Bishop Libby was the first woman to become a bishop in the Church of England when she was appointed in 2015 after the General Synod vote on the issue in July 2014.
Downing Street announced on Tuesday that the Queen has approved her nomination for election as Bishop of Derby in succession to The Right Reverend Alastair Llewellyn John Redfern, who resigned in August this year.
Libby Lane was elected for ordination while working in the parish of St Thomas Brampton, Chesterfield but was brought up in Glossop in the north-west of Derbyshire, where her parents still live and where she returned on Tuesday with her husband and two children, following the announcement.
She said: “I am excited and privileged to have been called to serve as Bishop of Derby.
“I grew up here and my vocation was fostered here. Derbyshire nurtured me and brought me to faith and I want to love Derbyshire back.
“I want to lead a church in Derbyshire where people find hope because they know they are loved by God in Christ, and I pray that hope sets us free to live our lives in ways that bring change for good.”
The Dean of Derby, the Very Reverend Dr Stephen Hance, said: “I am thrilled that Libby is coming to be our bishop. Her roots are here in Derbyshire, and we are all very much looking forward to welcoming her home and working with her in the months and years ahead.
Bishop Libby was the first woman to become a bishop in the Church of England when she was appointed in 2015 after the General Synod vote on the issue in July 2014.
Downing Street announced on Tuesday that the Queen has approved her nomination for election as Bishop of Derby in succession to The Right Reverend Alastair Llewellyn John Redfern, who resigned in August this year.
Libby Lane was elected for ordination while working in the parish of St Thomas Brampton, Chesterfield but was brought up in Glossop in the north-west of Derbyshire, where her parents still live and where she returned on Tuesday with her husband and two children, following the announcement.
She said: “I am excited and privileged to have been called to serve as Bishop of Derby.
“I grew up here and my vocation was fostered here. Derbyshire nurtured me and brought me to faith and I want to love Derbyshire back.
“I want to lead a church in Derbyshire where people find hope because they know they are loved by God in Christ, and I pray that hope sets us free to live our lives in ways that bring change for good.”
The Dean of Derby, the Very Reverend Dr Stephen Hance, said: “I am thrilled that Libby is coming to be our bishop. Her roots are here in Derbyshire, and we are all very much looking forward to welcoming her home and working with her in the months and years ahead.
A Lifestyle of Thanksgiving & Praise By Pastor Faith Oyedepo Topic: A Lifestyle of Thanksgiving & Praise
Dear Reader,
Praise God! It is December, the month of Christmas! Without any doubt, I know that the Lord has done so much for you and in your family this year. Are you thankful to Him for all His benefits that you have enjoyed in your family? Some of them are the gift of life, forgiveness, healing, protection, provisions and so forth. This month our focus shall be on: CA lifestyle of Thanksgiving and Praise.
What is Praise?
Praise is appreciating God for His person, in other words it is appreciating and worshiping God for Who He is because of your high rating of Him. When we praise God, our focus is on Him and not ourselves. We look away from what we think we do not have to Who we have; because the One we have holds the keys to our heart desires.
What is Thanksgiving?
Thanksgiving is an expression of gratitude especially to God. It is the grateful acknowledgement and celebration of the benefits and favour of God. The Bible says: In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
Thankfulness is what makes our praise genuine. If you are not thankful, you cannot be praiseful. Our attitude of gratitude will enhance our altitude. Just as a parent is pleased and motivated to want to do more when a child shows appreciation for a gift received, you are not qualified for the next blessing from God, until you give thanks for the last (Luke 17:11-19).
When you refuse to give God thanks, you are pointing an accusing finger at Him. You may say “I don’t have any reason to be thankful to God or God has not done anything for my family this year”. There is no truth in that. For the fact that you are still breathing, you owe God thanks! Let the woman who is worrying about not being able to bear children praise God for marriage. Let him that is worrying over what to eat and drink, praise God that he even has an appetite and ability to eat. Let him that is worrying of whom to marry, praise God for being fit to marry; for a mad man or woman cannot think of marriage. Let the one worrying over what to wear praise God that he/she has body and legs to wear clothes and shoes and. “If you are thoughtful, you will indeed be thankful”
Give thanks and offer praise to God in that unseemly unpleasant situation. Remember, it was thanksgiving that brought Lazarus out of his grave (John 11:41-44). If you want to come out of that grave of poverty, barrenness, stagnation, sickness, lack and want, fill your heart and mouth with praises. The Bible says: Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places (Habakkuk 3:17-19). You will never find a thanks giver where you left him.
