Topic: Singing to the Firing Squad [Our Daily Bread 10 October 2018 Devotional]

Read: Mark 14:16–26, Bible in a Year: Isaiah 34–36; Colossians 2

I trusted in the Lord when I said, “I am greatly afflicted.” Psalm 116:10

Two men convicted of drug trafficking had been on death row for a decade. While in prison, they learned of God’s love for them in Jesus, and their lives were transformed. When it came time for them to face the firing squad, they faced their executioners reciting the Lord’s Prayer and singing “Amazing Grace.” Because of their faith in God, through the power of the Spirit they were able to face death with incredible courage.

They followed the example of faith set by their Savior, Jesus. When Jesus knew that His death was imminent, He spent part of the evening singing with friends. It’s remarkable that He could sing under such circumstances, but what’s even more remarkable is what He sang. On that night, Jesus and His friends had a Passover meal, which always ends with a series of Psalms known as the Hallel, Psalms 113–118. Facing death, that night Jesus sang about the “cords of death” entangling Him (Psalm 116:3). Yet He praised God’s faithful love (117:2) and thanked Him for salvation (118:14). Surely these Psalms comforted Jesus on the night before His crucifixion.

Jesus’s trust in God was so great that even as He approached His own death—a death He had done nothing to deserve!—He chose to sing of God’s love. Because of Jesus, we too can have confidence that whatever we face, God is with us.

Prayer: God, strengthen our faith in You so that when we face trials, or even approach death, we can sing with confidence about Your love.

How sweet is the sound of God’s amazing grace!

Insight:
It has been said that our songs are essentially our sung prayers. After having been severely beaten and unjustly arrested, Paul and Silas “were praying and singing hymns to God” in prison! (Acts 16:25). In Paul’s letter to the Ephesian church he exhorts them to “[sing] psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and [make] music to the Lord in your hearts” (Ephesians 5:19 nlt).

Are you going through a difficult time? Ask God to encourage you as you sing your favorite hymn or song. K. T. Sim

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

This message was written By Amy Peterson [Our Daily Bread Ministries.]

Increase Your Capacity by David Ibiyeomie

Topic: Increase Your Capacity

No man can be great until he increases his capacity and you cannot increase your capacity if your mind is fixed. Refuse to be fixed in your mind because it leads to stagnation. Capacity is the ability to do something.

Matthew 25:15 (KJV) -And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.

There’s no ungifted person. God blesses people according to how they are prepared to receive. No one can be the best who refuses to improve. Capacity to be the best can be increased. Your blessing is given according to the level of your capacity; when you increase it, your blessing increases.

You increase your capacity through your way of thinking. Until your mind shifts, your capacity will not shift.

Proverbs 23:7 (KJV) -For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

Also Read: Time Investment by David Ibiyeomie

The brain has a size but the mind is elastic and limitless. As much as your mind can grasp, God will give it to you. If your mind is fixed, you will not be able to think outside the box. If there’s no paradigm shift in your mind, no matter how much you pray, you will be fixed there.

Romans 12:2a (KJV) -And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.

What is happening to you on the outside is based on what is happening in your mind. No man can change his result outside when he has not changed himself on the inside. Your business must grow in your mind before it manifests. Until your mind grows, nothing grows. You cannot change a man until he changes his way of thinking and until he changes his way of thinking, nothing in his life will change.

Another way to increase your capacity is through personal development.

John 7:15 (KJV) -And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?

They saw Jesus reading but they marveled because he never went to formal school. Jesus was the most anointed but he developed himself. As his custom was, he was going to the temple to learn how to read; He therefore developed himself to read without going to school. That you did not go to school is not an excuse. It is not school that makes people; it is personal development. Without personal development, you cannot increase your capacity.

2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV) –Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Where school stops is where personal development starts. It is what you personally put into what you want to do that increases your capacity. Acquire knowledge. A man who does not read “good” books has no advantage over a man who cannot read; they are both equal.

