Topic: Living to Gain God’s Approval [Tuesday May 9, 2017]

Scripture: Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15

Thought For The Day: It is not how you appear before people that matters, but how you appear before God.

Joshua was a respected High priest of God. He was very instrumental to the rebuilding of the temple of Jerusalem. But one day, as he stood before the angel of God to minister, he was clothed with filthy garments and satan stood to resist him.

This story illustrates the spiritual condition of Joshua the high priest. Joshua was decently dressed in the eyes of everyone as he carried out his priestly duties but in the realm of the spirit, he was clothed with filthy garment.

Beloved, I want you to note that it is not how you appear before people that matters, but how you appear before God. It is not how you are perceived in the physical realm that matters but how you are perceived in the spiritual realm. In the eyes of the world, a person may be very spiritual and committed but in the eyes of God, he may be wearing a filthy dress of sin.

Beloved, do not struggle for human approval but for Divine approval. Invest your time and energy to find out what God thinks about you.

Remember this: It is not how you appear before people that matters, but how you appear before God

Assignment(s):

1.     Live in the consciousness of Divine approval.

2.     Ask God to remove every garment of sin from your life.

Prayer: O LORD, I ask that You remove and destroy every filthy garment from my life. Help me, LORD to live daily in Your consciousness, in Jesus’ Name.

FOR FURTHER UNDERSTANDING, GET THIS MESSAGE: WHAT GARMENT ARE YOU WEARING?

Amazing Fact: Women have twice as many pain receptors on their bodies than men, but a much higher pain tolerance.

Today In History: 09/05/1994 – Nelson Mandela was elected to be South Africa’s first black president.

Daily Reading: 1 Samuel 5:1 to 7:17, John 6:1 to 21, Psalm 106:13 to 31, Proverbs 14:32 to 33.

Quote: Living right is key to living well; and living right is the secret of living long. Culled from 22 LAWS OF LIFE by Dr Paul Enenche.

Dunamis International Gospel Centre (DIGC), is a powerfully anointed church, headquartered at Abuja, Nigeria, with Dr Paul and Dr 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.

Topic: Too Good Not to Share [Tuesday May 9, 2017]

Read: John 1:6–14, Bible in a Year: 2 Kings 7–9; John 1:1–28

[John] came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. John 1:7

During court proceedings, witnesses are more than onlookers or spectators. They are active participants who help determine the outcome of a case. The same is true of our witness for Christ. We are to be active participants in a matter of absolute importance—the truth of Jesus’s death and resurrection.

When John the Baptist came to tell people about Jesus, the light of the world, he did so by declaring his knowledge of Jesus. And John the disciple, who recorded the events, testified of his experience with Jesus: “We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). The apostle Paul would elaborate on this idea as he told young Timothy, “The things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others” (2 Tim. 2:2).

All Christians have been summoned before the courtroom of the world. The Bible says we are not mere spectators but active participants. We testify to the truth about Jesus’s death and resurrection. John the Baptist was the voice of one calling in the desert. Our voices can be heard in our workplace, neighborhood, church, and among our family and friends. We can be active witnesses, telling them about the reality of Jesus in our lives.

Do our actions enable us to witness for Jesus?

In what creative ways might we witness today?

The gospel is too good not to share.

Insight:

The Bible uses various metaphors to describe the believer’s role as a witness for Christ (John 15:5; 2 Cor. 3:1–3; 5:20; 1 Peter 2:5, 9). In one of His teachings, Jesus used two common household items—salt and light—to emphasize the positive influence a Christian ought to have on the community he lives in (Matt. 5:13–16). Salt is a preservative, a flavor-enhancer, and a thirst stimulant. A lamp is intended to illuminate the darkness. The light too serves as signage, giving information and direction to a destination. Therefore, the light must be placed in a conspicuous position to attract and to be effective. Bible teacher Henry Morris says we are “expected to bring the salt of preservation and joy to a bland, tasteless, and otherwise decaying world, and the light of salvation to a dark, sinful world.”

