Topic: Why Does a Good God Let Bad Things Happen? [Joyce Meyer’s Daily Monday February 19th, 2018]

If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love [for others growing out of God’s love for me], then I have become only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal [just an annoying distraction]. — 1 Corinthians 13:1

When we experience terrible tragedy, being angry with God is quite common. People frequently ask, “If God is good, all-powerful, and full of love for us, why didn’t He stop the thing that caused the pain?”

This is where Satan seeks to build a wall between God and the hurting person. He seizes the opportunity to say, “God isn’t good, and He can’t be trusted.” However, we know according to the Word of God, the truth is not in Satan—he is a liar and the father of lies.

Read James 1:17. Everything good comes from God. God is good, and He cannot be anything else. Furthermore, He doesn’t change. He’s perfectly stable, faithful and consistent. He is good—all the time.

It’s obvious that God doesn’t always stop tragedy, and we honestly don’t always know why bad things happen. First Corinthians 13:12 says …Now I know in part (imperfectly)… . We have to remember that faith will always require us to accept unanswered questions, and we must come to the place where we’re satisfied to know the One who knows all, and place our trust in Him.

Prayer Starter: God, I may not always understand why bad things happen, but I know You are good. When I don’t understand why, I will find my comfort in You.

From Joyce Meyer’s Ministries.

Topic: In Jesus Name [Open Heavens 19 Monday February 2018]

Memorise: “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” – Matthew 1:21

Read: Mark 16:15-18 (KJV)

15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;

18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

Bible in One Year: Leviticus 15-16; 1 Corinthians 6:12-7:16

MESSAGE

Prior to the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, God placed high value on the Name to be given to His only Begotten Son, so much so that He sent an angel to signify what His Name should be (Matthew 1:21). There is absolutely nothing that the Name of Jesus Christ cannot accomplish for whosoever believes in Him. This Name cannot be ignored by the devil or any of his fallen angels. Why is this Name so powerful? It is because God has bestowed astonishing power, privilege, authority and honor on that Name (Philippians 2:9-11). Above all else, this Name breaks the power of sin. Acts 10:43 says:

“To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.”

One amazing truth about this Name is that all its accomplishments are to the glory of God the Father, and for this reason, the Father will not spare anyone who despises it. Of course, the Name carries the authority of its Owner, and is capable of doing whatever its Owner can do. Just as your signature can take millions of money out of the bank without you necessarily being there, so also the Name of Jesus perform the feats that Jesus Christ performed, but only when all the necessary conditions for its use are met by the user. Some of these conditions are spelt out in today’s Bible text. Demons are cast out by the Name of Jesus Christ. You may not appreciate this function of His Name until your eyes of understanding are opened to the diabolical and destructive activities of demons in the lives of people. This Name also empowers us to lay hand on the sick for healing. One of the greatest weapons of torment in the hand of the devil is sickness, but through faith in the use of this Name, sicknesses and diseases are vanquished.

A woman who was diabolically attached with a terrible cough was brought to one of our church programmes. A simple prayer was said for her in the Name of Jesus Christ and she was healed. The agent of the devil who inflicted her with this infirmity wondered how she got healed. Because the one who prepared the charm for her said the sickness had no cure. The liberated lady told her adversary that she got her healing in the church. The wicked woman then begged her ex-victim to take her to Jesus where she confessed her sins and became a child of God as well. The Name of Jesus indeed brings healing (Acts 3:1-16). Peter in Acts 3:16a testified thus about this Name:

“And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know:”

This Name will also work wonders in your life; if you just believe, you will see the glory of God.

Action Point: Apply the Name of Jesus to areas of your life that needs deliverance.

Hymn 14: Onward Christian Soldier

1. Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus going on before.
Christ, the royal Master, leads against the foe;
Forward into battle see His banners go!

Chorus:
Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus going on before.

2. At the name of Jesus Satan’s host doth flee;
On then, Christian soldiers, on to victory!
Hell’s foundations quiver at the shout of praise;
Brothers, lift your voices, loud your anthems raise.

3. Like a mighty army moves the church of God;
Brothers, we are treading where the saints have trod.
We are not divided, All one Body we,
One in faith and Spirit, One in charity.

4. Crowns and thrones may perish, kingdoms rise and wane,
But the Church of Jesus constant will remain.
Gates of hell can never ’gainst that Church prevail;
We have Christ’s own promise, which can never fail.

5. Onward, then, ye people! Join our happy throng,
Blend with ours your voices in the triumph song.
Glory, laud, and honor unto Christ the King,
This through countless ages men and angels sing.

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!

Open Heavens 13th February 2018, 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.

iOpenHeavens is the electronic version of the Hard Copy. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and PC.

Topic: Right Conduct Before God [DCLM Daily Manna Monday February 19th, 2018]

Text: 1 Timothy 2:9-15 (KJV)

Key Verse: “In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array” (1 Timothy 2:9).

