“Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers.” – Ephesians 1:16 (KJV)
Another thing you must learn to do is to pray for those God has committed into your hands. This is not limited to the Church. The truth is that everything you are learning is applicable to every sphere of human endeavour, not only the Church because people are people everywhere.
Jesus was a man given to prayer; when you read the Gospels, you see Jesus Christ constantly praying. He took time to pray a great while before the day in Mark 1:35 (when others were sleeping) but in Luke 22:32, He gave us an insight into His prayer for Peter, when He said: “But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not …”
Make it a duty to pray for your people. If you are leading a small team, pray for them individually. Be concerned about the things that bother them. That does not mean you go about announcing to people that you are praying for them. No! Whatever you do in secret, the Lord knows how to reward it openly.
Also, when you pray for people, prayer has a way of divinely connecting people. Somehow you are connected to them in such a way that they find it easy to come to you and confide in you. The same is true when you pray for people genuinely, you will not be quick to spread wrong words about them. When you pray for people, even when you see their flaws, you want to help correct them. When you pray for people, you are also sowing seeds of prayer and God will also raise others to pray for you.
Life is all about seed time and harvest; develop the habit of sowing seeds of prayer and God will always cause you to reap a massive harvest too. Prayer cannot be a once-in-a-while activity for a leader, every leader must know how to pray and pray without ceasing.
Further Reading: Ephesians 1:15-23
Daily Bible Reading: Morning- 1 Kings 21-22; Evening- Luke 23:26-56
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.
TOPIC: Surest Route Out Of Satanic Bondage (Mountain Of Fire and Miracle Ministries, MFM Daily Devotional 6 May 2019)
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Kings 21-22; Luke 23:26-56
FIRE SCRIPTURE: Joshua 1:1-8
MEMORY VERSE: “But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.” – Psalms 1:2
The MESSAGE:
In Joshua 1:8, God instructed us to meditate day and night on His word, if we want to prosper and have GOOD success in life. Since meditation is simply deep, intensive thinking about something, God is here commanding that we read and study His word and think deeply about what it reveals about Him.
God, in His infinite mercy, wants us to go deep into His word, learn about His attributes, His past actions, explanation for His current actions, His promises for the future, His likes and dislikes and His provisions for our final destination in eternity. Philippians 4:8 lists subjects recommended for meditation as follows:
1. Things that are true. In John 8:32, Jesus assures that knowing the truth shall set us free. Knowing the truth is knowing God (John 14:6-7). It is also gaining knowledge about satan, his sole mission to steal, to kill and to destroy; and the consequences of giving him unfettered access into your life.
2. Other topics for biblical meditation are: Things that are honest (truthful), just (morally right and fair) and pure (unpolluted). Things that are lovely (beautiful and pleasant). Things that are of good report (of good standing in every way). Things that are of virtue (righteous, moral and upright) and praiseworthy (invoking other people’s commendation).
It is obvious that, all the subjects for meditation listed above are attributes of our God.
Now tell me: what demon will stay to listen to you thinking deeply in your spirit man about and connecting to God’s fairness, righteousness, uprightness, holiness, beauty, glory? What demon will stay to watch you praising God and thanking Him for past, present and future mercies, even in the midst of affliction? What demon will stay and listen to you discussing the failures of the devil with God? What demon will stay to listen to you programming your submission to Jesus into your subconscious mind? They will all flee!
I plead with you, divert your thoughts away from the enormity of your problems to the mighty things that God has done in the Bible; from things of this world that are beyond your reach to God’s promises, from BAD successes to the GOOD successes in the Bible and around you. You will be surprised at the amazing difference it makes.
MOTIVATIONAL QUOTE: GOD’S WORD IS THE ANTIDOTE FOR ALL LIFE’S PROBLEMS, STUDY IT.
PROPHETIC WORD: By the covenant of God you shall not be stranded in life.
PRAYER POINTS:
MORNING
Almighty God, I thank You for calling me into salvation and the joys attached, in the name of Jesus.
Holy Spirit, teach me to concentrate my thoughts on the truth and put it into practice in my life, in the name of Jesus.
My Father and my God, open the eyes of my spirit to hunger after You, in the name of Jesus. EVENING
Omnipotent God, behold the powers that want to compete with You for my heart (mention them). Kill them, in the name of Jesus.
