Topic: Running and Rest [Monday March 20, 2017]

Read: Mark 6:30–46, Bible in a Year: Joshua 4–6; Luke 1:1–20

[Jesus] said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” Mark 6:31

The headline caught my eye: “Rest Days Important for Runners.” In Tommy Manning’s article, the former member of the U.S. Mountain Running Team emphasized a principle that dedicated athletes sometimes ignore—the body needs time to rest and rebuild after exercise. “Physiologically, the adaptations that occur as a result of training only happen during rest,” Manning wrote. “This means rest is as important as workouts.”

The same is true in our walk of faith and service. Regular times of rest are essential to avoid burnout and discouragement. Jesus sought spiritual balance during His life on Earth, even in the face of great demands. When His disciples returned from a strenuous time of teaching and healing others, “He said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest’” (Mark 6:31). But a large crowd followed them, so Jesus taught them and fed them with only five loaves and two fish (vv. 32–44). When everyone was gone, Jesus “went up on a mountainside to pray” (v. 46).

If our lives are defined by work, then what we do becomes less and less effective. Jesus invites us to regularly join Him in a quiet place to pray and get some rest.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for Your example of prayer alone with Your Father. Give us wisdom and determination to make rest a priority as we follow You.

In our life of faith and service, rest is as important as work.

This message was written By David McCasland [Our Daily Bread Ministries.]

Topic: Standing Firm [Monday March 20, 2017]

So use every piece of God’s armor to resist the enemy whenever he attacks, and when it is all over, you will still be standing up. — Ephesians 6:13 (TLB)

Daniel and his companions were tempted to forsake their godly heritage, but they refused. They even faced a fiery furnace rather than compromise. God honored their faith and mightily used them. Moses was surrounded by the luxury and godlessness of the Egyptian court, but cast in his lot with his own people. Lot lived in Sodom and saw the obscenities of that doomed city. God saved him out of it because he trusted in Him. Every one of our Lord’s apostles sealed their faith with their lives. Since then, history has been replete with the lives of men who have put God and His way of life above all else.

Prayer for the day: Help me to stand by faith in You, when I am tempted, almighty God.

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 Vitality Of Life [Sunday March 19, 2017]

The human spirit is the life wire of the soul and body. Lk.2:40,52

So, feed the spirit to pattern the soul and strengthen the body. Gal.6:7-9.

We live from inside out, it is what goes on within that reflects on the outside.

The spirit is the hook on which the soul and body hangs.

The healthiness of the spirit determines the well being of the soul and body. Show me a deep spiritual man and I will show you a mentally literate and buoyant man and a physically agile man. Is.11:1-3; Rom.8:11.

Topic: Getting What We Want [Sunday March 19, 2017]

Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths. — Proverbs 3:5-6

I usually know what I want, and I like to get it. I’m exactly like most people. When we don’t get what we want, our negative feelings flare up. (And remember those feelings began with thoughts.)

“I drove across town to buy that dress, and you’re out of my size?”

“What do you mean there are no HD TVs left? You advertised it in the paper.”

Most of us are like that—and when we don’t get what we want, we make people around us miserable. It’s not something we learn in school—it may be inborn.

As I wrote the above quotations, I thought of a scene in the grocery store. A young mother was pushing her cart along and stopped at the cereal. Her child—less than two years old—reached out for a box. “Want! Want!”

“No,” the mother said. “We have plenty at home.” She put a different box of cereal in the cart.

“Want! Want!” the child said. Getting no response, she began to kick and scream. To the mother’s credit, she did not give in but pushed the cart to another aisle and distracted her child.

As I watched that behavior, I thought, That’s the way we all are most of the time. We decide what we want, and when we don’t get it, we’re angry.

“Jack and I were both up for the same promotion. I’ve been with the company longer, and my sales figures are stronger,” Donna said. “I deserved it, but he got the job.”

“I had a grade of 98 going into my final essay test,” Angie said. “If I had made another 100, it would have given me a 4.0 average, and I would have become the top student in my graduating class. But I made only 83 on the test, and dropped down to fifth in my class. I deserved a grade of 100, but my teacher doesn’t like me.”

Let’s look at this problem more closely. The individuals mentioned above, who didn’t get what they wanted, made one common statement: “I deserved it, but I didn’t get it.”

Too often, we Christians expect life to be perfect and for everything to go smoothly for us. We expect success, happiness, joy, peace, and everything else. When we’re thwarted, we pout or complain.

