Topic: Jesus Paid Our Debt – Wednesday September 6, 2017.

John 12:31 “Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.”

Text: John 12:31

There is still a future judgment of the world coming, where the wicked will be separated from the righteous and cast into the lake of fire. This verse refers to the sins of the world that were about to be placed on Jesus and that He would suffer our punishment.

Jesus suffered the punishment for our sins, so there is no reason why we should suffer for them too. The price for sin has already been paid by the only one who could fully pay it and that is Jesus. All Jesus asks of us to make His redemption ours, is faith in Him as our Lord.

Sin has a wage it must pay and no one can avoid payday without faith in Jesus. Anyone who does not receive the new birth will be held liable for all the wrong they committed as a result of their sinful nature. However, those who receive the new birth through faith in Jesus, don’t have a sin nature and therefore, will not receive the payment of death.

Physical death as well as every result of the sin nature (i.e. sickness, depression, fear, etc.) is only a by-product of the spiritual death that was already inside of us. The Lord told Adam that in the day he ate of the forbidden tree, he would surely die (Gen. 2:17). Adam didn’t die physically that day but he did die spiritually. Physical death came 930 years later for Adam (Gen. 5:5) as a by-product of his spiritual death.

Eternal life is a gift. The dictionary defines a gift as “something that is bestowed voluntarily and without compensation; a present.” We have nothing to do with earning this gift. All you have to do is receive it by faith.

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: The Lord Is In Charge [Wednesday 6, September 2017]

Memorise: “The king shall joy in thy strength, O LORD; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!” – Psalms 21:1

Read: Daniel 4:30-35

30 The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?

31 While the word was in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee.

32 And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.

33 The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles’ feathers, and his nails like birds’ claws.

34 And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation:

35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?

Bible In One Year: Ezekiel 36-38. Hymn: Sing Hymn 9

MESSAGE:

To be in charge is the exercise of authority and control over individuals, events, situations, or circumstances of life. The Bible stresses fact that God is sovereign over all creation; He has absolute authority and control over everything in Heaven and on earth. However, humanity has wrongly assumed that they are the master of the universe and are therefore in charge. Contrary to this human belief, the Bible teaches that God controls the affairs of Heaven and earth. Deuteronomy 4:39 says:

“Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the LORD he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else.”

It is clear from this passage that God is unquestionable; He does as He pleases. He gives strength, He makes great, He promotes and He gives knowledge and wisdom, all at His will. The Lord controls human hearts, He controls time and seasons, He removes kings and sets up others in their place. He controls the weather and fixes human destiny. Who is in charge of your life.

Prayer Point: Father, please silence every opposition to Your authority as the Master of the universe in my life 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: God’s Grace Causes Us to Grow— Wednesday September 6, 2017.

Text: 2Peter 3:18a (NIV & LB), Acts 20:32 (New Living Translation)
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ… *But grow in spiritual strength and become better acquainted with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ… *And now I entrust you to God and the message of his grace that is able to build you up and give you an inheritance with all those he has set apart for himself.

Colossians 2:6-7 (NKJV) says, “as you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving”. Child of God, how did you receive Jesus as your Lord and Saviour? Ephesians 2:-9 says, “for by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

You received Jesus by grace and so you will walk in Him by His grace. You will also be rooted and built up in Him by His grace. It is by His grace that you will be established in the faith. Your faith must always be in His grace. This does not at all mean that we will not participate or have any role to play; rather, it means that everything we do is fuelled by our understanding and receiving the revelation of God’s grace towards us. The revelation of God’s grace in Christ has the capacity to build you up in every area of your life. This is why Apostle Paul prayed for God to fill believers with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, Col. 1:9. The term ‘all wisdom’ here refers to every way God’s revelation can be applied to our lives.

Nothing builds and stirs up our faith like the revelation of the grace of God towards us in Christ Jesus. As we grow in faith, we are transformed and we become more mature in God. As a result, we are able to access and maximize all of the power, glory and inheritance that God has freely made available to us in Christ.

Prayer Focus: Ask God to fill you more and more with the truth about His abundant grace towards you in Christ Jesus.

Bible In A Year Reading Plan: Psalm 148-150; 1 Corinthians 15:29-58

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: Stop Dishonouring God! — Wednesday 6, September 2017.

Memorise: Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious.  – Psalm 66:2

Read: 1 Samuel 2:27-30 (KJV)

27 And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Did I plainly appear unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh’s house?

