Topic: Christ’s Ambassadors [Open Heavens Tuesday 16th January 2018]

Memorise: Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. 2 Corinthians 5:20

Read: John 15:13-16 (KJV)

13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

Bible in One Year: Genesis 34-35, Revelation 14:14-15:8, Hymn: Sing Hymn 12: Take My Life And Let It Be

MESSAGE

An ambassador is a worthy representative of a kingdom and its people in general. In particular, he or she represents the head of the realm. Our memory verse today describes us as Christ’s ambassadors. It also spells out our responsibilities as the mouthpiece of God as He persuades all people to come over to His side. We are to speak for our Lord Jesus Christ concerning the work of redemption which He has finished for all mankind. As Christ’s ambassadors, we are not just His servants or errand boys; our relationship with Him goes deeper than that. The Lord Jesus Christ made us to understand from today’s Bible text that following His decision to choose us, He has promoted us to the level of a friend, and He is ready to reveal things He and His father discuss in secret to us. What a privilege! Psalm 25:14 says,

“The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.”

Why has the Lord made us His ambassadors? Some of the reasons are revealed in Mark 3:14-15:

“14 And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, 15 And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:”

Ambassadors for Christ are ordained, first, to fellowship with the Master. In addition, they are to go out and preach the gospel of the kingdom they represent. They are to exert the dominion of their King over all obstructions to the expansion of His kingdom, by ministering healing and deliverance to all those who are oppressed of the devil. The ambassadors of Christ are expected to do what He did, and even greater works than He did (John 14:12). There are lots of benefits attached to being Christ’s ambassadors. One of these benefits is speedy answers to prayers. Elijah is a classical example of an ambassador for Yahweh. He prayed down fire that could quench water and God answered him immediately (1 Kings 18:36-38). Another benefit of being an ambassador for Christ is that after your tenure here on earth, you will live eternally with Him in heaven. The Lord gave us His word on this in John 14:2-3:

“2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”

To be an ambassador for Christ, you must live a life that represents the Holy God. Choose to represent Christ everywhere you go, and you will not regret doing so.

Prayer Point: Father, please grant me grace to be a worthy ambassador of Your Person and Your Kingdom everywhere I go.

Hymn 12: Take My Life, And Let It Be

1.Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in endless praise,
Let them flow in endless praise.

2.Take my hands and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee,
Swift and beautiful for Thee.

3.Take my voice and let me sing,
Always, only for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee,
Filled with messages from Thee.

4. Take my silver and my gold,
Not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose,
Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose.

5. Take my will and make it Thine,
It shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own,
It shall be Thy royal throne,
It shall be Thy royal throne.

6. Take my love, my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee,
Ever, only, all for Thee.

Open Heavens 16th January 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: Cry of the Prodigal Son [DCLM Daily Manna Tuesday January 16th, 2018]

Text: Psalm 74:1-23

Key Verse: “We see not our signs: there is no more any prophet: neither is there among us any that knoweth how long.” (Psalm 74:9).

This Asaphite dirge is the typical lamentation of one who has abandoned his God and after suffering torment at the hands of his satanic master, seeks to return home to the Lord. The point here is that, it was not God that stayed away from His people but the wayward lifestyle of His people that kept them away from Him, exposing them to harm.

The psalmist acknowledges the sacking of Jerusalem, the defeat of Israel’s army, the attempt to annihilate any trace of God and reminds the Lord that the children of Israel are still His people. After recalling the tragic aftermath of the enemy’s invasion, the writer goes on to remember the great accomplishments of the Almighty in the past. God had delivered them from centuries of Egyptian bondage; won countless battles for them; conquered nature on their behalf and had given them prophets and priests to guide them. He had served as their King and above all, He was the supreme Lord (verse 16,17).

Just as the prodigal son never had true happiness when he left his father’s presence, all those who forsake the Lord always experience disappointment and grief, because it is only in the presence of God that we can find enduring joy. The world is going through difficult times because it has forsaken the laws of God and has embraced the ways and laws of the devil. Jesus taught that the prodigal son’s suffering ended upon his return to the father’s abode where he was received and restored.

God is expecting you, as a prodigal son or daughter, to return to Him now. He will heartily welcome you if you repent, confess your sins and ask for cleansing and promise to abide in Christ till the end. His promise to you is, “I will heal [your] backsliding, I will love [you] freely: for mine anger is turned away from [you]” (Hosea 14:4)

Thought For The Day: God is ready to hear the cry of the contrite sinner.

Bible Reading in one Year: Genesis 12-15

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: Commitment To Your Spouse (2)

Dear Reader,

It is another wonderful time in God’s presence!  It is my prayer that at the end of this teaching, you will be effectively committed to your family to the point of reaping its rewards. Last week, I shared with you on the importance of, first, being committed to God and then your spouse. This week, I want to teach on another aspect of showing commitment to your spouse which is titled: Treat Your Spouse as Yourself.

