Topic: Exercise Your Rights [Saturday September 9, 2017]

He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. – Isaiah 53:5

Jesus came to earth and gave Himself as a sacrifice for sin in order to buy back for you everything that Adam lost. He came to destroy all the works of the devil…sickness and disease included. Once you receive Him as Lord of your life, all the rights and privileges God originally intended you to have (the right to things like fellowship with God, health and prosperity) are restored.

But you are the one who has to exercise those rights!

You see, the devil is an outlaw and even though Jesus has taken away his authority in the earth, even though he has no legal right to kill or steal from the children of God, he’ll do it anyway…as long as you’ll let him get away with it.

You must enforce his defeat by speaking the Word of God in faith. Act on His Word now. Demand that sickness and disease leave you in the Name of Jesus. Then refuse to back off that demand. Resist the devil with all you’ve got. He might fight you for a while, but sooner or later, he will have to flee from you!

Scripture Reading: Matthew 8:1-17

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: Science & Faith — Saturday September 9, 2017.

He . . . has given you a full understanding of the truth. — 1 Corinthians 1:5 (TLB)

There is never any conflict between true science and our Christian faith. It is my own feeling that when all of the truth is known, it will be found that the Genesis story is a wonderfully accurate record of what took place when the world was created. This may be a telescoped record, giving only major points, but I believe it is scientifically accurate. To discard the Bible because we do not understand everything in it, or in the world, would be a foolish thing to do. Let me also suggest that teachers should confine themselves to those areas in which they are qualified.

I have known unbelievers to attack the Christian faith through their teaching, even when they did not have the remotest idea of what true Christianity is. For instance, one does not send an art critic to write up a football game, or a sports writer to evaluate a painting. Ask God to give you the wisdom to keep things in their proper perspective, and—above all—faithfully read your Bible and pray every day. If you do, God will give you the faith and wisdom you need to meet any problem.

Prayer for the day: Father, each day as I read the Bible You reveal to me more of the reality of Your love and wisdom. I delight in Your Word!

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: Seek After Wisdom — Saturday September 9, 2017.

“Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom:…”(Proverbs 4:7 KJV)

These are the last days and the world and her leaders have no answers to the economic, health, peace, and educational and other challenges they are facing. On a daily basis, we are inundated with news of strange happenings; news of disasters across the world and no one seems to have any explanations. It will not get better in the world. For the Bible says “…the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people:…” (Isaiah 60:2 KJV). However, even as things get worse in the world, these are the best times for the believer, because we are the light of the world. Therefore, you should shine as the light that God has made you to be. One of the key ways to shine as a believer in this day and time is to operate in the wisdom of God.

As believers, we have been made kings and priests unto our God. We have a duty, therefore, to search out the hidden wisdom that the world is in dire need of. Of what use would the church be if we cannot proffer the solutions to the economic, educational, family, social, and health challenges that have beleaguered the world today? That’s why God has placed us here at such a time as this.

Jeremiah 33:3 (KJV) says, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” The key to accessing this wisdom is seeking and searching. Develop an intimate relationship with the Father. It is only through intimate fellowship with the Lord that he reveals all that he has stored up for your glory. You are called to be a solution provider. You are the light and you must be able to give direction wherever it is needed. Godly wisdom will distinguish you. Leverage on it! I decree that this year, you will stand out amongst equals. Men shall kiss your lips because you have the right answer.

Further Reading: James 1:5, Revelation 5:10, Proverbs 4:7-13

Daily Bible Reading: Morning- Proverbs 6-7; Evening- 2 Corinthians 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: Believe That You Have Received – Saturday September 9, 2017.

Matthew 21:19 “And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away.”

Text: Matthew 21:18-19

The Greek word for presently means “instantly; immediately; soon.” However, the disciples didn’t realize that the fig tree had died until the next day. If the tree died instantly, why didn’t they notice it until the next morning? The answer to this question is found in Mark 11:20. The tree was dead from the roots up. The tree did die instantly just as the Word declared, but what had happened to the roots wasn’t visible until the next morning.

There is a spiritual lesson here that applies to us receiving things from God. When we ask, we do receive, but it may take a period of time before we perceive it in the natural realm. God’s answer comes before we see the manifestation of what we have believed the Lord for when we prayed. Just as with this fig tree, the answer lies beneath the surface, and therefore we don’t “see” what God is doing until the answer manifests.

Not all answers to prayer are manifested instantly. Satan can hinder God’s power even after it has been released. In Daniel 10:1-13, God answered Daniel’s prayer instantly, yet it took 21 days for Daniel to see God’s answer manifest, because the prince of Persia (a demonic power) withheld the manifestation.