28 And did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer upon mine altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? and did I give unto the house of thy father all the offerings made by fire of the children of Israel?

29 Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation; and honourest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people?

30 Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.

Bible in One Year: 2 Chronicles 11-13, Ezekiel 36:33-37:14, Hymn: Sing hymn 9: On The Hill Far Away

MESSAGE:

“Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.” – Malachi 3:8

In the above passage of Scriptures, God complained about His children, who had suddenly turned into robbers. How can a worker in the Church of God or a minister of God be a thief? How can you claim to be a born-again Christian and keep on stealing? Those who rob God are no ordinary thieves. Boy, such people are really brave! Their victim is not a fellow human being but God Himself. You can be certain that such people are the worst kind of thieves in the universe! Can you imagine that idolaters fear their idols so much that they do everything possible not to break their rules? If anything is dedicated to an idol, who would dare steal it? Yet, these people throw all caution to the wind and steal what is dedicated to the Most High and they expect Him to do nothing about it, because He is a God of mercy. This is bravery gone awry! Are you one of such “holy thieves”? are you defaulting in your tithes and offering?

In the same vein, there are some foolish and ignorant people, particularly in the universities who insult God and Jesus Christ occasionally. I know this because I used to be one of them before I got saved. The opposite of honour is disrespect. If you are not honouring God, it means you’re insulting Him. Everyone who robs God of first fruits dishonours God, and if you dishonour God, you can compel him to change His promises and plan for your life (Proverb 3:9). This was what happened to the house of Eli. Hear what the Lord told Eli in 1 Samuel 2:30:

“…I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.”

May the Lord not change His great plan for your life. Do you honour Him? If you refuse to honor God, He will refuse to honour you. If you ignore Him, you will be of no consequence to him. At the end of the day, you will undo yourself by your refusal to comply with divine instructions. Refusal to honour God can turn the desirable into something detestable. It can push the good things of life that were at a person’s fingertips miles away from him or her. Dishonouring God can separate you temporarily or even permanently from your blessings. Have you been paying your first fruits yearly? How often do you honour God?

Key Point: The instruction to honour the Lord is not a suggestion but a command.

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: Mind Your Path [Tuesday, 5th September 2017]

Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do?  Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.  John 21:21‭-‬22

In the proceeding verses of John 21, Christ gives Peter a couple of instructions on what to do after He was gone. And then He told Peter and John to follow. Now, Peter and John were together when Christ was giving the instructions to Peter, but He (Christ) didn’t as much as breath a word to John. Peter gets concerned about this, as John is the disciple whom Christ loved. So he asks the Master “what shall this man do?” Jesus’ reply is simple and straight to the point: “what is your business, just follow me and do as I’ve told you.” A lot of us get carried away wondering what assignment the other man is given. This may stem from pride, as we reason that we were seemingly given all the work to do. Or just plain curiosity.

This curiosity could actually steer us so far from what we are to do, as we are too busy wondering what the other man is doing. Truth is, it is not our place to worry about what the other man is doing for the advancement of the kingdom. I’m not saying don’t check on him, or advice him when he is towing the wrong path, or deviating from his assignment. I’m saying don’t go asking what he was sent to do, forgetting what you are to do. His assignment is between him and his Master, mind your path and follow the Master.

Keep winning daily.

Prayer:

Dear Father, thank You for the work You’ve called me into for You. Help me diligently follow You, and not get distracted, in Jesus’ Name Amen.

By Esun Tekeme

A Promise For You From Bible Promises:

Topic: No More Hard Labour [05/09/17]

Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child. Isaiah 66:7. Read: Gen 35:16-19

I have a strong feeling that God is going to help someone to deliver this Month. He will single you out by His mercy and grace and send help to you wherever you may be. He will by His Divine strength deliver you from hard labour. As a child of Zion, God said concerning you, Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child. For as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children. This means that, you won’t need to go into a labour room, but a delivery room.