This message was written By Lawrence Darmani [Our Daily Bread Ministries.]

Topic: New Heaven, New Earth [Tuesday May 9, 2017]

The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. — Revelation 11:15

Christianity is a Gospel of crisis. It proclaims unmistakably that this world’s days are numbered. Every graveyard and every cemetery testify that the Bible is true. Our days on this planet are numbered. The Apostle James says that life is only a vapor that appears for a moment and then vanishes (James 4:14). The prophet Isaiah says that our life is like the grass that withers and the flower that fades (Isaiah 40:6,7).

There is no doubt that nations also come to an end when they have ceased to fulfill the function that God meant for them. The end will come with the return of Jesus Christ. He will set up a kingdom of righteousness and social justice where hatred, greed, jealousy, and death will no longer be known. That is why a Christian can be an optimist. That is why a Christian can smile in the midst of all that is happening. We know what will come. We know what the end will be: the triumph of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Prayer for the day: While the world around me is in such turmoil, Your peace lives in my heart, as I look for Your triumphant return!

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.

Topic: The Family Altar

Dear Reader,

You are most welcome to this glorious moment, in the presence of the Almighty God. As you pay rapt attention concerning your family today, I see God taking your home to the next levels in Jesus’ name. Throughout this month, via the Word of God, I shall be teaching on The Family Altar.

This week, I shall be teaching on, The Family of God. Everybody is God’s creature because He created everyone. The God-kind of family is one headed by the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ and from the beginning, they planned to multiply their kind.

In essence, God wants His creatures to be a part of His family. But, sin has separated people from their Creator.

Sin makes them children of satan. However, God provided the way for our forgiveness by sending His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to die on the Cross for our sins. Thus, we must accept His death for us personally, by faith and repent of our sins. 1 John 3:1-3 says: Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

The family of God has a purpose for living. We can be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man. We should therefore, allow Christ to dwell in our hearts by faith, and be filled with all the fullness of God.

There are many people, whose experiences in their families are not heart-warming. Your family may not be what you would really like it to be. You might be able to change some things but helpless about others. But, we do not have to wait until we have an “ideal” family (whatever that is!). The Bible is full of examples of families that didn’t consist of only mother, father and children. What about the widow and her son that helped Prophet Elijah? What about the little slave girl working for Naaman and his wife?

A family does not depend on prevailing circumstances but on our love for God and each other. Ephesians 3:20says: Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

Think of it! As part of the family of God, we become part of the entire spiritual family in heaven, as well as on earth. It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that we can be rooted and live right as the family of God.

If you are about to begin your own family, to avoid frustration, operate by the principles contained in the Word of God. If your family is already successful, it can move up to the realm of good success, and be constantly improved upon.

However, having a good relationship with God and your family entails confessing your sins and accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and personal Saviour. Are you born again? Are you a child of God? If you are ready for this new birth experience, please say this prayer with me: “Dear Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me my sins and cleanse me with Your Blood. Deliver me from sin and satan to serve the living God. I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Make me a child of God today. Thank You for accepting me into Your Kingdom.”

If you prayed this simple prayer, congratulations, you are now a child of God! He loves you and will never leave you. Read your Bible daily, obey God’s Word and seek Christian fellowship (John 14:21).

With this, you are guaranteed all-round rest and peace in Jesus’ Name!! Call or write, and share your testimonies with me through [email protected]; OR 07026385437 and 08141320204.

For more insight, these books authored by me are available at the Dominion Bookstores in all Living Faith Churches and other leading Christian bookstores: Marriage Covenant, Making Marriage Work, Building a Successful Home and Success in Marriage (Co-Authored).

