Topic: A Little Every Day [Friday September 22, 2017]

Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall I resemble it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it. – Luke 13:18-19

If you’re going to grow in the kingdom of God, you’re going to do it just like a seed that’s been planted in the ground. How does a seed grow? All at once? No, it grows constantly—24 hours a day—a little all the time until it accomplishes what it was created to do.

Most of us don’t operate that way spiritually. We study and pray very hard for a few days and then quit. Then, when some disaster comes, we make a mad attempt to pray and stand on the Word, all the while realizing that, for some reason, we’re just not as strong as we ought to be.

There’s no such thing as an overnight success in the kingdom of God! Real strength, real growth comes as you consistently and constantly keep the Word before your eyes, in your ears, and in the midst of your heart. Not just when you want to or when you feel like it, but constantly, like the seed, a little all the time.

A man came up to me once and said, “Man, your ministry just took off overnight, didn’t it?”

“If it did,” I answered, “it was certainly the longest night I ever spent in my life!”

From his perspective my success did seem to spring up quickly. That’s because he didn’t see me during all those hours and weeks and months and years I spent in the Word of God. He didn’t see the daily process that lay behind that success. He just saw the results.

Make up your mind to begin that daily process of constant growth today. Determine to start putting the Word in your heart consistently. Every day a line here, a line there—a tape here, a tape there.

Begin to act as though that Word is true every hour of the day regardless of what comes or how you feel. Keep adding to your faith—meditating on it, confessing it, seven days a week.

Eventually, your faith will be bigger than you ever dreamed it could be.

Scripture Reading: Luke 13:18-21

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: The Two Greatest Commands – Friday September 22, 2017.

Matthew 22:36 “Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”

Text: Matthew 22:34-46

Jesus revealed that all of the Old Testament laws were designed to instruct us how to love God and love others. Therefore, the two commands that dealt directly with loving God and others (Lev. 19:18 and Dt. 6:5) were the most important.

The religious leaders had become so obsessed with keeping every minor detail of the law that they had lost sight of its ultimate purpose. They neither loved God nor their fellow man, yet they thought they were keeping the law.

The same thing is happening today. Some of the cruelest acts of men towards their fellow men have been done in the name of the Lord by people who thought they were defending God’s holy commandments. However, if we violate one of the two greatest commandments in an effort to enforce some other commandment, then we are misapplying God’s Word just as these religious Jews did.

The Old Testament law and the New Testament concept of grace compels men to the same end, that is to love God and their fellowmen. However, the motivations to this end are different. The Old Testament law motivated men to love God and their fellowman through fear of punishment if they failed to comply. The New Testament concept of grace freely gives men a God-kind of love that is unconditional and tells them to love others as they are loved.

It is possible to display actions of holiness, but not love God. It is impossible for God’s kind of love not to produce holiness. Holiness is a fruit and not a root of loving God.

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: What Real Servanthood Is [Friday September 22, 2017]

Scripture: For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption. Acts 13:36.

Thought For The Day: A servant is someone who is not struggling for limelight or the attention of men.

In the previous days, we have been looking at qualities that attract the anointing to a person’s life using the life of David as a case study.

We saw that servanthood attracts the anointing on a person’s life. It was established that the anointing does not flow on the heads of masters.

The question to ask is, what is servanthood?

Servanthood means a life given to service; it is a life of absolute humility. It is not possible to be a proud person and claim to be a servant at the same time.

Secondly, servanthood means a life that does not struggle for visibility and popularity; a servant is someone who is not struggling for limelight or the attention of men.

All the brothers of David may have struggled for people’s attention but David was at the background where nobody could easily see him; nobody knew much about his existence.

Furthermore, servanthood means being satisfied with contributing to the enhancement of the lives of people around you; it is being satisfied with solution provision.

Beloved, make up your mind to serve in order to attract the anointing.

Remember this: A servant is someone who is not struggling for limelight or the attention of men.

Assignment(s):

1. Ask God for the impartation of the spirit of humility.

2. Ask God to deal with every trace of pride in your life that will rob you of service.

3. Practice servant-hood by serving the people around you.

Prayer: O LORD, clothe me with the garment of humility and service in Jesus’ Name.

FOR FURTHER UNDERSTANDING, GET THIS MESSAGE: MAXIMIZING YOUR LIFE.

