Topic: Where Is Peace? [Our Daily Bread 25 October 2018 Devotional]

Read: Jeremiah 8:8–15, Bible in a Year: Jeremiah 6–8; 1 Timothy 5

We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1

“Do you still hope for peace?” a journalist asked Bob Dylan in 1984.

“There is not going to be any peace,” Dylan replied. His response drew criticism, yet there’s no denying that peace remains ever elusive.

About 600 years before Christ, most prophets were predicting peace. God’s prophet wasn’t one of them. Jeremiah reminded the people that God had said, “Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people” (Jeremiah 7:23). Yet they repeatedly ignored the Lord and His commands. Their false prophets said, “Peace, peace” (8:11), but Jeremiah predicted disaster. Jerusalem fell in 586 bc.

Peace is rare. But amid Jeremiah’s book of dire prophecies we discover a God who loves relentlessly. “I have loved you with an everlasting love,” the Lord told His rebellious people. “I will build you up again” (31:3–4).

God is a God of love and peace. Conflict comes because of our rebellion against Him. Sin destroys the world’s peace and robs each of us of inner peace. Jesus came to this planet to reconcile us to God and give us that inner peace. “Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,” wrote the apostle Paul (Romans 5:1). His words are among the most hope-filled ever written.

Whether we live in a combat zone or dwell in a serene neighborhood with nary a whisper of war, Christ invites us into His peace.

God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. C. S. Lewis

INSIGHT:
Jeremiah delivers a devastating message of coming punishment to the people of Judah. God’s judgment of sin includes loss of spouse and property (Jeremiah 8:10), failed crops (v. 13), and overwhelming terror (v. 15). Why such a devastating punishment? They have mishandled the law of the Lord (v. 8). Jeremiah continues by saying that they have no wisdom since they have rejected the word of the Lord (v. 9). Scripture is not something to be treated lightly. In the Bible God reveals Himself and His plan for humanity’s redemption. It’s a story to be treated with the utmost respect.

J.R. Hudberg

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

This message was written By Tim Gustafson [Our Daily Bread Ministries.]

Topic: The Solution Is By Your Side [DCLM Daily Manna 25 October 2018 Daily Devotional by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi]

Text: 1 Samuel 17:12-24 (KJV)

Key Verse: “And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid“ (1 Samuel 17:24).

MESSAGE:

There was war between Israel and the Philistines in the valley of Elah. All the men of Israel were sore afraid when they saw Goliath, the champion of the Philistines and they fled from him. Eventually, David, the youngest of the eight sons of Jesse, was providentially and circumstantially brought to the scene of the battle. Though he was not enlisted as a soldier in the army, the Spirit of God moved him into action.

We should realise that it was the wise God who moved Jesse to send David, his youngest son, to the raging battle at this critical juncture of the war between Israel and Philistine. Jesse’s purpose of sending David to the battlefield was to see how his three eldest sons who were fighting in Saul’s army fared and also to give them food. Little did he know that he was merely carrying out God’s plan to send a deliverer to humiliate Goliath and grant victory to the people of Israel. Other Israelites, including the three brethren of David, might misunderstand David’s arrival at the battlefield at that critical moment. But God knew why.

Therefore, when certain things happen which you do not understand, commit them to God in prayer rather than complain, criticize or come to a wrong and sinful conclusion. Man’s understanding and knowledge are limited.

While the Israelites’ army panted and shook for fear of Goliath, they did not recognise that David was the champion in disguise that God had sent to the scene to deliver them. At the peak of your fear and anxiety, God will bring the solution very close to you.

Thought For The Day: Only faith in God will make you see His presence in the storms of life.

Bible Reading In One Year: Luke 10-11; John 10:22

If you missed yesterday devotional, please click to read Deeper Christian Life Ministry, DCLM Daily Manna HERE

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: Get Rid of the Frogs [Kenneth & Gloria Copeland Devotional 25 October 2018]

When shall I intreat for thee, and for thy servants, and for thy people, to destroy the frogs from thee and thy houses? – Exodus 8:9

Have you ever wrestled with one of those problems that stubbornly refuses to go away? It seems to be immune to all solutions. You swat at the thing in every conceivable way, but instead of being eliminated, it expands and multiplies until it’s wildly out of control.

An Egyptian pharaoh faced just that kind of problem, the Bible tells us, thousands of years ago. He was in a hot dispute with God over the future of the Israelites, and as a result of that dispute, he woke up one morning to find his country swarming with frogs. Slimy, smelly, hopping-all-over-the-place frogs.

It was a serious problem. I’m not talking about a frog or two in the front yard. I mean frogs were everywhere—in their beds, on their tables. Big old frogs in the ovens. Little bitty frogs in the bread dough and the drinking water. Frogs. Frogs in your hair. Frogs in places you wouldn’t even want to think about!

Then God made a move. He sent His man Moses in to Pharaoh to ask, “When shall I entreat the Lord to get these frogs out of here?”

Do you know what Pharaoh said?

“Tomorrow.”

Can you imagine that? He could have said, “Right now! Today!” But instead he decided he’d spend one more night among the frogs.

You say, “That’s the stupidest thing I ever heard. Why in the world would he say tomorrow?” I don’t know. Probably for the same reason you want to wait until tomorrow to get saved or healed or prosperous.

Here’s what I want you to notice. When Moses asked Pharaoh that question and he answered, “Tomorrow,” Moses said, “All right. So that you know there’s a God in heaven, be it done according to your words.”

Let me ask you this: How long are you willing to let that persisting problem harass you? When are you going to get rid of the frogs in your life? Do you realize they’ll stay around as long as you’ll let them? They’ll be there until you finally make a quality decision to go with the Word of God and get them out.

