Topic: Our Merciful God — Sunday December 17, 2017.

Text: 2 Kings 13:1-9

Key Verse: “And Jehoahaz besought the LORD, and the LORD hearkened unto him: for he saw the oppression of Israel, because the king of Syria oppressed them” (2 Kings 13:4).

An evangelist of repute once yielded to temptation and fell into the sin of immorality. It became a scandal and he was devastated. His ministry was ruined. How was he to pick up the pieces of his broken life? By God’s goodness and mercy, he was restored to fellowship and to the ministry, and in gratitude to God, he composed these verses: “For years I traveled a road all wrong, My heart had lost its joy and song; Till grace placed me right where I belong; When mercy rewrote my life. His mercy rewrote my life.

I could have fallen and my soul cast down. But mercy rewrote my life. My mistakes that day He turned into miracle, my tears he turned into joy, all past sins were forgiven and a new name was written…” Now, let us turn to the case of Israel, “And Jehoahaz besought the LORD, and the LORD hearkened unto him… And the LORD gave Israel a Saviour (verses 4,5). Genuine repentance attracts God’s free and undeserved mercy.

The oppression of Israel moved Him to a decisive action against Syria. The infectious sin of Jeroboam had contaminated successive kings and its multiplier effects resonated throughout all Israel. God does not want His people to be oppressed. He forgave their sins and showed them mercy not so much for their repentance as for the humble plea of Jehoahaz. Leaders and pastors must always be spiritually alert to stand in the gap for the people, to identify the presence of sin in their lives, and ask God for mercy or forgiveness.

Thought for the day: God saves but also judges.

Bible Reading in one Year: Revelation 12-14

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: No Verdict Is Final [Sunday December 17, 2017]

Scripture: Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not? Lamentation 3:37

Thought For The Day: The devil does not have the final say; God has the final say in your life.

Sometime ago, I heard the testimony of a rich man in Cotonou, Benin Republic. This man was so diabolical that he had a personal native doctor (Babalawo). One day, while in the dream, he saw four men of the occult including his native doctor trying to throw him into the fire. In that process, someone walked up to him and said, ‘Jesus Christ is the only One who can save you’. So, after he woke up, he ran to the Pastor in our Church in Cotonou and said, ‘My brother, someone told me in my dream that only Jesus Christ could save me, please help me and let Jesus save me.’ And the Pastor led him to Christ and he renounced the powers of darkness. Immediately he did that, the native doctor who must have seen it in the realm of the spirit sent for him physically. The native doctor asked him, ‘What have you gone to do? You had better change your mind and come back now.’ The man replied, ‘No! I will not change my mind because I have seen the light.’ So, the native doctor pointed at him and gave him three days to live.

Again, the man ran to the Pastor and said, ‘Pastor, the native doctor has pointed at me and given me a verdict to die after three days. Please, help me look after my family when I’m gone’. And the Pastor came under the influence of the Holy Ghost fire, and with anger he told the man: ‘No way! You are not going to die. Get on your knees here.’ As the man knelt, the pastor took the anointing oil that was fertilized with the Power of God at the 2017 International Ministers’ Flaming Fire Conference and said, ‘My father in the Lord, Dr. Paul Enenche imparted this oil for me at Abuja, Nigeria, so I anoint you and declare that by the mantle and unction of God upon Dunamis Commission, the number of days the native doctor gave you to live and die is the exact number of days he shall live before he dies’. On the third day exactly, the native doctor died. Power pass power!

Beloved, it does not matter what you are passing through, the devil does not have the final say; God has the final say in your life.

Today, I decree the cancellation of every demonic verdict hanging on your life, in Jesus Name.

Remember This: The devil does not have the final say; God has the final say in your life.

Assignments:

1. Surrender completely to the Lordship of our Lord Jesus Christ

2. Discard every judgment or verdict on your life that is not in consonance with the Word of God for your life or with what God has said about you.

Prayer: LORD, I reject every verdict of hell over my life. Let Your counsel concerning my life and destiny see the light of day this season, LORD, in Jesus’ Name.

FOR FURTHER UNDERSTANDING, GET THE MESSAGE: THE WORD OF GOD IS TRUE

Quote: satan has no power to keep any secret from being revealed. The Power of God is above the powers of hell. Culled from UNVEILING AND DISSOLVING MYSTERIES by Dr Paul Enenche

Daily Reading: Nahum 1:1 to 3:19, Revelation 8:1 to 13, Psalm 136:1 to 26, Proverbs 30:7 to 9

Amazing Fact: Eyelashes like food too; what you eat matters for your eyelashes!

Today In History: 17/12/1903 – After three years of experimentation, Orville and Wilbur Wright achieved the first powered, controlled airplane flights.

Prophetic Parental Blessing: I prophesy to you today: whatever affected others will never affect you. That which befalls people can never come near you. Your preservation is confirmed in this last month of the year, in Jesus’ Name.

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.

Topic: Abide In Christ — Sunday 17, December 2017.

Memorise: If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. – John 15:7

Read John 15:4-7 (KJV)

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

Bible in One Year: Revelation 17-19, Zachariah 4:1-5:4, Hymn: Sing Hymn 14: Take My Life

MESSAGE:

The Lord Jesus Christ gave out several great invitations while He was on earth, and these invitations are still open to us today. If only you can accept them, your life will never be the same again. He says to us “Come and eat”, “Come and drink”, and “Come and follow me” (John 21:12, John 7:37, Mark 8:34). To follow Him, you must deny yourself of certain desires and lusts, take up your cross daily by being ready to live the sacrificial life that He demands, and put your feet where He trod, while carefully studying the paths that He walked (1 Peter 2:21). May God grant you the grace to truly follow Him! Today, on different social media networks, quite a lot of people have a great followership. There is no better person to follow than Jesus Christ! Following some of the characters on social media networks cannot add anything good to your life, but following Jesus will add both earthly benefits and eternal rewards to you (Mark 10:29-30). The best thing that can ever happen to you is to follow Jesus! A good follower of Jesus is a good disciple of Christ.

In addition, the Lord invites His children to abide in Him. In John 15:5, Jesus says if you abide in Him, you will bear much fruit. Abiding in Him is one secret of fruitfulness in the kingdom of God. If you want to be able to win a lot of souls to Christ, you must take time to ensure that He permanently resides in you and you in Him. It is only then that His life will fully and freely flow through you. If you are still toying with sin, you cannot be fruitful from God’s perspective. Also, abiding in Him gives you the assurance that all your prayers will be answered (John 15:7). When all your requests are granted, what more can you wish for? This is where God wants all his children to be and not just some of them. Are all your prayers being answered? If only some have been answered, then you really need to look at your present relationship with Christ and do some more work on your love towards Him, your faith in Him, your devotion to Him, and your obedience to Him, and study of His word. You need to look at how consistent you are in His presence and go deeper in Him. Don’t stop until all your prayers are answered! Don’t stop until you are most fruitful!

Action Point: On social media networks today, so many people who are being followed are leading their followers to Hell. Watch who you follow!

Hymn 14: Take My Life

1. Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days,
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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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