Topic: The Decision to Confront Negative Patterns/Habits. [Seeds of Destiny Wednesday June 13, 2018]

Scripture: And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. Genesis 32:26b.

Thought For The Day: The road you choose in life determines the place you will end.

Previously, we saw that one key to dealing with negative patterns and habits in our lives is identifying them. It is important to know that these patterns are not dealt with by just identifying them; beyond identifying them, there is another step to take – the decision to confront them.

So, the second key to dealing with negative patterns/habits is deciding to confront them. You must make up your mind to confront the identified negative patterns of your life and family. It is important to decide to confront the negative patterns or habits of your life because decision determines destination. The road you choose in life determines the place you would end; change is not a matter of chance but choice. Nothing changes by chance; things change by choice and where there is no choice, there is no chance.

After identifying the negative pattern/habit, decide to put an end to it.
It is important to know that people make choices and choices, in turn, make the people. For example, when someone enters the University with the determination to come out with a first class grade, he would give it all it takes in order to come out with that grade. When other students go for parties or oversleep at night, he would not join them because of his decision to come out with a first class grade. He would study hard and be diligent in his conducts. At the end of his University education, he would come out with the first class grade because he had decided to give it all it took.

So, in dealing with the negative patterns or habits of your life, determine to deal with them and at the end, the choice will make you by ending the negative tendencies or habits in your life.

So, there is power in decision and decision power is transformation power.

Remember this: The road you choose in life determines the place you will end.

Assignments:
1. Determine to change the negative patterns in your life and family.
2. Trust God for a Divine Encounter, like Jacob to break the negative cycles and patterns of your family.

Prayer: O LORD, I ask that You strengthen my will and decision to confront every negative tendency and habit in my life, in Jesus’ Name.

FOR FURTHER UNDERSTANDING, GET THIS MESSAGE: DEALING WITH NEGATIVE TENDENCIES AND HABIT.

Daily Bible Reading: 1 Kings 11:1 to 12:19, Acts 9:1 to 25, Psalm 131:1 to 3, Proverbs 17:4 to 5
Amazing Fact: The leg bone of a bat is so thin that no bat can walk.

Today In History: 13/06/1825 – Walter Hunt patented the safety pin. Hunt then sold the rights for $400.

Quote: By the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we have been redeemed from the curse of the law because Jesus has been made a curse for us. Culled from FINALLY FREE FROM SINGLENESS by Dr (Mrs) Becky Paul-Enenche.

“If you missed yesterday devotional, please click to read Seeds of Destiny by Pastor Paul Enenche“

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: Humble Love [Our Daily Bread 13 Wednesday June, 2018]

Read: Philippians 2:1–11, Bible in a Year: Ezra 6–8; John 21

The greatest among you will be your servant. Matthew 23:11

When Benjamin Franklin was a young man he made a list of twelve virtues he desired to grow in over the course of his life. He showed it to a friend, who suggested he add “humility” to it. Franklin liked the idea. He then added some guidelines to help him with each item on the list. Among Franklin’s thoughts about humility, he held up Jesus as an example to emulate.

Jesus shows us the ultimate example of humility. God’s Word tells us, “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant” (Philippians 2:5–7).

Jesus demonstrated the greatest humility of all. Though eternally with the Father, He chose to bend beneath a cross in love so that through His death He might lift any who receive Him into the joy of His presence.

We imitate Jesus’s humility when we seek to serve our heavenly Father by serving others. Jesus’s kindness helps us catch a breathtaking glimpse of the beauty of setting ourselves aside to attend to others’ needs. Aiming for humility isn’t easy in our “me first” world. But as we rest securely in our Savior’s love, He will give us everything we need to follow Him.

Prayer: Beautiful Savior, I am Your servant. Please help me to live in Your love and be a blessing to someone today.

We can serve because we are loved.

If you missed yesterday devotional, please click to read “Our Daily Bread Devotionals HERE”

This message was written By James Banks [Our Daily Bread Ministries.]

