Topic: God’s Love Gives Us Confidence [Joyce Meyer’s Devotional Friday August 3, 2018]

By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. — 1 John 4:17

No matter how we feel, we need to magnify God above all else and step out in faith to do whatever He asks us to do.

We never have to be afraid of God. We should have reverential fear, meaning a respectful awe, of Him, but He does not want us to lack con¬fidence when we face Him. The Bible tells us to come “fearlessly and confidently and boldly” to the throne of grace and make our requests known ( see Hebrews 4:16 AMPC).

We cannot operate in boldness and fear at the same time. We may “feel” fear, but we must not bow down or give in to it; we can approach God with confidence.

In our society today we have an epidemic of insecurity. The world is full of people who lack confidence. Our confidence is to be placed in Christ alone and in His love for us. We are to put no confidence in the flesh, but to be bold and courageous in Christ.

Begin to believe today that from now on you will step out in faith to do whatever He asks you to do. Don’t draw back in fear and timidity, but go all the way through to the finish of each task.

Prayer Starter: Father, deliver me from insecurity and a lack of confidence. Help me be bold and courageous. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

If you missed yesterday devotional, please click to read “Joyce Meyer Daily Devotional HERE’’

From Joyce Meyer’s Ministries.

TOPIC — Rapture: The Marriage Of The Lamb [RCCG Sunday School STUDENT Manual, 5th August 2018]

MEMORY VERSE: “And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.” – Revelation 19:9b (scroll down for RCCG SUNDAY SCHOOL 5TH AUGUST 2018 HYMN)

BIBLE PASSAGE: Revelations 19:1-14 (Sunday School STUDENT Manual August 5 2018)

1 And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God:

2 For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.

3 And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.

4 And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.

5 And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.

6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.

8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.

12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.

13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

INTRODUCTION:
Marriage, in this context, symbolises the union between Christ and the Church (Ephesians 5:22-32). It is, however, important to note that the second coming of Christ with the Saints to reign on earth is the next event after the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. May the Holy Spirit teach us and bless us richly as we look at this topic in details (Daniel 7:13; 1Timothy 6:14; Acts 1:10-11).

LESSON OUTLINES
1. What, when and where is the marriage?
2. Importance and qualification for the marriage.

WHAT, WHEN AND WHERE IS THE MARRIAGE?
The Marriage Supper of the Lamb is the Lamb is the consummation of the union between Christ, the Bridegroom and the Church (without spot or wrinkles) (Ephesians 5:27; Revelations 19:1-14; Matthew 22:1-14; Matthew 25:1-13). It is one of the greatest biblical prophesies. The Marriage will take place after the rapture and before the second coming of Christ (with the saints) to the earth (Revelations 19:1-21). Christ is the Bridegroom. The wife is the redeemed or saints of all ages who will have part in the first resurrection and who will live in the New Jerusalem forever (Revelations 21:2, 2:9-10).

IMPORTANCE AND QUALIFICATION FOR THE MARRIAGE
The marriage is important for the following reasons:
1. To assemble the saints for the last supper with Christ (Matthew 26:29).
2. To present the just of all ages to God, the Father, and fulfil their main eternal purpose (John 17:12).
3. To wipe away tears from the faces of the saints (Revelations 7:17; 21:4)
4. To take away the saints from the earth before the activities of the anti-Christ and the great tribulation (Isaiah 57:1).
Those who will qualify for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb must be those who belong to Christ (2Corinthians 5:17), earnestly desiring His second coming and watching (Matthew 25:1-13). Those whose patience and visions are not darkened. Those who do not get distracted and lose focus completely before the Bridegroom comes. Those whose holiness is not polluted and their garment not stained. Those whose garment is righteousness and always right on time (Matthew 21:10-14; Revelations 21:8-27; Hebrews 12:14). Those that obey His commandments and whose citizenship is in Heaven (Revelations 22:14-15; Ephesians 2:16; Matthew 7:21-23).

CONCLUSION
The Marriage Supper of the Lamb, like all biblical prophecies, will be fulfilled. Our Lord Jesus Christ will have His last supper with the Church without spots or wrinkles. Are you a member of His kingdom? Do you earnestly desire it? You cannot afford to miss it. Pray to God to keep you standing in Him and count you worthy of this great and unique event.

QUESTIONS:
1. Who qualifies for the marriage?
2. Name four important reasons for the Marriage?