Although God does want us to have a good life, there will be times when we must be patient and endure not getting our way. These disappointments test our character and level of spiritual maturity. They actually show whether or not we truly are ready for promotion.

Why do we think we should always be first while others have to endure a lesser position? Why do we think we are entitled to the perfect life? Perhaps sometimes we think more highly of ourselves than we ought to. A humble mind enables us to take a back seat and wait for God to move us to the front. God’s Word says that we inherit the promises through faith and patience. Believing God is good, but can we continue to believe God and trust Him when we don’t feel that life is fair?

Satan plays with our minds. Most of the time, the evil one says negative things to us: “You don’t deserve it; you are worthless; you’re stupid.” Once in a while, however, he tries a different trick: He tells us how hard we work or how much we’re entitled to. If we listen and believe, we may begin to feel cheated or believe that someone has taken advantage of us.

When we don’t get what we want, we fall apart, saying, “I deserved it!” We not only get angry with the boss, the teacher, or anyone else, but we sometimes get angry with God for not giving us what we felt we deserved.

The big mistake was to say we deserved it, because then self-pity creeps in when we don’t get what we want. We can take that attitude, or we can recognize that we have a choice. I can choose to accept life the way it is and make the best out of it, or I can complain because it isn’t perfect.

I think of the story of Jonah—not the whale story—but what happened afterward. He had announced that in forty days, God would destroy the city of Nineveh, but the people repented. Because God listened to their cries, Jonah was angry. Therefore now, O Lord, I beseech You, take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live. (Jonah 4:3).

Sad, isn’t it? Jonah would rather have been right than to see 120,000 people saved. Our situations aren’t usually that dramatic, but so many people would rather sit and feel sorry for themselves, listen to the whispers of Satan, and miss out with God than to simply trust God in every situation.

The secret of the Christian life is that we commit ourselves fully to God. If we surrender our wills to God, what happens doesn’t make us angry. If God doesn’t give us what we want and ask for, our faith is strong enough to say, “Not my will, but Yours.”

God, help me. I often have strong desires, and when I don’t get what I want, I get upset. Forgive me. Remind me that Jesus didn’t want to die on the cross, but He lived in total submission to Your will. I ask You, through Jesus Christ, to help me live in total submission and be content with what You give me. Amen.

Topic: Lifting Spiritual Loads [Sunday 19, March 2017]

Memorise: Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. – Philippians 4:6

Read: Mark 1:23-27 (KJV)

23 And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out,

24 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.

25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him.

26 And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him.

27 And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him.

Bible in One Year: Exodus 15:16, Isaiah 63:15-64:12

MESSAGE:

Besides physical and material burdens, the devil also weighs people’s lives down with marital burdens. He does this in order to prevent them from actualising God’s plan and purpose for their lives. A person who is weighed down by a heavy load cannot think of moving forward. Mark 5:25-34 tells us the story of the woman with the issue of blood. According to Mosaic Law, the fact that her blood kept flowing continuously implied that she was permanently considered to be unclean. She was therefore ostracized from society. In that state, no man dared come near to propose to her. Even if some man was brave enough to marry her, she had very slim chances of bearing children. Hannah also faced a marital burden as she battled with barrenness, which her mate used in taunting her. She never planned to be barren but barrenness attached itself to her until the Burden-Bearer stepped in. Are you laden with a marital burden? Is there no peace in your home? Is the enemy turning your spouse against you because of the delay in conceiving? Have you been weeping quietly because of the marital burdens you are forced to bear? This season, the Burden-Bearer will intervene in your situation and turn things around for good!

Moreover, some people are battling with spiritual burdens. Today’s Bible reading tells us of a man in the synagogue with an unclean spirit. Although this man was regularly attending church, a demon was still living inside him. He was like a time-bomb waiting to explode. He did not like what he was carrying, but he could not do anything about it until he met Jesus. Compared to the mad man of Gadara, his case was even tolerable (Mark 5:1-20). He would come to church, sit in the crowd, and yet nobody knew what he was going through. Many years ago, while visiting my mother, some people brought a man who looked almost normal to me. To demonstrate what was wrong with him to me, he simply scratched his head and brought out a cockroach. He dipped his hand into his hair again and another insect came out. He put his finger inside his ear and I could hear the sound of a motorcycle. After a short exhortation, I simply asked him to give his life to Jesus, and he did. I then called on the Burden-Bearer to intervene. When he returned two weeks later, everything had changed. Have you been secretly battling with some spiritual burdens? The Lord will deliver you today! Whatever is responsible for that strange burden in your life, I command it to return to where it came from. You are free from today!

