The Kingdom Choir, who are currently on a UK tour following the success of their stint at the nuptial ceremony last May, have written a new lullaby especially for the Sussexes’ newborn son.
They will perform it on Tuesday night when they will be at Bridgewater Hall in Manchester.
Karen Gibson, choir leader, said: “On behalf of the whole of The Kingdom Choir, congratulations on the arrival of your little one and God Bless you all.”
The group’s rousing performances of Stand By Me and Amen/This Little Light Of Mine during the wedding resulted in the ensemble signing a major record deal.
The London-based choir was founded in 1994 by the group’s award-winning conductor Gibson.
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Peace and blessings in the precious Name of our Lord, Jesus Christ. I welcome you to another interesting edition of these teaching series and I hope you were tremendously blessed in the first series? Last week, I pointed you to Jesus the ‘Living water’ who quenches any and every form of thirst in the home. Today, we shall be looking at The Realities of the Covenant Marriage.
It is important for you to understand what marriage is all about. Many people, including Christians, have a misconception about marriage. Some people think that it is just the coming together of a man and a woman to bear children while some others think it is a way to be free from loneliness.
Scripturally, marriage is a covenant, not a promise, and until you have this understanding, you may never enjoy fulfilment in your home. Marriage covenant involves two parties: God on one hand and man (and his wife) on the other. As long as you are in a marital relationship, it is important for you to know that you are in a covenant with God and with your spouse. God is the initiator of the covenant and His terms of an agreement are sealed up in His word. Malachi 2:14 says: Because the LORD hath been a witness between thee and … the wife of thy covenant.
A covenant is an agreement between two parties, with each party agreeing to do something as a prerequisite to receiving some benefit. A covenant is also for a lifetime. A promise is a verbal or written undertaking to do or not to do something, but In a covenant, you have to abide with some terms and condition and as you do these, you enjoy the benefits it contains. When you walk in terms with the covenant, God fulfils His own part of the covenant.
Success in marriage is not a function of prayers. It is basically, a function of walking in the terms of the covenant. The only place prayer is needed is for divine grace to walk in line with the demands of the covenant. Prayer can never take the place of obedience to the terms of the covenant. Therefore, instead of going from place to place seeking a solution to the problems of your home, settle down for knowledge of your covenant responsibility and stay committed to its fulfilment thereof. It is in the doing of that covenant responsibility, that your desire lies.
The marriage covenant is best described as a triangle, with God on top or at the apex, and the man and his wife at the bottom or the base, everyone playing their part independently … As unto the Lord. (Ephesians 5:22). God created you and made you a part of that family for a purpose and you will be accountable to Him for the fulfilment of that purpose. Husband and wife have covenant obligations to each other for which they will also be held accountable. Your responsibility to obey the terms of the covenant is not dependent on your spouse fulfilling his or her own part. As far as God is concerned, you have been given an individual responsibility and you must be accountable to Him for its fulfilment.
The failure on the part of your spouse for the non-performance of his or her responsibility is not a sufficient excuse for the non-performance of yours. For instance, as a man, you cannot say the failure of your wife to submit to your headship is the reason you cannot love her. The same goes for the woman; whether your husband loves you or not, you are under an obligation to submit to him in everything. When you fulfil your own part of the covenant, God will also fulfil His own part which is to give you peace, joy, fulfilment and every good thing you desire in your family. God is constant; His side is stable; He doesn’t change (Malachi 3:6); He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). He will do whatever He says He will do. What does that mean? Whatever good you see God do for any family, He can do the very same thing for you because He is no respecter of persons. If he has to change your spouse in response to your obedience, he will do it.
The Bible says: The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will (Proverbs 21:1). The turning of your spouse’s heart is but a light thing with the Lord for with Him nothing shall be impossible. You just concentrate on pleasing Him by your obedience to His command and He will please you by the fulfilment of His part of the covenant.