God give you the grace to increase your capacity; so utilize it now!

God bless you

Also Read: Other Inspiring Messages by Pastor David Ibiyeomie

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: Let There Be No Discord [DCLM Daily Manna 10 October 2018 Daily Devotional by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi]

Text: Genesis 23:1-16 (KJV)

Key Verse: “And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant“ (Genesis 23:16).

MESSAGE:

Abraham needed to bury his wife, Sarah who had died, and he, being a stranger had to approach the land owners – the Hittites for a burial ground. Their positive and reverential response to Abraham’s request is an indication of the harmonious relationship that existed between them. They offered to give him a place freely but Abraham opted instead to pay the price that was named.

Here is a lesson for the church and believers. It is always important to secure all legal documents relating to any purchased property. When God instructed Jeremiah to buy a piece of land in Anathoth from his uncle’s son, at a time when the fall of Jerusalem was imminent, as a sign of God’s faithfulness to still bring His people back from the Babylonian captivity, all due legal processes were observed – the payment for the land, the signing of the deed and the presence of witnesses, “according to the law and custom” (Jeremiah 32:6-14).

The church can do no less today. Instances of persons who purportedly gave some properties to the church only to come back and demand them again can be avoided if all legal documents and handover notes were obtained. Even among the brethren, in our day-to-day business relationships with one another, it is always necessary to have a properly defined, documented and mutually understandable working agreement. Failure in this area in the past had given Satan opportunity to cause discord amongst brethren.

In all, God demands that all things be done decently and in order. It is wrong, if not foolish, to take things for granted and assume that our faith will grant the immunity if we overlook matters of documentation, probity and accountability. Let us be more serious, better focused thorough in all we do.

Thought For The Day: We gain the more when we make thoroughness and diligence the pivot of our transactions.

Bible Reading In One Year: Matthew 5-7

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: The Impact Of Actions [Seeds of Destiny 10 October 2018 Devotional]

Scripture: And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the LORD shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones. Joshua 7:25

Thought For The Day: It is the actions of today that deliver the impacts of tomorrow.

Sometime ago, an eighteen-year-old young lady who was in the Senior Secondary School (SS2) sent a message to our church line. She wrote, ‘Pastor, I feel so dirty and defiled, I want to kill myself’. My wife and I put a call through to her to know what happened. She said that when she was four years old, a mature person in her neighbourhood raped her. After that demonic action, she would come under an uncontrollable urge to commit immorality with whosoever and whatsoever she saw. As a result of that, she had slept with numerous men that she had lost count of. She had become a shadow of herself, there was nothing like education nor a definite future in her mind or focus, all because of a wicked, self-centered, satan-sponsored, destiny-destroying man who decided to pick up a four-year old baby and initiate her into an immoral covenant that has ruined her life and destroyed her destiny. It was such a pathetic case. What a level of wickedness!

Beloved, whatever you sow, you will reap (Galatians 6:7); living is seeding; life has consequences. It is the actions of today that deliver the impacts of tomorrow. Refuse to be allowed to be used by the devil.

On the other hand, if you have been a victim of the negative actions of others, God can restore and repair your life. My counsel is, draw closer to God and allow Him to mend your life for His Purpose.

Remember This: It is the actions of today that deliver the impacts of tomorrow.

Assignments:
1. Be conscious of the decisions you make and the actions you take per time; read the account of Achan in Joshua 7:1-25 for a broader understanding of our anchor Scripture.
2. Make up your mind not to sow a negative seed in the life of anyone.

Prayer: Lord, I refuse to be a victim of the activity of any agent of wickedness. Grant me the grace to always act correctly and make positive impact in the life of everyone that comes my way Lord, in Jesus’ Name.

