Topic: Don’t Let Your Emotions Control You [TREM’s Devotional Tuesday April 3, 2018]

“Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Philippians 4:8 KJV

First of all, let’s look at the dictionary definition of emotions. It is an effective state of consciousness, in which joy, fear, hate or the likes, are experienced. Emotions canals can be described as any strong feelings activated by experiencing love, hate, fear etc., accompanied by certain physiological changes as increased heartbeat and respiration, and often resulting to laughing, crying or joy.

God gave us our emotions but you can control it, depending on what you are hearing. That is why it is important for you to know what you ought to think about. Think the Word! Don’t just think about just every other thing. This is important. Do not allow your negative circumstance to control you. Choose your thoughts wisely.

Where your emotion goes, your thought goes. Your thoughts determine the direction of your emotions. In order to control your emotions, therefore, you must pay attention to your thoughts. Negative thoughts are meant to control your life in order to abort the God-ordained destiny for your life. That is why there is so much negativism. Everyday good things are happening but you will be shocked how much bad news spread faster. If you begin to build your imaginations on these negative thoughts, then you are in trouble.

The world that we live in today is infested with demonic activities and wickedness. Strange things happen, so there is every tendency to become discouraged. There is every tendency for your emotions to become affected. But we are sons and daughters of the Most-High that have the life of God in us. We have the Holy Spirit. We have the ability to control our emotions. This is very important because your emotions will go in the direction of your thoughts.

Further Reading: Philippians 4:1-8

Daily Bible Reading: Morning- Judges 19-21; Evening- Luke 7:31-50

If you missed yesterday devotional click to read “TREM’s 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.

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Topic: Growing In Grace [Teens’ Open Heavens 3, April 2018]

Memorise: For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Ephesians 2:8

Read: Ephesians 2:8-9 (KJV)

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Bible In One Year: Joshua 10-11, Luke 9:1-36

MESSAGE:

Grace is probably the most important ingredient of our Christian faith. It is through grace that a Christian becomes born again. It is through grace that a Christian can resist temptation. It is through grace that we can achieve our goals in life. And it is through grace that we can make it to Heaven. Without God’s grace we can achieve nothing because no matter how hard we work, we cannot work for everything we need. It is therefore essential that we know how to get God’s grace and grow in that grace.

The Bible says that God gives grace to the humble and He resists the proud (James 4:6), this is a pointer to how we can get God’s grace. It’s no wonder God also says that if His people can humble themselves and pray and seek His face, He will hear their cry. Humility is a prerequisite for getting grace. To grow in grace therefore, we must grow in humility. God will only give you the ability to do the impossible if He is sure that the great exploits will not make you feel as if you are now equal to Him

Prayer Point: Father, please teach my heart to be humble.

If you missed yesterday devotional, please click to read “Teen Open Heavens Daily Devotional by Pastor Adeboye’’

Hymn 7:

1. I am Thine 0 Lord, I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith
And be closer drawn to Thee.

Chorus
Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.

2. Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,
By the pow’r of grace divine;
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And my will be lost in Thine.

3. Oh, the pure delight of a single hour
That before Thy throne I spend,
When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God
I commune as friend with friend!

4. There are depths of love that I cannot know
Till I cross the narrow sea;
There are heights of joy that I may not reach
Till I rest in peace with Thee.

Daily Devotional for Teen’s 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.

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Topic: Sweet and Bitter [Our Daily Bread 3 Tuesday April, 2018]

Read: Psalm 119:65–72, Bible in a Year: Judges 19–21; Luke 7:31–50

You are good, and what you do is good. Psalm 119:68

Some people like bitter chocolate and some prefer sweet. Ancient Mayans in Central America enjoyed chocolate as a beverage and seasoned it with chili peppers. They liked this “bitter water,” as they called it. Many years later it was introduced in Spain, but the Spaniards preferred chocolate sweet, so they added sugar and honey to counteract its natural bitterness.

Like chocolate, days can be bitter or sweet as well. A seventeenth-century French monk named Brother Lawrence wrote, “If we knew how much [God] loves us, we would always be ready to receive equally . . . from His hand the sweet and the bitter.” Accept the sweet and the bitter equally? This is difficult! What is Brother Lawrence talking about? The key lies in God’s character. The psalmist said of God, “You are good, and what you do is good” (Psalm 119:68).