When your covenant relationship with God is in place, your covenant relationship with your spouse becomes a very easy thing to observe. If you get committed to obeying the Lord, by either loving your wife or submitting to your husband, you will find out that it becomes a thing of joy for you to do. It becomes a delight to show love or submit. It is no longer mechanical but spontaneous, and all that could ever be desired in a home becomes cheaply yours.
God is a God of covenants and the benefits of the covenant are only available to those who have a covenant relationship with Him. He said in his Word: Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice Psalms 50:5. You can become a part of those in covenant with Him by praying this simple prayer with me inviting Jesus Christ into your heart as your Lord and personal Saviour: “Dear Lord Jesus, I come to You this day as a sinner, I repent and ask You to forgive me my sins. I accept You toady as my Lord and Saviour. Thank You Lord for saving me, justifying me and making me a child of God.” Amen.
Congratulations! If you prayed this simple prayer of faith with me, you are now born again and 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 to share your testimonies with me through [email protected], 07026385437 OR 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 and Success in Marriage (Co-Authored).
Pastor Faith Oyedepo is the wife of Bishop David Oyedepo, the founder of the Living Faith Church Worldwide a.k.a. Winners’ Chapel, and Senior Pastor of Faith Tabernacle, Canaanland, Ota, Nigeria.
“Pray without ceasing”. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (KJV)
As a leader, prayer is not an option. Prayer is not something you engage in when you are distressed or challenged. Prayer must be a lifestyle.
I have heard people say that they don’t know how to pray. Prayer has to be a lifestyle. So, my question is: How did you learn to walk? Did you sit down, watch training videos on how to walk, attend courses on walking and get a coach on walking? I guess you are laughing now and wondering how could I watch a training video on how to walk. The truth is you practically tried to walk and fell down several times, but you kept at it until you could stand, then walk.
For parents, you can recall the joy in your heart when your baby took the first steps. Some people even use their phones to record those ‘baby steps’ and everyone clapped and rejoiced because those steps brought so much joy. Yes, the child fell immediately after the first step, but that did not stop the child; he crawled again and stood up to take the second step. Beloved, all truth is parallel. The way to learn to pray is by simply by praying. The first attempt at praying might be 5 minutes but keep at it. Suddenly, you will discover that you can pray for 60 minutes at a stretch and enjoy it.
Yes, there are books on prayer and seminars on prayer. While I do not knock those things off, the way to learn to pray is still by praying. What exactly is prayer?
Prayer is nothing else but speaking with God. It is a two-way communication: you speak to Him and He speaks to you; the two make up a prayer – speaking and listening. Never engage in speaking without listening, because the God you serve is a speaking God. I can imagine someone wondering – how can I pray always? ‘Are you saying that I do nothing else but pray?’ Of course not! Prayer is not only when you kneel down to pray. You can be driving and praying, you can be working and at the same time praying. I challenge you to make prayer a lifestyle.
Further Reading: 1 Thessalonian 5:16-19
Daily Bible Reading: Morning- 2 Kings 1-3; Evening- Luke 24:1-35
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.
READ: Galatians 3: 1-14 New King James Version (NKJV)
O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified?
This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?
Have you suffered so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?
Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?—
just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”
Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.
And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.”
So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.
For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.”
But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.”
Yet the law is not of faith, but “the man who does them shall live by them.”
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”),
that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
THE MESSAGE:
God made it explicit right from the Old Testament that the just shall live by his faith (Habakkuk 2:4).
This faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). No matter how they are presented, vain philosophies of men, human ideologies, laws, traditions, customs and dogma, cannot give any person faith. Undefiled faith comes from hearing only one thing and that is, the word of God.
In our read reading today, Paul withstood bluntly those who wanted to replace faith in Christ with works of the law. We must live in the faith and liberty which Christ provided for us than in the bondage of the law. As Paul made known to the Galatians, we must not be bewitched or foolish to think that justification is by the law instead of by faith. Righteousness in Christ is by faith.
