Topic: The Irony of Comfort! [Open Heavens 4th July 2018, Wednesday Daily Devotional]

Memorise: But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth. – 1 Timothy 5:6

Read: 2 Samuel 11:1-5 (KJV)

1 And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem.

2 And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king’s house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.

3 And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?

4 And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house.

5 And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, and said, I am with child.

Bible in One Year: 1 Chronicles 28-29, Acts 21:37-22:11

MESSAGE:

While God is not against His people enjoying a comfortable life, He is against us living for pleasure. There is a life of comfort and pleasure that can ultimately lead to spiritual death. After God gave David rest from the life of wandering in the wilderness as a shepherd, fugitive, mercenary and warrior king, he started living in pleasure, so much so that he no longer went to battle. In the course of his life of leisure, pleasure and comfort, he fell into sin that would have destroyed his destiny, but for the mercies of God. He experienced spiritual death and had to cry to God for restoration (Psalm 51). Spiritual death is a condition of alienation from God because of sin. It is the absence of spiritual life, which means physically alive without having a relationship with God. Ultimately, it leads to permanent separation from God. By nature, all of mankind is dead spiritually. However, whosoever accepts Jesus as Lord and Saviour becomes genuinely born again and experiences transformative change. Such a person is liberated from spiritual death and is made alive by the Holy Spirit.

After experiencing new life in Christ, we are encouraged to take pleasure in everything God has created, but never to allow pleasure in His creation to overshadow pleasure in the Creator Himself. We live in times when the desire to live a pleasurable life is most paramount on people’s mind. We must not allow ourselves to become overtaken by the wanton desire for pleasure we see all around us. Remember that in the last days, men will become lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God (2 Timothy 3:4). In these perilous times, people are craving to satisfy the lust of the flesh through food, drinks, stimulants and sexual gratification. They also strive to satisfy the lust of the eyes through fashion, materialism and inordinate acquisition of the beautiful things of this life. Lastly, they live to satisfy the pride of life through the accumulation of titles, recognition, fame and other achievements. Children of God must not be caught in the snare of the devil. With respect to the pleasure of this world, the Spirit of God recommends restraint and discipline to every child of God. In 1 Corinthians 7:31, He says:

“And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away.”

God’s people must have self-control, be generous and have consideration for others. The Bible insists that anyone who places priority on pleasure or invests much time and resources into a pleasure-seeking lifestyle is spiritually dead, even though alive physically. There are so many of such people in the Church of God today (Revelation 3:1)! I pray that God will help such people to recognise their state and move them to cry to Him for restoration.

Prayer Point: Father, help me to overcome every craving in me that will lead to spiritual death in Jesus’ Name.

If you missed yesterday devotional, please click HERE to read Open Heavens 3 July 2018 – Guilty of Being Righteous!

Hymn 15: Nearer My God To Thee

1. Nearer, my God to Thee,
Nearer to Thee!
E’en though it be a cross
That raiseth me,
Still all my song shall be.
Nearer, my God to Thee!
Nearer, my God to Thee!
Nearer to Thee!

2. Though like the wanderer,
The sun gone down.
Darkness be over me,
My rest a stone.
Yet in my dreams I’d be
Nearer, my God to Thee!
Nearer, my God to Thee!
Nearer to Thee!

3. There let the way appear
Steps unto heaven;
All that Thou send’st to me
In mercy given:
Angels to beckon me
Nearer, my God, to Thee!
Nearer, my God to Thee!
Nearer to Thee!

4. Then, with my waking thoughts
Bright with Thy praise,
Out of my stony griefs
Bethel I’ll raise
So by my woes to be
Nearer, my God, to Thee!
Nearer, my God to Thee!
Nearer to Thee!

Open Heavens 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.

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: A People Of No Understanding [DCLM Daily Manna Wednesday July 4, 2018]

Text: Isaiah 27:1-13 (KJV)

Key Verse: “When the boughs thereof are withered, they shall be broken off: the women come, and set them on fire: for it is a people of no understanding: therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them, and he that formed them will shew them no favour” (Isaiah 27:11).

MESSAGE:

Charles Dickens said, “There is a wisdom of the head, and …there is a wisdom of the heart”.

Our passage today is a lamentation over a nation went into captivity because they forgot themselves and their history. But the Lord promised to deliver Judah from captivity and to recompense their oppressors according to the measure of brutality meted out to them when they were under judgment. By this action, the iniquity of Jacob shall then be purged but her cities will remain desolate. The Lord lamented the obvious bankruptcy of understanding among His people with so much prospects, yet giving all away in exchange for nothing.

Israel is described as ‘a people of no understanding’. The same can be said of our world today. Despite our advancement in science and technology, which has improved the standard of living, our wisdom in the things of God is rather declining. Though innovations are brought into every field of human development, godly wisdom and understanding is decreasing. We are wise enough to put a man in space, develop weapons of mass destruction, produce and utilise robots in our manufacturing and production systems. Yet, we are not wise enough to understand biblical principles.

We need to desist from the ways of the Israelites who despised their prophets and made jest of the word of God until they went into captivity. We must ask God for forgiveness and return to Him today before His wrath falls on us.

Thought For The Day: The future can’t be changed if we think the same way.

Bible Reading In One Year: 2 Kings 9-11

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: A Perfect World [Our Daily Bread 4 Wednesday July, 2018]

Read: Revelation 21:1–5, Bible in a Year: Job 28–29; Acts 13:1–25

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Revelation 21:5

Katie was given a school assignment to write an essay entitled “My Perfect World.” She wrote: “In my perfect world . . . ice cream is free, lollipops are everywhere, and the sky is blue all the time, with only a few clouds that have interesting shapes.” Then her essay took a more serious turn. In that world, she continued, “No one will come home to bad news. And no one will have to be the one to deliver it.”

