Topic: Sundry Counsels For The Wise [Thursday March 23, 2017]

Text: Proverbs 18:13-24

Key Verse: “The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge” (Proverbs 18:15).

The unbridled tongue has always led to the waterloo of many. And who is a wise man? One who is able to tame his tongue; he thinks and reflects before talking. Sadly, the unregenerate heart does the very opposite. Our text today opens with a counsel on how to wisely use the tongue. It also lays emphasis on other vital lessons of life. We must give much thoughts to every question before answering it. Similarly, before passing comments on any issue, we must first get the facts. Those who fail to heed this timeless counsel have always reaped the reward of thoughtless speeches.

The importance of courage and good conduct which produce clear conscience and a healthy heart is stressed in this study. A believer with good courage and a good heart can never be easily overwhelmed by any calamity. A good conscience void of offence towards God and man will produce a blessed rest with God. Wise people who seek more knowledge, readily make a judicious use of all means of grace; they not only read the word of God and meditate upon it, they single-mindedly practise its precepts.

A truly gifted individual does not lobby for any position in life. He is identified and placed in the right position by God who indeed promotes. Identify your own gift therefore and use it for God. Try as much as possible to prevent offences among the brethren. If there is any dispute to settle, we should make the Bible our standard. If we make positive confession about ourselves, drawing strength from God, we will have positive results ultimately.

Thought for the day: Soft, measured words draw away wrath and calamities.

Bible Reading in one Year: Ruth 1-2

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.

Topic: Cradled in Comfort [Thursday March 23, 2017]

Read: Isaiah 66:12–16, Bible in a Year: Joshua 13–15; Luke 1:57–80

As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you. Isaiah 66:13

My friend entrusted me with the privilege of holding her precious, four-day-old daughter. Not long after I took the baby into my arms, she started to fuss. I hugged her closer, my cheek pressed against her head, and began to sway and hum in a gentle rhythm to soothe her. Despite these earnest attempts, and my decade and a half of parenting experience, I couldn’t pacify her. She became increasingly upset until I placed her back into the crook of her mother’s eager arm. Peace washed over her almost instantaneously; her cries subsided and her newborn frame relaxed into the safety she already trusted. My friend knew precisely how to hold and pat her daughter to alleviate her distress.

God extends comfort to His children like a mother: tender, trustworthy, and diligent in her efforts to calm her child. When we are weary or upset, He carries us affectionately in His arms. As our Father and Creator, He knows us intimately. He “will keep in perfect peace all who trust in [him], all whose thoughts are fixed on [him]” (Isa. 26:3 nlt).

When the troubles of this world weigh heavy on our hearts, we can find comfort in the knowledge that He protects and fights for us, His children, as a loving parent.

Prayer: Lord, help me to look to You for my comfort in times of distress.

God’s comfort soothes us perfectly.

Insight:

In reflecting on the exile of Israel under divine discipline, the prophet Isaiah offers hope and comfort. He sees very clearly that “the Holy One of Israel” and the Creator of all things in heaven and earth are connected. Israel had a wayward heart that is characteristic of the human race. Yet the ultimate goal of Israel’s discipline was to secure their repentance and therefore a future blessing in the eternal covenant established with His people. Certainly God’s plan for Israel’s redemption included an unexpected impulse of divine grace extended to all the peoples of the world—from every tribe, tongue, and nation: “After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb” (Rev. 7:9).

This message was written By Kirsten Holmberg [Our Daily Bread Ministries.]

Topic: Coming Together [Thursday March 23, 2017]

Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. – Ephesians 4:13

If you know how to listen to the voice of God, you can hear Him calling throughout the Body of Christ today. He is calling for unity. He is calling us to lay down our disagreements and come together in preparation for Jesus’ return.

Just the thought of that scares some believers. “How can I unify with someone from another denomination?” they say. “I’m not going to give up my doctrines and agree with theirs just for unity’s sake!”

What they don’t realize is this: scriptural unity isn’t based on doctrine.

Winds of doctrine, according to Ephesians 4:14, are childish. Winds of doctrine don’t unify. They divide and blow people in every direction. The Word doesn’t say anything about us coming into the unity of our doctrines. It says we’ll come into the unity of the faith.

In the past, we’ve failed to understand that and tried to demand doctrinal unity from each other anyway.