Amazing Fact: We all have tiny mites living in our eye lashes

Today In History: 22/09/1862, U.S. President Lincoln issued the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. It stated that all slaves held within rebel states would be free as of January 1, 1863

Daily Reading: Isaiah 39:1 to 41:16, Ephesians 1:1 to 23, Psalm 66:1 to 20, Proverbs 23:25 to 28.

Quote: When God gives you an opportunity to serve, He has given you the opportunity to prove your love for Him. Culled from SERVICE: YOUR UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST by Dr Becky Enenche.

Dunamis International Gospel Centre (DIGC), is a powerfully anointed church, headquartered at Abuja, Nigeria, with Dr 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: Sweet and Sour — Friday September 22, 2017.

Read: Job 2:1–10, Bible in a Year: Ecclesiastes 10–12; Galatians 1

Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble? Job 2:10

When our toddler first bit into a lemon wedge, he wrinkled his nose, stuck out his tongue, and squeezed his eyes shut. “Sow-wah,” he said (sour).

I chuckled as I reached for the piece of fruit, intending to toss it into the trash.

“No!” Xavier scampered across the kitchen to get away from me. “Moe-wah!” (more). His lips puckered with every juice-squirting bite. I winced when he finally handed me the rind and walked away.

My taste buds accurately reflect my partiality to the sweet moments in life. My preference for avoiding all things bitter reminds me of Job’s wife, who seems to have shared my aversion to the sourness of suffering.

Job surely didn’t delight in hardship or trouble, yet he honored God through heart-wrenching circumstances (Job 1:1–22). When painful sores afflicted Job’s body, he endured the agony (2:7–8). His wife told him to give up on God (v. 9), but Job responded by trusting the Lord through suffering and afflictions (v. 10).

It’s natural to prefer avoiding the bitter bites in life. We can even be tempted to lash out at God when we’re hurting. But the Lord uses trials, teaching us how to trust Him, depend on Him, and surrender to Him as He enables us to persevere through difficult times. And like Job, we don’t have to enjoy suffering to learn to savor the unexpected sweetness of sour moments—the divine strengthening of our faith.

Prayer: Thank You for assuring us that suffering is never wasted when we place our confidence in who You are, what You’ve done, and what You’re capable of doing.

God uses suffering to strengthen our faith.

Insight:

In the ancient story of Job, we see a devout follower of God whose life has been laid bare by financial, family, and physical suffering. The book of Job asks the perennial question, “Why do the righteous suffer?” Job’s ordeals test his devotion to his Redeemer and Provider. Clearly the book shows how God uses suffering to strengthen believers’ faith and refine their character. Job declares, “But [God] knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold” (Job 23:10).

Has God used a trial in your life to refine your character and strengthen your faith? Dennis Fisher

This message was written By Xochitl Dixon [Our Daily Bread Ministries.]

Topic: When You Are Blessed — Friday 22, September 2017.

Memorise: By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. – Hebrews 11:20

Read: Genesis 27:20-29 (KJV)

20 And Isaac said unto his son, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the LORD thy God brought it to me.

21 And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not.

22 And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.

23 And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau’s hands: so he blessed him.

24 And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am.

25 And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son’s venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine, and he drank.

26 And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son.

27 And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD hath blessed:

28 Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:

29 Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother’s sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.

Bible in One Year: Nehemiah 4-6, Ezekiel 44:28-45:9, Hymn: Sing hymn 14 – Take My Life

MESSAGE:

A blessing is an invitation to all the forces in Heaven, on earth and underneath the earth to cooperate with an individual and assist him or her to succeed. When Isaac pronounced a blessing on Jacob in today’s Bible reading, he summoned the dew of heaven, the land, and all the forces on earth to be of assistance to Jacob. As a result of this blessing, Jacob became exceedingly great. Hear what Genesis 30:43 says about his greatness:

“And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses.”

Coming up next: Open Heavens 23 September 2017: Saturday daily devotional by Pastor Adeboye – Resisting God?