No one will come home to bad news. Isn’t that wonderful? Those words point powerfully to the confident hope we have in Jesus. He is “making everything new”—healing and transforming our world (Revelation 21:5).

Paradise is the place of “no more”—no more evil, no more death, no more mourning, no more pain, no more tears (v. 4)! It is a place of perfect communion with God, who by His love has redeemed and claimed believers as His own (v. 3). What marvelous joy awaits us!

We can enjoy a foretaste of this perfect reality here and now. As we seek to fellowship with God daily, we experience the joy of His presence (Colossians 1:12–13). And even as we struggle against sin, we experience, in part, the victory that is ours in Christ (2:13–15), the One who fully conquered sin and death.

Prayer: Lord, thank You that You are making all things new. Help us to live in the hope of the day we will live with You, pure and blameless, on a new earth in Your presence forever and ever.

God’s perfect world is for all who believe in Jesus.

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

This message was written By Poh Fang Chia [Our Daily Bread Ministries.]

Topic: God Is Healing Our Land [Kenneth & Gloria Copeland, Wednesday July 4, 2018]

Shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid. – Romans 3:3-4

Faith-filled words. That’s what changes things. They’ll move mountains into the sea. They’ll turn sickness into health. They’ll turn a sinner into a saint.

They’ll also take a sin-ridden nation and turn it into God’s own country. That’s right. Then, if we believers would back up the prayers we’ve been praying for this nation with words of faith instead of doubt and discouragement, we’d soon begin to see spiritual resurrection in the United States.

God promised us that if we, His people, would humble ourselves and pray and seek His face and turn from our wicked ways, He would heal our land. And let me tell you, there are prayer warriors all over this country (I hope you’re one of them) who are doing what that promise requires.

But, even so, you don’t hear many people saying, “This is great! God is healing the land.” You don’t hear people speaking out by faith the promise of God. Instead, you hear them saying, “Oh my, oh my, did you hear what those terrorists are doing?” or some other destructive thing they’ve seen on television.

Listen, we need to stop preaching what the terrorists are doing and start telling what God is doing! God said He is healing this land.

We must start speaking about this country by faith instead of going around spouting bad news all the time. Of course, that will sound odd to most people. Some of them may even think we’ve slipped a few cogs. But that’s nothing new.

Let me tell you something: One handful of believers who are listening to, trusting in, and speaking out the good news of God are more powerful than all the devils on earth. One handful of believers is more powerful than a whole army of unbelieving doomsayers. The unbelief of the doomsayers will not make the faith of God of no effect!

That’s why over the last 25 years, Gloria and I have learned to turn a deaf ear to the bad news and just start praising and thanking God for His deliverance. Every word of praise we speak releases faith in our heart.

Get determined with Gloria and me right now. Take a firm stand with us that things are changing in this country. Settle it in your heart as you pray. Speak it out. Call it forth. God is healing the land!

Scripture Reading: Nehemiah 6:1-16

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: Freedom from Temptation [Andrew Wommack Wednesday July 4, 2018]

Luke 10:19 – “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”

Although these are examples of God’s protection from harm caused by the physical creation, this scripture is also speaking of mastery over the spiritual realm of the enemy (i.e., Satan). This Scripture does not say that Satan cannot inflict any harm. The scriptures abound with examples, and warnings of the enemy’s damage on the godly and the ungodly alike (2 Cor. 2:11, 2 Tim. 2:26, 1 Pet. 5:8-9). However, he cannot harm us when we are walking in faith in Christ’s redemptive work.

There are no unique temptations. The devil likes to make us think there are. If he can convince us that no one understands, no one has ever had this problem before, then he can isolate us and take away our hope. But any temptation we face is just some variation of the same old thing. It may come in a different sized box, be wrapped in a different paper, and have a different bow, but the contents are the same. Understanding this diffuses much of the power of temptation.

Even though temptation is universal to mankind, we are not left on our own. God is faithful. Jesus was tempted in all points like as we are, and yet He overcame every time (Heb. 4:15). Part of His ministry is to specifically aid us in overcoming temptation (Heb. 2:17-18). Most of us have experienced times when we thought we couldn’t resist another minute. Either we were wrong, or we were on the verge of a breakthrough. The Lord promised that He would not allow us to be tempted above what we are able to bear. So, at those times when you can’t stand another minute, stand two and this promise will pull you through.

“If you missed yesterday devotional, please click to read Andrew Wommack’s Daily Devotional HERE

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: Religious Freedom [Billy Graham’s Devotional Wednesday July 4, 2018]

Fear God and honor the government. — 1 Peter 2:17 (TLB)

On this Independence Day we should be on our knees thanking God for all He has given us. The United States is a country in which everyone has an equal opportunity. Thank God for a country where there is no caste or class to keep a man from going to the top. If a man has a will to work and study, he can go ahead regardless of his background. In addition, thank God, He has given us freedom of religion.

Whatever you may believe, no one can close your church because your religion does not coincide with his. A few people meeting in a small, out-of-the-way shack, worshiping God as they believe in Him, have the same right to religious freedom as the people who worship God in the great cathedrals on the avenues of our greatest cities.

Prayer for the day: Thank You, God, for allowing me to live in the greatest, grandest, and most free land the world has ever known.

“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.