Topic: Stumbling in Darkness [Monday November 20, 2017]

The one who is the true Light arrived to shine on everyone coming into the world. — John 1:9 (TLB)

The world is stumbling in darkness from one crisis to another. The crises are getting worse and worse, and are coming closer and closer to home. Inflation, population explosion, hunger, dominate vast areas of the world. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. You follow me and give your life to me and I’ll take you out of the darkness of this world, out of this confusion, out of this mess that you’re in, and I’ll give you peace and joy. A light will burn in your heart and mind that you never had before. I will command the light to come on in your life.”

Prayer for the day: Your light shines in the darkest place and gives me hope, Lord Jesus.

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.

Topic: You Can Make It — Monday November 20, 2017.

“I can do all things through Christ that strengtheneth me.’’ (Philippians 4:13 KJV)

Today, let’s look at our text from the Message translation: “Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am.” From this translation, you can see that the ‘I can’ mentality is derivable from the One who makes you who you are. John 1:12 (KJV) clearly states who you are in Christ. In Christ, you are a son. God was not playing on words when He said in the verse “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name:”

You are not going to become; you are the son of God. The devil keeps fighting this truth so that he can keep you intimidated, confused and put down even though you are the son of God. Can you imagine the son of the President going on the street with his shoulders drooping, his eyes down and looking every bit a failure? Of course not! The very fact that he is the son of the President confers on him a certain level of authority and grants him certain privileges, not for who he is in himself, but whose son he is. If the son of the President will walk with some springs in his feet with his head up, how much more you, the son of the King of kings and the Lord of lords?

Child of God, square up your shoulders, raise up your head, you are the covenant child of the covenant keeping God. From today, decide that there would be no limitations or impossibilities with you no matter what the enemy throws at you, and you will see God move on your behalf in a dimension you have never seen before. Remember that you can do all things through Christ and praying is part of that ability. You must pray until something shifts in the realm of the spirit. God has gone ahead of you to make crooked paths straight. So decide to stand in there until the miracle you desire manifests. Don’t give up; you can make it and guess what? YOU WILL MAKE IT!!!

Further Reading: Mark 9:23, Isaiah 45:1-3, 2 Corinthians 9:8

Daily Bible Reading: Morning- Ezekiel 14-15; Evening- James 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: Take a Number — Monday November 20, 2017.

Read: John 14:15–27, Bible in a Year: Ezekiel 14–15; James 2

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. John 14:27

We have an ancient cherry tree in our backyard that had seen better days and looked like it was dying, so I called in an arborist. He checked it out and declared that it was “unduly stressed” and needed immediate attention. “Take a number,” my wife, Carolyn, muttered to the tree as she walked away. It had been one of those weeks.

Indeed, we all have anxious weeks—filled with worries over the direction our culture is drifting or concerns for our children, our marriages, our businesses, our finances, our personal health and well-being. Nevertheless, Jesus has assured us that despite disturbing circumstances we can be at peace. He said, “My peace I give to you” (John 14:27).

Jesus’s days were filled with distress and disorder: He was beleaguered by His enemies and misunderstood by His family and friends. He often had no place to lay His head. Yet there was no trace of anxiety or fretfulness in His manner. He possessed an inner calm, a quiet tranquility. This is the peace He has given us—freedom from anxiety concerning the past, present, and future. The peace He exhibited; His peace.

In any circumstances, no matter how dire or trivial, we can turn to Jesus in prayer. There in His presence we can make our worries and fears known to Him. Then, Paul assures us, the peace of God will come to “guard [our] hearts and [our] minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:7). Even if we’ve had “one of those weeks,” we can have His peace.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You that I can come to You with every care and Your peace will guard my mind.

In the midst of troubles, peace can be found in Jesus.

Insight:

Thank God that you can take your cares to Him in prayer and ask Him to help you commit your situation to His care.

This message was written By David H. Roper [Our Daily Bread Ministries.]