FOR FURTHER UNDERSTANDING GET THIS MESSAGE: SEVEN-WAY LIFESTYE TEST

Quote: Action determines outcome; action fuels results. Culled from 365 WISDOM CAPSULES by Dr Paul Enenche

Daily Reading: Jeremiah 14:11 to 16:15, 1 Thessalonians 2:9 to 3:13, Psalm 80:1 to19, Proverbs 25:1 to 5

Amazing Fact: Plantain leaves are also to simulate appetite, as they have a distinctive smell when hot food is placed on them.

Today In History: 10/10/1994 – Nobel prize for physiology was awarded to Alfred G. Gilman & Martin Rodbell for G-protein discoveries.

Also Read: Click HERE to read Other Inspirational Messages by Pastor Paul Enenche

Today’s devotional was written by Pastor Paul Enenche of the Dunamis International Gospel Centre (DIGC), headquartered at Abuja, Nigeria, with Pastor Paul and Becky Enenche, as the Senior Pastors. It is a power-packed arena where God’s Presence, Principles and Power are at work for the salvation, healing and restoration of human destinies and dignities

Flatimes Notice Board: Until you are born again, God ever abiding presence will never be with you. You must be born again to enjoy continuous victory. Please say the displayed prayer below in faith:

Lord Jesus, come into my life. I accept You as my Lord and Personal Saviour. I believe in my heart You died and rose from the dead to save me. Thank You Lord for saving me, in Jesus name Amen.

If you just prayed the prayer of salvation online please send your testimonies and prayer request to [email protected], 07026385437 OR 08141320204.

Topic: Test The Gifts Of The Spirit [Andrew Wommack Devotional 10 October 2018]

Luke 22:13 “And they went, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover.“

When a true gift of the Spirit is in operation, things will always be as the Lord has said (an exception to this is if there are conditions to meet).

This is the ultimate test of whether or not someone’s words are God-inspired (Dt. 18:22).

We cannot be led by just our own feelings concerning the gifts of the Spirit.

In 1 Corinthians chapter 12, the apostle Paul gives us direction governing the use of spiritual gifts that must supersede any urge or leading that we feel.

The first test to apply to any gift of the Spirit is to ask, “Does it glorify Jesus?” That’s the point Paul is making. The Holy Spirit will never lead anyone to defame Jesus in any way. Jesus made it very clear that the Holy Spirit would only glorify Him. Any utterance or act that denies Jesus is not from the Holy Spirit.

In Paul’s day, there was a transition being made from Judaism to Christianity. Some Jews were teaching that keeping the Old Testament law could produce salvation. They violently opposed Paul’s teaching, that faith alone in Jesus could produce salvation. Paul considered any utterance like this as calling Jesus accursed and it definitely would not be from the Holy Spirit.

Also, the pagan religions of Paul’s day believed in many gods. Anyone who tried to make Jesus just another god or “a” way to God instead of “the” way to God would be calling Him accursed. The Holy Spirit would never inspire anyone to do this. Those who are truly moved by the Holy Spirit in their utterances will always glorify Jesus.

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: Satisfied by Righteousness [Billy Graham Devotional 10 October 2018]

But my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. — Philippians 4:19

Man hungers for food, and God sends the sun and rain upon the golden fields of grain. The grain is made into flour, and flour into bread, and man’s physical hunger is satisfied. Man hungers for love; and God ignites the fire of affection in another heart, and two hearts are made complete in the bonds of holy matrimony.

Man hungers for knowledge, and God raises up institutions of learning, calls men to be instructors, puts it into the hearts of the rich to endow them; and men are satisfied in their thirst for knowledge. Man hungers for fellowship; and God allows him to build cities where men can share their industry, and their knowledge, and their skills.

Don’t tell me that God can supply man with an abundance of everything material and yet will let him starve spiritually! . . . God will satisfy the hunger and thirst of those who desire His righteousness because He loves the world with an undying affection.

Prayer for the day: You have abundantly supplied my greatest need, heavenly Father, for You have given me love.

“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.