Also Read: RCCG Sunday School STUDENT Manual July 29, 2018 Lesson 48 — Rapture: Purpose And Qualifications

RCCG SUNDAY SCHOOL 5TH AUGUST 2018 HYMN

1. O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
O how I love Thee well,
I am happy, it makes me glad
To rejoice at Thy birth.

2. O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day, Thy friendship suits me well,
Both young and old will sing Thy song,
We long for Sunday School.

3. O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
Christ was Thy first teacher,
The Holy Spirit, great teacher,
Does manifest in thee.

4. O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
This testimony is sure,
That God, the Father Almighty,
Poured His blessing on Thee.

5. O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
Though the sun be so bright,
Or if the clouds black with rain,
I’ll be in Sunday School.

6. O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
I rejoice to see Thee,
Will thou pass over me today?
Without my being blest?

Topic: It Is Already Done [TREM 3 August 2018 Daily Devotional]

“When Jesus, therefore, had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost”. John 19:30

Everything that God has promised us has already been done, not that it is going to be. When Jesus said, it is finished He meant every bit of that word. What He meant was that it is completely complete and perfectly perfect. Do you think that Jesus is in heaven working? No! The bible says “He saith to my Lord sit down on my right hand till I make your enemy your footstool”. So, Jesus is seated. We are the enforcer. It is our responsibility to enforce the victory. The devil has no right to rule over a place when we are around because Jesus finished it and put you in charge.

He is the head; you are the body. The head and the body cannot be separated. What’s in the head is in the body. So, the devil has missed it by thinking that he will intimidate us.

Child of God, refuse to be bothered. Go to bed because He that keeps you doesn’t slumber nor sleep. He has your back covered. Live your life believing and persuaded that God will keep that which you have committed to Him. Even when you fall, the Bible says that the redeemed of the Lord shall surely return. In other words, you cannot undertake a journey and return half way. There is always a returning! Inside every redeemed, there is always a bounce back mechanism. Therefore, your fall cannot be fatal. I declare over your life; you are bouncing back.

The world will hear from you. There is no way your expectations will be cut off. Right in the same place that they called you names, there you shall be celebrated. They have tagged you with something and have spoken behind your back and turned up their nose because of your condition, but get ready you will experience a turnaround. By the authority of heaven, I declare it over your life. You will not fulfill their testimonies. You are going to spring a surprise.

Further Reading: Philippians 1:6, Psalm 121:1-8

Daily Bible Reading: Morning- Psalms 63-65; Evening- Romans 6

“If you missed yesterday devotional click HERE to read TREM Daily Devotional by Dr. Mike Okonkwo’’

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: Let It Flow [Kenneth & Gloria Copeland 3rd August 2018 Daily Devotional]

Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. – John 4:14

Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Gentleness. Goodness. Faith. Meekness. Temperance. Powerful forces the Bible calls the fruit of the spirit. They’re the character traits of God Himself and when the Holy Spirit came to dwell in you, He brought them with Him, so they could become your character traits too.

They’re designed to bubble up inside you, to gush forth like a powerful stream constantly protecting and cleansing you from the inside out.

Have you ever noticed that you can’t put any trash in the mouth of a flowing fountain? When it’s shooting that water up, the force of its own outflow protects it and keeps it clear of any impurities from the outside. Well, the spiritual fountain within you works the same way. When you’re allowing the forces of love and joy and peace and gentleness and all the others to flow out, the devil can’t get any of his junk in.

How do you keep the spirit flowing? You pump your heart so full of the Word of God that the forces of eternal life start bubbling out. Just a little at first…and then stronger and higher.

Choose to keep those forces streaming out of the fountain of your heart. Refuse to let selfishness and sin stop the flow. You have a fountain filled with unbeatable life forces inside you and it’s ready to come forth. Let it flow!

Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 17:7-13

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: To My Dear Friend [Our Daily Bread 3rd Friday August, 2018]

Read: 3 John, Bible in a Year: Psalms 63–65; Romans 6

The elder, to my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth. 3 John 1

What the apostle John did for his friend Gaius in the first century is a dying art in the twenty-first century. John wrote him a letter.

One writer for the New York Times, Catherine Field, said, “Letter-writing is among our most ancient of arts. Think of letters and the mind falls on Paul of Tarsus,” for example. And we can add the apostle John.

In his letter to Gaius, John included hopes for good health of body and soul, an encouraging word about Gaius’s faithfulness, and a note about his love for the church. John also spoke of a problem in the church, which he promised to address individually later. And he wrote of the value of doing good things for God’s glory. All in all, it was an encouraging and challenging letter to his friend.

