He hath made him to be sin for us . . . that we might be made the righteousness of God . . . — 2 Corinthians 5:21
Augustine was one of the greatest theologians of all time. He was a wild, intemperate, immoral youth. In spite of his mother’s pleadings and prayers, he grew worse instead of better. But one day he had a personal encounter with Jesus Christ that transformed his life. His restlessness and the practice of sin disappeared. He became one of the great saints of all time. John Newton was a slave trader on the west coast of Africa. One day in a storm at sea he met Jesus Christ. He went back to England and became an Anglican clergyman. He wrote scores of hymns, one of which has become the modern popular song, “Amazing Grace.” This is what Christ can do for anyone who puts his trust in Him.
Prayer for the day: Your amazing grace transformed even my unworthy life—I love You, Lord Jesus!
Written by Billy Graham, Founder of Billy Graham Evangelistic Association(BGEA). BGEA exists to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ by every effective means and to equip the church and others to do the same.
“Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few… and it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, there is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed” – 2 Kings 4:3, 6 (KJV)
The widow, according to 2 Kings chapter 4, found herself in a terrible situation. Not only was she mourning her husband; who was a child of God and a committed, devoted prophet, she also had to deal with the huge bad debt that her husband left for the family. Now, the creditors had come to take her two sons as slaves, as payment for the debt. Consequently, she ran to meet the Prophet, Elisha. He asked her what she had in the house and she told him, ‘nothing except a small flask of oil.’ We then see in verse 3 that Prophet Elisha instructed her to go and borrow vessels. And if you read carefully, he said, “…borrow not a few”. In other words, don’t borrow one or two vessels, but borrow as many as you can lay your hands on, because your capacity determines the extent of the supply.
Beloved, you can no longer afford to do small things. Look around you. The rest of the world is making giant strides and taking territories. Why would believers who have the ‘dominion mandate’ do any less? The time has come for you to arise. God’s intention for you is to be at the forefront of the different sectors of our society. But if you lack the capacity to receive the mighty things that God has released, your lack of capacity will place a cap on His supply.
Child of God, you serve the Unlimited God. There is no limit to His supply! So why are you coming to Him with a little vessel? Why are you going to fetch water from the ocean with a bottle? Beloved, increase your capacity today!
Further Reading: 2 Kings 4:1-7, Isaiah 54:2-3
Daily Bible Reading: Morning- 1 Samuel 17-18; Evening- Luke 11:1-28
Written by Dr. Mike Okonkwo; Is the Presiding Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM); a versatile man of God with over 30 years of dedicated service unto the Lord.
TOPIC: The Feast of Esther (I) (Mountain Of Fire and Miracle Ministries, MFM Daily Devotional 11 April 2019)
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Samuel 17-18; Luke 11:1-28
FIRE SCRIPTURE: Esther 3:1-6
MEMORY VERSE: “The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect.” – Psalms 33:10
The MESSAGE:
There are several feasts in the Bible. Each of even has its purpose and significance. The feast of Esrher is particularly striking and important. There are also several lessons to learn form it.
First, it was a feast held by Queen Esther to commemorate and celebrate the dramatic and timely deliverance of her people (the Jews) from an arch enemy who plotted to use his position to exterminate them. Haman, the Agagite, plotted, schemed and used the vulpine cunning of the fox to seek the destruction of millions of Jews through king Ahauserus, but God frustrated Haman’s plan. The feast was instituted to continually express appreciation and glorification to God who is mighty to save and mighty to deliver.
The lessons in this story are as follows: First, God frustrates the counsel of the heathen and makes their devices to be of non-effect (Psalm 33:10). Haman had an evil plot to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, in the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, and to plunder their possessions (Esther 3:13). He also cunningly got the consent of the king. The Jews were perplexed and in that precarious situation, only the God of heaven could deliver them. Did He? Yes, Jehovah heard the cry and prayer of His children and fulfilled Psalm 33:10 in their lives! He made Haman’s evil counsel to come to nought and made his devices to be of no effect on the Jews.