A Promise For You From Bible Promises:

Topic: His Great Thoughts Towards You [08/05/2017]

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Jeremiah 29:11. Read: Psalm 139:17-18

Whether you know it or not, feel it or not, believe it or not, God’s thoughts towards you is great and cannot be overemphasized. No matter what you are going through now, God cares more than you can ever imagine. Before you were formed in your mother’s womb, He had you in mind and in His plans. Ever before you came into this world, He knew you and has good thoughts for you. What you are presently going through now cannot determine your end but God’s good and great thoughts for your life is most important. Your tomorrow will only be alright if you corperate with the Maker of your life. His thoughts for you and your family are more precious than silver and gold. He wants you established on earth with authority to rule over all things.

David understood this, hence, he said, If I should count them (your good thoughts), they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee. In that your circumstances, God cares and wants to help. To see God take over your battle is to first hand over your life to Jesus Christ for safekeeping. He loves you, won’t you rather give Him a chance? Matt 11:28-30

#BiblePromisesThought

* I have loved you with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn you.

Topic: How To Make Things Work [Monday May 8, 2017]

…By the grace of God I am what I am; and His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all… – 1 Corinthians 15:10

Nothing works until you work.

Behind everything working is a worker.

Keep working until it works because things work only as you work.

Even grace does not work until man works.

Grace makes things work and work makes

grace to work.

Your work is your worth.

Your glory, dignity and honour are determined by your work.

Therefore, work today to earn your worth tomorrow!

Topic: Don’t Wing It [Monday May 8, 2017]

Although He was a Son, He learned [active, special] obedience through what He suffered and, [His completed experience] making Him perfectly [equipped], He became the Author and Source of eternal salvation to all those who give heed and obey Him. — Hebrews 5:8-9

Ever found yourself in a situation where you did not take time to prepare for something at work or at church and you’re expected to do something? Your heart starts hammering, the butterflies in your stomach start flittering, and you quietly think to yourself, I’ll just wing it. You’re not prepared, but you’re hoping you can pull it off anyway and nobody will ever know.

Even if you do manage to deceive other people, you will know the truth and you won’t feel good about it. Down deep inside you will know that you did not do your best. You might feel relieved that you managed to get through it, but you did it in fear rather than confidence.

Even Jesus was trained and prepared by the suffering He went through. He was equipped for His office as High Priest through His times of preparation. If Jesus needed preparation in order to be equipped for His job, there is no doubt that we need the same thing. Sometimes the bitter experiences we endure are the best teachers we have in life.

Lord, I ask You to use all of my life experiences to shape me as they shaped You. I want to be a person of substance and godliness with something to give to others. Amen.

Topic: Season of Laughter [Monday 8, May 2017]

Memorise: Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more. – Isaiah 54:4

Read: Isaiah 54:1-4(KJV)

1 Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD.

2 Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes;

3 For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.

4 Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.

Bible in One Year: Deuteronomy 7-8, Jeremiah 27:16-24:4, Hymn: Sing hymn 4

MESSAGE:

1 When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. 2 Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them. 3 The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad. – Psalm 126:1-3

God’s mercy can provoke Him to override your doubts and trigger off your season of laughter. That shall be your portion this season in Jesus Name! Several years ago, a man brought his friend to my office, saying his friend had a big problem. His wife had gone mad and was roaming completely naked on the streets. They were very perplexed about her situation because according to popular beliefs of the Yoruba tribe in southwest Nigeria, if a person runs mad but is still within the house, that madness can still be brought under control, but once the madness has escalated to the point where the fellow goes naked on the streets to the market place, nothing can be done to reverse it. This woman’s case had reached the climax that was believed to be beyond redemption. Before they came to me, they had grabbed this woman, bundled her and kept her in the house of a herbalist in Kwara State, Nigeria. They gave me the address of the place where she was, and so I went there, prayed for her and left. When the man and his friend were told that I had come, but that the prayer I said was under five minutes, they began to doubt how such a brief prayer could deal with something that serious. They therefore bundled this woman again and took her to the psychiatric hospital. On arrival, the specialist they met said they would observe her for two weeks before determining the kind of treatment to administer on her. After two weeks of observation, the specialist sent for her husband and said, “Sir, if you say something is wrong with this woman, then something must be wrong with you, because since you brought her, we have not administered any medication on her, and yet she has been as normal as any healthy human being can be.” God had overruled this man’s doubts! Because this is your season of laughter, as God is laughing, He will laugh over your doubts and cause you to laugh! This season, nothing will stop your laughter! If you have never known what it is to laugh before, you will experience it this season. If the challenge of life have stopped you from laughing, get ready for a season of unstoppable laughter! Have you been weeping? This season, when you begin to laugh, you will not remember your sorrow and tears anymore! Go ahead and thank God for ushering you into your season of laughter!