Spend quality time in thanksgiving and praise in place of murmuring. The Bible says: Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer (1 Corinthians 10:10). You shall not be destroyed in Jesus’ name! Murmuring put God off your case, stop it! If God is all you need, you must stop murmuring and always find reasons to praise Him, even when you seem to have no reason to do so. But remember, that the life you have now belongs to Him. The Word of God says: Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord (Psalm 150:6). It is a commandment from God to praise Him. Maybe you have a need bothering your mind and you desire God’s intervention before the end of the year, what do you do? Praise God for it, the Bible says after you have praised, the earth will yield her increase; and God will bless you (Psalm 67:5-7) I see unprecedented blessings coming your way this season as you engage the force of praise and thanksgiving!
Your thanksgiving and praise will only be acceptable to God after you are born again. If you are not yet born again and you desire to do so right now, please pray this prayer with faith in your heart: Dear Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me my sins and cleanse me with Your Blood. I accept You as my Lord and personal Saviour. Make me a child of God today. Thank You for delivering me from sin and satan to serve the living God and thank You for accepting me into Your Kingdom. 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 a Successful Home 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.
MFM Mountain Top Life Daily Devotional 18 December 2018 By Dr. D.K Olukoya – Guaranteed Divine Provision
TOPIC: Guaranteed Divine Provision (Mountain Of Fire and Miracle Ministries, MFM Daily Devotional 18 December 2018)
FIRE SCRIPTURE: Matthew 6:25-27
MEMORY VERSE: “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.” – John 14:1
The MESSAGE:
God did not create man before providing for his needs. He does things orderly according to His divine purpose, and there are no errors and omissions. Before He formed you, He had already set His plans for your upkeep. You only need to be His friend and fit yourself perfectly into His divine agenda. Jesus knew that His audience was pre-occupied with the issues of life. They were worried about so many things. They had serious concern over food, payment of house rent, children school fees, shoes and clothing, payment of taxes and levies, employment, etc. They were following Jesus and hearing His messages, but were more interested in the solutions to their problems rather than in the matters of the kingdom of heaven. There were large crowds indeed and the Bible records it as multitude. Disappointingly however, it was a large crowd of miracle seekers not those interested in serving God.
Very few of us really trust God for our daily bread. Many of us entertain fears and anxieties over basic necessities of life. We carry our burdens about although we attend all church fellowships. We sing all the good soul lifting songs, but we are still dry in the spirit. We dance and sweat glorifying the name of God but keep intact our burdens rather than cast our cares on Him. We enjoy temporary relief during prayer meetings but go back to our sorrowful and confused state soon after leaving the fellowship. We lack the assurance of guaranteed divine provision. Jesus wondered aloud about this group of believers: “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much clothe you, O you of little faith.” It is terribly disturbing that believers can confess in praises and worship that “our God can do all things” and yet do not allow such confession to settle in their minds. Jesus wondered why people should exercise such little faith. Let it be settled in your mind that your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things, and He will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Put first things first. Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all your needs shall be added unto you (Matthew 6:33). Look steadfastly and diligently unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). Cast doubt and worry out of your life and keep them permanently bound. Let your faith in Jesus grow steadily and be assured that God will never leave you or forsake you. Your tomorrow shall be better than your today, and the troubles of today shall give way to victory, in Jesus’ name. Let not your heart be troubled (John 14:1, 14:27) and God shall manifest Himself as Jehovah Jireh in your life, in Jesus’ name.
MOTIVATIONAL QUOTE: SO WHY DO YOU WORRY ABOUT CLOTHING? CONSIDER THE LILIES OF THE FIELD, HOW THEY GROW.
PROPHETIC WORD: You shall never lack any good thing.
PRAYER POINTS:
MORNING
Holy Spirit, revitalise my trust and confidence in God, in the name of Jesus.
I refuse to focus my attention on the challenges of life, in the name of Jesus.
I shall not lack any good thing in life, in the name of Jesus.
EVENING
My night of weeping has expired, my morning of joy, manifest now by fire, in the name of Jesus.
Spirit of anxiety holding my divine assurance captive, release me by fire, in the name of Jesus.
I am a joint heir with Jesus: the resources of this earth belong unto me by the power in the blood of Jesus, in the name of Jesus.
Favour of God, come upon my life and compel the favour of men upon me today, 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.
Topic: You Will Rise Again [TREM Devotional 18 December 2018]
“Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me”.Mic. 7:8
The fact that you fell once does not make you a failure. A failure is not one who fell, rather a failure is one who refuses to get up when he fell. Everyone goes through a “fall” at a time or the other in their lives, but the difference between a success and a failure is the ability to get up and move on.
Look at David; David committed so many atrocities. He took the wife of his staff, tried to conceal it but when he couldn’t, he killed him and took over his wife. That is the story of David and Bathsheba; but, God called him a man after His heart. When you consider the fact that he committed fornication and murder to cover up his error, you will not describe him as a man after God’s heart. But that was God’s description of him, because the moment the Prophet confronted David, he immediately went on his face before God. David never covered any of his errors. He was quick to confess and turn away from them and the mercy of God reached out to him.