It is important to know that as husband and wife, God recognises you as one. Two becoming one is God’s own arithmetic. An understanding of the mystery of one flesh will make husband and wife treat each other the same way, they would treat their original self. The Bible says:

And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise (Luke 6:31). What you cannot do to yourself, don’t do to your spouse. Treat your spouse the same way you want him or her to treat you. Mike Murdock, a renowned man of God said, “What you make happen for others, God will make happen for you.”

If you want your spouse to be kind to you, then you have the responsibility to be kind to him or her in return. If you want respect from your spouse, you also need to show respect.  It is important that husband and wife foster the development of each other, promote each other, treat each other with affection and tenderness, hold each other dear to the heart and keep each other fondly in mind.  An understanding of the mystery of one flesh will help a great deal to treat your spouse as yourself.

The Bible says: For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: (Ephesians 5:29).The word ‘nourish’ means to provide with food or other substances necessary for life and growth. It also means to foster development or promote. It also defines “cherish” as “treat with affection and tenderness; hold dear; to keep fondly in mind.” What you sow is what you reap. You must not maltreat your spouse, if you do not want to be treated the same way. What you put into your marriage is what it will give back to you!

When it comes to the issue of love, it is reciprocal. To love your spouse is to love yourself, and to hate your spouse is to hate yourself. Some couples so maltreat each other that they engage in physical combat. But when you understand the mystery of one flesh, you will not dare to maltreat your spouse.

Even respect in marriage is not one-sided. Most people think it is only the woman that should show respect; it is reciprocal. There must be respect for each party that makes up the home, for the Bible says the husband should honour his wife. This sounds very un-African, but it is the truth. The Bible talks about, Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God (Ephesians 5:21).

It is common knowledge that the more respect you give to your spouse; the more respect you earn back. If you form the habit of talking disrespectfully to your spouse, especially before others, they will also treat him or her the same way.

“I have been married for over 12 years and I did not enjoy as much as I do now. I thank God for our mother in the Lord, who during the Family Renewal seminar preached to us. Since then, the Lord has turned around the tide, just through my obedience to the Word. She preached that day and laid emphasis on wives being submissive to their husbands in everything, just like the church submits to Christ. I didn’t realise I wasn’t totally submissive. I wept so much in church that day and went to the Lord saying, ‘Lord, from this day, I know that obedience is the key.’

And since that day I have been enjoying what all my fasting, binding and all couldn’t deliver to me. I did so many things to get my husband to love me – fasted, bound, loosed – but I thank God that now it is like I’m wedded anew.” – Adebayo, I.

If you value the principle of treating your spouse as yourself, you would not think of beating your partner for any reason. Most times, I cannot understand how a man or woman can decide to beat his/her spouse. That is an extreme case of a person absolutely out of control emotionally. My husband would often say, “A man that beats his wife will be construed as being mentally imbalanced, because he is actually beating himself.”

It takes a heart that is tuned to God to be able to treat your spouse like yourself. To be in tune with God, you need to surrender your life to Christ.  If you want to be born again, you can say this prayer in faith: Dear Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me my sins and cleanse me with Your Blood. I accept You as my Lord and personal Saviour. Make me a child of God today. Thank You for delivering me from sin and satan to serve the living God and thank You for accepting me into Your Kingdom.

Congratulations! If you prayed this simple prayer of faith with me, you are now born again and a child of God. He loves you and will never leave you. Read your Bible daily, obey God’s Word and seek Christian fellowship (John 14:21).

With this, you are guaranteed all-round rest and peace in Jesus’ Name! Call or write to share your testimonies with me through [email protected], 07026385437 OR 08141320204.

For more insight, these books authored by me are available at the Dominion Bookstores in all Living Faith Churches and other leading Christian bookstores: Marriage Covenant, Making Marriage Work, Building A Successful Home and Success in Marriage (Co-Authored).

Pastor Faith Oyedepo is the wife of Bishop David Oyedepo, the founder of the Living Faith Church Worldwide a.k.a. Winners’ Chapel, and Senior Pastor of Faith Tabernacle, Canaanland, Ota, Nigeria.

Topic: The Power of Prayer [Our Daily Bread 16th Tuesday January, 2018]

Read: 1 Samuel 7:7–14, Bible in a Year: Genesis 39–40; Matthew 11

Do not stop crying out to the Lord our God for us, that he may rescue us. 1 Samuel 7:8

One day, when I was deeply concerned about the welfare of one close to me, I found encouragement in part of the Old Testament story of Samuel, a wise leader of the Israelites. As I read how Samuel interceded for God’s people as they faced trouble, I strengthened my resolve to pray for the one I loved.

The Israelites faced the threat of the Philistines, who had previously defeated them when God’s people didn’t trust in Him (see 1 Samuel 4). After repenting of their sins, they heard that the Philistines were about to attack. This time, however, they asked Samuel to continue praying for them (7:8), and the Lord answered clearly by throwing their enemy into confusion (v. 10). Though the Philistines may have been mightier than the Israelites, the Lord was the strongest of them all.