Topic — A Definition Of Success: Bouncing Back! [Monday, November 20, 2017]

Basic Scriptures: Proverbs 24:1-16

After a major fire at an office complex that involved huge losses, the company chairman wrote to me and thanked God that none of the worker was harmed in the incident. Furthermore, he made the following statements: “If you have a little setback, we must rise again. This is the definition of success.”

From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is full of amazing stories of men/women who disgraced setback and bounce back. Get your self-confidence back! Proverb 24:15-16 proclaims: “Lay not wait O wicked man against the dwelling of the righteous; spoil not his resting place for a just man falleth seven times and riseth up again … “ That is the key of success: the ability to bounce back! No matter how long the night takes, realize that the morning is coming!

Was Joseph not flesh and blood like you? He was hopeless for 17 years waiting for an elusive dream, yet in end, he succeeded! Success is realizing that after the cloud, the rainbow will come! No one achieves true success at their first attempt. It is important to learn from your failures by being aware of and understanding your weak points or failures. It will allow to work on them and turn them and turn them into your strengths! Heaven is sending a message through today’s devotional to you: Learn how to wait and bounce back, because at one time or the other, all men fail! Reject self-pity!

The great men /women you hear about today e.g Abraham Lincoln, Nelson Mandela, etc, failed once or often before they became great. If they have allowed self pity to conquer them, will you have heard of them? Won’t people hear of you? Refuse to give up! Sometimes, like a garden which requires cultivation, your pain could be sign that: The great farmer – Jehovah is at work I your life! Refuse to quit! 80% of success is just being there no matter what! As 2017 ends and 2018 begins, I see you bouncing back mightily! Amen!

Get my new books: “Blasting Down Your Walls of Jericho”  and “My Womb Must Open By Fire” from any bookshop nationwide.

Prayer Points: Take any song of worship as led.

1. Grant me the grace Oh Lord never to give up in the midst of battles! Fire me Lord, to bounce from failure!

2. Lord, turn every battle of this year into my button of success!

3. By the grace of God, I shall not dwell in the valley of casualties in life and ministry. I will shine as a winner for generations yet unborn! So help me God (Pray it well till something happens). Pray about today as led now.

In the storms of life, ODM is LIFE’S PARACHUTE. Give a soul/family a reason to get in touch with ODM Daily Devotionals.

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

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

Topic: Be Wise — Monday November 20, 2017.

Text: Ezekiel 17:1-10

Key Verse: “It was planted in a good soil by great waters, that it might bring forth branches, and that it might bear fruit, that it might be a goodly vine” (Ezekiel 17:8).

God has always spoken to the children of Israel about the consequences of breaking His commandments. This time around, He had determined to send them on exile to be afflicted by the wicked nations around them. Babylon and Egypt were always on hand to torment Israel. A riddle was embedded in the parable in today’s text, and God wanted the people to draw their own conclusions.

He used the great eagle, referring to the king of Babylon – Nebuchadnezzar in the parable and talked about different colours referring to the alliance of nations that would invade Israel. During the siege of Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar left for a short period of time in order to crush the approaching Egyptians. When evil is determined against a person or a nation, it only takes genuine repentance and a total turnaround to avert it.

The children of Israel had been sinning consistently and God had determined evil against them which must surely be fulfilled. There are so many afflictions that beset people nowadays that are a direct consequence of rebellion against God. Not only had God determined to punish Israel, He also planned to make the punishment grievous by ensuring that the king of Babylon lead other wicked nations to afflict Israel. Whenever any questionable circumstance arises in our lives, we must endeavour to cross-check the source from the Almighty.

Do not join the ranks of those who wrongfully accuse Satan for the many woes they suffer in life. True, Satan is the major architect of afflictions; yet, there are some infirmities that are self-inflicted. To overcome this, the guilty one must sincerely come to terms with himself and turn to God in penitence and contrition for deliverance.

Thought for the day: Repentance replaces God’s judgment with mercy.