The same thing with Paul (who was Saul). He was the one-man riot squad that waged a war against Christianity to the extent that he had the approval to go and wipe out Christians when the Lord met him in Act 9. Yet Paul, writing to the church in Corinth said in 2 Cor. 7:2 “Trust us. We’ve never hurt a soul, never exploited or taken advantage of anyone” (MSG). ‘But Paul, you killed the innocent Christians’, might be your comment, but I hear Paul say: If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17).
This is true for you too. No matter what has happened in this year, rise and face the coming year, knowing that you will rise again.
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 — Fruit of the Spirit; Temperance [Open Heavens for Teens 18 December 2018]
Memorise:But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: 1 Corinthians 9:27a
Read: Galatians 5:22-23 (KJV)
Bible In One Year: Jonah 1-4, Revelation 9
MESSAGE:
Temperance is best described with one word; self-discipline. It is a constant demonstration that Jesus is the Lord of your life and He is in charge. Discipline is an important part of the Christian walk. If people had self-discipline, many of the atrocities in this world would not exist. Also, many of the failures of the children of God would have been successes if they had exhibited self-discipline.
You have to consciously watch your tongue, as a Christian you can’t use dirty, harsh or hurtful words. As a Christian you can’t be talkative, you have to learn to bridle your tongue. Also, you have to put a constant watch on your thoughts. You have to bring your thoughts under the control of the Word of God. You also have to watch your temper; things shouldn’t aggravate or hurt you enough to make you lose your anger in public or even in private. Finally, you have to watch your cravings; what are the things you hunger for? Are they carnal, and worldly or spiritual and uplifting?
Prayer Point: Sweet Holy Spirit, please teach me self-discipline with the use of my tongue, my thoughts, my temper and my thirst.
Is your life a channel of blessing?
Is the love of God flowing through you?
Are you telling the lost of the Savior?
Are you ready His service to do?
Chorus:
Make me a channel of blessing today,
Make me a channel of blessing, I pray;
My life possessing, my service blessing,
Make me a channel of blessing today.
Is your life a channel of blessing?
Are you burdened for those that are lost?
Have you urged upon those who are straying
The Savior who does on the cross
Is your life a channel of blessing?
Is it a daily telling for Him?
Have you spoken the word of salvation?
To those who are dying in sin?
We cannot be channels of blessing
If our lives are not free from sin;
We will barriers be and a hindrance
To those we are trying to win
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.
Topic: Just Recompense [DCLM Daily Manna 18 December 2018 Daily Devotional by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi]
Text: Isaiah 24:1-23 (KJV)
Key Verse:“The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant”(Isaiah 24:5).
MESSAGE:
God is just. He rewards piety, faithfulness, dedication, commitment and righteousness. In His faithfulness, He does not spare the unrepentant sinner, the unrighteous, the wicked and all who repay kindness with evil and wickedness.
God’s indignation and fearful judgment is always towards the ungrateful: the rich, poor, freemen, bondmen, educated, illiterate, religious and irreligious “because they have transgressed the laws, changed ordinance and broken the everlasting covenant”. Every unrighteousness is sin. God is not a respecter of person or nation. “The wicked shall be turned into hell; and all the nations that forget God” (Psalm 9:17).
God’s severe judgment is hanging on the neck of all who defy Him in spite of His goodness, mercies and loving kindness to them. Surely, He is good to all and in His magnanimity, He has endowed both man and land with rich deposit of His goodness. All those who therefore dare God and use what He has given to them – material wealth, mineral resources, intellect, wisdom, knowledge, positions – in ways that desecrate His name and promote ungodliness are courting His fierce judgment.
Every human being is a free moral agent. God gave all liberty to use whatever He has given to us, including our life, in the way we choose. Our response to God’s unquantifiable kindness will determine the kind of reward we should expect from Him now and in eternity. However, God’s anger and indignation can be avoided by turning from all wicked ways, repenting from all known sins and turning to God through Jesus Christ.
Thought For The Day: What a man decides ultimately determines his destiny.
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: The Great Awakening [Our Daily Bread 18 December 2018 Devotional]
Read: Deuteronomy 34:1–8, Bible in a Year: Obadiah; Revelation 9
God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 1 Thessalonians 4:14
I have a treasured memory of gatherings with family friends when our boys were small. The adults would talk into the night; our children, weary with play would curl up on a couch or chair and fall asleep.
When it was time to leave, I would gather our boys into my arms, carry them to the car, lay them in the back seat, and take them home. When we arrived, I would pick them up again, tuck them into their beds, kiss them goodnight, and turn out the light. In the morning they would awaken—at home.