“If you don’t agree with me on the issue of tongues,” we’ve said, “or on the timing of the Rapture…or on the proper depth for baptismal waters, I won’t accept you as a brother in the Lord. I’ll break fellowship with you.”

But that’s not God’s way of doing things. He doesn’t have a long list of doctrinal demands for us to meet. His requirements are simple. First John 3:23 tells us what they are: to believe on the Name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another.

Once you and I come to a place where we keep those requirements and quit worrying about the rest, we’ll be able to forget our denominational squabbles and come together in the unity of faith. We’ll grow so strong together that the winds of doctrine won’t be able to drive us apart.

When that happens, the devil’s going to panic because the unity of the faith of God’s people is a staggering thing. It’s the most unlimited, powerful thing on earth.

Right now all over the world, the Spirit is calling the Church of the living God to unite. Hear Him and obey, and you can be a part of one of the most magnificent moves of God this world has ever seen.

Scripture Reading: Psalms 132:13-18, 133

This message was written by Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, the leader of the Kenneth Copeland Ministries (www.KCM.org) that specializes in teaching principles of bible faith – prayer, healing, salvation and other biblical topics.

Topic: Jesus Never Changes [Thursday March 23, 2017]

Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever.— Hebrews 13:8

The Bible says, “It is appointed unto men once to die,” and to the average person this seems a stark and hopeless situation. Hundreds of philosophies and scores of religions have been invented to circumvent the Word of God. Modern philosophers and psychologists are still trying to make it appear that there is some way out other than the path of Jesus. But people have tried them all, and none of them leads anywhere but down. Christ came to give us the answers to the three enduring problems of sin, sorrow, and death. It is Jesus Christ, and He alone, who is also enduring and unchanging, “the same yesterday, today, and forever.” All other things may change, but Christ remains unchangeable.

In the restless sea of human passions Christ stands steadfast and calm, ready to welcome all who will turn to Him and accept the blessings of safety and peace. For we are living in an age of grace, in which God promises that “whosoever will” may come and receive His Son. But this period of grace will not go on indefinitely. We are even now living on borrowed time.

Prayer for the day: Jesus, even if loved ones, friends, acquaintances change, You are always the same. Thank You for Your unchanging love.

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: Associated with Change? [Wednesday 22, March 2017]

Memorise: Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. – 2 Corinthians 5:17

Read: Deuteronomy 28:11-13 (KJV)

11 And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee.

12 The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.

13 And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:

Bible in One Year: Exodus 22-23, Isaiah 66:1-14

MESSAGE:

If there is any single word that symbolises Jesus Christ, it is the word “Change”. While some changes are good, some others have negative consequences. Encountering Jesus Christ brings positive change to you. Everything about Jesus spells change. The moment He was born into this world, things began to change. Even the old calendar was changed to reflect the years before Christ was born (BC) and the years after (AD). By His virgin birth, He introduced change to the rules of childbirth. This is why “meno-pause” can become “meno-play”. By the change He brought, we have seen a 56 years-old woman testifying before the people of God with her newborn baby. No wonder Jesus said God can raise children out of stones (Matthew 3:9). Are you trusting God for the fruit of the womb but menopause is telling you that your time is past? Tell it that because your Saviour and Master, Jesus, stands for change, it cannot stand in your way. Shortly, you shall celebrate with your own baby!

If you are connected to Jesus, you cannot but experience glorious changes in your life. Nothing that He created can stand in your way. If what He created cannot stop you, how then can the evil forces and evil mechanisms that were designed by the hordes of hell stop you? They also answer to Him! Indeed, the moment He walked on water, He not only defiled the law of gravity, He also made it respond to His will (Matthew 14:23-27). By this act, the man who said what goes up must come down began to have problems with his postulates. If you encounter Jesus, you go up and stay up. This is why Deuteronomy 28:13 says,

“And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:”

Is the law of gravity affecting your business, ministry, academics, family or spiritual life? I command its downward effect to cease dragging you down from now on! From today you shall go up, and your ascent shall be unstoppable. You shall be the head and stay ahead. Ask for a definite encounter with Jesus today. If you have not accepted Jesus as your Lord and personal Saviour, that is the best place to start.

Key Point: If you have Jesus, you will be an agent of positive change everywhere you go. Do you reflect this change?

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.