Prayer that meets the requirements outlined in God’s Word is always answered.

Many times we don’t perceive the answer because it always comes in the spiritual realm first then is manifested in the physical realm. If we waver from our confident faith, then we abort the manifestation of our answer to prayer. But God did answer. Everyone that asks receives.

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: No Hiding Place — Saturday September 9, 2017.

Text: Isaiah 29:13-24

Key Verse: “Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?” (Isaiah 29:15).

An atheist lecturer once wrote that: “God is nowhere.” After his lecture, a Christian student went to the board and drew a vertical line between letters “w” and “h” of “nowhere” leaving the statement to read: “God is now here,” God knows us intimately as Emmanuel who is with us all the time. This is why it is futile to run from God when we have problems.

Isaiah, in the text, talked about the children of Israel playing a hide and seek game with God. In their backslidden state, their hearts were no longer right with God. While they carried out their daily sacrifices in the temple, their hearts were somewhere else. They tried their best to hide their counsels from God and carried them out with impunity. God rebuked them for standing reason and logic upside down. He reminded them of His unlimited knowledge and power to judge the secrets of men.

It appears that the more advanced in science and technology man has become, the more unwise he is in the things of God. We live in the jet age where information doubles every few months and man rides farther away from God. Now, children are being taught in some countries that they could select their gender and believe they were descendants of apes. How many years of your life have you spent trying to run or hide from God? The challenge from prophet Isaiah today is to give up the fight, stop trying to hide and begin to enjoy the love of God.

The Bible has said it all: “Canst thou by searching find out God? Canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?” It’s therefore clear that no one can find happiness all by himself until he or she returns to God who is the Source of joy and peace.

Thought for the day: God is the unseen Seer of things.

Bible Reading in one Year: Numbers 1-2

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: Seeing God — Saturday September 9, 2017.

Read: John 14:1–12, Bible in a Year: Proverbs 6–7; 2 Corinthians 2

Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” John 14:8

Author and pastor Erwin Lutzer recounts a story about television show host Art Linkletter and a little boy who was drawing a picture of God. Amused, Linkletter said, “You can’t do that because nobody knows what God looks like.”

“They will when I get through!” the boy declared.

We may wonder, What is God like? Is He good? Is He kind? Does He care? The simple answer to those questions is Jesus’s response to Philip’s request: “Lord, show us the Father.” Jesus replied, “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:8–9).

If you ever get hungry to see God, look at Jesus. “The Son is the image of the invisible God,” said Paul (Col. 1:15). Read through the four gospels in the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Think deeply about what Jesus did and said. “Draw” your own mental picture of God as you read. You’ll know much more of what He’s like when you’re through.

A friend of mine once told me that the only God he could believe in is the one he saw in Jesus. If you look closely, I think you’ll agree. As you read about Him your heart will leap, for though you may not know it, Jesus is the God you’ve been looking for all your life.

Prayer: We’re so prone, Lord, to want You to be something You are not. Help us to see You more clearly on the pages of Scripture. Help us reflect Your Son in our lives.

The clearer we see God, the clearer we see ourselves.  Erwin Lutzer

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

A Promise For You From Bible Promises:

Topic: Be Resilient To Deliver. Pt Two [08/09/2017]

But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. Daniel 10:13. Read: Dan 10:1-12

In the history of sport, there has    never been a time when the athletes are giving medal for backing out from the middle of the race. Only those that run to the end are usually rewarded for their resilience to endure to the end. Invariably, in our daily endeavours, there is need to endure to the end because, better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof. And only those that endure to the end shall be rewarded (saved).

Oftentimes, it’s not because God has not answered our prayers, but because there are principalities and powers in heavenly places trying to hinder the answers from getting to us. The angel that came to Daniel told him, Then said he unto him, “Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words”. Like some of us would have concluded that God does not answer prayers and then begin to seek alternatives. Daniel kept pressing till twenty one days before the answer to his prayer came. From this story, we learn that God answers prayer instantly but when it seems the answer is not forthcoming, press on.

#BiblePromisesPrayer

* Father, by Your power, I come against every prince of the kingdom of Persia(your environment) standing against the answers to my prayers in Jesus Mighty Name

Topic: Ministry or Duty?  [Friday, 8th September 2017]

Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. – 2 Corinthians 1:4

We all go through tribulations in our lives, and learn one or more lessons from such tribulations, which come in handy when we meet someone going through the same thing. It is common now to find believers turning this sort of comfort to ministries, reasoning thus “I lost someone very dear to me, it is therefore my ministry to help people that have lost those dear to them”. Truth be told, if we all turn our tribulations to ministries, then we’d each have so much ministries, that we can’t count.

