A Promise For You From Bible Promises:

Topic: Make Use Of What You Have – Gift [17/09/2017]

Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. Ephesians 4:8. Read: 1 Tim 4:12-15

Why do we envy others? Why the jealousy when others prosper more than us in their endeavours? Why do we fight and kill one another when we feel threatened by the height that others have attained? Many of us believe that those who are making waves today are more preferred or qualified than us. Many of us believe in them than we believe in ourselves. We run after their gifts and fail to develop ours. We fail to realise that those who are making waves now sat down to discover the gift God Almighty deposited in them, patiently developed it, put it to work and now they’re reaping the dividends.

Everyone of us were wired with potentials to impact his or her generation, sit down, search inward, discover, develop and make use of the discovery about yourself. The Bible says before Jesus ascended, He gave gifts to men which you and I are part of. The story of the talents shows that every gift you fail to use will be taken from you and at the same time suffer for not using it for the profiting of God and humanity. Paul told young pastor Timothy not to leave his gift dormant but stir it up. You must stir your gift up beloved for others to benefit from it. You are gifted, stir it up to avoid losing it.

#BiblePromisesPrayer

* Father, the passion and zeal to stir up my gift for the profit of your kingdom and humanity release upon me now in Jesus mighty Name

Topic: Worship First, Request Last — Sunday 17, September 2017.

Memorise: Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.  – Psalm 100:4

Read: Mark 5:21-24 (KJV)

21 And when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto him: and he was nigh unto the sea.

22 And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet,

23 And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live.

24 And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him.

Bible in One Year: Ezra 1-3, Ezekiel 42:1-14, Hymn: Sing hymn 3 – How Great Thou Art

MESSAGE:

How you approach a house will determine whether you will be welcomed or chased out. If you approach the door and knock, you will be attended to as a lady or a gentleman, but if you decide to break through the window, you will surely be taken for a burglar, thief or robber and met with severe resistance. Your approach matters! In the same vein, to enter into God’s presence, you must follow heaven’s protocol. The Holy Spirit in Psalm 100:4 revealed this protocol when He said:

“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.”

Coming up next: Open Heavens 18 September 2017: Monday daily devotional by Pastor Adeboye – Restitution: Evidence of Salvation II

If you want to be welcomed into God’s presence and have your requests granted, don’t just crash in, follow heaven’s protocol! Let your heart and mouth be full of thanks for all God has done for you, your family and loved ones. When you approach God, let Him first hear your thanksgiving. Let this be followed by quality praise and worship. Let your request come last, and let the time you use in making your request be shorter than the time you spent giving thanks, praise and worship. Whenever you violate this order, you do damage to your requests and hurt your relationship with the Lover of your soul – the Almighty God Himself.

Moreover, you may want to ask: Why must I approach God with reverence, thanksgiving and praise? It is because worshippers always get what they want. In Matthew 8:1-3; a leper approached Jesus, fell at His feet and worship Him, even before he made his request. In the end, he was cleansed. What of the mad man of Gadara whose story is recorded in Mark 5:1-15? As mad as he was, after approaching Jesus, he knew enough to fall down at His feet to worship Him. For this reason, even without verbalising his desire to be delivered from the demonic siege he was under, Jesus set him free. Effective worship works wonders! Jarius was a top leader in Israel, and yet, when his daughter was seriously sick and he approached Jesus, he forgot his position, power and wealth, fell at the Master’s feet and worshipped Him. Also, when the woman whose daughter was tormented by demons came to the Lord expressing her need, the Lord ignored her; but when she began to worship Him, the tide turned (Matthew 15:21-28). From today, follow heaven’s protocol in approaching God and you will get your heart’s desires.

Key Point: Presenting your request before worshipping God is like placing the cart before the horse.

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: You Have Potential [Saturday September 16, 2017]

If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just (true to His own nature and promises) and will forgive our sins [dismiss our lawlessness] and [continuously] cleanse us from all unrighteousness [everything not in conformity to His will in purpose, thought, and action]. — 1 John 1:9

It’s amazing how many gifted people there are who just sit on the sidelines of life and do nothing. They never take a step forward to use the gifts God has given them because they don’t believe they’re gifted in the first place. Are you one of them?

The truth is, God has given each one of us gifts, talents and abilities. He has a great plan for you and has equipped you to do great things for His Kingdom. But until you see yourself the way He sees you and trust Him to enable you to use your gifts, you won’t live up to your God-given potential.

If you’re struggling with low self-esteem, a poor self-image and lacking confidence, I want you to know that God created you with amazing potential. And when you trust God and believe you can do whatever He says you can do, you will fulfill His destiny for your life.

