Topic: Praise Him Always — Saturday November 18, 2017.

‘’Praise the Lord with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings. Sing unto him a new song; play skillfully with a loud noise.’’ (Psalms 33:2-3 KJV)

Often times’ believers get so consumed with challenges that we either forget to praise God or we do it shabbily. As you are no doubt aware, one of the areas of strong emphasis in our ministry is ‘quality praise and worship’. Not because we do not have challenges, but because we have learnt the secret of overcoming every challenge and obstacle, which is by focusing on the ‘BIGNESS’ of our God.

One of the ways to focus on the greatness of God is by praising Him. In other words, you are not waiting for things to work out right before you begin to praise God. I encourage you to praise God from where you are right now and see how heaven will respond to you. The Psalmist David said I will bless the Lord every time, His praises shall continually be in my mouth, and it will never depart from my lips. Do you know what that means? That is a commitment to bless the Lord irrespective of the events happening around, whether the promises of God have been fulfilled or not, whether the baby has arrived or not. David made a commitment to bless the Lord at all times. I want to encourage you to praise God always and as you praise him, open your spirit, turn yourself loose and let him also minister back to you.

Often we get so familiar with the motions of praise and worship, we enjoy the lyrics of the songs, dance, hi-five one another and fail to come before his presence with expectations. Beloved, one sure way to hear from God in times like these and get ministered to is through praises, so don’t let such moments pass you by. Don’t be too dignified to praise Him because the Bible tells us that God inhabits the praises of His people. If He dwells in praises, then, He will surely minister to you when you praise Him.

Further Reading: Exodus 15:11, Psalms 22:3, 34:1-3

Daily Bible Reading: Morning- Ezekiel 8-10; Evening- Hebrews 13

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: Healing Is An Expression Of God’s Mercy [Saturday November 18, 2017]

Luke 22:51 “And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear, and healed him.”

Jesus often healed people by touching them, and others received their healing as they touched Jesus. You can transmit the power or the anointing of God through the laying on of hands (Mk. 16:18; Heb. 6:2). The virtue of God can even be transmitted to objects and then brought to the person who needs healing or deliverance.

Jesus provided physical healing as well as forgiveness of sins. Many scriptures mention the healing of our bodies in conjunction with the forgiveness of our sins. Healing is an expression of God’s love and compassion for our physical man. Healing miracles also draw men to God to get their spiritual needs met. Physical healing acts like a bell to get man’s attention so that the Lord can minister to the inner man as well.

Healing has been purchased for us as part of the atonement of Christ. The Lord would no more refuse to heal us than He would refuse to forgive us. That does not mean that we deserve healing – we don’t. It is a gift from God, just as salvation is a gift from God (Rom. 6:23; Eph. 2:8). We don’t deserve to have our sins forgiven. We cannot demand salvation from the Lord, but we can expect it. Likewise, healing has been purchased for us through the atonement of Christ. Healing belongs to us, but it is still the mercy of God that provides healing. Every act of healing is an act of mercy.

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: Pure Hearts [Saturday November 18, 2017]

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. — Philippians 2:5

It is impossible to live pure lives until we have pure hearts. Many people today are trying to put the cart before the horse. They are teaching purity of motives, desires, and actions to old, deceitful hearts! No wonder we have ended up such moral failures, in spite of our vaunted knowledge and psychological approaches.

Pure motives, desires, and actions stem from pure hearts. Pure hearts will be Christlike. It is God’s desire that we be conformed to the image of His Son. If Christ lives within us and our bodies become the abode of the Holy Spirit, is it any wonder that we should be like Him?

Prayer for the day: Cleanse my heart and make it the home of Your Spirit, Lord.

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: Do You Know What to Ask For? [Saturday November 18, 2017]

And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. – Mark 10:51

All of us know what it’s like to go round in circles. To pray our way through one financial disaster only to be met by another. To receive healing for one illness just in time to be knocked off our feet by the next.

Oh, we try. We pray. We exercise our faith. But we keep getting caught in the same old problems over and over again. Why? Because all too often, we don’t actually know what it is we need to be praying for.

I can almost hear your reaction. “Believe me, Brother Copeland, that’s not my problem. I know what I need. It’s getting that need met that’s got me running in circles.”

That’s what most other folks think too. So they spend all their time working on getting. They waste their energy praying for things they don’t really need and asking for things they don’t really want. Then they wind up going nowhere fast.

Look with me at Mark 10, and I think you’ll see what I mean. Blind Bartimaeus sat by the roadside begging when Jesus passed by. “And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me…. And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus. And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way” (verses 47, 50-52).

Now I want you to think about something for a moment. In the light of what the Scriptures tell us, how many needs did Bartimaeus have? Did he have just one? No! He wasn’t simply a blind man, he was a beggar. He probably had more problems than you could shake a stick at, and all those problems would have seemed like legitimate needs to Bartimaeus. But it was sight he needed. If he could obtain his sight, all the rest would fall into line.

He knew that. So, when Jesus said, “Bartimaeus, what do you want Me to do for you?” he knew exactly what to ask for and he got it.

Jesus is just as available to you today as He was to Bartimaeus. He’s just as willing to meet your need. The question is, do you really know what to ask for?