Why don’t you do it today?

Scripture Reading: Exodus 8:1-13

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: Our Life Is In Him (Andrew Wommack Devotional 25 October 2018)

John 15:4 “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.”

Text: John 15:4

This is a profound truth, that is the key to bearing fruit, but it is so easy to forget. Because the fruit is borne on the branch, it is easy to credit the branch with the fruit, when it is the vine that drew the life from the earth and channeled it through the branch.

Likewise, since we are the branch through which the life of God flows, we sometimes think that it is our own holiness that produces the fruit. The moment we think that way, we are no longer abiding (trusting in; clinging to) in the vine and we will become fruitless if we persist in this mind set.

This is actually a great relief if the believer understands this and applies it properly. It puts all the responsibility on Jesus. Our only responsibility is to respond to His ability. In the same way that you have never seen a branch travailing to bring forth fruit, so all we have to do is labor to enter into His rest (trust and depend) and completely trust Jesus as our source (Heb. 4:11). If we abide in Him, fruit will come naturally.

It’s our faith in what Jesus did for us that saved us, and our faith has to continue to be in Christ, not in ourselves, to maintain salvation. Our holiness, righteousness, and justification are gifts that we receive in our spirits through Jesus.

Just like the life of a root is found in the soil, or a branch in the vine, or a fish in the sea, so the believer’s true life is found in the union with Christ.

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

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: Cure Discouragement [Billy Graham Devotional 25 October 2018]

Wait on the Lord, be of good courage . . . — Psalm 27:14

Discouragement is nothing new. Many of the great Bible characters became discouraged. Moses in the Sinai desert; Elijah when he heard Jezebel was searching for him to take his life; and David when his son Absalom rebelled against him. It is as old as the history of man.

There is often a cause for discouragement. It comes many times when we don’t get our way, when things don’t work out the way we want them to. Discouragement is the opposite of faith. It is Satan’s device to thwart the work of God in your life. Discouragement blinds our eyes to the mercy of God and makes us perceive only the unfavorable circumstances.

I have never met anyone who spent time in daily prayer, and in the study of the Word of God, and was strong in faith, who was ever discouraged for very long.

Prayer for the day: Lord, when I am discouraged, take away the blindness of my wavering faith. You are with me always. Forgive my ungrateful heart.

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.

Open Heaven 25 October 2018 Thursday Daily Devotional by Pastor E A Adeboye – Things Money Cannot Do

Topic: Things Money Cannot Do (Open Heaven 25 October 2018)

Memorise: “But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.”- Acts 8:20

Read: Luke 12:15-23 (KJV)

15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:

17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?

18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.

19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.

20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?

21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

22 And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.

23 The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.

Bible in One Year: Jeremiah 21-22, Luke 10:38-11:13

Open Heaven 25 October 2018 Thursday MESSAGE:

One of the fallacies of life is the notion that when you have money, you have everything. How untrue this is! My experiences in ministry have taught me that there is so much that money cannot do. For example, money cannot make a barren woman conceive. If you doubt this, ask the wealthy Shunammite woman (2 Kings 4:8-17). It is amazing that when Elisha asked this woman what she desired, she momentarily forgot or pretended to forget that there was something she lacked which her money could not buy, which was a child (2 Kings 4:13). Irrespective of this, in 2 Kings 4:16, Elisha declared to her:

“…About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son. And she said, Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid.”

Why did she doubt Elisha’s declaration? It was because she considered it too good to be true! She also probably felt that whatever money could not do, nothing else could do it. I have good news for a user of this devotional: that need that money has failed to meet in your life, which you have used good money to travel across several hospitals in the world to resolve to no avail, you will receive it this season in Jesus’ Name.

I was once invited to preach in an area where the “who is who” in Nigeria reside. When I got to the particular house I was invited to and saw money in action, I decided to change my sermon to something like “It is good to bless the Lord”, because I could not imagine that family having a single need; but I was wrong. Before long, I realized that there was a problem that money could not solve in that family, so I introduced them to the God with whom there is no impossibility. At the end of the day, God solved the problem that money could not solve for them. God will solve the problem that has defied the power of money in your life today in Jesus’ Name. Today’s Bible reading narrates the interesting story of a man who was very successful in his farming business. Although most rich men are never satisfied with the amount of wealth they possess, this particular one was so rich that he planned to retire from creating more wealth, unfortunately, he did the same night he conceived his plan. His money could not prevent death from snatching him away from enjoying his hard-earned wealth. Shame to money that cannot save its owner from death! If money cannot save from physical death, how would it save a person from eternal death? Jesus said the foolishness of this rich man is applicable to those who lay up earthly treasures for themselves but are not rich towards God (Luke 12:21). Are you one of such people?

Open Heaven 25 October 2018 Thursday Prayer Point:

Father, please bestow on me blessings that surpass what money can buy in Jesus’ Name.

Also Read: Open Heaven 24 October 2018 – A Microwave Christian?

Open Heaven 25 October 2018 Thursday Hymn 2: I Need Thee Every Hour

1. I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine can peace afford.

Chorus:
I need Thee, oh, I need Thee;
Every hour I need Thee;
Oh, bless me now, my Savior,
I come to Thee.

2. I need Thee every hour, stay Thou nearby;
Temptations lose their pow’r when Thou art nigh.

3. I need Thee every hour, in joy or pain;
Come quickly and abide, or life is vain.

4. I need Thee every hour; teach me Thy will;
And Thy rich promises in me fulfill.

5. I need Thee every hour, most Holy One;
Oh, make me Thine indeed, Thou blessed Son.

Open Heaven 25 October 2018 Thursday 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 25 October 2018 Thursday 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.