By faith the disciples received the Holy Spirit and had miracles; Abraham believed God, Gentiles were justified, received blessings and were redeemed from the curse of the law.
Knowing these, Paul therefore called it foolishness to grow on works of the law. By the grace of God, we are saved through faith in God. Faith is the victory that overcomes the world, therefore, we must walk by faith and not by sight.
PRAYER: Dear God, please help us to walk by faith, not by sight. Help us also not to make a shipwreck of our faith in Jesus Name.
Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also. – 2 Corinthians 8:7
How do you give to the Lord?
Do you just drop some money in the plate at church without much thought? Or do you just write a check to God at the first of every month and pay Him like you pay all your other bills?
You need to think about that because how you give is a matter of deep concern to God. He’s particular about how offerings are given. He won’t receive just any old thing however you feel like giving it.
In Malachi, for example, God refused to receive Israel’s offerings. They were bringing Him their defective animals, their blind calves and the injured ones they couldn’t do anything else with—and God said it offended Him. He told them, “You don’t have any reverence or honor for Me, and I’m not going to accept your offering.”
That kind of thing didn’t die out after the book of Malachi. Many today don’t have any reverence for God at offering time. People wait for the preacher to beat them over the head until they feel so guilty they have to reach down in their pocketbooks and get some money out.
But I want you to know, that’s offensive to God. In fact, He spoke directly to a friend of mine about it. The statement He made to her so impressed me, I wrote it down word for word.
It grieves Me when the Church takes offerings, He told her. I said to worship Me. Don’t take from the people, but let them bring their gifts and worship Me. Then they will see the fruits of their giving.
If you and I want God to be pleased with our offerings, we’re going to have to do what the Apostle Paul wrote about in 2 Corinthians 8:7. We’re going to have to learn to “excel in this grace of giving” (New International Version). We’re going to have to quit being casual about it and to learn to give with faith and reverence in worship.
Next time the offering plate is passed, don’t just drop your gift carelessly in the plate. Get serious. Determine to obey God. Worship Him with your money and be thankful. He’ll do more than simply receive it, He’ll open the windows of blessing for you.
Scripture Reading: Malachi 1:1-14
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.
Mark 6:52, ‘For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.’
Mark 6:45-52; John 6:15-21
Most of the time, we think of a person with a hard heart as being someone who is in terrible rebellion to God. While it is true that a rebellious person does have a hardened heart, in this instance, the Word is referring to the disciples’ hearts being hardened. They were, ‘sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered’ at Jesus walking on the water.
The word ‘hardened’ as used here, means ‘to make calloused, unyielding or cold in spirit, or insensitive to.’ The disciples were not God haters, but rather they had become so sensitive to the natural world and its limitations that they were overwhelmed to see Jesus supersede these laws. Therefore, they had a hardened heart.
If they had kept in mind the miracle they had just seen Jesus perform (the feeding of the five thousand), then they wouldn’t have been amazed to see Jesus walking on the water toward them. After all, He had constrained them to get into the ship and was therefore responsible for them. He was just a short distance away from them, and was in the same storm himself, so they knew He was aware of their situation. They should have been expecting Jesus to come and save them, even if He had to walk on the water to do it.
Many of us are more sensitive to fear and doubt than we are to the truths of God’s Word. This is because we have thought more on things that minister fear and doubt. We can take these laws about hardening our hearts and use them in a positive way. We can actually harden our hearts to doubt by considering only God’s Word. It is a possible and obtainable goal to become just as sensitive to God and faith as we have been to Satan and doubt. Meditate on God’s Word today.
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).
If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. — John 8:36
The mark of a true Christian is found in his personal relationship to the Person of Jesus Christ. Christianity is Christ. Christ is Christianity. I speak reverently when I say that Jesus is more than His ideas. All that He said was true, but without Him even the truth would have been powerless. Men know the power of truth, and truth is that which sets men free. Jesus said, “I am the truth.”
