The joy of the Lord is your strength. – Nehemiah 8:10

Joy. It’s not a warm, happy feeling you’re supposed to have now and then when things are going well. It’s much more than that. Joy is one of the most powerful spiritual forces in the world.

Look again at Nehemiah 8:10 and I’ll show you why. If you were to diagram that scripture and remove the phrase, “of the Lord,” you would find what it’s truly saying is this: Joy is strength. The two are interchangeable.

That’s what makes joy so crucial. You can’t live a life of faith without being strong in the Lord—and when God wants to make you strong, joy is what He uses to do the job!

Joy is not just a state of mind. It is not a fleeting emotion. Joy is a very real force, and the devil doesn’t have anything that can stand up against it. Just as fear has to yield to faith, discouragement has to yield to joy.

Since joy is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, you already have it residing within you. But you must develop it, confess it and live by it if you want to enjoy its power.

Whatever circumstances you are facing today, you can be full of joy. You can be strong in the Lord. You can draw on the supply of the Holy Spirit within you and come out on top.

Rejoice!

Scripture Reading:
Psalm 18:28-50

Topic Be Involved In Kingdom Assignment [TREM’s Daily Tuesday February 20, 2018]

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. (Matthew 5:14 NKJV)

When Jesus walked the face of the earth, His mandate was to do the Fathers’ will. Little wonder He could say ‘’It is finished’’ while He hung on the cross. Today, that same urgency to do the will of the Father has been handed over to us and we cannot afford to fail.

God’s plan is that your worship would not end in the church. His intention is that you get involved in kingdom assignment, wherever you are located. When you come to church, it is to get refuelled and recharged so that you can go back and impact your world for the kingdom. Today, we have a clientele of believers who are very vibrant in church, but back in their offices, no one knows they have been with Jesus. Beloved this should not be. God’s intention is that you will be the extension of His Hands and Legs. So, that wherever you go, you will bring glory to His name. Simply put, He wants you to work the way He would have worked if He were in your shoes. When you do that, you make it very easy for the gospel to penetrate your work environment because you are the ‘Jesus’ the people know and you are the ‘bible’ they read.

Always remember that you are the light of the world and salt of the earth. Child of God, everywhere you go, your assignment as a believer is to plant the kingdom. Let people look at you and see the God you serve. Let your light so shine that men will see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. Put into practice on Monday to Saturday what you learnt on Sunday. You know that the word of God is practical and achievable. It is not a theory or myth. So always dare to make the difference.

Further Reading: Mathew 5:13-16, Mark 16:15-20

Daily Bible Reading: Morning- Leviticus 26-27; Evening- Mark 2

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: The Great Physician [Our Daily Bread 20 Tuesday February, 2018]

Read: Matthew 4:23–5:12, Bible in a Year: Leviticus 26–27; Mark 2

Remain in me, as I also remain in you. John 15:4

When Dr. Rishi Manchanda asks his patients, “Where do you live?” he’s looking for more than an address. He has seen a pattern. Those who come to him for help often live in conditions of environmental stress. Molds, pests, and toxins are making them sick. So Dr. Manchanda has become an advocate of what he calls Upstream Doctors. These are health care workers who, while providing urgent medical care, are working with patients and communities to get to the source of better health.

As Jesus healed those who came to Him (Matthew 4:23–24), He lifted their eyes beyond the need for urgent physical and material care. With His Sermon on the Mount He offered more than a medical miracle (5:1–12). Seven times Jesus described attitudes of mind and heart that reflect a well-being that begins with a new vision and promise of spiritual well-being (vv. 3–9). Two more times he called blessed those who experience relentless persecution and find their hope and home in Him (vv. 10–12).

Jesus’s words leave me wondering. Where am I living? How aware am I of my need for a well-being that is greater than my urgent need for physical and material relief? As I long for a miracle, do I embrace as enviable the poor, broken, hungry, merciful, peacemaking heart that Jesus calls blessed?

Prayer: Father in heaven, it’s so hard to see beyond our pain. Please let us sense Your mercy in this moment. Lift our eyes beyond ourselves. Let us find a new vision and source of health in the care of Christ, who heals.

When God is our home, our hope is in Him.

Insight:

The end of Matthew 4 implies that people were following Him in the hope of being healed of anything that ailed them. Yet in response to the crowd’s desire to be physically healed, Jesus responds with words that can heal the soul. The Great Physician looks deep into our hearts and heals not just our bodies but our souls as well. J.R. Hudberg

This message was written By Mart DeHaan [Our Daily Bread Ministries.]

Topic: Drawn By His Power [Andrew Wommack’s Daily Tuesday February 20, 2018]

Mark 1:37, “And when they had found him, they said unto him, All [men] seek for thee.”

Text: MK. 1:35-39; LK. 4:42-44

This is an amazing statement. Jesus’ ministry was only a few months old and the masses of people were already seeking him out.

This is even more astonishing when you realize that Jesus had not used any of the conventional methods of publicity. In fact, Jesus had already rejected publicity during His first ministry in Jerusalem (Jn. 2:24-25). There was no natural explanation for Jesus’ success.

God is the one who promoted Jesus. And He used supernatural means to do it. It was not the slick techniques of Madison Avenue that brought the crowds–it was the awesome manifestation of God’s power.

Just the day before, Jesus had cast the demon out of a man at the synagogue in Capernaum (Mk. 1:21-28). This caused the whole city to gather at Peter’s house and Jesus healed every one of them (Lk. 4:40).

Jesus’ display of the miraculous power of God was the spark that the Holy Spirit used to light a fire in the hearts of these people. Jesus had this power because of His intimate relationship with His father. It is no accident that He was praying while all men were seeking Him.

As you seek to touch others with the new life that you’ve found in Christ, let God confirm His Word with the miraculous manifestations of His power through you.

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: Overcome Temptation [Billy Graham’s Daily Tuesday February 20th, 2018]

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. — Psalm 119:11

When temptations come, let me suggest that you ask God for strength-and also to show you the way He has prepared for your escape. One other word of counsel; be very sure that you do not deliberately place yourself in a position to be tempted. All of us are not subjected to the same weaknesses and temptations.

To one, alcohol may be the temptation; to another, it may be impure thoughts and acts; to another, greed and covetousness; to another, criticism and an unloving attitude. Regardless of what it may be, be sure that Satan will tempt you at your weak point, not the strong. Our Lord has given us an example of how to overcome the devil’s temptations. When He was tempted in the wilderness, He defeated Satan every time by the use of the Bible.

Prayer for the day: With the shield of Your Word, I will face temptation, almighty God.

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.