When we ache over the challenges facing those we love, and fear the situation won’t change, we may be tempted to believe that the Lord will not act. But we should never underestimate the power of prayer, for our loving God hears our pleas. We don’t know how He will move in response to our petitions, but we know that as our Father He longs for us to embrace His love and to trust in His faithfulness.

Do you have someone you can pray for today?

Prayer: Father God, the way You hear and answer my prayers amazes me. Strengthen my faith, that I will always believe in Your goodness and love.

God hears us when we pray.

Insight:

Samuel led his people to worship of the one true God (1 Samuel 7:1–6). Prayer was central to Samuel’s ministry (v. 9); in response to his intercession, God gave the nation victory over the Philistines (vv. 7–13). To commemorate this God-inspired victory, Samuel erected a remembrance stone he called Ebenezer, which means “stone of help.” It can also serve as a reminder to us not to underestimate the power of God to respond to our prayers! Dennis Fisher

This message was written By Amy Boucher Pye [Our Daily Bread Ministries.]

Topic: Leverage On Your New Creation Reality [TREM’s Daily Tuesday January 16th, 2018]

“Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV)

You see, as a believer, you must begin to leverage on your new creation reality. I have said it many times and it bears repetition that there are many things that define your life. It could be where you were educated, it could be the environment you live in, it could be your family background and these are all wonderful. Your psychological make-up as a human being could be melancholic or phlegmatic or the rest of them but you must leverage on the new creation reality. The Bible says if any man is in Christ, he is a brand-new species of being that has never existed before. You are a mystery to the world.

Christ in you is the hope of glory. The hope we are talking about here has no margin for failure and it is not subject to change. Whatever you read in the newspaper is subject to change. Whatever the government is saying about the economy is subject to change but the hope we talk about cannot fail. And when we talk of hope in the bible, it means a done deal. It also means a confident expectation. In other words, it is something that must happen.

So, as a believer you don’t hope for shame; because you are not called for shame. Consider these verses: For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestine to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestined, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified (Romans 8:29, 30 KJV).

You are called for glory! As a new creation, you are operating on a higher dimension. A platform that has no margin for failure. You are limitless. Let them put barriers, roadblocks or speed breakers on your path, you will break through all of them. Every reproach and shame in your life is removed.

Further Reading: Romans 8:29-30, Colossians 1:21-29

Daily Bible Reading: Morning- Gen 38,39,40/ Evening- Mathew 11

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: Being Sold Out To God [Seeds of Destiny Tuesday January 16th, 2018]

Scripture: So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. Genesis 12:4.

Thought For The Day: God directs all the affairs of the dedicated.

Yesterday, we looked at what it means to be dedicated to God. We saw twelve different definitions of dedication. It is important you go through yesterday’s message again in order to have a full grasp of it. This is because a person is a product of his level of understanding. What a man knows is what he shows. To be dedicated to God, there is a need to know what dedication is all about.

Today, we shall explore one of the definitions of dedication, which is being sold out to God.

From our anchor passage, we understand that Abraham, by his action, was sold out to God. When God asked him to get out of his land, family and kindred to a land He would show him, he obeyed and went out, not knowing from the beginning, exactly where he was going. That was dedication.

Now, what does it mean to be sold out to God?

1. Being sold out to God means allowing God to have the ownership of your life in reality and in totality

It is not allowing your life to be controlled by yourself. Dedicated people do not own their lives, time, or resources. When a person says, ‘I own my life; I will live my life the way I want it. Don’t tell me what to do with my life’, it means such a person is not dedicated to God.

2. Being sold to God means allowing God to dictate the direction of your life.

When God dictates the direction of your life, you do not do things as you want; it means you are being sold out to God.

3. Being sold out to God means allowing God to have the final say over the issues of your life.

A person is not sold out to God when God does not have the final say over the issues of his or her life, work, marriage, business, etc.

4. Being sold out to God means sacrificing your personal agenda on the altar of consecration and relationship with God

This means, you only do what God wants you to do. You will not do what is not in God’s agenda for your life.

Remember This: God directs all the affairs of the dedicated.

Assignments:

1. Make up your mind to be sold out to God.

2. Let God dictate and direct the affairs and details of your life.

Prayer: O Lord, I ask for the grace to be sold out to You completely, in Jesus’ Name.

FOR FURTHER UNDERSTANDING, GET THIS MESSAGE: UNDERSTANDING DEDICATION (PART 1).

Amazing Fact: Noise causes the pupils of your eyes to dilate. Even very small noises can do this.

Today In History: 16/01/1120: The Council of Nablus was held, establishing the earliest surviving written laws of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem

Daily Reading: Genesis 32:13 to 34:31, Matthew 11:7 to 30, Psalm 14:1 to 7, Proverbs 3:19 to 20.

Quote: Any step taken outside God is a step into disaster. Culled from 21 FOOLISH THINGS PEOPLE DO by Dr Paul Enenche.

Don’t Forget To Attend: The two power-packed Communion Services tomorrow by 4:45pm & 6:30pm

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.