MESSAGE:

Sometimes, we act as if we know how best to worship God acceptably, and even set up such pattern thereby throwing away what He has prescribed. We assure ourselves that we are acting in good conscience, that our intentions are noble, and therefore, expect that God will accept our way, and disregard His just and Holy standard. You may win wide applause for such actions but remember, that “which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God”.

Some women in the church in Ephesus had somehow chosen to comport themselves in ways that Paul the apostle considered inappropriate and unacceptable. They thought that they would influence their unbelieving husbands to accept Jesus Christ and gain respect in the community through their appearance. In the process, they misplaced the priorities set by God who value Christ-like character far more than outward beauty. They were not grounded in the doctrine of Christ; as such, they became easy preys to false teachers who prioritise on the outward appearance over the inner spiritual experience.

The Apostle’s instructions here deal with specific problems in the Ephesian church or churches in similar situation. He counselled them to adorn a meek, quiet, gentle, modest and loving character and not the loud display of jewellery, cosmetics and fashion.

God expects us to worship Him in holiness and sobriety. There is no room for frivolity or disorderliness. We must patiently and quietly imbibe the word of God than rush to speak and teach in church. For our worship to be acceptable to God, we must shun anything that could draw attention away from Him.

Thought For The Day: In worship, do all things decently and orderly.

Bible Reading in a Year: Leviticus 19-21.

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!

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.

Topic: Use Your Money Wisely [Teens’ Open Heavens Monday 19th, February 2018]

Memorise: Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle towards heaven. – Proverbs 23:5

Read: Proverbs 21:20

20 There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up.

Bible In One Year: Numbers 1-2, Mark 3:1-21

MESSAGE:

As a teenager, your parents give you money for little things that you may want to buy in school, sometimes your uncles or aunties also come around and give you some money. How do you use all that money? Do you use it all to buy cookies and sweets or do you save some of it? Don’t be deceived by how much money you receive free of charge now, the truth is, money does not come free, people have to work for it; but the more money you save now, the more money you will have when you are old enough to start making money. Also, don’t think that you are too young to start saving, the earlier you get used to the saving culture, the easier it will be to adapt it into your lifestyle.

Take a cue from Joseph; he saved 20% of Egypt’s income when they had enough; later on when there wasn’t food in the whole world, only Egypt enjoyed abundance. Save at least 20% of any money you get from now on, at the end of every month, ask your dad to help you use the money to buy shares in a good company. If you do this consistently, your parents will be proud of you and you could be a millionaire by the time you are a university graduate.

Action Point: The Bible says that money has wings, if you are not wise with it, it will fly away from your hands.

Hymn 2:

1. When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will,
He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.

Chorus:
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

2. Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies,
But His smile quickly drives it away;
Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear,
Can abide while we trust and obey.

3. Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share,
But our toil He doth richly repay;
Not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross,
But is blessed if we trust and obey.

4.But we never can prove the delights of His love
Until all on the altar we lay;
For the favor He shows, for the joy He bestows,
Are for them who will trust and obey.

5. Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet,
Or we’ll walk by His side in the way;
What He says we will do, where He sends we will go;
Never fear, only trust and obey.

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.

Topic Dare To Believe God [TREM’s Daily Monday February 19, 2018]

”Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” (Mark 9:23 NKJV)

I have come your way today with an assurance from God’s word that you are coming out of every difficult situation, every challenge and every pressure the enemy might have brought your way. Beloved, If God has said ‘all things are possible’, and not some things, He means exactly that and that settles it. You may be at a crossroad right now in your life and people may have said your case is hopeless, but I come to assure you that God’s word cannot be broken. Understand that men have their limitations, but the God you serve is not limited.  He is still a God of possibilities. The last time I checked on Him, He declared that He is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that you can ask or think. So take the limit off God and believe Him for the impossible.

In the scriptures, we are told that Abraham against hope believed God when there was nothing to believe God for. Put on your imagination! Abraham and his wife were old and stricken in age. And to worsen matters,  Sarah his wife had gone past the age of childbearing. But the word of God was waiting by the shoulder to be made manifest. Despite this human limitation, Abraham switched over into the dimension of possibility and dared to believe God. Child of God, that was the clincher! He believed that it would be as God has spoken and it came to pass. He called and saw himself as the Father of many nations even when he had no child to show for it. The plan of God is that you would function beyond every limitation in life.

As you rise in faith into the dimension of possibility, I declare that God will fill your mouth with good things and show you a token for good. He will arise on your behalf and make a way for you even where there seems to be no way. The earth shall yield her increase for you and the heavens over you shall not be shut.

Further Reading: Romans 4:17-25, Mark 9:19-27

Daily Bible Reading: Morning- Leviticus 25; Evening- Mark 1:23-45

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.