Today’s Scripture: “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” – (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, NLT)

Topic: Get Your Joy Back! [Tuesday March 21, 2017]

Did you know that it’s God’s will for you to be joyful always? God wants you to be happy and carefree. He wants you to love your life no matter what your circumstances look like. In fact, when you have joy in the midst of difficult circumstances, it’s the evidence that you have faith and trust that God is going to bring you through.

God’s supernatural joy is strength. When you have His joy, you can stand strong no matter what’s going on around you. You might say, “Joel, I’m just not a real jovial person. I’m more serious. I never laugh much.” I realize God made us all differently, but you can train yourself to laugh more. I read where the average child laughs over 200 times a day, but the average adult only laughs 4 times a day. What happened? We’ve allowed the pressures of life, stress and responsibilities to steal our joy.

Make the decision today to get your joy back. Decide that you are going to look beyond your problems and look to God to see you through. Ask Him every day to fill you with His supernatural peace and joy so that you can live in His strength and victory all the days of your life!

A Prayer for Today: “Father, I humbly receive Your Word today. I choose to open my heart to You and invite You to fill me with Your joy and strength. Thank You for showing me Your goodness and empowering me with Your grace. I bless You today and always in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

A Promise For You From Bible Promises:

Topic: Pray For Them Always [21/03/2017]

Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him. Proverbs 22:15. Read: Matt 19:13-15

The power behind prayer cannot be overemphasized when properly deployed to a particular situation. Prayer has the divine potency to turn an ugly situation into a very beautiful one, it can turn the barren to a Joyful mother of children (1 Sam 1:10-20) and turn those children to Jedidiah (the heritage of the Lord) 2 Sam 12:13. There is  power when a woman prays. God has so much endowed women that when they call upon God on their kneels, heaven responds immediately. When the man now joins his wife to pray, you can be sure miracle will happen. Many parents believe in physical discipline alone when their children err (which is very good) but you need to combine physical discipline with spiritual – prayer. Pray for your children always! Bless them always! Cancel every negative words men may have uttered against them with your mouth. Your prayers for them will enable them to adhere to your physical discipline strictly. That is what will make your absence count to them. They will say to one another, you know Mummy and Daddy said we shouldn’t do that. Jer 35:1-11

Jesus from our Bible reading left us an example, He showed us how important prayer is to children. It guides their destiny and protects them against the enemies. Are your children wayward or doing what you don’t like or approve of? Are you tired of life because of your children behaviour? It’s not too late, go on your kneels, repent and pray for them and you shall see a change in their lives in Jesus name.

#BiblePromisesPrayer

* Father, I come against every plans of the enemies concerning my children’s destiny in Jesus name

Topic: Gratitude [Tuesday March 21, 2017]

By the grace of God I am what I am…

1 Corinthians 15:10

Gratitude is an attitude.

Every man of deep gratitude is a man of great altitude.

Nothing depreciates on earth when a heart of appreciation is involved.

Gratitude means looking back with appreciation in anticipation for a better future.

Basis for Gratitude:

Correct self-appraisal.

Gratitude is natural when you realize your dependence.

Ephesians 3:8; 1 Timothy 1:12.

If God didn’t give it, you can’t have it.

1 Corinthians 4:7

Benefits of Gratitude

Spiritual lifting – John 11:41-45.

Material increase – John 6:1-11.

You can change your altitude today if you will engage an attitude of gratitude.

Topic: Grateful and Aware of God’s Love [Tuesday March 21, 2017]

Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!) O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever! – Psalm 106:1

God is always good to us, always faithful to us, always working so diligently in our lives. He is always doing something for us and acting in our best interest, so we need to respond by letting Him know we appreciate His abundant goodness.

For example, “Lord, thank You for a good night’s sleep,” or “God, I thank You that my visit to the dentist didn’t hurt as much as I thought it might,” or “Father, thank You for helping me make good decisions today,” or “Lord, thank You for keeping me encouraged.”

We can thank God silently in our hearts, and we can also voice our thankfulness aloud because that helps us stay conscious and aware of God’s love, which He demonstrates through His goodness to us.

Prayer of Thanks I thank You, Father, that You are always faithful to me. Even when I can’t see it, You are working on my behalf because You love me and You have a great plan for my life. Thank You for all the ways You demonstrate that love on a daily basis.