempted to take the wedges of gold, silver, etc.
Elisha's servant as he went after the materials things offered by Naaman but turned down by Elisha.
Peter, when wrestling with the idea of going to the Gentiles, (Acts 10)
The Prodigal's son's brother, when he came from the field and heard the singing, making merry, etc. (Luke 15)
Daniel, as he prayed as aforetime, notwithstanding the decree.
In all of these we have illustrations in which there had to be thoughts which greatly effected the choices, the will, the character, and the issues of life then and in their future. AS A MAN THINKETH, SO IS HE.

WHAT TO DO

1. A diagnosis, we must locate the problem, the source, is it TV, wrong literature, wrong discussions etc. Psa. 139:23,24; Psa 19: Prov. 23:7, Matt. 9:4) Consider Samson's fall, he did not consider the problem, nor the source which eventually brought his downfall.
2. A decision must be made; we cannot cover it, we must confess it thoroughly, and repent of it thoroughly, or we will continue it. Restoration only comes through thorough confession and repentance. (Prov. 28:13; I Jh. 1:7)
3. A dependence must take place totally upon God as we do our part in the above aspects. God understands, and undertakes. The Holy Spirit will work to bring the victory, making us sensitive to inward sin. (I Cor. 10:13;
Phil. 4:13; Gal. 1:4; Heb. 2:18; Gal. 5:16,17)
4. A determination to destroy must take place for we must see the destruction of all that entices, corrupts, being willing to break with the wrong crowd, (Prov. 1:10,15; Acts 19:10-20; Psa 119:63).
5. A desire to replace the evil with the good must take place. Making a covenant with the eyes (Job. 31:1), with the total body...to not look upon evil. (Matt. 5:28; II Tim 2:22; II Pet 2:9; I Thess. 4:3-5; II Pet. 4:2)
6. A determination to rebuild the thought life must take place.
(Rom. 12:1,2; Rom. 6:13; Eph. 4:23; Col. 3:10, 16, 17; Romans 6:16,17)

Time is a gift of God given to men on a non-repeatable basis. It is the measurable period of time in which things happen. Everything you are today and everything you become tomorrow will be determine by the way you think and the way you use your time.Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? …John 11:9
Time is short, but time is sufficient too. To say there is no time is to admit your failure as time manager. There is time but it must be managed efficiently for maximum production.
 Here are some twenty time killers you must avoid if you want to live a fruitful life

