Topic: Meek But Militant [Open Heavens 30th June 2018, Saturday Daily Devotional]

Memorise: I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: – 2 Timothy 4:7

Read: Genesis 14:14-24 (KJV)

14 And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan.

15 And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus.

16 And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.

17 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king’s dale.

18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.

19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:

20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.

21 And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself.

22 And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth,

23 That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich:

24 Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.

Bible in One Year: 1 Chronicle 18-20, Acts 20:1-16

MESSAGE:

Is it possible to be meek and militant at the same time? To be meek is to do what other people want without imposing your opinion. It is having the power to act but refusing to use it to oppress others. Being militant on the other hand means to use force or pressure to achieve your goals. How is it possible for a Christian to be meek and militant at the same time? Our Lord, as part of the Sermon on the Mount, clearly taught us that it is a blessed thing to be meek (Matthew 5:5). In his letter to the Galatians, Apostle Paul also declared that meekness is part of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Our Lord Jesus Christ demonstrated meekness when He was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. Hear what He said in Matthew 26:53-54, when He was about to be arrested:

“53 Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? 54 But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?”

This same Jesus tells us that there are times when we need to be violent. In Matthew 11:12, He said:

“And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.”

Paul further expounded on this truth, telling us the reason why we are in battle and providing the guidelines for how to shield and prepare ourselves for this violent warfare. In Ephesians 6:12, He wrote:

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

The beautiful swan which vigorously paddles away under the water to stay afloat is viewed as one of the most graceful animals on the water because it appears calm on the surface. Our Christian life needs to emulate the posture of the swan. In the Spirit realm, we need to display all militancy that is needed to secure us a place in heaven and push the agenda of the Kingdom of God on earth. At the same time, in the physical realm, the fruit of the Spirit-meekness-must be visible in our lives.

Key Point: You cannot keep the faith without giving the devil a fight.

If you missed yesterday devotional, please click HERE to read Open Heavens 29 June 2018 – Share Your Responsibilities

Hymn 16: Stand Up, Stand Up For Jesus.

1. Stand up, stand up for Jesus! ye soldiers of the cross;
Lift high His royal banner, it must not suffer loss:
From vict’ry unto vict’ry, His army shall He lead,
Till every foe is vanquished, and Christ is Lord indeed.

2. Stand up, stand up for Jesus! The trumpet call obey:
Forth to the mighty conflict, in this His glorious day;
Ye that are men now serve Him against unnumbered foes;
Let courage rise with danger, and strength to strength oppose.

3. Stand up, stand up for Jesus! Stand in His strength alone,
The arm of flesh will fail you, ye dare not trust your own;
Put on the gospel armor, and watching unto prayer,
Where calls the voice of duty, be never wanting there.

4. Stand up, stand up for Jesus! the strife will not be long;
This day the noise of battle, the next the victor’s song;
To him that overcometh a crown of life shall be;
He with the King of glory shall reign eternally.

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: No More Dying to Do [Kenneth & Gloria Copeland, Saturday June 30, 2018]

But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. – Hebrews 2:9

Death. It’s not a popular topic—even among believers. In fact, a great many are just plain scared of it. Oh yes, they talk about having eternal life. Yet when the devil tries to threaten their earthly survival with sickness or calamity, they panic.

Why? Because they haven’t learned to look at death through God’s eyes. Even though their spirit has been made immortal, they haven’t renewed their minds to include that truth. If they had, when the devil tried to push their panic button, they’d just laugh and say, “You can’t scare me, Devil. I’ve done all the dying I’m ever going to do!”

That’s true, you know. The Word of God says that you, as a born-again believer, are never going to see death (John 8:51). Jesus has been your substitute. He suffered death so you wouldn’t have to. And He was raised from death, Hebrews 2:14-15 says, “Destroy[ing] him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver[ing] them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.”

If you’ve made Jesus the Lord of your life, the only death you’ll ever experience is behind you now. It occurred the instant you received Christ. At that moment, your old self—the one whose nature was to sin and rebel against God—died. Your body didn’t die, but your spirit man—the real you—died to Satan and all of his works. You became “a new creature” (2 Corinthians 5:17), immortal and absolutely incapable of death!