Prayer Point: Every strange burden in my life and family, the word of the Lord is against you; lose your grip now and return to your source in Jesus’ Name!

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: Bearing False Witness [Sunday March 19, 2017]

Text: Deuteronomy 19:11-21

Key Verse: “If a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him that which is wrong; Then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before the LORD, before the priests and the judges, which shall be in those days” (Deuteronomy 19:16,17)

The bearing of false testimony is strictly prohibited by God, as no good thing can ever be achieved by untruthful testimony. Our text reveals that one witness is not sufficient to indict a man; at the mouth of two or three witnesses shall the truth be established. The accused and the accuser are to present themselves before the Lord, priests or judges.

Diligent investigation should be made on the accusation and if discovered that the witness has given a false witness, he is to be dealt with according to his expected punishment for the accused. This is to make others willing to bear false witness fear. This way, evil is eliminated from the land. There are several ways in which false witness can be borne. A person can help spread a rumour and thus join hands with a perpetrator. One can indulge in false witness by turning a blind eye when truth is known.

A person can simply fail to come forward with the truth or insinuate falsehood without actually saying it is so. And, perhaps worst of all, a person can spread gossip about another, thus engaging in some of the worst forms of character assassination. When God gave the Ten Commandments, the ninth said, “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour” (Exodus 20:16). The bottom line is that the bearing of false witness indicts the heart of man. Is this sin part of your landscape? Then you need to open your heart to the Lord. He will enable you to conquer this propensity to bear false witness.

Thought for the day: Bearing false testimony is breaking God’s law.

Bible Reading in one Year: 2 Samuel 15-17

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: Give Your All to God [Saturday March 18, 2017]

Before I formed you in the womb I knew [and] approved of you [as My chosen instrument], and before you were born I separated and set you apart, consecrating you; [and] I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. — Jeremiah 1:5

Every day you need to give yourself entirely to God. Say, “Lord, I am Yours. I want to be a vessel fit for Your use. I dedicate myself to You: I give You my hands, my mouth, my mind, my body, my money, and my time. Father, here I am. I am Yours; do with me whatever You want to do today.”

Once you dedicate yourself to God, then go on about your business. But expect His leading all day long. Listen for His voice to direct you in the way you should go. Accept the challenge to be an instrument for the Lord’s use today.

Topic: Life Is Very Short [Saturday March 18, 2017]

One of the greatest deception of life is speculation of time especially among youth.

Life is very short; no matter how long it may appear to be.

So, work as if there is never going to be a tomorrow even though you don’t hope to die before tomorrow.

Run today as if there will be no race to run tomorrow.

Never tell yourself or allow anyone to tell you that there is much time available to you.

Don’t be a man or woman of later, be a now person.

Whatever you do, do quickly.

Topic: Guard Your Faith! [Saturday 18, March 2017]

Memorise: But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, – Jude 1:20

Read: 1 John 5:4-5 (KJV)

4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

Bible in One Year: Exodus 13-14, Isaiah 63:1-14

MESSAGE:

As you go through life, the winds, waves and storms of life will work against your progress, but be encouraged by the testimony of those who have successfully gone ahead of you in the Christian race. They serve as witnesses of God’s ability to keep His children from falling (Hebrews 12:1). God not only calls, He also keeps and sustains the called. Jude 1:24 says,

“Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,”

Be assured that God can keep you from falling. He can also keep you from failing. He can preserve you on your trip to destiny. He can keep you saved and living right before Him. Have you been unstable in your Christian faith? Have sin, Satan and the world been buffeting you, so much so that you are not experiencing the reality of a triumphant Christian life? The One who is able to keep you faultless will begin to strengthen you from today! By His grace, you will no longer be a victim of sin. The yoke of an inconsistent walk with God is broken today! Receive grace to live faultless before God’s throne in Jesus’ Name!