Remember, “all things are possible with God.” When you put your confidence in Him, you will be free to live up to your potential.

Prayer Starter: God, help me to see myself through Your eyes, with the gifts and talents You’ve given me. I believe You made me with great potential because You are a great God. Today, I put my confidence in You and believe that all things are possible with You!

From Joyce Meyer’s Ministries

Topic: Power of Commitment in Leadership [Saturday September 16, 2017]

Real Leaders in the real sense are solution providers.

Solution providers are not necessarily intellectually outstanding otherwise no intellectual person should have their problems linger beyond a day.

Solution providers are just simply committed to life.

It is commitment that puts intelligence to work.

It takes commitment to give value and worth to intellectualism.                

Commitment is the participation of the heart with the mind in reasoning out a way forward.

It is the combination of the will and knowledge of a man.

Wherever there is a will, knowledge will be driven to trace and chart the way.

Therefore to be a leader of worth, get committed by becoming a solution provider.

Pastor Chris Ojigbani

I am here to correct an error made by one Pastor Suleman Johnson. I watched one of the videos where he spoke on divorce. He actually encouraged divorce and I cried in my heart.

I was so shocked when I watched the video. The most annoying part of it is the fact that he used the law court to support his teaching. In Christianity, it is very wrong to use the law as your basis of teaching. In Christianity, we use the Holy Bible as our basis of authority. So let us go to the Bible and correct the wrong teaching.

What has the Bible got to say concerning divorce? The first thing I would like you to know about marriage is that marriage is a covenant, a covenant between a man and his wife, and God confirms it. What I have just said now, can it be found in the Bible? Yes! In the book of Malachi 2:14, the Bible says that marriage is a covenant between you and the wife of your youth. And the Bible also says in that verse that the God is a witness in the covenant. In other words, when a man gets married, he has entered into a covenant with his wife and in that covenant, God is a witness. God confirms the covenant.

The next question is: Can a lie before a marriage dissolve the marriage covenant? The answer is no. The moment a person enters into a covenant, nothing can dissolve it. A covenant simply means an agreement. Once you enter into an agreement with someone and another person signs as a witness, then nothing can dissolve that covenant. So what I have just said, can it be found in the Bible? Yes!

In the book of Galatians 3:15, the Bible says, though it be but a man’s covenant yet if it be entered into and is confirmed, it can no longer be disannulled. The moment you enter into a covenant, it can no longer be dissolved. That is the simple truth.

Apostle Johnson Suleman

The next question I would like to answer is this: is there any one that was deceived into marriage in the Bible? Let’s find out if someone like that exists and let’s find out whether the marriage was dissolved after the deceit or the marriage stayed. Somebody like that exists and his name was Jacob. Jacob was deceived into marrying Leah. He didn’t want to marry Leah. He hated Leah. He loved Rachael. He thought he was getting married to Rachael. He did not know it was Leah because Leah’s face was covered. In the morning, he realized it was Leah he got married to and there was nothing he could do about it because he was already married. He had already entered into the covenant, so he couldn’t do anything about it and the marriage stayed. It is very clear. In Christianity, we do not support people to divorce because the woman does not have a womb or because the man is impotent. That is very wrong. Rather than teaching them to divorce, it is better you pray for them. You should pray for the woman to have a new womb. You should pray for the impotent man to impregnate his wife. God is still in the business of performing miracles. He has not stopped performing miracles. Rather than asking people to divorce, pray for them and they will have their desired miracles. That is what Christianity is all about, especially if you are a man of God.  You should pray for people to have their desired miracles rather than teaching them to divorce.

Do you know the extent of damage this wrong teaching has done to the kingdom, in the Christian community?  Do you know how many people are planning to divorce now because of this wrong teaching?

I would like to state here that this is not a personal spite against Pastor Suleman Johnson. No! It is not at all. I don’t even know him personally. All I am doing is to correct the wrong teaching so that people are not led astray.

So why am I correcting it? Because it is a mandate from God. The next question is: Is this mandate in the Bible? Yes! It can be found in Book of 2 Timothy 4:2. In that scripture, the Bible says rebuke and correct wrong doctrines and that is exactly what I am doing. I also want to use this opportunity to sound a note of warning to others. Make sure you don’t teach wrong doctrines, especially in the area of marriage. Because if I hear any wrong doctrine that is being taught, I will correct it. And I will not correct it in the secret. I will correct it in the openly just as the Bible prescribes. Enough is enough! We are tired of wrong teachings. They are too many. The marriage institution has been destroyed today because of wrong teachings. Enough is enough! Let’s make sure that every message we teach is correct before teaching. If you are not sure it’s correct, please don’t teach it.