Digital communication may mean letter-writing on paper is fading away, but this shouldn’t stop us from encouraging others. Paul wrote letters of encouragement on parchment; we can encourage others in a variety of ways. The key is not the way we encourage others, but that we take a moment to let others know we care for them in Jesus’s name!

Think of the encouragement Gaius experienced when he opened John’s letter. Could we similarly shine God’s love on our friends with a thoughtful note or an uplifting call?

Prayer: Lord, help us know how to encourage others who need a spiritual boost from us.

Encouraging words bring hope to the human spirit.

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

This message was written By Dave Branon [Our Daily Bread Ministries.]

Topic: Comfort In Eternity [Andrew Wommack 3rd August 2018 Daily Devotional]

Luke 16:22 “And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;”

Text: Luke 16:19-31

This story clearly teaches that there is life after death. It shows that there is no “soul sleep” where our souls are awaiting the resurrection of our bodies, but we go into a conscious eternity immediately. It also shows that there are only two destinations possible after death. We either go to a place of torment for the wicked or a place of blessing for the righteous. There is no “limbo” or “purgatory” and there is no second chance, illustrating the finality of our eternal destiny once we die.

Abraham’s bosom is a symbolic term designating a place of comfort for the righteous dead. It was located in the heart of the earth, in the same region as hell, where the ungodly dead go. The rich man’s body was in the grave and yet this scripture speaks of him lifting up his eyes and seeing Lazarus in Abraham’s bosom. Our soul mirrors our physical shape so closely that it is recognizable. It is probable that one’s soulish body is an exact duplicate of their physical body.

Part of this man’s torment was from the flames. However, he was also tormented by the thought of his loved ones’ lives on earth and their eternal destiny. Surely his helplessness to warn them would make his misery worse.

Also, the fact that he could see Lazarus and Abraham in a place of total blessing and comfort would keep him from ever adjusting to his situation.

In the light of Jesus’ words, we can see that hell will be much more than just a place of physical torment. Those who are consigned to that place will also be tormented with the thoughts of what could have been if they had trusted Jesus. The greatest witness that anyone could ever receive is the witness from God’s Word. The gospel is the “power of God unto salvation”.

Also 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: Sufficient to Save [Billy Graham’s Devotional Friday August 3, 2018]

There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. — Proverbs 14:12

A line of human thought that seems right to many people is the idea of self-redemption. Man thinks he must work at righteousness to save himself. After all, it was man who sinned and as we say, “God helps those who help themselves.” But a greater truth than this emerges from the Bible-the truth that God helps those who cannot help themselves. We cannot save ourselves. It is noble to be upright if we can. It is admirable to be honest, kind, and compassionate. It would seem that these characteristics would be sufficient to save our souls. But the Bible says that though this way seems right, it is wrong.

Prayer for the day: Father, I know that my attempts at living a good life are nothing compared to my beloved Savior, Jesus Christ; but because of Him I can come to You, knowing He has redeemed me.

“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.

Topic: Arise and Build [DCLM Daily Manna 3rd August 2018 Daily Devotional]

Text: Nehemiah 3:6-22 (KJV)

Key Verse: “And next unto him repaired Shallum the son of Halohesh, the ruler of the half part of Jerusalem, he and his daughters. And after him repaired the priests, the men of the plain” (Nehemiah 3:12,22).

MESSAGE:

Commenting on leadership ability to understand people’s mood and take appropriate action, a Scottish philosopher, Francis Hutcheson said, “Action is best when it procures the greatest happiness for the greatest numbers”.

Nehemiah, which means, “The Lord comforts”, was the personal cupbearer to the Persian king, Artaxerxes. He received permission from the king to go to Judah to restore his people’s fortunes. This did not come on a platter of gold but until after he had been informed that “the remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire” (Nehemiah 1:3).

This prompted him to fast and seek God’s face in prayer. Nehemiah mobilised the people and the rebuilding of Jerusalem walls became a matter of national emergency. Everyone was involved.

Today, many places of worship look more like poultry than God’s houses; some even without walls and gates. There is great need for leaders with vision and concern for the building of befitting places of worship for the Lord. These should be leaders, who like Nehemiah, will mobilise everyone for the attainment of noble objectives. All hands must be on deck as we all bear witness of God’s great provision for the redemption of lost mankind.

God in His mercy gave us the best through His Son’s death on the cross. The best service should flow from those redeemed by the blood to serve the living God.

Thought For The Day: Standing out in true service to the Most High is a noble act.

Bible Reading In One Year: 2 Chronicles 32-33

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.

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