Mayans also valued bitter chocolate for its healing and medicinal properties. Bitter days have value too. They make us aware of our weaknesses and they help us depend more on God. The psalmist wrote, “It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees” (v. 71). Let us embrace life today, with its different flavors—reassured of God’s goodness. Let us say, “You have done many good things for me, Lord, just as you promised” (v. 65 nlt).

Prayer: Father, help me to see Your goodness even in times of trouble.

God is good.

Insight:
Psalm 119 expresses a deep longing to be transformed by the riches of God’s truth. The psalm echoes the theme of Psalm 1—that walking with God in integrity results in being “blessed,” having a flourishing life (v. 1).

Yet even as the psalm vividly describes pursuing God wholeheartedly, it also emphasizes that a rich life with God isn’t based on us. We are always in desperate need of God’s loving guidance to lead us into ever-greater depths of His truth (119:35–37, 88). The beauty of life with God is always based on His goodness (v. 68).

That is why—even in hard times—we can still find joy and hope. Even when our struggles are caused by our own sin (vv. 67, 71), we can trust in His mercy (v. 132). Because He is good and does what is good (v. 68), we can trust that He is always at work, drawing us closer to Him (v. 58).

Reflect on the intimate way Psalm 119 unites our calling to pursue God with our complete dependence on Him. Are you prone to emphasize one over the other? How might God be calling you to a deeper walk with Him? Monica Brands

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

This message was written By Keila Ochoa [Our Daily Bread Ministries.]

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Topic: The Implication Of Giving One’s Life To Christ [Seeds of Destiny Tuesday April 3, 2018]

Scripture: And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. Luke 9:23-24.

Thought For The Day: To give your life to Christ is to hand over the control of your life to Him.

Many times, after a message is preached in church, an altar call is always made for people to give their lives to Christ. At times, we ask someone, ‘Have you given your life to Christ?’ and we get, YES, as response, but in the real sense, many of us do not even know what it means to give one’s life to Christ. This is because the lifestyles of those who claim to have given their lives to Christ contradict their profession of Christ.

So, there is a need to understand what it means by giving one’s life to Christ.

Now, what does it mean to give your life to Christ?
i) It means, to relinquish the control of your life to God
To give your life to Christ is to hand over the control of your life to Him.

ii) It means, He has the final say over your life
To give your life to Christ is to let Him have the final say over all the affairs of your life.

iii) It means, you cease to live for yourself
To give your life to Christ is to cease living for yourself and start living for Christ alone. That is to say, if it is not for Christ, there is no need to live (Philippians 1:21, Galatians 2:20).

iv) It means, Christ has the title deed of your life
He has the full ownership of your life just the way someone possesses a certificate of occupancy over a land. There is no part of you that is owned by yourself; Jesus owns everything about you.

Beloved, looking at the points listed above, the question is, have you given your life to Christ? Make up your mind today to live solely for Christ and Christ alone.

Remember this: To give your life to Christ is to hand over the control of your life to Him.

Assignments:
1. Go through the message of today again.
2. Decide to live solely for Christ from today henceforth.

Prayer: O Lord, I relinquish the ownership of my life to You. Take full control of my life from today, Lord, in Jesus’ Name.

FOR FURTHER UNDERSTANDING, GET THIS MESSAGE: GIVE YOUR LIFE TO CHRIST.

Daily Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 23:1 to 25:19, Luke 10:13 to 37, Psalm 75:1 to 10, Proverbs 12:12 to 14.

Amazing Fact: The brain is more active at night than during the day. Scientists do not know yet why this is.

Today In History: 03/04/1968 – Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his “mountaintop” speech just 24 hours before he was assassinated

Quote: It is wise men who seek Jesus; it is foolish men who seek their own ambition. Culled from REASON FOR LIVING by Dr Paul Enenche.

Don’t Forget To Attend: The Two power-packed Communion Services tomorrow by 4:45pm and 6:30pm; come with your friends and loved ones.

“If you missed yesterday devotional, please click to read Seeds of Destiny 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: Please do not prolong your salvation if you have not repented. Many are going home daily and tomorrow maybe too late…There is still hope, JESUS LOVES YOU!

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Topic: Carry Some Load! Remember The Sling! [Our Daily Manna ODM Tuesday, April 3, 2018]

Basic Scripture: Mark 5: 21-36

Welcome to today’s devotion all encounter. Let the words of Jesus to Jairus be your watchword today, and the remaining days of the glorious year: “Don’t be afraid, only believe.” Indeed, when people pass through stress and battles, FEAR OF FAILURE shows up!