If you are not yet married, please understand that when you get married, you are not going to divorce. Divorce is not an option. Make sure you have understood it before going into marriage. Don’t just go into marriage if you are not sure. But if you are sure, then go ahead and get married understanding that you are not going to divorce your spouse.

And if you are married, please do not divorce your spouse because your spouse is impotent or because your spouse does not have a womb. God can give your wife a new womb. God can heal your husband if your husband is impotent. There are so many impotent people who have impregnated their wife. There are so many women who do not have womb but today God gave them new womb and they have children. There are so many like that.

Divorce is never the solution. Please don’t divorce your spouse. If Jacob was deceived into marrying Leah and that marriage stayed. The marriage was not dissolved because Jacob had already entered into the covenant. If you are already married, do not divorce your spouse. Look for solution to your problem. God will help you. Our God is a God of miracle. He will intervene and help you in the name of Jesus Christ. Don’t forget what Jesus said. He said for this reason shall a man leave his father and mother and shall cleave unto his wife and they two shall be one flesh. And he said, wherefore they are no longer two but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let no man put asunder?

God bless you

Sent in By Pastor Chris Ojigbani

Topic: The Rule of Intimacy [Saturday, 16th September 2017]

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3:18

Looking at a couple who has been married for a while, or  an unmarried couple that has been courting for some time, you’ll notice that they sort of look alike. Even two friends that hang out a lot together, you notice that they begin to look alike, not only in their actions and reactions, but also physically. This is as a result of intimacy. The rule of intimacy states that when two persons spend time together for a period of time, they “exchange” both character and physical traits, which results in a likeness in the looks and behaviour of the both of them.

This is true also in our relationship with God. Whenever we spend time with God, in studying His Word, praying and fellowship with Him, we begin to look and act like Him. It is trite law that every relationship needs intimacy to succeed, and this intimacy not only brings the partners closer to one another, but also allows there to be a transference of “spirit” in the inward and outward traits between them.

The beauty of our relationship with God is that we already have His nature in us through salvation (2 Corinthians 5:17). And we have received His spirit with which we are sealed (Ephesians 4:30), and by whom we have also received the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). So when we spend time in fellowship and communion with God, the Spirit of God within us enlightens the eyes of our understanding and then we begin to manifest all that has been placed within us. And we are changed from glory to glory, looking more and more like God, our Father. Spend time with God, get intimate with your Father, and see yourself manifest all His character and physical traits placed within you by His spirit.

Keep winning daily.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank You so much for Your nature that You have made me. Thank You that I have access to all Your goodness in me by Your Spirit. Teach me and help me to spend intimate time with You, so I can begin to look more like You, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Topic: Running with the Gospel of God’s Peace — Saturday September 16, 2017.

Text:  2 Corinthians 5:19-20 (NIV), Ephesians 6:14-15 (NIV)

that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. *Stand firm then,… with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

Every evil prevailing in the world today resulted from the fall of man that caused him to become separated from God. But do you know what? According to Colossians 1:21-22, by Christ’s death on the cross, God has already reconciled all men back to Himself. Because Jesus sacrificed His life, God is already at peace with all men. There is no other price or sacrifice that anyone needs to pay or make to become at peace with God. Christ is our peace, Eph.2:14. All we have to do is believe and they will be saved. They will experience the forgiveness of their sins and their absolute reconciliation back to God. They will experience the fullness of God’s grace, power and blessings in their lives. Their lives will become new and transformed.

This is the wonderful gospel of peace that our second text above refers to. The gospel of peace is the gospel of Christ. It is the good news about man’s absolute restoration back into relationship with God because of what Jesus has done for us on the cross. This wonderful gospel of Christ is the power of God to save and deliver both from sin and the devil’s bondage and from every kind of situation that any man or woman finds themselves in, Rom.1:16. All that Christ has done to save and reconcile all men back to God will be wasted if we do not passionately run with this great message and tell men about it. We need to share in Christ’s burden to reach out and save the lost. That same passion that drove Christ to the cross must drive us to serve as a witness of the gospel to the lost, no matter what we may face.

Prayer: Dear Lord, please stir up in me a greater passion for going all out to passionately preach the gospel of Christ to others today.

Bible In A Year Reading Plan: Proverbs 25-26; 2 Corinthians 9

Empowered to do exploits…

CGMI Above Only Daily Devotional, was written by Most Rev. M.E. Benson-Idahosa, Archbishop of Church of God Mission International, CGMI.