Beloved, hard labour kills. You shall not die of hard labour in Jesus Mighty Name. Our Bible reading talks about Rachel who had hard labour and eventually died in child birth. The Bible says, Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour. You must trust God to deliver you from hard labour because He has already promised you safe delivery, i.e., you have the manifestation of all that you’ve been waiting on Him for. The time of hard labour has passed, it’s time to go and manifest to the world that has earnestly been waiting for you and you shall not disappoint them. The LORD Almighty shall surely assist you to fulfill purpose and impact your world in Jesus Mighty Name

#BiblePromisesPrayer:

* Father, I surrender my all to you, take away hard labour from me and grant me safe delivery in Jesus Mighty Name

Today’s Scripture: “‘Don’t be afraid,’ the prophet answered. ‘Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’” – (2 Kings 6:16, NIV)

Topic: He’s on Your Side [Tuesday September 5, 2017]

Everyone goes through times when they feel overwhelmed or “outnumbered” by whatever is coming against them. For example, just about the time the air conditioner needs repair in your house, the transmission goes out in your car. It can seem like one thing after another. It may feel as if all the forces of darkness are coming against you, but Scripture promises that with God on your side, you have everything you need to overcome. The truth is, you are never outnumbered. You and God are a majority!

Anytime you’re feeling anxious, fearful or worried about anything, remember that God is on your side. If God is for you, who can be against you? Difficulties may come, but He promises to guide and protect you. The story isn’t over until you end in victory.

A Prayer for Today: “Father, thank You for Your faithfulness to me. Thank You for peace even in the midst of the storms of life. I know that You are with me, and I can stand strong because You will always lead me into victory in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Topic: True Love Must Give [Wednesday September 5, 2017]

In this is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation (the atoning sacrifice) for our sins. Beloved, if God loved us so [very much], we also ought to love one another. — 1 John 4:10-11 (AMPC)

Everyone desires to be loved and accepted. But many of us try to find happiness the wrong way. We attempt to find it in getting, but it is found in giving. The love of God is the most wonderful gift we are given. Once it flows to us, it needs to flow from us to others; otherwise, it becomes stagnant.

Love must give because that’s its nature.  First John 4:11 highlights how we must give the love we receive: Beloved, if God loved us so [very much], we also ought to love one another.

Living in God’s true love is a process. First, God loves us, and by faith, we receive His love. We then love ourselves in a balanced way, give love back to God, and learn to love other people.

Love must follow this course or it is not complete. Once we have God’s love in us, we can give it away. We can choose to love others lavishly. We can love them as deeply and unconditionally as God has loved us.

Prayer Starter: Lord, I don’t want Your love to become stagnant in me. Help me to not only receive Your love, but to complete the process by choosing to love others lavishly.

Topic: How to Have a Successful Courtship

Dear Reader,

I welcome you again to this unique platform in Jesus’ name! This month, I will be teaching on “How to Have a Successful Courtship.”

Today, I want to show you The Keys to a Successful Courtship. Courtship is the period when you get more acquainted with your would-be spouse. Despite the fact that you are getting closer to each other and getting to know each other better, the period is not the same as marriage. You can’t move in or sleep with your would-be spouse, in order to know each other better. It is unhealthy and doesn’t make for a good foundation in your marriage.

What, then, is courtship?

Courtship is the period between when two people agree to marry and when they actually do. Courtship is the process of selecting and attracting another for an intimate relationship. Remember, a successful courtship is a necessary step towards a successful marriage. The reason many people experience misunderstandings and all kinds of trouble in marriage is because they did not have a successful courtship.

Keys To A Successful Courtship

• Spend quality time together: To have a successful courtship, the man and woman must spend quality time with each other deliberating on issues such as their dreams, interests, view points, callings and assignments, etc. This is why it is very important that you spend time in meaningful discussions, not just looking at each other and saying, “Oh you are so beautiful. I love you so much.” If you want to know a serious Christian, listen to him when he talks. It is impossible to separate an individual from his words. For instance, if your fiancé/fiancée only talks about money, it is an indication that he or she is a money-minded person. If on the other hand, he is only interested in your physique, you will hear him speak of nothing else but your physical features. Your words reflect your thoughts. The Word of God says: How can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh (Matthew 12:34).

When my husband and I were in courtship, every time I heard him speak, I knew where he was heading for. I knew his convictions, which were my convictions also. So, it became easy for both of us to flow together. It is very important, therefore, that you create time for your would-be husband or wife to discuss about issues pertaining to your future.

• Public appearance: This is very simple and significant if you want to have a successful courtship. As an intending couple, you must be seen together in public meetings. These are limited only to church services, wedding, matriculation and graduation ceremonies, public lectures, academic seminars, etc. However, be careful how you conduct yourselves in public. For example, how your partner responds to issues such as reactions to annoying situations and the way he/she relates to people is very important. This will be a sign of what the future holds. For instance, if he or she lacks Christian character, you’re heading for trouble by going into marriage with such a person. If you find out that, for any social reason, such as height, age, educational differences, physical defects, personal carriage, eating manner, etc., you are ashamed to appear in public with your future husband, you may never make a good couple. Be real and do not go through courtship with the eyes of your mind closed!