Prayer for the day: Thank You, Jesus, for the shackles that have been broken in my life!
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: Divine Like Father Like Son (Mountain Of Fire and Miracle Ministries, MFM Daily Devotional 7 May 2019)
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 Kings 1-3; Luke 24:1-35
FIRE SCRIPTURE: John 1:1-12
MEMORY VERSE: “And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.” – Luke 11:2
The MESSAGE:
Every second that I live, I am grateful to God that I am a human being, created in God’s image. What about you? If you are not as grateful as you should be, it may be because you do not know what it is to be made in God’s image. God created so many great things: the strong lion, the wise eagle, the loyal dog, the tree that lives for hundreds of years, the beautiful diamond and all those other wonderful qualities of other creatures. Yet you and I were the ones fearfully and wonderfully created in God’s image.
What are the implications of being created in God’s image?
1 To be God’s representative on earth, taking dominion over these strong, wise, loyal, long living, beautiful occupants of the earth (Genesis 1:28), just as God has dominion over His entire creation. Jesus says: let the kingdom of God come on earth and the will of God be done (Matthew 6:9-10).
2 To live in loving, cordial and cooperative relationships with God (as His child) and with fellow men (as kinsmen) just like the Trinity agreed in Genesis 1:26. Jesus says man must love God AND his fellow man, no matter their age, skin colour, tribe or race, financial or social status, religion, physical or mental state (Luke 10:17).
3 To work and subdue the earth, making it increase and yield its fruit (Genesis 2:8) from generation to generation.
4 To resist the devil and the host of his chaotic world of darkness on the earth and its occupants.
Have you noticed that when man is out of tune with God, famines, natural disasters (Deuteronomy 28:15-23), hunger, disease, wars become the order of the day?
Try to link what happened in Genesis 1:1-31 with the teachings and assertions of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ when He came to this world many centuries later and you will be surprised at the correlation! Jesus came to restore Genesis 1 Verse 31: God checked and saw that everything He created was perfect.
Jesus came to this world to reverse the curse that the disobedience of man brought and restore men as children of God. If He suffered so much and even died to make this a reality, He expects us to resemble our Father in every way and to bring up children who will continue the Divine Lineage on earth.
MOTIVATIONAL QUOTE: HEAVEN WILL SMILE ON YOU TODAY.
PROPHETIC WORD: Do not despise the discipline of God because He wants you to be the best.
PRAYER POINTS:
MORNING
My Father and my God, I thank You that I am fearfully and wonderfully made in Your image, in the name of Jesus.
Merciful God, empower me to love You with all that I am and to reap the fruits of salvation, in the name of Jesus.
By the power in the blood of Jesus, I kill every evil inheritance that will rob me of my divine inheritance, in the name of Jesus. EVENING
I receive power to submit totally to God, resist the devil and put him to flight, in the name of Jesus.
Almighty God, let Your will be done in my destiny, my work, my home and every area of my life, in the name of Jesus.
Our no-nonsense God, empower me in obedience to Your word, to love my fellow men, no matter our differences, in the name of Jesus.
I shall not miss heaven, 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.
SCRIPTURE: He shall deliver the island of the innocent: and it is delivered by the pureness of thine hands. Job 22:30
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Iniquity is the foundation for calamity; corruption facilitates destruction.
Godly character can be defined as the ability to discern God’s right way from the wrong, and to voluntarily surrender one’s own will to do what is right in God’s sight and, with the promised supernatural help, to resist the wrong even under pressure and temptation. Godly character is consistently doing the right thing at the right time in the right way for the right reason. Character is what you do when no one is looking.
A Godly character also implies having and maintaining a buoyant conscience devoid of offence towards God and towards man (Acts 24:16).