Our anchor scripture tells us that we were comforted by God through our tribulations, so we can comfort others going through the same thing. Not so we can turn them to ministries. Imagine that Paul had turned his blindness on the way to Damascus to a ministry. Imagine all the good teachings that we wouldn’t have had because he made his tribulation his ministry.

Tribulations are part of the things that come with fulfilling purpose, but it is only a part of it. There are two reasons we face tribulations. The first is that we may be fine-tuned unto perfection. Scriptures say: “my brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;  Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.  But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing” (James 1:2‭-‬4). The second reason is so that after we have been comforted, we may comfort others. “Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God” (2 Corinthians 1:4).

Let’s not erroneously turn our tribulations into ministries, and miss out on the amazing ministry God has set out for us.

Keep winning daily.

Wise Action:

When going through tribulations, and you believe it is for a purpose, seek the face of God as to what is to be achieved through such tribulations.

By Esun Tekeme

Today’s Scripture:  “…Provide for those who grieve…a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.” – (Isaiah 61:3, NIV)

Topic: Garment of Praise [Friday September 8, 2017]

What type of attitude are you wearing today? What’s covering your mind and emotions? Are you clothed with despair and disappointment? Are you wearing “heaviness?”

If you’ve recently gone through a hurtful or disappointing situation, there is a season to grieve a loss. It’s important to go through that process and release the hurt to God. But the Bible also says that God wants to give you a garment of praise instead of a spirit of heaviness or despair. He wants to exchange your hurt for His healing. He wants to fill you with His peace and joy.

Are the garments of yesterday holding you back and weighing you down? Maybe it’s time to exchange that heaviness for His garment of praise. Maybe it’s time to release those heavy burdens. Maybe it’s time to forgive those who have hurt you and begin to praise your way to victory. When you wear a garment of praise, you’ll stand strong and display His splendor all the days of your life!

A Prayer for Today: “Father, I come to You with an open and humble heart. I ask that You take my old garments of despair and heaviness. Make me new today. Give me a garment of praise and have Your way in my life in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Topic: Only His Will — Saturday 9, September 2017.

Memorise: Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:  – Colossians 1:12

Read: Colossians 1:12-13, Ephesians 2:1-2 (KJV)

12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:

13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

Ephesians 2:1-2:

1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

Bible in One Year: 2 Chronicles 19-20, Ezekiel 38:17-39:8, Hymn: Sing hymn 6 – Deeper, Deeper

MESSAGE:

In every village, town, city, state or nation, there are usually two kingdoms at play: the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness. Colossians 1:13 says,

“Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:”

This scripture shows that every child of God has been moved from one of these kingdoms to the other. If you are truly saved, you are no longer in darkness but in the kingdom of light. As light, you should not be afraid of operators in the kingdom of darkness, such as witches, wizards and those in the occult, because you have the greater One inside of you (1 John 4.4). If you are afraid of them, this indicates to you that all is not well with you; there could be some cracks in your wall, and sin might be responsible. Whatever compromises your holiness compromises your divine security. When these operators of darkness see that your light is shining brightly, they will withdraw and dangle carrots of temptation at you, and if you fall for it, they will strike at you.

Coming Up Next: Open Heavens 10 September 2017: Sunday daily devotional by Pastor Adeboye – He Is At The Door!

Moreover, the reason why God translated us from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of his dear Son is because He is interested in having His will established both in Heaven and here on earth. Although nothing short of God’s will is done in Heaven, on earth, there is still a struggle to establish God’s will, because man handed over control of the earth to the kingdom of darkness in the Garden of Eden (Luke 4:5-6). As a child of God, you are therefore an agent of re-establishing God’s will in any corner of the earth where you find yourself. If you want to establish and fulfil God’s will, you will make no room for lies, sin and pretence. Among God’s children on earth today, you will be shocked to know how many of them really seek to do His will in all areas of their lives. Many of us want God to change His plans and ways to suit ours, but that is an expectation in futility. God does not change. He is ever the same (Malachi 3:6). As conservative as He may appear to be, His technology in Heavens is billions of years ahead of ours on earth. In fact, He is the One who gives our researchers, thinkers and inventors the latest discoveries they get.  Such scientific discoveries are new and news to us, but not to those in Heaven. To them, the best we have on offer is stale news. In Heaven, there are no gimmicks or tricks. Everything revolves around God, and He is in control of time. When God therefore gives you an assignment, He has expectations regarding when, where and how it should be done. If you miss out on any of the details, you will be on your own. To what extent are you doing His will?

Action Point: Ask God for grace to know Him, and for courage to do His will in every situation.

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.