• Having pleasure in common things: You must know that courtship is not just a time of prayer, fasting and studying the Word of God. Although these are of great importance, courtship is also a time of enjoying common things together. For instance, both of you may enjoy taking pictures. It is okay! Have fun, but avoid anything that will lead to sin. Such pictures can be kept for future references. The other day, I saw some pictures that my husband and I took before we got married more than thirty years ago! It was a lot of fun! Those times help you discover whether you are actually meant for each other or not.

• Good communication: The basis for a fruitful and lasting relationship in any family is a good and effective communication. Lack of communication in a relationship is the reason for so much tension in many homes. Good communication is the “mortar” that cements the marital relationship. Communication is the key to a successful courtship and marriage. A wise man said, “If you talk together, you stay together.” I believe it is true, and you know, marriage is all about living together!

One of the easiest ways to communicate during courtship is through letters. This becomes very handy, especially if the individuals involved are not in the same city or town. There are also other means of communication such as telephone, etc, especially in these days of fast electronic media revolution.  We have e-mails, facebook, twitter, instagram, etc., as other fastest means of conveying messages.

The first step to take, in order to have a successful courtship is to give your life to God through His Son, Jesus Christ. Giving your life to Christ entails confessing your sins and accepting Jesus as your Lord and personal Saviour. That is what being born again is all about. If you want to give your life to Christ and be born again, please say this prayer: “Dear Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me my sins and cleanse me with Your Blood. I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Make me a child of God today. Thank You for delivering me from sin and satan to serve the living God and thank You for accepting me into Your Kingdom.”

Congratulations, you are now born again! If you prayed this simple prayer of faith with me, you are now a child of God. He loves you and will never leave you. Read your Bible daily, obey God’s Word and seek Christian fellowship (John 14:21).

With this, you are guaranteed all-round rest and peace in Jesus’ Name! Call or write to share your testimonies with me through [email protected], 07026385437 OR 08141320204.

For more insight, these books authored by me are available at the Dominion Bookstores in all Living Faith Churches and other leading Christian bookstores: Marriage Covenant, Making Marriage Work, Building A Successful Home and Success in Marriage (Co-Authored).

Pastor Faith Oyedepo is the wife of Bishop David Oyedepo, the founder of the Living Faith Church Worldwide a.k.a. Winners’ Chapel, and Senior Pastor of Faith Tabernacle, Canaanland, Ota, Nigeria.

Topic: The Enemy Is Totally Defeated — Tuesday September 5, 2017.

“He stripped all the spiritual tyrants in the universe of their sham authority at the Cross and marched them naked through the streets.” (Colossians 2:15 MSG)

Our Lord Jesus Christ has stripped the devil of his rights over us. However, that’s not the end of it. The victory that Christ wrought for you as a believer did not stop with him stripping the devil of the rights to waylay and harass you. He went further to strip all the spiritual tyrants of their sham authority as captured in today’s text. Did you see that? The Bible calls them “spiritual tyrants”, having “sham authority”. And they were all disgraced publicly by Jesus Christ.

In the old Roman tradition, whenever victory parades were conducted after the soldiers returned from the war, their captives were dragged on the streets, naked and bound in chains to show complete dominance over their enemies. That is exactly what Christ did to the devil. He completely shamed and disgraced the enemy. What does that tell you? The enemy that you are afraid of, is totally defeated and is afraid of you. Jesus has won total victory for you, and there is no more battle to fight. Rather, all that you need to do is to stand on the existing victory that Christ wrought for you, and enforce it. Enforce your victory over the devil in all areas of your life.

The devil plays on the ignorance of believers and deceives them. This is why you must know and enforce what Christ has done for you. Stand your ground against the enemy in whatever shape or form he comes against you, and enforce your victory. I declare over your life that you will win in all competitions of life. No devil will steal or truncate the plan of God for your life. The God of All Sufficiency will manifest himself in your life.

Further Reading: Colossians 2:13-15, 1 John 5:4-5

Daily Bible Reading: Morning- Psalms 146-147; Evening- 1 Corinthians 15:1-28

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.