In Psalm 112:9-10, the Bible says that the horn of the righteous will be exalted. The wicked will see it and be grieved. He will gnash with his teeth and melt away. The desire of the wicked shall perish. Again, these scriptures were fulfilled in God’s judgement against Haman. Mordecai whom he hated was promoted while he (Haman) was demoted. Haman’s desire against Mordecai and all the Jews in the kingdom of Ahauserus perished because God who rules in the affairs of men rose in defence of His people, the Jews. Truly, God will never suffer the righteous to be moved.
Beloved, God has done more for you than He did for Mordecai, Queen Esther and the Jews in Ahauserus kingdom. As Esther, in the Old Testament deemed it fit to hold a feast in honour and glory of the Almighty who saved them from their arch-enemy, individuals, families, organisations, churches and nations ought to be thankful to God for His merciful kindness that is so great and His innumerable blessings. Give God the feast of high praise continuously.
MOTIVATIONAL QUOTE: HE WHO SPRINKLES ASHES SHALL THE ASHES FOLLOW.
PROPHETIC WORD: Every effort of the enemy over your family shall be in vain.
PRAYER POINTS:
MORNING
Father, I thank You because the gates of hell shall not prevail over me, in the name of Jesus.
I order confusion and scattering of tongues among all wicked enemies, in the name of Jesus.
Let the wisdom of evil counselors upon my life be rendered to nothing, in the name of Jesus. EVENING
O Lord, cause an explosion of Your power in the camp of my adversaries, in the name of Jesus.
Let my life be barricaded by the edge of fire, in the name of Jesus.
O Lord, smite every evil tongue rising up against me by the cheek bones, in the name of Jesus.
Let every handwriting contrary to my peace, receive intensive disgrace, in the name of Jesus.
MOUNTAIN TOP LIFE is a daily devotional by Dr. D.K Olukoya (General Overseer, Mountain of Fire and Miracle Ministries, Worldwide)
Flatimes Notice Board: Until you are born again, God ever abiding presence will never be with you. You must be born again to enjoy continuous victory. Please say the displayed prayer below in faith:
Lord Jesus, come into my life. I accept You as my Lord and Personal Saviour. I believe in my heart You died and rose from the dead to save me. Thank You Lord for saving me, in Jesus name Amen.
If you just prayed the prayer of salvation online please send your testimonies and prayer request to [email protected], 07026385437 OR 08141320204.
Key Verse: “Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, than an house full of sacrifices with strife” (Proverbs 17:1).
MESSAGE:
There is nothing on earth that can be equated to a peaceful family life. A peaceful and harmonious family, no matter how poor, is a great blessing. There are families where the spouses and even some of the children have fat bank accounts and yet without peace. A Christian home where Christ is the Lord and King, no matter its level of penury and indigence, will always experience heaven on earth.
The text opens with a shocking revelation that supports the claim above. This is to say that the family is the bedrock of any society. It predetermines the future of its inhabitants.
God reveals the foolishness of an individual by trying the heart through affliction. Foolishness is a soft and euphemistic way of describing wickedness in the Bible. Foolishness is like a smoke, it cannot be permanently covered. It can be detected through lies, flatteries, mockery, rejoicing at the calamities of perceived enemies, graceless speeches, unforgiving spirit, constant mentioning of the offences of a partner, stubborn refusal to accept reproof and correction, rebellious spirit, vengeance, contentious and implacable spirit.
Verse six of the text reveals how lucky the children who have godly parents are. Equally, parents with godly children are blessed. Therefore, every Christian family must endeavour to bring up the children in the fear and admonition of the Lord by showing them practical examples of godly living at home. Our families should endeavour to live in peace and harmony at all times. Unbelieving families should not fail to realise that a family without Christ will be full of crises. The only way of escape is to accept Christ as their Saviour by repenting and forsaking all sin.
Thought For The Day: A home in Christ is crises free.