Think about that. Pray about it. Let the Lord Jesus open your eyes and show you what you really need. If you do that, your prayers will take on a whole new power. Instead of hitting around at the edges of your problems, they’ll go straight to the heart—and solve them. And you won’t have to waste your life running in circles anymore.

Scripture Reading: Mark 10:46-52

This message was written by Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, the leader of the Kenneth Copeland Ministries (www.KCM.org) that specializes in teaching principles of bible faith – prayer, healing, salvation and other biblical topics.

Topic: Hide and Seek— Saturday November 18, 2017.

Read: Ezekiel 8, Bible in a Year: Ezekiel 8–10; Hebrews 13

In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. 1 Peter 1:3

“You can’t see me!”

When small children play “hide and seek,” they sometimes believe they’re hiding just by covering their eyes. If they can’t see you, they assume you can’t see them.

Naïve as that may seem to adults, we sometimes do something similar with God. When we find ourselves desiring to do something we know is wrong, our tendency may be to shut God out as we willfully go our own way.

The prophet Ezekiel discovered this truth in the vision God gave him for his people, exiled in Babylon. The Lord told him, “Have you seen what the elders of Israel are doing in the darkness, each at the shrine of his own idol? They say, ‘The Lord does not see us’” (Ezek. 8:12).

But God misses nothing, and Ezekiel’s vision was proof of it. Yet even though they had sinned, God offered His repentant people hope through a new promise: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you” (36:26).

For us, God met the brokenness and rebellion of sin with His tender mercy at the cross, paying the ultimate penalty for it. Through Jesus Christ, God not only offers us a new beginning, but He also works within us to change our hearts as we follow Him. How good is God! When we were lost and hiding in our sinfulness, God drew near through Jesus, who “came to seek and to save” us (Luke 19:10; Rom. 5:8).

Prayer: Thank You for Your kindness to me, Lord. Help me to seek You and follow You faithfully today.

God knows us completely . . . and loves us just as much.

This message was written By James Banks [Our Daily Bread Ministries.]

Topic: Avoiding The Distractions Of Life [Saturday November 18, 2017]

Scripture: The vision is yet for an appointed time, make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. Habakkuk 2:2

Thought For The Day: The energy you need to make progress, do not use it to make enemies.

Some time ago, after preaching in one of the sessions of our Ministers’ Conferences, a pastor met me and said ‘Sir, people are so terrible; can you imagine that someone who just sat under your ministration now was talking against you?’

After the pastor finished speaking, I did not utter a word; it was as if he did not say anything. The truth is, I could have asked the pastor to know who the person was and the exact thing he said, but I did not ask any of those questions because they were not necessary.

Now, if I knew who the person was and what he said, how could it have helped me? The only thing it could have done to me was, each time I set my eyes on the person, I would be tempted with needless resentment and distraction. But there was no need for that. The situation was calculated just to distract my dogged and rugged focus in that conference.

Beloved, the energy you need to make progress, do not use it to make enemies. The fact is, in life people are making one thing or the other: while some are making impact and progress, others are making mistakes and enemies. The question is, what are you making in life?

Remember This: The energy you need to make progress, do not use it to make enemies

Assignment(s):

1. Determine that nothing and no one shifts your focus from God, the Word of God and your assignment in life.

2. Avoid distractions and distractors like a plague.

Prayer: Lord, deliver me from the distractions and distractors of life. I receive fresh grace, Lord, not to lose focus on You, Your Word and in life, in Jesus’ Name.

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

Quote: You cannot carry a weight and expect to be able to be caught up by the rapture, when the rapture does take place. Culled from AM I BITTER? by Dr Becky Paul-Enenche

Daily Reading: Ezekiel 37:1 to 38:23, James 1:19 to 2:17 Psalm 117:1 to 2, Proverbs 28:1

Amazing Fact: There is no alternate menu for a bed bug; they ingest blood, and only blood.

Today In History: 18/11/1993, Black & white leaders in South Africa approved a new democratic constitution.

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: Humility Pays — Saturday November 18, 2017.

Text: Matthew 18:1-14

Key Verse: “Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:4).

The world would have been a better place today had people imbibed the attribute of being humble. What we see in society is a demand for humility by people who lack the virtue in their lives and day-to-day dealings with other people.

The disciples of Jesus were themselves confused on this subject matter even though they had been with Christ for quite some time. They wanted to be sure where they belonged in the matter of the Kingdom. But Jesus did not say, “you my followers”, but He said “whosoever…” Thus, He disabused their minds that heaven was just for a few of them that were following Him as His disciples. He went a step further “whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (verse 4). Humility therefore, is a serious requirement in our walk with God and man. Jesus also used the occasion to advise them to be vigilant and guard jealously their spiritual life, urging them to do away with whatever might cause them to “offend.” As believers, we must learn from Jesus’ teachings to His disciples in the passage under consideration.

Although they were already in the kingdom, at least their names had been written in the book of life, they needed to secure that ticket, by humbling themselves; ensuring that they were not dragged into sin by any of their body members and to always seek the lost sheep of God. If the disciples who were with Jesus needed tutoring, how much more we who did not see Christ bodily but believed? It is that quality of humility that can carry us through till the end.

Thought for the day: Pride disqualifies!

Bible Reading in one Year: Ezekiel 6-8

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.