Our anchor Scripture reveals that Godly character facilitates the deliverance of people from destruction. Pureness of heart and hands is a remedy for infirmity and calamity.
The fact is, truth fuels liberty, innocence facilitates the preservation of the innocent. You may wonder why snakes come around little babies without hurting them even while the babies play with them; it is possible that snakes know that human babies are innocent and harmless.
You are not in the path of harm if you are not in the path of wrong. That was why for as long as Daniel was innocent, he was not eatable by the lions. (Daniel 6:20-22). Gehazi, Samson and Judas Iscariot on the other hand could not escape generational calamity because of their iniquitous lifestyle (2 Kings 5:25-27, Judges 16;18-30, Acts 1:15-20).
Beloved, iniquity is the foundation for calamity; corruption facilitates destruction. Compromise sponsors vulnerability to danger. An armed robber can be killed anytime, smokers and alcoholics are prone to all kinds of lung and liver diseases. Prostitutes and immoral people have no future – HIV/AIDS, Gonorrhoea, Syphilis, Trichomonas vaginalis, etc. are their inheritances. The husband snatcher, the backbiter, the cheater, etc. are all vulnerable to the attack of the devil.
I prophesy to you: receive the grace to uphold Godly character. I decree your escape from every trap set for you by the enemy in this season, Lord, in Jesus’ Name.
Remember This: Iniquity is the foundation for calamity; corruption facilitates destruction.
Assignments:
Shun the lifestyle of iniquity or corruption
Always maintain a conscience that is alive; a conscience devoid of offence both towards God and man
Prayer: Lord, uphold me in Godly character and lifestyle, and help me to maintain a conscience that is alive, Lord, in Jesus’ Name.
FOR FURTHER UNDERSTANDING, Get this Message: THE PRESERVATION POWER OF A GODLY CHARACTER
Quote: Your nature affects your future; your character affects your destiny. Culled from WHO ARE YOU? by Dr Paul Enenche
Amazing Fact: A single hair has a lifespan of about five years.
Daily Reading: 1 Samuel 1:1 to 2:21, John 5:1 to 23, Psalm 105:37 to 45, Proverbs 14:28 to 29.
Don’t Forget To Attend: The Power Communion Service tomorrow by 5:30pm for the preservation of your life and destiny. Invite your friends and loved ones.
Prophetic Declaration/Word: Receive the grace to uphold Godly character; receive the grace to say no to wrong and yes to right consistently, in Jesus’ Name.
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.
Key Verse: “Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not” (Luke 12:40).
MESSAGE:
It has always been said that “Proper preparation prevent poor performance”. Hence, every individual who aims to reach his goals will need to be adequately prepared for the challenges that could stand in the way of achievement.
The passage dwells mainly on Christ’s message to His disciples about His imminent return and the unpredictability of the time of His return. The fact that Jesus used different approaches and styles of expression suggest the importance He attaches to the need for proper preparation for anyone who hopes to go to heaven.
Getting to heaven in view of Christ’s teaching is definitely not a tea party and it is not an all-comers’ affair. Those who aim to get to heaven, which is the “Father’s good pleasure to give”, must shun to “sights that dazzle” and resist “the tempting sounds” around them.
Our preparation to live with God in His kingdom will include faith in Christ for salvation as against fear of man that ensnares in sin; putting off all worldly distractions to focus on the heavenly treasure; firmness of purpose and practical Christian living; constant carefulness and watchfulness on the slippery way; faithfulness in Christian service; loving and caring for other co-travellers, and resolute commitment to obeying His command and rejecting compromise.
God is preparing another kingdom for His faithful and waiting servants. We must cling unto Him, no matter the push or pull of the world to compromise our faith. We must consciously decide not to be swayed by the fads and fancies of this age. The way to get to heaven is through genuine repentance and faith in the finished work of Christ.
Thought For The Day: Heaven is for the prepared.
The Bible In One Year: Judges 14-17
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.
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.
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