The Bible In One Year: Acts 7-8
DCLM Daily Manna was written by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.
Flatimes’ Notice Board: Until you are born again, God ever abiding presence will never be with you. You must be born again to enjoy continuous victory. Please say the displayed prayer below in faith:
Lord Jesus, come into my life. I accept You as my Lord and Personal Saviour. I believe in my heart You died and rose from the dead to save me. Thank You Lord for saving me, in Jesus name Amen.
If you just prayed the prayer of salvation online please send your testimonies and prayer request to [email protected], 07026385437 OR 08141320204.
A noise that is joyful is better than praise that is joyless.
SCRIPTURE: Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. Psalm 100:4
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: A noise that is joyful is better than praise that is joyless.
Yesterday, we saw that we owe God an unfinishable debt of praise in time and in eternity and we have so many reasons to praise God daily – divine health, the knowledge of God, supernatural supplies, the frustration of the agenda of the wicked, etc.
Today, I would like to show you the things that make your praise effective:
1. The attitude of gratitude, excitement and joy (Psalm 100:2).
Gladness must precede singing for it to be acceptable. Without joy, your praise is lifeless. Praise equals noise without joy; and a noise that is joyful is better than praise that is joyless. Do not waste your energy praising God in depression. Cast out that devil of depression. Expel depression from your life and praise God with excitement.
2. Praise God with revelation. When your praise is with revelation, you move from the realm of appreciation to the realm of celebration. When there is a Scriptural verse that gives you a certain assurance, it shifts your praise to another level.
3. Praise God in the beauty of holiness (2 Chronicles 20:21). Sin is a killer of praise; it kills the power of praise. You must relinquish sin in your life if your praise must be accepted by God. When you do this, the earth will release to you what belongs to you.
REMEMBER THIS: A noise that is joyful is better than praise that is joyless.
ASSIGNMENTS:
Make a list of all the things that God has done for you from the beginning of the year till now and begin to thank Him for them.
Praise God today with a heart of gratitude.
PRAYER: O LORD, I ask that You clothe me with the garment of praise. I will praise You forever, in Jesus’ Name.
FOR FURTHER UNDERSTANDING, GET THIS MESSAGE: THE VIRTUES OF PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING
QUOTE: Worship is a product of your relationship with God and a faulty relationship with Him cannot birth pure worship. Culled from THE PROTOCOL OF THE ARK by Dr Becky Paul-Enenche
DAILY READING: Joshua 3:1 to 4:24, Luke 14:7 to 35, Psalm 80:1 to 19, Proverbs 12:27 to 28
AMAZING FACT: There are 206 bones in the human body.
TODAY IN HISTORY: 11/04/1970 – Apollo 13 was launched
Today’s devotional was written by Pastor Paul Enenche of the Dunamis International Gospel Centre (DIGC), headquartered at Abuja, Nigeria, with Pastor Paul and Becky Enenche, as the Senior Pastors. It is a power-packed arena where God’s Presence, Principles and Power are at work for the salvation, healing and restoration of human destinies and dignities
Flatimes Notice Board: Until you are born again, God ever abiding presence will never be with you. You must be born again to enjoy continuous victory. Please say the displayed prayer below in faith:
Lord Jesus, come into my life. I accept You as my Lord and Personal Saviour. I believe in my heart You died and rose from the dead to save me. Thank You Lord for saving me, in Jesus name Amen.
If you just prayed the prayer of salvation online please send your testimonies and prayer request to [email protected], 07026385437 OR 08141320204.
Topic: You Need Divine Assistance (Open Heaven 11 April 2019)
Memorise: “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.”- Psalm 127:1
Read: Psalm 127:1-2 (KJV)
1 Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.