1)    INDECISION
When decisions are delayed, time is wasted, efficiency reduced and achievement frustrated. Delaying of action or putting off of action steals time and ruins life. According to 2Cor. 6:2, God works in the divine today. In other words we may say there is urgency with God.
If you read Songs Of Solomon.5:2-6 You will find out that because of indecision the man wasted time and his beloved, his heart desire could not be found any longer !
2) INDISCIPLINE
If we do not control ourselves, we may not wake up to perform our task. You may need to force yourself to do something even when you don’t feel like. If we are not disciplined our time could be:
a)    Controlled by domineering people
b)    Swallowed by things that appeal to the flesh
c)    Governed by the tyranny of the immediate urgent
d)    Used in unimportant conversations
e)    Wasted in day dreaming
    f)  Used in doing things we should delegate
3) PRAYERLESSNESS
The devil is around to steal, to kill and to destroy. If your time must be preserved, you need to take the battle to the gate of the enemy in warfare. Apart, God is the giver of time, he could prompt you through his spirit so you do not squander it !
4) LACK OF PERSONAL ORGANIZATION
·    Can you ever find what you want, when you want it?
·    Is your desk in a mess?
·    Is your whole office upside down that you cannot concentrate on what you are doing per time?
·    Do you have a good filing system?
    Answer to all these questions will tell you how organized you are, and where some of your time is going.
5) MEETINGS
Meetings, fraternal gatherings, special round table meetings could affect the time allocated to other tasks. Not all meetings should be attended; you can send representatives, all depending on your priorities.
6) FREQUENT INTERRUPTIONS
Interruptions are part of daily living but when they become too frequent they can become unwanted time waste.
a)    Visitors: when you give all attention to all visitors and pretend as if they are welcomed at all times, they will stay long and waste your time. Visitors should be screened and given appointment times.
b)    Telephone calls: just one telephone call can break your momentum. The solution is (i) use of voice mails (ii) take phone off the hook (iii) switch off the mobile phone (iv) give your mobile phone to another person to answer.
7) AFTERNOON LETHARGY
Tired feeling after heavy lunch, high environmental temperature can cause drowsiness, sluggishness and an inability to concentrate. All this will delay action and waste precious hours.
8) LENGHTY COUNSEL
Problems are not removed through one lengthy counsel. Counsels longer than 30 minutes may no longer be effective. Leaders must understand the power of following up counsels and the efficacy of special assignments for the counselor.
9) GOSSIP
Gossip consumes time. You may know when it started but you may never not be able to control when it will end. It drains the brain, destroys your day, reduces your worth and wastes your hours.
10) INABILITY TO SAY NO
A leader who wants to be successful must not be a yes man. He needs to know how to say No. When you are always saying yes, you will accept to do what you cannot do and you may go to places where you shouldn't go and waste your precious time.
11) INSUFFICIENT DELEGATION
Time is wasted when they are expended on tasks that can easily be performed by others. It is better to put ten men to work than to do the work of ten men. Leaders who don't delegate  will suffocate and be paralyzed before they enter into the red.
12)MALORGANIZATION IN THE SYSTEM
When there are no distinct line of organizational structure, time may be wasted as there will be frequent meetings during which “who" to do "what" will be appointed.
13)LAZINESS
Lazy people must necessarily waste time on bed, in the house doing routine cleaning etc. If you are too lazy to do what you ought to do on time, you will find yourself doing what you ought to have done yesterday, today.
14) LACK OF PLANNING
When you don't even know what you should be doing per time, you are not only wasting your hours, you are wasting your life. Every minute spent in planning saves ten minutes in execution. It is therefore helpful to write a list of the things that have to be done and to rank them in the order of importance.
15) CRISIS
Interpersonal crisis occurring frequently will unavoidably be wasting the time of the leader. He may need to sit down for hours talking and settling differences. Time that could have been invested doing other things is therefore wasted.
16) SICKNESS
Time spent on the sick bed are wasted times. Frequent sickness is a terrible time devourer. Adequate precautions should therefore be taken to avoid sickness as much as possible. Such precautions include
⦁    Effective prayers
⦁    Adequate rest
⦁    Regular exercises
⦁    Use of prophylactics
⦁    Right use of the tongue
⦁    Good nutrition
⦁    Personal hygiene
17) LACK OF PRIORITIES
When you attempt to perform too many tasks at the same time, time is consumed and the work remain undone. There is therefore the need for a realistic priority scale, so that first thing can be done first. Things which matter most  never be at the mercy of things which matter least.
18)TELEVISON SETS
Television and movies can be useful when it comes to relaxation and specific edification. But a lot of people are grounded in life, wasting precious hours because of programs and plays that have nothing to add to their destinies. Hours that could be used in active meditation, planning and programming are consumed and wasted before the television set. Meanwhile most people that appear on T.V because of distinction are too busy to watch  T.V
19) READING
Readers are leaders. People who will not read today may not amount to much tomorrow. However, some readings are nothing but sheer waste of time. Reading of newspaper at prime periods or reading fictional writings can become stubborn time wasters. Romantic novels, entertainment magazines may not really add anything to you, but destroy your time.
20) WORRY, FEAR AND PANIC
Whenever there is much difficulties and overwhelming problems a lot of time may be wasted in unnecessary thinking, anticipation and panic. Meanwhile, most things people worry about never happen, as such time used in worrying is wasted.

Life in Jesus is exciting but living with Jesus does not stop you from frustration. Life could be so sweet and interesting and life could be very though and boring.
The plan of God however remains all the same
Jer 29:11
“For I know the thoughts that I think towards you….. thought of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end”
What God is saying is I know you – I think peace;I know you – I oppose evil; I think of giving what you are expecting
You are serving a wonderfully caring father. IT IS MY PRAYER THAT THE PLAN OF GOD FOR YOUR LIFE WILL COME TO PASS.
Unfortunately, life is half spent before we ever knew we have started and that’s why many end in frustration.
BUT IT IS NEVER TOO LATE
There are three things that are most desirable – knowledge,     Understanding AND Wisdom
Knowledge is information.It answers the question 'what'.Understanding answers the question 'why'.Wisdom answers the question 'how'
When you are full of knowledge alone you become proud.When you are full of understanding alone you become a critic.When you are full of wisdom alone you become an achiever.
The most important therefore is wisdom.How do we access wisdom?

Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.(Matt 10:16 )
The wisdom of God can be learnt from a creature as strange as serpent. Most of us do not want to hear that word, but the truth is that it was created by God.