My God who is able, in Your mercy, give me good success in the following area of my life (mention them), in the name of Jesus.
Spirit of the Living God, arise and occupy every space in my heart that dark powers are coveting, in Jesus’ name.
My Father and my God, let my thoughts be sweet, pleasing and acceptable to You, 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.
Key Verse: “Acquiant now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee” (Job 22:21).
MESSAGE:
In the last four lines of the first stanza of the hymn titled, “What a Friend we have in Jesus”, Joseph Scriven captured the agony of man’s disconnect with God when he wrote, “…Oh, what peace we often forfeit. Oh, what needless pain we bear. All because we do not carry everything to God in prayers”. Many suffer in penury and want when there is a pool of abundance for them. They groan needlessly in pain when there is a provision for soothing balm. They wander aimlessly in the maze of life when there is Someone who can show the way. The main reason is the failure to connect to the true Source of help.
The text clearly explains in a down to earth manner, the basis of connecting with God and the benefits that accrue to our connection with Him. Christ is the only link between God and man. He is the genuine problem-Solver because He links us with God, the Source of all things. Only those who approach Him for help will be able to draw from His unlimited resources because He is omnipotent, benevolent and good.
Whatever you may be going through, no matter how hard the road you are treading may be, there is hope for you that your sins can be forgiven, your poverty can turn to wealth, your sickness to health, your sorrow to joy, your pain to gain, if you will be ready to pay the price.
Return to the Almighty, receive “the law from His mouth”, repent by putting “away iniquity far from thy tabernacle” and your turnaround to salvation, prosperity, provision, protection, power through prayers will begin. Why not now?
Thought For The Day: Your link determines your lot.
The Bible In One Year: Judges 11-13
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.
Topic: Don’t Limit Your Vision [Open Heavens for Teens 6 May 2019]
Memorise: “I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.” – Habakkuk 2:1
Read: Habakkuk 2:1-2
I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.
And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.
Bible In One Year: 1 Kings 12-13, Luke 24:36-53
MESSAGE:
As humans, we naturally build our vision around what we can see. Many years ago as a pastor in RCCG, during conventions, we would have a crowd of two thousand and I would say “What a crowd!” but in 1979, I attended Kenneth Hagin’s camp meeting in America and I saw 17,000 people in attendance; I was astonished. That became the extent of my vision. I was now anticipating an RCCG convention as large as the Kenneth Hagin meeting.
Years later, I went for Dr. Yongi Cho’s church growth conference in Korea. They had seven services and announced after every service that those who came shouldn’t come to church the following Sunday so as to allow others attend church. It was then it dawned on me that what I had seen in America was not what I wanted. Thank God I learnt not to learn not to limit my vision early, because these days at RCCG’s conventions, it is impossible to count the number of attendees. Never allow the things you see presently limit your vision. Close your eyes to your surroundings and current situation, cast your vision as far as you can. You were born to dominate, whatever you put your mind and actions to, you will achieve. God promised Abraham that as far as they could see, He will give him; how far can you see? What you see is what you get.
Our God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home:
Under the shadow of your throne
Your saints have dwelt secure;
Sufficient is your arm alone,
And our defense is sure
Before the hills in order stood
Or earth received its frame,
From everlasting you are God,
To endless years the same.
A thousand ages in your sight
Are like an evening gone
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun.
Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
Soon bears us all away;
We fly forgotten, as a dream
Does at the opening day.
Our God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Still be our guard while troubles last,
And our eternal home!
Daily Devotional for Teen’s 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.
Memorise: “The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.”- Proverbs 11:25
Read: Hebrews 11:17-19, Malachi 3:8-12 (KJV)
Hebrews 11:17-19: 7 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,
18 Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:
19 Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.
Malachi 3:8-12: 8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.
10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.