Prayer Point: Father, thank You for my season laughter. Let my voice of rejoicing never cease.

Open Heavens 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.

iOpenHeavens is the electronic version of the Hard Copy. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and PC.

Topic: Motivate One Another [Monday, 8th May 2017]

Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. Hebrews 10:24

Scriptures say in Ephesians 2:10 that “we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” How pleasing it is to God to see all of His children doing the good works He has created them to do. Whenever a child is doing very well, it pleases the parents. So also it is with God, when we are doing very well in what He has created us to do. Scriptures say God is pleased with the prosperity of His servants (Psalm 35:27), and that includes our prosperity in the good works He created us to do.

This is the more reason why we should motivate one another to do the good works that the Lord has ordained us to do. We are all working for one Lord, Who is in us all and works through us all (Ephesians 4:6). We are not meant to compete with ourselves, rather we are to spur one another, by helping ourselves, collaborating, sharing ideas, motivating ourselves, keeping tabs on our progress and bringing the other back on track    if he/she is going off track to do the good works God has ordained.

Truth is, we need one another. We need to sharpen ourselves, just like iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17). When we do this, we will become more effective and efficient. And this is the will of God for us all. Together we are stronger. One shall chase a thousand, two, ten thousand. Motivate one another. Encourage one another and let’s together deplete the kingdom of darkness and populate our kingdom.

Keep winning daily.

Prayer:

Intercede in tongues for all of God’s children, that they fulfill the good works God created them for.

Topic: Blessed Are Those Who Wait [Monday May 8, 2017]

Text: Isaiah 30:18-26

Key Verse: “And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him” (Isaiah 30:18).

The world is accustomed to haste. Everyone prefers to travel on the fast lane, own fast cars, fast telephony, fast Internet connections and eat fast foods. With the world wired together by awesome communication technology into one small global village, many business and lifestyle decisions can be made in no time by the touch of a gadget.

The world is filled with the plague of impatience from coast to coast. Sadly, many Christians have contracted this syndrome and have been stung by the haste bug. God warned Israel about rebellion and lack of patience in waiting on Him. He informed them that in quietness and in confidence will their strength be after their repentance. He therefore promised to be gracious and merciful to them, if they will wait for Him. Waiting on the Lord, however, should not be assumed to mean stoppage of all efforts towards the realisation of one’s set goals.

Being patient for God to intervene in our affairs does not turn us into fatalistic believers, doing nothing and hoping for something. Waiting for God actually means turning to Him in prayers, trusting in His word for the things we desire, doing our best as may be required and looking up to Him, until He sends the blessings we ask for. Whatever the needs of our lives – child-bearing, marriage partner, marital bliss, good job, healing, personal spiritual growth, ministerial progress – waiting is an activity that involves the pursuit of God for the realisation of desires.

Whoever waits on God must earnestly seek His face and stand upon His promises until the requests are granted. For our waiting to be fruitful therefore, it has to be accompanied by holiness and blamelessness, faith, courage, hope, patience and service unto the Lord.

Thought for the day: An impatient Christian is like a vehicle without brakes.

Bible Reading in one Year: 2 Chronicles 1-4

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.