Wisdom Of Serpents/Snakes
1. Snakes protect their head – it is instructive because when you hit the head, you have finished the snake. Listen as believer -- there is something around your head which must not fall.It is called the Helmet of Salvation (Eph 6:11,17)
You Helmet of salvationmust not fall. Let no one take it off: be it relationship,job,father/mother/family,husband/wife
And if you are not yet saved, there is trouble
⦁    Accept that you are a sinner
⦁    Believe that Jesus died to save
⦁    Confess your sins and forsake them
⦁    Determine never to go back
⦁    Evangelize others
⦁    Feed on the word
⦁    Go to church services
2. Snake does not fear whatever its pursuing
Though snakes know when to run and where to stay. It is not full of fear. Snake is 3inchhes wide, rabbit is 10 inches wide, but the snake can take it lunch.
Look there is nothing too big for you to achieve. If somebody did it, it can be repeated.
People that operate in fear can never become achievers.Fear of failure is one of the greatest killers of destiny.If we wait until there is no possibility of failure in any venture, we will remain at the same spot forever.
Snakes 3inches,tackling10-inches rabbit.
Look and go for goals bigger than you. A Japanese proverbs says “make big plans big plans attract big people…..small people cause big problem”
The dreams of today are the realities of tomorrow big dreams
Gen 13:14-15
Dream has the potential enough power for their own fulfilment.
Don’t be afraid of death, you can't die now it is not your turn. When it’s your turn you won’t be able to argue.
3. Snake has the virtue of silence.
A typical snake can stay without making any noise, no movement.
Quietness is a virtue, if you want to amount to anything in destiny don’t be a talkative.
Isaiah 30:15
There is power in quietness
i.    You have more time to think.
ii.    You have greater power in prayer with God.
iii.    You escape the sins of the tongue.
iv.    The devil can’t catch you easily Prov 6:2 if eve had been quiet, the devil would have turned back.
v.    Planning for tomorrow is easier for quiet people.
1Thess 4:11 – study to be quiet
vi.    It is easier to hear God when you are sty. The ill – remember Samuel Eli said, stop running around shouting that you are hearing somebody – go and lie down and be silent, he will speak.
4.  Snake Studies
Snake is a studious animal. Before going for a strive, it studies the environment, the prey. The prey jumps around but the snake will be acquiring knowledge.
Knowledge acquisition is important “he that increase knowledge increase strength” 
Buy books, read books, act on what you read.
Don’t die in a little corner, when there is a way out-based on information.
The church is looking for space for expansion and we are been searching around – bush of Ajilosun, wilderness of Aba Igbira. But right on the road where I have been driving and walking for 5years in a piece of land wanting for rentage.
But it couldn’t be searched until there was a deliberate search. If you money to buy shoes, wrist watch, you should have cash for books.
If you are a preacher, a Christian worker and you have not read a new book (since 30days) – you are already stinking. But you see when people stink they don’t know only others can perceive it.   
Knowledge is important. Anything you are doing learn more. When you increase in learning you increase in earring. What you learn affect what you earn.
A lot of people care much about what they wear than what they know. People value is not determined by their dressing but contents. Dressing may deceive for a while, but everyone will soon know how empty you are.
Take care of your brain, the way you take care of your belly. When you fill your belly be careful to fill your brain.
5. Snake is Patient
A snake will wait for hours before striking.
In Christendom patience is necessary
Between prophecy and performance you have prayerful patience
Heb 10:36, Job 14:14
Those who refuse to wait end up in waste. Your tomorrow is beautiful but you must wait.No matter how much favour you enjoy form God, your ultimate glorification has a lime tag.
6.Snakes keep good company!
They follow themselves.If you want to marry,go for someone with similar faith.If you marry a child of the devil, you will have your honeymoon in hell. Living and the dead don’t stay together. No normal human being live in the grave yard. Apart from marriage,be careful of the influence of bad friends.Evil company,corrupts.
7. Snake possess hypnotizing power:That talks of the anointing.
8. Snakes tongue/mouth carry life and death.With her own tongue she can slay the prey or kill herself. In like manner,the believer should be careful.Make sure you do not use your tongue against yourself!
As you learn from the serpent..may your wisdom  know no bounds

The anointing is God's ability in you to enable you to do something with ease, without it being a struggle. It can be described simply as the fuel of God’s presence on one for the purpose of fulfilling divine assignment. The anointing imparts  joy, passion, zeal, spiritual power, perceptible glory, confidence and authority. It is the power to preach,teach,sing,witness,perceive,trade,convince,convict, and even do spiritual warfare.