But the Holy Ghost wants you to know that in God’s divine order, STRESS IS GOOD FOR YOU! God does not allow pain, battles or stress in vain! That is why you must not worry or be afraid concerning that pain you are allowed to face! Catch this: In small doses, stress has many advantages.

Stress is also a vital warning system, producing the fight-or-fight response. Researchers believe that stress can help to fortify the immune system. When the brain perceives some kind of stress, it start flooding the body with chemicals like epinephrine, norepinephrine and cortisol. So, stress can improve how your heart works and protects your body from infection.

As a Pharmacist, I know individuals who experience moderate levels of stress before surgery are able to recover faster than individuals who had low or high levels of stress. So moderate stress is allowed and God will never allow any PAIN OR STRESS bigger that you (1 Cor 10: 13). That was why God allowed THE SLING WEAPON to bring down Goliath! The sling is a weapon that works by PUTTING PRESSURE AND STRESS on the human hand and a loop carrying a bullet, weapon or stone, etc.

In fact, it was used to throw grenades at enemies during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939)! The emphasis is that it works by STRESS AND PRESSURE! So also in your life! Hear David Wiemers: “Don’t let the low times keep you down. Learn from them and reach for the high times.” Hear Eleanor Roosevelt again: “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the things in which you think you cannot do.”

For a man to develop his muscles he must exercise them by carrying load (STRESS/PAIN). The load that your faith carries is designed to strengthen your faith. So, fear not!

Prayer Points: Take a song as you are led now.

1. In your own words, pray generally as you are led on the Word.
2. Every voice of fear speaking evil and failure against me, be silenced now by the fire of the holy Ghost in Jesus name.
3. I move out of the land of fear in the land of faith and confidence. Fear will no longer rule me, in the Jesus name.
4. Pray seriously now and cancel every kind of “testimony miscarriage.” MY TESTIMONY SHALL COME SPEEDILY IN JESUS NAME.

If you missed yesterday devotional, please click to read “Our Daily Manna ODM devotional HERE’’

By Bishop (Dr) Chris E. Kwakpovwe (Cek)
Publisher/Writer Of ODM And

Rev (Mrs) Flora E. Kwakpovwe (Fek)
Co-Publisher/Writer Of ODM.

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Topic: Born Again! [Kenneth & Gloria Copeland, Tuesday April 3, 2018]

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. – John 3:3

Born again. Do you know what Jesus had in mind when He said those two words to Nicodemus? He was talking covenant talk. He was telling Nicodemus what it meant to have a covenant with God.

Let me paint the picture I believe was in Jesus’ mind. Imagine a baby, a little baby born of an unwed mother. No one knows who its daddy is and no one wants to know. He is a child no one wants. He doesn’t belong to anyone.

Now, picture the best kind of family you can think of. A family that loves God. The man has a good job. They’re blessed financially. They’re givers and lovers of people, and they fall in love with this baby. Before long, they adopt it.

What’s happened? That baby was reborn. He got a new set of parents. Through adoption, he has now become an heir. Why? Not because of anything the baby has done. Those parents didn’t say, “I want you to look at that baby. I’m so impressed with all that that child has done for us. He has certainly earned our love and respect.”

No, it’s a baby. It couldn’t have done anything to earn its new life. This man and this woman agreed together out of the love in their hearts and bestowed grace on that child. Now he has access to everything they have. When they offer him a bottle, he doesn’t knock the bottle away and say, “I’m so humble and undeserving. Just give me water.”

Of course not. That baby acts like part of the family—and not just part of the family but the best part of the family. Because in Jesus’ day a covenant or adopted child had the same birthright as the firstborn son.

That’s what Jesus was talking about when He said, “You must be born again.” He was talking about grace. He was talking about a new relationship of favor. A new family. A new authority. A new power.

If you feel unworthy to receive the rich blessings God has for you today, think about that. Meditate on it, so instead of worrying about and struggling with the needs in your life, you can just walk boldly into the throne room of your Father and receive help to get those needs met.

Discover what it really means to be a blood-bought child of Almighty God with a big brother like Jesus. Discover what it means to be born again!

Scripture Reading: John 3:1-8

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.

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