Topic: Blessings by the Bushel [Kenneth & Gloria Copeland, Wednesday June 13, 2018]

And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you. – Mark 4:24

How many blessings are you going to receive from the Word of God? It depends on how many you expect to receive. When God measures them out to you, He’ll be using your measuring stick, not His own. He always works that way.

Two people can hear God’s Word about healing, for example. One will measure it with faith. “Praise God, by His stripes I was healed!” he’ll say. “I believe that with all my heart, and I’m going to keep on believing it until I receive my healing.”

The other will measure it with skepticism. “I don’t care what Bible verses he comes up with,” he’ll say. “I just don’t trust that preacher. I’ll give this healing stuff a try, but I doubt very much if anything’s going to come of it.”

Both of those people will get exactly what they expect. God will measure to them just as they measured the Word. One will get healed…the other won’t.

I must warn you though, sometimes measuring the Word with faith is hard. Years ago, when Gloria first read the scripture, “Owe no man anything,” it was tempting for her to measure it as a curse, not a blessing. We were living in a terrible little house at the time, and she wanted a new one more than just about anything.

How were we ever going to buy a decent house without borrowing? It didn’t seem possible. So, to her, it was as if that scripture had said, “Gloria, you can’t have a new house.”

But she refused to measure it that way. She grabbed the devil by the throat and said, “Look here now, you’re not going to cheat me out of my house.” Then she started believing that somehow God could provide her with a house debt free. Sure enough, He did.

If you want to receive blessings by the bushel load, start going to the Word with a bushel basket. Put a big measure of faith in the hand of God. He’ll fill it to overflowing and give it right back to you!

Scripture Reading: Luke 8:1-18

If you missed yesterday devotional, please click to read “Kenneth and Gloria Copeland’s Daily Devotional Here’’

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: Effortless Fruit [Andrew Wommack Wednesday June 13, 2018]

John 7:38 “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.”

Text: John 7:37-41

These rivers of living water are referring to the Holy Spirit and the effects He produces in the life of the believer. Galatians 5:22-23 says, “the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.” These qualities should flow out of us as an artesian well. They should not have to be pumped. They will flow as we conform our thinking to God’s Word.

Jesus speaks of bearing fruit in John 15 and declares that “. . . without me ye can do nothing” (Jn. 15:5). This fruit is the product of the Holy Spirit, not our effort. However, since “he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit” (1 Cor. 6:17), then this fruit of the Spirit is also what our born- again spirit produces. Our spirit always has these attributes regardless of what we feel in our emotions. Failure to understand this has caused many Christians to think they would be hypocrites to express joy when the truth is, they are depressed. However, it’s only our soulish part that gets depressed. Our spirit is always bearing the fruit of “love, joy, peace, etc.”

For a person who is seeking to walk in the Spirit, it is actually hypocritical to let our soulish emotions dominate our spiritual emotions. The truth is, our spirit is never depressed, just our soul. Those who understand this have the choice of letting their soul depress them or letting the Holy Spirit, through their born-again spirit, release the joy and peace spoken of here.

The “fruit” is not produced by the believer, but by the Holy Spirit, as we live in union with Him. Our part is to yield and trust; God’s part is to produce the fruit.

If you missed yesterday devotional, please click to read Andrew Wommack’s Daily Devotional HERE

This message was written by The Association of Related Ministries International (ARMI) is an extension of Andrew Wommack Ministries (AWM). ARMI is a unique partnership committed to providing resources to help like-minded ministers succeed in a spirit of excellence and to draw from the experience and expertise of both the AWM and Charis Bible College staff. (www.awmi.net).