2 It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.
Bible in One Year: 1 John 5 – Jude 1, Jeremiah 15:10-21
Open Heaven 11 April 2019 Thursday MESSAGE:
For anyone to succeed in life, he or she needs the assistance of others. No one succeeds in life by being an island. If the assistance of fellow human beings can make a difference in a person’s life, how much more can divine assistance from the unlimited God. Divine assistance is the greatest form of support you can receive to help you fulfill your destiny and reach your goal. Only the Almighty God, who alone is self-sufficient, does not need assistance from anyone. Whenever God asks us to partner with Him on any projects, He is only trying to give us an opportunity to be blessed. We see this demonstrated when the Lord asked to use peter’s boat in Luke 5:1-10. One might think that without Peter’s boat, the Lord would have been unable to preach on the lake. This cannot be true, because the one who walked on the sea would have done the same thing in order to preach. The Lord asked for Peter’s boat only because He wanted to make him a famous fisher of men! Just as it happened to Peter, Divine assistance is available for whoever has been struggling to make it in life with no results to show for it.
Elijah is one man who experienced divine assistance in no small measure. It is therefore unsurprising that he was able to do great exploits for God. During a time of great famine, God sent him divine assistance for his sustenance. God said to him in 1 King 17:9:
“Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.”
Here we see that the prophet and the widow had nothing to do with the arrangement: it was divinely ordained. However the best thing about the story is that the two of them cooperated with God to fulfill His divine will. As a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ, I have come to realize one thing: when God wants to bless a minister or his ministry, he or she does not need to collect offerings with long sermons. Moses made a simple pronouncement when the tabernacle was to be built in the wilderness, and the people brought so much that he had to make another pronouncement for them to stop (Exodus 35:4 – Exodus 36:7). Through divine assistance, Moses received more than enough for his assignment, even in the wilderness. Beloved, seek divine help today and you will be settled. When you meditate on today’s memory verse, you will realize the futility of human efforts without divine assistance. May God grant you understanding of this truth in Jesus’ Name.
Open Heaven 11 April 2019 Thursday Action Point:
Ask for divine assistance in every project and assignment you are involved in.
Open Heaven 11 April 2019 Thursday Hymn 8: My Faith Looks Up To Thee
1 My faith looks up to Thee,
Thou Lamb of Calvary,
Savior divine!
Now hear me while I pray,
Take all my guilt away,
Oh, let me from this day
Be wholly Thine!
2 May Thy rich grace impart
Strength to my fainting heart,
My zeal inspire!
As Thou hast died for me,
Oh, may my love to Thee
Pure, warm, and changeless be,
A living fire!
3 While life’s dark maze I tread,
And griefs around me spread,
Be Thou my guide;
Bid darkness turn to day,
Wipe sorrow’s tears away,
Nor let me ever stray
From Thee aside.
4 When ends life’s transient dream,
When death’s cold, sullen stream
Shall o’er me roll;
Blest Savior, then in love,
Fear and distrust remove;
Oh, bear me safe above,
A ransomed soul!
Open Heaven 11 April 2019 Thursday Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer’s Ministries. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and PC. Open Heaven 11 April 2019 Thursday Daily Devotional.
Flatimes Notice Board: Until you are born again, God ever abiding presence will never be with you. You must be born again to enjoy continuous victory. Please say the displayed prayer below in faith:
Lord Jesus, come into my life. I accept You as my Lord and Personal Saviour. I believe in my heart You died and rose from the dead to save me. Thank You Lord for saving me, in Jesus name Amen.
If you just prayed the prayer of salvation online please send your testimonies and prayer request to [email protected], 07026385437 OR 08141320204.
Perhaps the most hands-on way to help a refugee is to host them in your home. This is a big decision to make as you would be allowing someone whom you barely know to live in your home. If this is a route that you decide to go, always go through a reputable organization that does all of the proper screenings including health and criminal history screenings.
Amid the growing world refugee crisis, an increasingly popular question is: what is the correlation between refugees and crime rates in cities and towns where many refugees have been resettled? If you are considering hosting a refugee in your home, this may be a question you have.
In 2017 the New American Economy Research Fund analyzed the link between refugees and crime rates in the United States. The group looked at the 10 U.S. cities that received the most refugees proportionate to their pre-existing population. In nine out of 10 cities the group found that crime rates actually went down, and in some cases, they went down significantly.