How about his brother Esau? Genesis 27:38-40 says after Jacob had stolen the cream of the blessing from him, Esau came to ask for the remnant. What was the result of this “remnant”? From Genesis 32:3-6, we understand that this remnant got him so blessed that he could afford to retain the services of 400 personal bodyguards. If you become so rich that you require 400 men to go with you wherever you go, that is something remarkable. I can recall the first time a president visited us at the Redemption Camp; he came with an entourage of 250 people. So imagine how blessed Esau was for him to have had 400 people in his entourage! I believe he was really blessed.

Moreover, let me add here that after a blessing is pronounced on you, it may not be obvious how the blessing will be fulfilled. Most times, it may not even make sense. You may not even be able to afford a bicycle now, and a blessing may be pronounced on you that a time will come when you will need a Boeing 747 to airlift those who will accompany you whenever you are travelling. It may not make sense to you, but that is what a blessing can do. I often say that I am where I am today by the grace of God and by the blessings of my mother. Any time I did something that pleased her, she would bless me. She would say, “You this boy, you will call one person, and two hundred people will respond.” l didn’t know what she meant back then, and I didn’t know how it would happen, but I always said Amen”. Today, by the grace of God, I can say this has become reality. Have you provoked the blessing of your biological parents? Have you provoked the blessing of your spiritual parents? Most importantly, have you provoked a blessing from God?

Action Point: When a blessing is pronounced on you, simply sustain a conducive atmosphere for its fulfilment, and it will surely come to pass.

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.

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: Israel’s Infidelity — Thursday September 21, 2017.

Text: Ezekiel 23:1-21

Key Verse: “And Aholah played the harlot when she was mine; and she doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbours” (Ezekiel 23:5).

Latimer was raised to the bishopric of Worcester in the reign of Henry VIII. It was the custom of those days for each of the bishops to make presents to the king on New Year’s Day. Latimer went with the rest of his brethren to make the usual offering; instead of a purse of gold, he presented the King with a New Testament, in which was a leaf doubled down to this passage, “Whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.”

In our text, God presented the unfaithfulness of Israel and Judah with the metaphor of two unfaithful wives. Their unfaithfulness to God in departing from His statutes and the worship of the strange deities of the Assyrians is characterized as playing the harlot. And like a husband who is jealous over his wife, the Lord denounced the idolatry of Israel His espoused wife, who was imitated by her sister, Judah in departing from His ways. God promised to disgrace them and allow the nations to whom they had played the harlot to take them away in captivity.

Adultery is such a sin against society that G. Campbell Morgan said, “The adulterer is the enemy of the state. My personal persuasion is that it is an act of treason to the state to allow adulterers and adulteresses to go free and unpunished. The greatness of a people depends upon the purity and strength of the people, and in every nation where the marriage relation is violated with impunity, the virus of death is surely and certainly at work.”

Immorality in the life of a member of the Church can tarnish the entire work of God. The alarm must be sounded against corruption in the body of Christ. God has promised that judgment must first begin at His house and everyone that names the name of Christ must depart from iniquity.

Thought for the day: Do not be deceived, God still judges sin.

Bible Reading in one Year: Numbers 33-34

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: God Is Faithful — Thursday September 21, 2017.

“Thus saith the Lord; If ye can break my covenant of the day and my covenant of the night, and that there should not be day and night in their season; Then may also my covenant be broken…” (Jeremiah 33:20-21 KJV)

Beloved, I want to let you know today that God is faithful. He will not fail you. What he has said concerning you shall come to pass. Every word of God you have declared will manifest. Every seed of the word you declare in your life will come to pass. The devil can do nothing about it.

Sometimes ago, as I was heading to church on a Sunday morning, the Lord reminded me of Noah. You know Noah kept on building and the people felt that he was stupid. He kept on building and kept on building. He kept on telling them that rain was coming and the people said it is not true. And it got to a point that it appeared as if he was stupid. But the rain finally came, because God’s word will never fall to the ground. All you need is consistency! It shall come to pass! The devil will not stop you!

In Mark chapter 4:26-29, Jesus tells us that the kingdom of heaven is like a man that plants a seed on the ground and goes to bed, but he doesn’t know how it grows. He says the next thing you see is the blade, the ear and then the full corn. But the man cannot explain how. In other words, when it comes to the things of the kingdom, we can’t figure it out with our minds. That is why I know that the devil has come too late in your life. Your testimony shall shake your nation. It will shake your family. That devil is a liar, God has already made a covenant. And his covenant he will never break nor alter that which has gone out of his mouth. If he has spoken it, it shall come to pass. What he has spoken shall never return to him void. He is watching over his word to perform it.