Topic: Believe in the Holy Spirit [Billy Graham’s Devotional Wednesday June 13, 2018]

. . . I [have] raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee . . . — Romans 9:17

Walter Knight tells the story about a little boy who had recently received Christ. “Daddy, how can I believe in the Holy Spirit when I have never seen Him?” asked Jim. “I’ll show you how,” said his father, who was an electrician. Later Jim went with his father to the power plant where he was shown the generators. “This is where the power comes from to heat our stove and to give us light. We cannot see the power, but it is in that machine and in the power lines,” said the father. “I believe in electricity,” said Jim. “Of course you do,” said his father, “but you don’t believe in it because you see it. You believe in it because you see what it can do. Likewise, you can believe in the Holy Spirit because you can see what He does in people’s lives when they are surrendered to Christ and possess His power.”

Prayer for the day: Make my heart completely devoid of self so that it can be filled with Your Spirit, Lord.

If you missed yesterday devotional, please click to read Billy Graham’s Daily Devotional HERE

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: Weary In Tribulation? [Open Heavens 13th June 2018, Wednesday Daily Devotional]

Memorise: If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small. – Proverbs 24:10

Read: 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12 (KJV)

1 Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

2 Grace unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth;

4 So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure:

5 Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:

6 Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you;

7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,

8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:

9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;

10 When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.

11 Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power:

12 That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Bible in One Year: 2 Kings 9, Acts 10:1-23

MESSAGE:

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33

Our Lord Jesus Christ never hid from us the truth concerning the Way we have been called to. In the above verse and in several other passages of Scripture, He did not mince words, informing us of the trials, tribulations and persecutions we will face while walking with Him on the straight and narrow way (Mark 10:30, Matthew 24:9). Because we are aware of this truth, we should therefore courageously stand firm in the face of trials of our faith and tribulations. Our memory verse says that if you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small. What do you do when you discover that your strength is small in proportion to the tribulations you are facing? You cry to God to increase your strength just as our Lord cried to the Father for help in the Garden of Gethsemane, when He was confronted with the great agony of carrying the weight of the sins of the whole world. The Father heard His cry, and He sent an angel to strengthen Him (Luke 22:41-44). What the Father did for Jesus, He will also do for you.

Let us consider some salient points from Paul’s words of encouragement in today’s Bible reading to the brethren in Thessalonica who were facing tribulations. First and foremost, he made them know that the Body of Christ understood what they were passing through and appreciated their endurance in the face of tribulations. Secondly, he tried to lift their spirits by reminding them that their endurance of tribulation would earn them a place in the kingdom of God, and so they should not be weary. Thirdly, he taught them that God would not allow those who were persecuting them to go unpunished. The essence of this was to discourage these brethren from seeking to avenge themselves of their persecutors, since vengeance is the Lord’s and He would definitely repay evil men. Furthermore, he reassured them of the prayers of the saints for them. We must learn from these points not to condemn brethren who are passing through tribulations or trials of faith. There is a tendency for us to always attribute the suffering of the saints to sins they have committed and to condemn them to everlasting “self-examination”. Instead of attributing their tribulations to sin, the Church took glory in the patience of the Thessalonians in the midst of tribulation (2 Thessalonians 1:4). Beloved, be encouraged that the difficult phase of life you are passing through will come to an end soon. So, don’t give up! Your Master shares in your tribulation. Be of good cheer because He has overcome the world for your sake.

Prayer Point: Father, please strengthen me further as I journey through the wilderness of the world.

If you missed yesterday devotional, please click HERE to read Open Heavens 12 June 2018: Tuesday Daily Devotional by Pastor Adeboye — Another Gehazi?

Hymn 5: I Have Decided To Follow Jesus

1. I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back.

2. The world behind me, the cross before me;
The world behind me, the cross before me;
The world behind me, the cross before me;
No turning back, no turning back.

3. Though none go with me, I still will follow;
Though none go with me, I still will follow;
Though none go with me, I still will follow
No turning back, no turning back.

4. My cross I’ll carry, till I see Jesus;
My cross I’ll carry, till I see Jesus;
My cross I’ll carry, till I see Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back.

5. Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
No turning back, no turning back.

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. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and PC.

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.