In Southfield, Michigan, for example, the violent crime rate decreased by 77.1 percent and in Decatur, Georgia it went down by 62.2 percent. Other places had less impressive drops like Clarkston, Georgia which only had a 4.8 percent decrease. W. Springfield, Massachusetts, was the only outlier in this study with a violent crime increase of 87.9 percent. According to the New American…
PreachersNSneakers pairs pictures of posts shared by pastors of themselves online with a screenshot of the price of the footwear they’re wearing in the picture.
A 29-year-old Christian man called Tyler decided to create the account after looking for a song by Elevation Worship and noticing the lead singer was wearing a pair of Yeezy 750s trainers, which are sold for around $800 (£611).
This pushed him to find other popular pastors and youth group leaders he knew and was already following on Instagram, in photos wearing designer items.
Speaking to BuzzFeed News, Tyler – who isn’t revealing his surname – said he intended the account to be “open to interpretation”.
“I’m a Christian and [have] been for a long time and feel really strongly about the leaders of the Church and how high of a calling they have,” he said.
“I started questioning myself, ‘what is ok as far as optics…as far as pastors wearing hype or designer clothing?’ I don’t have an answer.”
He added that he thinks it’s important for believers to “have a discussion about what is appropriate”.
It seems pastors have also noticed the new account, including Chad Veach, a lead pastor of the Zoe Church in Los Angeles who was featured.
Defending the post he appeared in that exposed his Gucci trousers and backpack cost $2,795 (£2,137) in total, Veach said: “You wanna know what’s crazy? I legit did not pay for…
Argentine Teachers Give Students Easter Eggs with Pro-Abortion Slogans on Them
Easter egg shaped treats reading “Aborto Ya” which is Spanish for “Abortion Now” were distributed by teachers to children in Argentina.
According to Life Site News, the eggs were passed out by members of a “radical feminist group” called The Feminist Front Evita Montonera as a part of a Holy Week pro-abortion protest.
Spanish news website Portco Noticias said that teachers in La Matanza public schools gave their students green sugar-coated egg-shaped treats as a part of a pro-abortion campaign called “Abort the surprise.”
The outlet wrote, “a large group of teachers grouped in the Feminist Front Evita Montonera decided to take advantage of Easter to give a blow of marketing. Under the motto “Abortá la sorpresaita”, green eggs were distributed with the slogan “Aborto Ya” written in sugar cream in different schools of La Matanza.” The outlet noted that parents did not take the action well or lightly.
The move was both supported by some and found inappropriate by others.
One person supporting the distribution praised the move on Twitter deeming it a good effort to raise awareness about abortion among young people.
Meanwhile, others found it wildly inappropriate. One person criticizing the distribution of the eggs wrote on Twitter that it was a “total shame and repudiation” noting that “most parents repudiated this.”
An inquiry was launched after 19-year-old Shana Grice was murdered by her stalker despite repeated pleas for help.
Sussex Police involved in the case will be facing disciplinary action over her death but Shana’s parents have said it is “too little, too late”.
Gender justice specialist Natalie Collins told Premier the concerns of women need to be taken more seriously.
Speaking during News Hour, she said: “It is a national issue and it’s very easy to go ‘oh, isn’t it bad in that particular area’ but we need to recognise that this is a systemic issue with how women are often not believed – particularly young women – and how the police don’t really know how to respond properly to stalking and harassment.”
Shana Grice (pictured below) reported Michael Lane to officers five times in just six months but was fined for wasting police time. He was eventually jailed for 25 years for her murder.
The report said more improvements were needed to support victims and Sussex Police have acknowledged this.
Collins told Premier the Church also needs to do more to help women in need.
“I think the same goes for the Church – as I said with the police, that we need to believe women and the Church does not have a hugely good track record of believing women,” she said.
“We’re coming up to Easter very soon and the story of the resurrection…when…
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