12 And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.
Bible in One Year: Exodus 4-6, Jeremiah 31:15-30
Open Heaven 6 May 2019 Monday MESSAGE:
Our God is a God of principles, and He runs the universe by the principles He has established. Understanding these principles is key to living a blessed life. One of God’s principles is the principle of obtaining a harvest after a period of sowing, while another is that whatsoever a man sows is what he will reap (Genesis 8:22, Galatians 6:7). Based on these two principles, whenever God wants to bless a fellow, He creates an opportunity for the fellow to give up something precious as a seed into the fertile soil of His kingdom. Such divinely organized investment opportunities must be grabbed with both hands. When God wanted to bless Abraham and make him a mighty nation, He asked him to sacrifice his only son to Him. After Abraham passed the tests, he received an everlasting promise of greatness (Genesis 22 16-17).
Those who want to get the results that Abraham got must be ready to do the works that Abraham did. It is ironic to hear people sing “Abraham’s blessings are mine” or claim to be Abraham’s children, and yet refuse to do the works of Abraham. The Lord said in John 8:39b:
“If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham.”
Malachi 3:8-12 contains a divine investment opportunity which Abraham himself embraced. He and his descendants did this by faith, even before the Law of Moses was given in (Genesis 14:18-20, Genesis 28:22). Today, this same investment opportunity is still open to all of God’s obedient children who desire to receive great blessings from Him. When I was confronted with the principle of tithing as I was growing in faith, I found it difficult to understand it as a divine investment opportunity, until I eventually learnt my lesson in a painstaking way. I discovered that my financial problems persisted even though I was not paying tithes, to the extent that I used to borrow money from my driver to buy fuel into my car before my next salary was paid. However, immediately I realized that God was only setting His children up for blessings through tithing, I threw myself headlong into it. Before long, I stopped borrowing money and eventually had enough to build my first house. When God says “Give”, it is because He wants to us to receive (Luke 6:38). Years ago, when we were preparing for our annual church convention, there were multiple building projects going on within our camp grounds, of which the major one was the roofing of our main auditorium. As I was wondering how to get enough funds for this project, one of my senior pastors came asking for financial assistance for his church’s project. I initially refused because I still needed funds to complete the national project, but God prevailed on me to give him all I had on me. Shortly afterwards, the Lord laid it upon someone’s heart to give me the exact amount needed for the project on hand. I then knew that God was setting me up for supernatural financial breakthrough when He asked me to give all I had to assist this pastor. It was an investment that yielded high dividends. Beloved, I encourage you to invest in the business of God’s kingdom, and your business will not run dry.
Open Heaven 6 May 2019 Monday Key Point:
If you are a child of Abraham, you will do the works of Abraham in the area of tithing.
Open Heaven 6 May 2019 Monday Hymn 4: Take My Life, And Let It Be
1 Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in endless praise,
Let them flow in endless praise.
2 Take my hands and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee,
Swift and beautiful for Thee.
3 Take my voice and let me sing,
Always, only for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee,
Filled with messages from Thee.
4 Take my silver and my gold,
Not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose,
Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose.
5 Take my will and make it Thine,
It shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own,
It shall be Thy royal throne,
It shall be Thy royal throne.
6 Take my love, my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee,
Ever, only, all for Thee.
Open Heaven 6 May 2019 Monday 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. Open Heaven 6 May 2019 Monday Daily Devotional.
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.
Israel Folou, who signed a four-year deal with the Waratahs in Sydney in March, could have his contract with Rugby Australia ended because he posted a picture on instagram saying that homosexuals, among others, would face hell unless they repented to Jesus.
The Australian rugby player also listed atheists, drunks, idolaters, adulterers, liars and fornicators, calling on people to repent, saying ‘Only Jesus saves!’
Folou’s comments sparked controversy and threats from Rugby Australia about his continuation as a national star as he had had warnings about similar comments already.
The code of conduct hearing, which Folou requested, was held at Rugby Australia’s headquarters in Sydney and evidence was provided by Rugby Australia chief Raelene Castle and Wallabies coach Michael Cheika.
The hearing was only meant to last one day, with Sunday reserved incase it dragged on.
After 15 hours, no conclusion was made about his future, with Waratahs player Andrew Hore also called for evidence on Sunday.
They will now reconvene on Tuesday.
Folou’s solicitors are arguing that he was quoting a Bible passage and that the comments weren’t his direct words. They also say there is no social media clause in his contract.