The anointing is the burden remover and the yoke breaker.
The anointing is the ability to function supernaturally
The anointing is the strength to perform God ordained tasks with ease
The anointing empowers an ordinary person to achieve extraordinary things
The anointing is the power from Heaven that enables an individual to experience cheap victories

3.      Serve Joyfully
          Service require strength and the scripture says the joy of the Lord is our strength. If you must serve at all, you must do it joyfully. If you murmur while serving your profit is automatically cancelled. If you serve without joy, you will be punished. The scripture says, "Because thou servest not... with joyfulness, therefore shall thou serve thine enemies..."
The yoke of Jesus is easy, his burden is light. Even if you suffer in the pathway of service dont lose your joy.
          Psalm 100:2a
          Serve the Lord with gladness come before his presence   with singing.
Service is a privilege. That you are a partaker should gladden your heart. The disciples even after being beaten left the presence of the council rejoicing.

Many are serving God, only few are rendering acceptable services, what a waste of time! What a waste of effort. It is equivalent to shouting without being heard, or fetching buckets of water into a basket. Foolishness, you will say? Yeah, utter foolishness is it, to render unacceptable service.
How then can your service be made acceptable
1.    Make your life acceptable
    If your life is contemptible your service will be abominable. If your life does not please him, your sacrifice cannot be a well pleasing one.
    Genesis 4: 5,7
    And the Lord said unto Cain, ... if thou DOEST well, shalt     thou not be accepted?
Until you do well, your sacrifice, your service remains rejected.
    Isaiah 1: 10, 11a
    Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear     unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.
    To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me..."

Other obstacles to effective service are:
3.      Relationship
          I Corinthians 7:29, 35c
          But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth,  that both they that have wives be as though they had    none; ... that ye may attend the Lord without distraction.
Family relationship - wife, husband, brothers, relatives could serve as hindrance to entire consecration through oppositiion or through sentimental appeal, However, if you know the importance of service and the accompanying rewards you will not give in to family pressure.
          Mark 10:29,30.
          There is no man that hath left house or brethren or    sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands    FOR MY SAKE AND THE GOSPEL.         But he shall receive an hundred fold now in this time          ... and in the world to come eternal life.
You must discard earthly relationship to secure divine pleasure. Elisha was neither hindered by his parents nor by those twelve yokes of oxen. Take heed, what He will offer you no earthly uncle can.

There are multitudes in Egypt, there are souls in the valley of decision. Many are there groaning in bondage thirsty for freedom. people are suffering in ignorance waiting eagerly in darkness for the light you are carrying.
          Isaiah 6:8   And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send and who will go for us?
God want you to go and bind up the brokenhearted, to go and proclaim liberty to the captives and make their heart glad that are mourning in Zion.However, there are some hindrances, which are capable of preventing you from going forth into the service of the master.
1.      Possessions
          Material possession in abundance is not in anyway ungodly. In fact, that is the will of God for His people. But you should not allow this to hinder you in any way. A man's life consist not in the abundance of the things which he possessed.   Rather, the value of life is measured by the amount of impact it has made on other lives

To every football player there is possible replacement on the reserve bench. No one can hold the coach to ransom. No player is indispensable. Sure, it is the same with God.
If you refuse to serve, if you decline to work, the purpose of God will be fulfiled with or without you. God's purpose cannot fail, he may only need to use a different person. When Eli refused to live up to God's expectation, Samuel replaced him. When Saul did not fully obeyed God, David came from nowhere.
          Luke 19 : 40
          And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if  these should hold their peace, the stones would    immediately cry out.
Beside every saint of God there is a stone. If the saint will not serve, the stone will be raised up.

Idleness is abominable in this Kingdom. God detests it. If truly you have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, you have no option.
                 ... and his servants shall serve him.(Rev. 22:3b)
Every Christian is called to serve, there is no servant who shouldn't serve. There is no believer who should not be busy working for God.
          Mark 13: 34
For the son of man is as a man taking a far journey who    left his house and gave authority to his servants and to    every man his work, and commanded the porter to  watch.
Every man in the Kingdom has a specific assignment, getting involved in that assignment for the corporate benefit of the body of Christ is called SERVICE.The scripture says let my people go, that they may serve me. You are saved to serve, you are delivered to work, you are redeemed to labour in the vineyard of God.

We are going to examine the life of Joseph.
His life ended in glory though it was filled with lots of trials and trouble.
In his life time he wore four different types of coats
COAT 1:Genesis 37:3-4
COAT 2:Genesis 39:2,11-13
COAT 3: Genesis 39:20 (Psalm105:105:17-20)
COAT 4: Genesis 41:42

1.Coat Of Favour:
If your dreams must come to pass,if your goals must be fulfilled,you need this first coat.The coat of favour.
According to Exo.3:21,when you are favoured,you cannot be empty.
3millios Isrealites were knocking at midnight and all of them were granted their requests.!That is express favour.
One day of favour can cancel 430yrs of labour.