Further Reading: Deuteronomy 7:7-9, Joshua 21:43-45

Daily Bible Reading: Morning- Ecclesiastes 7-9; Evening- 2 Corinthians 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: Soldiers Of The Cross [Thursday 21, September 2017]

Memorise: “Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” – 2 Timothy 2:3

Read: 2 Timothy 2:1-4

1 Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.

3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

Bible In One Year: Obadiah 1. Hymn: Sing Hymn 12 – My Hope Is Build On Nothing Less

MESSAGE:

A soldier is a person involved in military activity, one who is specially trained for war. In Bible days, the phrase ‘men who drew the sword,’ was commonly used to identify a soldier’s primary function as combatant. In Ephesians 6:14-17, the weapons of a fully armed Roman soldier is not compared to that of a Christian’s spiritual armour. In recruiting earthly soldiers, some are chosen while others who are unfit are dropped. The fact that you are born again shows that you are chosen and have scaled through the first selection hurdle.

The chosen is also chosen to be a soldier. Therefore, if you cannot fight to resist and terminate Satan’s operation in your life, family and church or for God’s promises to be fulfilled in your life, you are a civilian, not a soldier. Soldiers are tough and able to go through tough and difficult terrains, if you run away from spiritual challenges, you are a deserter. You need to answer with all sincerity, are you a soldier of the Cross, a deserter or a civilian?

Prayer Point: Father, I am determined to be a soldier of the Cross, please help my resolve to stand for You and the Gospel in Jesus’ Name.

Open Heavens 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: Unity of Faith [Thursday September 21, 2017]

And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. – Ephesians 4:11-13

Till we all come in the unity of the faith. What this scripture means is simply this: If we’re ever going to become truly powerful in the kingdom of God, if we’re ever going to be any great threat to the devil, we’re going to have to grow up—together.

It won’t be enough for just a few of us to grow up on our own and say, “Too bad” about everyone else. It doesn’t work that way. We’re a part of each other. The Bible calls us one body…the Body of Christ.

Let me give you an example. When I began teaching God’s revelation on the laws of prosperity, I started getting an amazing amount of flack. Preachers started calling me and chewing me out because I wouldn’t borrow money and things like that. Finally God said to me one day in prayer, Don’t teach on the laws of prosperity anymore until I tell you to.

“Why not?” I asked.

There’s strife in the camp, He told me. Other preachers are mad at you and in strife over it.

I didn’t realize then that the level where we stopped would affect us all. I didn’t realize that even I wouldn’t be able to go on and operate in the additional laws of prosperity until the rest of the Body would go with me.

We’re not islands unto ourselves. I can’t do anything without affecting you. You can’t do anything without affecting me. We’re joined together by God but held together by one another (Ephesians 4:16). We can only grow up…together!

Learn to walk in love. Refuse to fall prey to division and isolation. Feed on the Word daily and encourage your brothers and sisters by feeding it to them too, so we can all grow up to be “a perfect [or mature] man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.”

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:13-28

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: The Mysteries of God [Thursday September 21, 2017]

Since earliest times men have seen the earth and sky and all God made, and have known of his existence and great eternal power . . . — Romans 1:20 (TLB)

If you try to rationalize God exhaustively, you will fail. There are mysteries about God that we will never understand in this life. How can the small and finite, limited to time and space, understand an infinite God! We should not think it strange that it is impossible to explain many mysteries in the realm of matter.

Who can explain why objects are always attracted to the center of the earth? Who can fathom the law of gravity? Newton discovered it, but he could not explain it. Who can explain the miracle of reproduction? . . . Thus many evidences and many arguments could be advanced to indicate there is a God.

Yet the plain truth is this: God cannot be proved by mere rationalization. He cannot be contained in a tiny man-made test tube or confined to an algebraic formula. If God can be fully proved by the human mind, then He is no greater than the mind that proves Him.

Prayer for the day: Lord God almighty, although my finite mind cannot comprehend the magnitude of Your greatness, I have felt Your presence in the quiet of my heart and I am gladdened.

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.