This has become a rich metaphor for me of the night on which we “sleep in Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 4:14 kjv). We slumber . . . and awaken in our eternal home, the home that will heal the weariness that has marked our days.
I came across an Old Testament text the other day that surprised me—a closing comment in Deuteronomy: “Moses . . . died there in Moab, as the Lord had said” (34:5). The Hebrew means literally, “Moses died . . . with the mouth of the Lord,” a phrase ancient rabbis translated, “With the kiss of the Lord.”
Is it too much to envision God bending over us on our final night on earth, tucking us in and kissing us goodnight? Then, as John Donne so eloquently put it, “One short sleep past, we wake eternally.”
Prayer: Heavenly Father, because Your arms carry us, we can sleep in peace.
For death is no more than a turning of us over from time to eternity. —William Penn
INSIGHT Deuteronomy gives us the last written words of Moses. Speaking with the warmth of a father who is about to leave his children, he reminisces about how the Lord, who rescued them from Egypt, miraculously fed, led, and protected the Israelites in an uninhabitable wilderness (1:1–4:40). He reminds them of what the Lord had said to them at Sinai (5:1–26:19). Then he describes how wonderful or terrible their life would be depending on whether or not they continue to remember and trust the God who had led them to the threshold of a promised homeland (chs. 27–30). Moses’s heart must have ached as he expressed what the Lord had told him—that the people he loved would eventually suffer greatly for forgetting the God who had done so much for them (31:29). With a song (ch. 32) and words of blessing (ch. 33), Moses entrusted Israel to God and to the leadership of Moses’s assistant, Joshua (34:9). Mart DeHaan
Topic: The Benefits of Dedicated Worship [Seeds of Destiny 18 December 2018 Devotional]
Scripture: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; Philippians 3:10
Thought For The Day: The glory of God travels in the direction of worship; the Presence of God travels in the direction of praise.
One of the marks of our dedication to God is the depth of our praise and worship. The pursuit of God is directly proportional to the worship and praise of God. The depth of our relationship with God is what fuels our depth in worshipping God. When you come around dedicated worshippers, you feel God.
Paul the apostle, without a doubt, was one of the most dedicated men in Scriptures. Paul speaking passionately in Philippians 3:10 said, that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his suffering…
As dedicated as Paul was, he was also a deep worshipper of God (Philippians 4:4); he had a heart of consistent worship. The deeper your dedication to God, the deeper your praise and worship.
Praise and worship keep dedicated people in the Presence of their Maker. They are fully aware of God’s Presence and will do anything to keep themselves in God’s Presence. The glory of God travels in the direction of worship; the presence of God travels in the direction of praise.
Today, I decree greater manifestations of God’s glory and Presence on your life in this season, in Jesus’ Name.
Remember This: The glory of God travels in the direction of worship; the Presence of God travels in the direction of praise.
Assignments:
Make praise and worship a lifestyle, not just a duty.
Ensure that you live a life free of guilt in order to access the Presence of God.
Prayer: O Lord, I praise You at all times. Let the fragrance of Your Presence flow out of my life at all times, Lord in Jesus’ Name.
FOR FURTHER UNDERSTANDING, GET THIS MESSAGE: YOUR PRAISE (WORSHIP) AND YOUR DEDICATION
Quote: When we worship Him from our hearts, He hears us, not minding our earthly language. Culled from ALABASTER BOX by Dr Becky Paul-Enenche
Daily Reading: 1 Chronicles 26:12 to 27:34, Romans 4:13 to 5:5, Psalm 14:1 to 7, Proverbs 19:17.
Amazing Fact: The sun is 400 times larger than the moon but is 400 times further away from the earth making them appear the same size.
Today In History: 18/12/1956 – Japan was admitted to the United Nations.
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: Extremely Blessed [Kenneth Copeland Devotional 18 December 2018]
A gift is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it: whithersoever it turneth, it prospereth. –Proverbs 17:8
If I could give you a gift this Christmas, the Word is what I’d give you. I’d rather give it to you than a check for a million dollars. Because you can run through a million dollars real quick, but the truth of God’s Word never quits—and it will get you out of situations a million dollars can’t get you out of.
Ken and I are just ordinary people. But when we latched on to God’s Word, we latched on to something out of the ordinary, something that changed our lives. Every area of our lives.
Nothing that’s happened to us has happened because of us. It’s happened because of God’s Word. In fact, I don’t even have to know you to promise you this: If you’ll give God’s Word your full attention—and not be afraid of His will for your life—you’re going to be happier and more prosperous than anything you could ever dream up.
Of course, if you do that, people may call you extreme. They say that about us all the time. But we don’t mind. We are extreme. And if you’ll set your faith on the Word of God, you can be extreme too. Extremely well. Extremely prosperous. And extremely blessed. Merry Christmas!
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.
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.