When you’re finished with your work on the earth, you’re not going to die. You’ll simply shed your earthly shell and relocate to a far more glorious place.

Go to the Word and get God’s perspective on death. Make a study of it. Once the reality of your immortality begins to dawn on you, the devil will never be able to threaten you with it again.

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 2:9-15

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: Light of the World [Our Daily Bread 30 Saturday June, 2018]

Read: Revelation 3:14–22, Bible in a Year: Job 17–19; Acts 10:1–23

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in. Revelation 3:20

One of my favorite pieces of art hangs in the Keble College chapel in Oxford, England. The painting, The Light of the World by English artist William Holman Hunt, shows Jesus holding a lantern in His hand and knocking on a door to a home.

One of the intriguing aspects of the painting is that the door doesn’t have a handle. When questioned about the lack of a way to open the door, Hunt explained that he wanted to represent the imagery of Revelation 3:20, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in.”

The apostle John’s words and the painting illustrate the kindness of Jesus. He gently knocks on the door of our souls with His offer of peace. Jesus stands and patiently waits for us to respond. He does not open the door Himself and force His way into our lives. He does not impose His will on ours. Instead, He offers to all people the gift of salvation and light to guide us.

To anyone who opens the door, He promises to enter. There are no other requirements or prerequisites.

If you hear the voice of Jesus and His gentle knock on the door of your soul, be encouraged that He patiently waits for you and will enter if you welcome Him in.

Prayer: Lord, thank You for the gift of salvation and Your promise to enter when we open the door. Please help me to respond to this gift and open the door for You today.

Open the door to Jesus; He is patiently waiting for you.

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

This message was written By Lisa Samra [Our Daily Bread Ministries.]

Topic: The Cost Of Living For Christ [Andrew Wommack Saturday June 30, 2018]

Luke 9:58 “And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.”

Text: Matthew 8:18-22; Luke 9:51-62

This verse has often been used to support the misconception that Jesus and His disciples lived in poverty. However, in this instance, the fact that Jesus had nowhere to lay His head was because of persecution. The Samaritans, because of a religious prejudice, had just refused Him hospitality and a place to stay as He journeyed to Jerusalem. Persecution is part of the cost of living a Christian life. Jesus was communicating to this man that not having a place to stay at times was part of that cost.

There are many forms of persecution. Having your life threatened because of your faith in Jesus is one way you can be persecuted, but it is not the most damaging. History shows that the Church has always flourished under persecution with increased numbers and zeal. During intense, life-threatening persecution, people’s priorities get straightened out and the Lord assumes His rightful place. This always works for our good, regardless of what our outward circumstances might be.

A far more deadly form of persecution is men simply speaking evil of you or separating you from their company. It’s more deadly because it’s more subtle.

Many who would never directly deny the Lord will fall into self-pity or strife because of someone’s criticism. This will render one just as ineffective as a negative reaction to having one’s life threatened would.

It helps to recognize that it is not you that they are persecuting, but rather Christ in you. You are actually becoming a partaker of His sufferings and will share His rewards. With this in mind, we can actually shout and leap for joy in persecution!

“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: Prayer Is a Conversation [Billy Graham’s Devotional Saturday June 30, 2018]

And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. — Matthew 21:22

Prayer is a two-way conversation; it is our talking to God, and His talking to us. As a Christian, you have a heavenly Father who hears and answers prayer. Jesus said, “All things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.”

Every man or woman whose life has counted for the church and the Kingdom of God has been a person of prayer. You cannot afford to be too busy to pray. A prayerless Christian is a powerless Christian. Jesus Christ spent many hours in prayer. Sometimes He spent the night on a mountaintop in solitary communion with God the Father. If He felt that He had to pray, how much more do we need to pray!

Prayer for the day: There is inexpressible joy as I come to You in prayer, my heavenly Father.

“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.