Bible Reading in one Year: Ezekiel 14-17

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: Unchangeable Facts Of Life [Monday November 20, 2017]

Scripture: Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to be quiet and not do anything rash. Acts 19:36-37(NIV)

Thought For The Day: Do not lament what you cannot amend; if it is not amendable, it is not lamentable.

Facts are established events or realities. There are things in life that are established and little or nothing can be done to change them. They are called facts.

For instance, your tribe is a fact. Your race is a fact. Therefore, to wish to be a white person whereas you are black or to be born black whereas you are white is a useless and inconsequential wish. That you are a Nigerian is a fact, that you are a Mexican is also a fact, that you are an Idoma, Ibo, Ibibio, Etilo, Hausa, Yoruba, or Igede person is a fact.

Your height is a fact. The mother that gave birth to you is a fact. To wish that another mother gave birth to you is an inconsequential wish.

The question you may ask is, what do I do with the facts of life? Accept the facts but solve the problems.

Beloved, never lament what you cannot amend. If it is not amendable, it is not lamentable. Do not cry over spilt milk, trust God for another one.

Do not struggle over facts but try to solve problems. If they say you are sick, it is a problem and not a fact because it is solvable. The power of God can blast that sickness off your body.

Right now, by the anointing of God upon my life, I uproot every root of infirmity from your body, in Jesus’ Name.

Remember This: Do not lament what you cannot amend; if it is not amendable, it is not lamentable.

Assignment(S):

1. Be contented and appreciative of God’s goodness and benevolence over your life.

2. Always ask God to solve any problem in your life.

Prayer: LORD, deliver me from every challenge and problem around my life, in Jesus’ Name.

FOR FURTHER UNDERSTANDING, GET THIS MESSAGE: WISDOM FROM THE LIFE OF JOSEPH- PART 3

Quote: A cycle of frustration is repeated when lessons are not learnt; progress is only made when lessons are leant. Culled from 21 FOOLISH THINGS PEOPLE DO by Dr Paul Enenche

Daily Reading: Ezekiel 40:28 to 41:26, James 4:1 to 17, Psalm 118:19 to 29, Proverbs 28:3 to 5

Amazing Fact: According to an Ethiopian legend, goats discovered coffee.

Today In History: 20/11/1969, Brazilian soccer icon Pele scored his 1,000th goal

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: Focus And Momentum [Monday, 20th November, 2017]

Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. Galatians 6:4 NLT

Your life will gain focus and momentum if your motive of doing what you are into – career, business, etc – is to add value to people, while growing in the process. Focus is key to momentum in whatsoever you are involved in. God’s will for us is that we should always have momentum, moving forward toward the direction of the vision He has birthed in our hearts. He confirms this in 2 Corinthians 3:18: “so all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.” So, as we see (focus), the Lord makes us more and more (momentum) like Him as we are changed into His image (vision). This is key.

One of the very easiest way to lose focus and momentum is to start paying attention to others, thinking about how better than you they are, comparing yourself with them. Beloved, no two people are ever going to be the same, no two people will create the same value, do things the same way, achieve the same things, even though they are involved in the same thing or are in the same industry. We are all wired differently, and we will never be the same, even if we are twins, born of the same mother. So, focusing on others and comparing yourself with them is a just being plain foolish. You will end up losing focus and momentum. Because you will start thinking of your deficiencies and how you are not good enough, how you can’t create the kind of value they are creating, how your skill sets are misfit for the job. You just start showing up all the negativity about you.

But beloved, when you focus on your work you will notice the value you are creating, you will see how good you are, you will see what your skill sets have produced, then, like our lead verse says, “…you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else” (Galatians 6:4 NLT). And you would want to maintain a progressive momentum, you would want to do more, achieve more, create more value, cover more grounds, spread more and be more. That’s what God wants for us. This is why we must not lose our focus. Let your eyes be single (focus) and your whole life will be full of light (monumental progress) (Matthew 6:22). Keep your eyes focussed on yourself.

Keep winning daily.

Wise Action:

You are your competitor in life. No one is competing with you. So, focus on what you are doing and the value you are creating. But, endeavor to get better and make monumental progress.