Topic: See The Bigness Of Your God — Saturday September 16, 2017.

‘’I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.’’ (Isaiah 42:8 KJV)

God, the El-Elyon, sees all things and knows all things. There is nothing under the sun that happens to man without his foreknowledge and permission. Even when you seem to be wallowing in the pits of life with so many challenges barraging you here and there, God is still aware and he will never let you pass through any temptation that you cannot bear. He has equipped you with enough strength to come through the challenge triumphantly.

All the devil tries to do is to make the issue seem bigger than it actually is. You begin to see the enormity of the situation and shift from the bigness of your God. But I challenge you today to speak to the devil, yes, I know I am going through this challenge, but I know that as God lives whom I serve and believe, I shall overcome because I am more than a conqueror. I refuse to look at the problem and choose to focus on the bigness of my God. I want you to know that that problem though it may seem like a heavy burden to you is but a little thing in the eyes of our God. He can perfect that situation with just a word from his lips.

Anytime the devil tries to magnify a challenge, learn to find out what God is saying concerning the situation. When you discover what God has said concerning the issue, open your mouth and declare it, speak to it daily and you shall have that which you desire. What is God’s stand? Is it sickness? “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and by his stripes, we are healed.” – Isaiah 53:5 KJV Every sickness no matter the name given to it falls under this category. By his stripes, you are healed.

The work of Christ on the cross is a complete one. He said, “IT IS FINISHED”. Meaning, every situation is settled. That disease has gotten a quit notice today. Celebrate your healing and thank God for it.

Further Reading: Psalms 89:6-18

Daily Bible Reading: Morning- Proverbs 25-26; Evening- 2 Corinthians 9

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: The Secret of The Anointing [Saturday September 16, 2017]

Scripture: Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. – Psalms 45:7

Thought For The Day: The Anointing raises a man from grass to grace.

It has been established that one of the functions of the Anointing is the raising of a person above his or her fellows. The Anointing raises a man from grass to grace. This was clearly seen in the life of David. He was in the wilderness but by the power of the Anointing, he was relocated to the palace.

Now, what was the secret of David’s Anointing?

It was Passion for the Presence of God!

This was shown clearly in Psalm 42:1 when David said, “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.”

Another statement that confirmed his passion for God’s presence was in Psalm 27:4, “One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life…”

In Psalm 63:1-2, he also said, “Oh God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary”

Beloved, develop a deep passion for God in order to attract the Anointing upon your life.

Remember this: The Anointing raises a man from grass to grace.

Assignment (s):

1. Develop passion and hunger for God’s Presence.

2. Draw near to God daily by embarking on a personal persistent prayer.

Prayer: O LORD, I ask for a deep hunger for You. Draw me to the closet LORD, for a deep intimacy with You, in Jesus’ Name.

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

Amazing Fact: A flamingo can eat only when its head is upside down.

Today In History: 16/09/1908 – General Motors was founded by William Crapo “Billy” Durant. The company was formed by merging the Buick and Olds car companies.

Daily Reading: Isaiah 22:1 to 24:23, Galatians 2:17 to 3:9, Psalm 60:1 to12, Proverbs 23:15 to 16

Quote: You may lose anything in life but one thing you must never lose is God’s Presence. Culled from 30 SECRETS TO THE TOP by Dr Paul 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: Stand Up And Be Counted [Saturday September 16, 2017]

I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. – 1 Timothy 2:1-2

We are commanded to pray for our country and our leaders. But having prayed, God expects us to act. The elections in the United States are vital to the future of this nation. Our country is in the midst of a spiritual outpouring, and it’s vitally important that the right people be elected. We must see to it.

Don’t wait until election time is upon us before you start seeking God for whom to vote. Begin to pray now so that the news media and other voices from every corner cannot influence you and cannot draw you in a direction away from the Spirit of God. Pray so that you won’t be influenced by natural reactions and natural responses to cleverly designed commercials and ideas.

Start praying now about the coming elections. Whether they are small local elections or major national elections, make them a part of every prayer you pray. Then thank the Spirit of God for His wisdom concerning for whom to vote. Thank Him for giving you His wisdom about what to say and when to say it to others. Thank Him for giving you wisdom to declare the Name of Jesus and declare that this shall be a God-indwelt, God-ordained, God-overseen administration.

So register. Pray. Vote. Then stand up and be counted by the power of the living God.

Scripture Reading: 1 Timothy 2:1-8

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.