“For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” – 1 John 5:4

If you are truly born again, you have been placed in a position that is in opposition to sin, Satan and the world. These entities will come against you on a daily basis. However, you should not be afraid, because God has given you the faith that overcomes. It is your duty to feed this faith and make it grow. Faith is like your body that requires food daily. The right food will strengthen and increase it, enabling it to withstand opposing forces, while the wrong diet will cause it to grow weak, lean and even die. Don’t kill your faith! Separate yourself from all those who constantly tell you that you can’t make it. Put a distance between you and anyone that wants to lure you into sin. Also, watch your activities on the internet and social media, so that you do not destroy your faith. Feed and develop your faith daily by studying the Bible, listening to messages of true servants of God, listening to testimonies, seeking counsel from godly counsellors and by praying in the Holy Spirit. If there is one thing you need to jealously guard always, it is your faith.

Key Point: With faith, you can win all the battles of life and make Heaven. Don’t give up the fight of faith!

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.

Written by The Editorial Board of The Guardian Newspaper

The Senate’s recent assurance that the law to govern Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, hitherto known as the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), will be passed latest by March or April this year is worth acknowledging and the distinguished Senators should be held to their words. Passing the PIB is one step to sanity in an oil and gas sector that has been mismanaged over the years.

In the event of a proper re-structuring of Nigeria into a functional federation not taking place in the immediate, this law should receive total attention to bring some transparency into the sector.

The PIB has remained un-passed for nearly 10 years since it was presented to the National Assembly (NASS), even though Nigerians expected a prompt passage when it was first introduced in May 2009.

Three legislative assemblies have since sat over it. The first legislative assembly under the Olusegun Obasanjo administration actually passed the bill but the president refused to sign it into law.
The bill was re-presented under the Umaru Yar’Adua administration, and ever since then, has lingered, making this re-awakened interest in the bill is, therefore, a welcome development.

The Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream) had made the disclosure of the renewed interest at a plenary in Abuja to discuss new legislation and policy to transform the oil and gas sector.

The plenary was held on the margins of the 16th Nigeria Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition (NOG) where solutions were proffered on how government policies could help develop the oil sector.

According to the Committee’s chairman, Tayo Alasoadura, the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill will by the end of March go through its third reading, to address all governance-related issues in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.

He noted that once the bill gets to its third reading, it is as good as passed and said Senate expects the bill to be passed latest by April.

Along with the PIB is the Local Content law which Alasoadura also promised the Senate would give proper attention to.

According to him, Nigeria needs a national oil company that will be smooth in operation, commercially viable and transparent in management.

He reiterated that the lawmakers decided to have only one regulatory body in the oil/gas sector to ease the process of doing business and attract more investments.

A situation where it takes about a year to set up a business in the industry is an aberration and the ideal thing is to have a timeline for all businesses to be completed within six months.

While it is heartening that the Senate is gearing up to finally pass the PIB into law, it needs to be reiterated that, perhaps, no other piece of legislation has been so politicised like it.

It would be recalled that the fundamental objective of the PIB is to “vest oil and gas resources in the Sovereign State of Nigeria”, which is tantamount to changing the existing order whereby foreign interests rule Nigeria’s oil industry while Nigerians are marginalised in poverty.

Shortly after the bill was first introduced, two strong forces rose vehemently against it. Whereas, the international oil companies (IOCs), which constitute the major players in the industry, were afraid of what could become of their investment in the sector, an internal hurdle arising from the geopolitics of oil revenue sharing in Nigeria created another problem.

Some states which for long have been sustained by oil revenue allocation received from the Federation Account couldn’t understand why the existing arrangement should change. Consequently, they wanted the status quo to remain.

At a point, as if to accommodate such varying interests, the Federal Government renamed the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) the Petroleum Reform Bill (PRB), which seemed to foreclose the prospect of having the bill passed in its original formulation.

The original bill, no doubt, has been watered downed to satisfy vested interests.

The PIB, in its original form, represents the single most ambitious piece of legislation that has the capacity to transform the Nigerian economy, which under the present structure, is mono-product and oil-based economy.

Given the importance of the bill, it is baffling why the National Assembly should have delayed to get it passed into law. Now the question is: How much longer would this bill remain in limbo, especially, if the current lawmakers fail to pass it?

That the PIB has dragged on for 10 years without passage smacks of lack of patriotism on the part of all those involved. And there is no better illustration of how dysfunctional the structure of Nigeria is in its present form than the inability to pass that law till date. Suffice to say that since the ideal to which Nigeria should aspire is a proper federation in which all resources are vested in the people of the areas where such are found, the delay over this oil industry bill has made the quest for that ideal more urgent.