The Wallabies coach said he was unlikely to be selected to play again and Rugby Australia believe he has breached player code of conduct and social media…
Fast Facts: Ridgeview celebrated its 25th anniversary at the beginning of this year. Ridgeview began as a mission of a sister church—Oak Grove Baptist in Mount Carmel, TN. In January 1994, it was officially constituted as a church with 136 charter members. Ridgeview focuses on its sending capacity rather than its seating capacity—seeking to look outwardly instead of inwardly. They do this by planting churches and focusing on community outreach events to spread the gospel. They are currently praying for and seeking out their next Family Pastor. Please pray for the search team and the person God will be sending to the church to fill that position.
“Pray for . . .” is the Sunday blog series at ThomRainer.com. We encourage you to pray for these churches noted every Sunday. Please feel free to comment that you are praying as well.
Warren Wiersbe was born in Indiana in 1929, ordained in 1951 and was the pastor of Calvary Baptist Church from 1961 to 1971. He was a prolilfic writer and speaker.
Wiersbe’s writings on the Bible, such as ‘Be Victorious’, ‘Be Basic’ and ‘Be Authentic’, are popular expositional verse-by-verse guides to specific passages.
The Gospel Coalition in America wrote in their eulogy that while at Calvary Baptist Church: “A local Cincinnati radio station broadcast his Sunday sermons as the “Calvary Hour.” During his tenure the church grew from a capacity of 800 people to one that could hold 2,000 worshipers.”
When working for Moody Memorial Church in the 1970s, he wrote a collumn for Moody Monthly, named after evangelist Dwight Lyman Moody, called “Insight for the Pastor” where he encouraged and guided church leaders through theology and practical problems.
In an interview in January 2018, he said: “When you learn the joy and the privilege of Bible study, you don’t have to be paid to do it. You don’t have to be pushed at doing it, and scolded. No, no, no. It’s a privilege. It’s a marvelous, glorious privilege.
“You may not see it, you may not know it. But others will know that you’re walking in the light. Blessed is the man that God blesses from the Word, because that is going to last forever.”
The children and vulnerable adults safeguarding charity Thirtyone:eight, who provide safeguarding training and support to churches, have praised the decision announced on Thursday by the child abuse inquiry to look at Methodist churches, Baptists, Pentecostals, house churches and other non-denominations.
The investigation will look into the child protection practices at Sunday schools, youth groups and camps.
So far, the inquiry into religious settings and organisations has only looked into the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England.
Thirty:one eight are urging non-conformist churches to be compliant with the inquiry and work hard to learn about their past failures.
Justin Humphreys, CEO of Thirtyone:eight told Premier: “I think it is hugely significant in that it will give the wider church – and in fact organisations from other faiths, but primarily the wider church – a chance to demonstrate where it is doing things well, but also give others an opportunity to explore where things aren’t quite going so well.
“I think for some, it will be a real challenge and may in fact be rather painful. For others, it will be an opportunity to say ‘look, actually there are sections of the church that are doing this really well.'”
The findings of the investigations within the inquiry so far will be released at a preliminary hearing on 23rd July and public hearings…
Evans went to hospital in April after a severe allergic reaction to antibiotics that she was taking for the flu.
She then experienced constant seizures and was placed in a medically induced coma.
On 30th April, she was starting to be weaned off coma medication for fear of the risks of being comatose for too long and the seizures continued at a reduced rate.
On Thursday, staff found she had swelling on her brain and on Saturday morning she died in hospital.
Rachel Held Evans was most well-know for her book A Year of Biblical Womanhood and her popular blog where she wrote about topics such as patriarchy, evangelical culture, Donald Trump, welcoming young people into church and parenting.
She spoke at festivals and recently released her new book Inspired that aims to ‘avoid noncommittal liberalism on one hand and strident literalism on the other’, according to her website.
Many fans followed updates from her husband Dan Evans and used the hashtag #PrayForRHE on Twitter.
Dan Evans wrote on Saturday: “This entire experience is surreal. I keep hoping it’s a nightmare from which I’ll awake. I feel like I’m telling someone else’s story.
“I cannot express how much the support means to me and our kids. To everyone who has prayed, called, texted, driven, flown, given of themselves physically and financially to help ease this burden: Thank you. We are…
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.
Things that are honest (truthful), just (morally right and fair) and pure (unpolluted).
